A first single-handed round-the-world race for the Ultims
Several skippers have already completed a solo round-the-world race in an Ultim, like Thomas Coville or François Gabart, the record holder. But this was not a race, as the sailors were free to choose the departure date. For the first time, the Ultim 32/23 class will sail around the globe in 2023 with the Arkea Ultim Challenge from and to Brest .
6 skippers have already confirmed their participation, including François Gabart and SVR-Lazartigue, whose trimaran has still not been homologated by the class.
Two round-the-world races for Class40s
In 2019, Manfred Ramspacher launched the Globe40 the long route, the first round the world race for Class40. It is a double-handed race with 7 stopovers in total, starting in Tangier on June 26, 2022. After more than 30,000 miles, the arrival is expected in Lorient on March 13, 2023.
A few months later, a new project of world tour was born. The Race Around is also a double race over several legs. Unlike the first one, it has been integrated into the official race program of the class. 35 crews are expected on the starting line in France. They will sail to South Africa, before heading to New Zealand, then South America, before returning to France.
This race is open to all Class40 crews, professionals and amateurs alike, and can also be raced solo. The course remains the same, but the challenge will be even harder. See you on September 10, 2023 in La Rochelle for the start.
A world tour with successive departures
The Global Solo Challenge is a non-stop single-handed round the world race starting from A Coruña, Spain. Open to a wide range of boats from 22 to 55 feet, the format wanted by Marco Nannini differs from the classic round-the-world races. They will be grouped according to performance characteristics and will start successively over a period of 11 weeks. Once at sea, the fastest boats, which left last, will have to join the slowest, which left first. The principle remains the same, the first to cross the finish line will win the race. This system of successive starts avoids the calculation of compensated times. Thus, the first ones will leave La Coruña on September 02, 2023 and the last ones on October 28.
We will be able to find on the starting line classic sailboats, modern cruising sailboats, one offs and open class sailboats or racing sailboats, such as Class40 or Open50.
The course is quite classic as it is a round the world trip to the east via the three capes, a 26,000 mile course that the organization estimates to be completed in 140 to 200 days.
49 sailors are already registered in June 2022.
An old-fashioned round-the-world trip with a crew stopover
After the success of the 2019 Golden Globe Race, a non-stop single-handed round-the-world race in the footsteps of the 1968 Golden Globe Challenge, Don McIntyre is declining the concept with crew and stopover with the Ocean Globe Race , in the original spirit of the first Whitbread Race of 1973.
If the ports of departure, arrival and stopovers are being negotiated, it is a round-the-world trip through the 3 capes from east to west. This 27,000 mile route will be punctuated by 4 stages: South Africa, Australia or New Zealand, South America and Europe. This race, which marks the 50th anniversary of the original race, will start on September 23, 2023, with a return trip planned for April 2024.
Like the GGR, any modern navigation instrument is forbidden: computer, satellite, GPSeuros. You will have to rely on your sextant, but above all on your team spirit and determination.
The race is open to all "approved" production monohulls from 47 to 66 feet designed before 1988, or launched no later than that year. Entries are limited to 30 boats, which will be divided into 3 classes, as on the GGR. Each boat will have to accommodate a minimum of 7 to 8 crew members, with some particularities to be respected. One of the crew members must have a Yachtmaster diploma, a woman must be present, as well as a crew member under 24 years old. Finally, 70% of the crew will have to be changed during a stopover and 33% will have to be professional and paid to sail.
