50 years ago, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston completed the first solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in the Golden Globe race of the Sunday Times in 1968/69. On 1st July 2018, 17 solo sailors (the Italian Francesco Cappelletti did not leave with the rest of the fleet, falling behind in his preparation) set off from Les Sables-d'Olonne to pay tribute to this historic round the world race. The programme includes 30,000 non-stop miles, no assistance, no electronics, no means of communication and about 300 days of sailing...
Lacking communication
After 10 days of racing, the technical and emotional difficulties are coming to an end. So much so that Ertan Beskardes, the English skipper (born in Turkey) from Bournemouth decided to give up. He informed the satellite race management late Friday July 6 that he was withdrawing from the race for personal reasons. Ertan is moored at La Corunna where his wife joined him yesterday.
On his Facebook, he left a message to explain the reason for his abandonment: the lack of communication with his family, imposed by the race rules "Not talking to my family regularly to share my daily experiences unfortunately made this experience empty of joy and happiness. Those feelings got worse until nothing mattered but talking to them. I wasn't ready for that experience and that was the hardest decision I've ever made in my life. I like sailing alone, but I felt really alone without contact."
Some technical difficulties
The fleet has been led since this weekend by Philippe Péché with his Rustler 36 PRB, which is 45 miles ahead of Jean-Luc Van den Heede (Matmut), after a quick descent along Portugal. The 16 competitors are now heading for the Rubicon Marina in Lanzarote, the first gate of this 30,000 mile solo yacht.
Technical difficulties are affecting the fleet, such as the Frenchman Antoine Cousot (Biscay 36 Métier Intérim) and his American-Hungarian rival Istvan Kopar (Tradewind 35 Puffin), who regularly encounter problems with their windvane steering system - essential equipment in the South - and are currently spending long hours at the helm. The first should call at the port of Lanzarote to make repairs, but has not yet said whether it wishes to receive outside help.
All smiles on PRB but a zone of light winds could disturb Philippe Péché in the next 24 hours. This could also affect the positions of other competitors
Solo sailors have the opportunity to take cover for repairs at any time during the race, without affecting their status as solo sailors. If they call at a port and receive assistance, they will be relegated to the Chichester Class (round the world race with stopover).
Finally, Philippe Péché is also having trouble with his HF radio, which is used to retrieve weather files.
