An adventure around the globe
After the return of the Golden Globe Race in 2018 - it's another old-school race that's making a comeback. The Whitbread Round the World Race is a crewed race with stopovers launched in 1973. For the 50th anniversary of the race, the organizer of the GGR - the Australian Don McIntyre - is launching the Ocean Globe Race. The latter, which will take place in 2023, will follow the same program as its ancestor: a crewed round-the-world race with stopovers. Each crew will have to include at least one woman and one young person under the age of 24 at the start of the race.
While today, ocean racing is more and more professionalized, the boats more and more technological and the budgets more and more consequent, the organizer wishes to return to older values, where ordinary sailors live the adventure. Like Tabarly, Blake van Rietschoten, Blyth, or Knox-Johnston.
27 miles around the world by the three capes
This race, which will start on September 10, 2023 from a European port, will follow the same route as the 1973 edition, namely the Clipper Route. The course will be as follows:
- September 10, 2023: departure from Europe
- November 5, 2023: Departure from South Africa
- December 31, 2023: Departure from Australia or New Zealand
- March 10, 2024: Departure from South America
- April 14, 2024: Return to Europe
In total, the skippers will cover 27,000 miles in seven months, passing through the three major capes. The final course will be published at the end of 2020, at the same time as the notice of race. Cities in the UK, Europe, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil are invited to apply to host the stopovers.
No modern means
Like the Golden Globe Race, this round-the-world race will be played out the old-fashioned way. Thus, modern means of communication and navigation will not be allowed on board: no computers, satellite systems (including telephones and GPS) or cell phones.
The navigation will be done thanks to the sextant tracings on printed charts, the communication by SSB and VHF radios. The recordings will be made on cassettes.
Authorized boats must have been built before 1988 - fiberglass is approved - and be between 47 and 66 feet long. They are divided into three classes:
- Adventure : from 47 to 56 feet
- Saluya : from 56 to 66 feet
- Flyer: This class sailed the first three editions in 1973, 1977 and 1981.
The Nautor Swan boats corresponding to the characteristics will be admitted in the fleet, as well as some similar models, after validation by the organization. The number of participating boats is limited to 30.
An affordable budget
"For the first time in 30 years, ordinary sailors and boat owners will have the opportunity to experience a round-the-world race on a reasonable budget, in complete safety and with maximum enjoyment. No need to be a great sportsman or to have a big team behind. And for the budget, the price of this campaign will not cost more than half a sail on an IMOCA 60" says the organizer.
The organization has established a budget estimate for a participation on a Nautor Swan 55 in the Adventure Class, with a crew of 8 to 9 people.
- Purchase of the boat by broker: 180 000 euros
- Refurbishment for the crew: 100 000 euros
- Registration fee: 25 000 euros
- Insurance and administrative costs: 20 000 euros
TOTAL : 325 000 euros
The expenses on the round-the-world trip as well as the costs of stopovers (food and maintenance) are the responsibility of the crew.
If at the end of the race the boat is sold for 200,000 euros, the experience will have cost 125,000, or about 14,000 euros per person for a crew of nine.
"For comparison, a single carbon foil for an IMOCA 60 will cost you between ?500,000 and ?600,000, which allows you to take on the challenge of the Ocean Globe race for 25% of a set of foils!" concludes Don McIntyre.
