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One week after setting sail from Les Sables-d'Olonne, Damien Guillou has taken the lead in the 2026 Golden Globe Race aboard Solarem. The Frenchman is ahead of Ireland's Pat Lawless, while the fleet is spreading out behind the two sailors as they head south.
The situation isn't just a result of the boats' speed. Since leaving the Bay of Biscay, the fleet has been dealing with a series of highly variable pressure zones. Some sailors have managed to stay upwind, while others have paid a much heavier price during the transitions.
Guillou had already found his rhythm as he rounded Cape Finisterre. On September 11, he had covered 162 miles in 24 hours at an average speed of 6.5 knots, compared to 134 miles for Lawless. Most importantly, part of the fleet had been stuck in light winds further north at that time.
Once they rounded Cape Finisterre, the weather conditions changed. The leading boats encountered the northerly flow that regularly accompanies the western coast of the Iberian Peninsula. For these heavy sailboats, which carry relatively little sail area compared to modern offshore racing vessels, this steady wind is invaluable. A few extra knots of wind over several hours can quickly translate into dozens of miles gained.
Guillou and Lawless were thus able to extend their lead. But Lanzarote is now a new benchmark.
In recent days, the organizers of the Golden Globe Race had anticipated that Damien Guillou would arrive in Lanzarote late on September 15, followed by Pat Lawless on the 16th. This estimate obviously depends on the actual progress of the two boats and weather conditions.
Between Portugal and the Canary Islands, the pressure becomes less uniform
That doesn't mean that Guillou and Lawless will maintain the speeds they posted in Portugal all the way to Lanzarote.
The situation does indeed become more complex as you head toward Madeira and the Canary Islands. The available forecasts show areas where the north to northeast wind may ease, with significant variations over a few hundred miles.
Around Madeira, the September 16 forecast indicates that, depending on the area, wind speeds may drop below 10 knots, but there will also be periods with winds around 12 to 16 knots. These conditions are no longer necessarily the steady flow encountered further north, though they do not constitute a vast area of uniform calm.
For the leaders, the challenge is more subtle: avoiding the least-ventilated areas without turning the search for wind into an excessive detour.
Heading out to sea is only worthwhile if the wind makes the detour worthwhile
This first week already provides a classic example of oceanic strategy. Two routes may appear very different on a tracker, yet it may not be immediately clear which one is better.
The western route allows you to seek stronger winds and, at times, a more favorable wind direction. But every mile traveled westward will sooner or later have to be made up by heading south or southeast if the destination remains Lanzarote.
Damien Guillou has so far shown that an off-course position can be advantageous when it allows a sailor to stay in a favorable wind current. But this observation cannot be applied automatically to all competitors.
A fleet that is still far from being set in stone
The first week has already seen significant gaps emerge, but the Golden Globe Race is still in its early stages. The competitors have only just left Europe to embark on a journey of approximately 30,000 miles.
And the boats involved amplify the impact of weather changes.
The fleet consists of classic sailboats, selected in keeping with the spirit of the Golden Globe Race. Solarem, for example, is a 10.77-meter Rustler 36 designed by Holman & Pye. Pat Lawless sails a Saltram Saga 36, while Guy deBoer sails the Tashiba 36 Spirit. Helga Marie ?Mara? Løvenskiold Kveseth, for her part, sails the Saltram Saga 36 Showgirl.
On these boats, a drop in true wind speed from 15 to 7 or 8 knots can be very costly. Conversely, regaining a few knots of wind speed before a competitor allows you to quickly open up a lead.
It is therefore important to exercise caution when looking at individual daily performances. The distances covered over a 24-hour period provide insight into what has just happened, but not necessarily into the boat?s or skipper?s potential for the coming days.
Lanzarote will be a stopover, not a port of call
The next match, however, will provide an opportunity to start fresh from a tactical standpoint.
In Lanzarote, the sailors don't stop in the traditional sense of the word. The Golden Globe Race includes a stopover that allows skippers to hand in films, letters, and recordings to the organizers and speak briefly with them before continuing on their way.
This distinctive feature stems directly from the race?s philosophy. The GGR deliberately limits the use of modern navigation aids and returns to the tools used in the first Golden Globe Race in 1968. In particular, the sailors navigate using paper charts and a sextant.
Lanzarote thus offers both a media event and an excellent benchmark for athletic performance.
The gaps observed at the finish will reveal much more than the intermediate standings about the effectiveness of the first major route decisions. They will also show whether Guillou and Lawless have managed to turn their lead in Portugal into a lasting advantage.
After the Canary Islands, another race will begin
Even a comfortable lead in Lanzarote will still be minuscule in the context of the Golden Globe Race.
After the Canary Islands, we?ll head down toward the Intertropical Convergence Zone, then cross the equator and begin the long process of positioning ourselves in the South Atlantic. Each weather system will present new opportunities to close the gap or break away.
For Damien Guillou, the immediate challenge is therefore less about defending a specific ETA than about navigating this first Atlantic leg successfully. His lead gives him more freedom, but it also puts him in the lead as he faces the next transitions.
Pat Lawless remains the first rider to benefit if the Frenchman slows down. Behind him, variations in pace and diverging routes continue to reshape the pack.
The passage through Lanzarote will soon provide the first concrete figures. Until then, we must be cautious with extrapolations: in offshore racing, a 24-hour average perfectly captures the wake. It does a much poorer job of capturing the sea ahead of the bow.
