Runners and Riders - the 2026 Golden Globe Race

With the Golden Globe fleet leaving tomorrow Sunday 6th September, 21,268 days after Robin Knox-Johnston left Falmouth aboard Suhaili, the race is becoming real for each competitor. With thirty-thousand miles of the globe’s toughest oceans ahead of them, skippers and their yachts are as ready as they can be for the task ahead.

So, going into the race start tomorrow, who are the favourites, the underdogs, the quietly confident ones to watch? read more

Good food, good thoughts? The GGR fleet

With 30,000 miles of circumnavigation ahead of each GGR skipper setting off this Sunday 6th September, their yachts are stocked up with food and drink ready for more than 200 days at sea.

While food might seem like a secondary factor in Golden Globe success, it can play a huge role in the psychological wellbeing of each competitor. During Damien Guillou's preparatory mile-building, he found food a cause for stress as his manager, Sebastien, explained. read more

Earth, Wind & Fire - or Wind, Hydro & Solar?

While the Golden Globe Race does hark back to a different time, it doesn’t turn the clock back to BC - and competitors still need to ensure they have reliable sources of electricity while they are completing their circumnavigations similarly to modern yacht races. Their energy consumption ranges from important technical equipment such as navigation lights and VHF & HF radio sets to GGR-specific equipment such as the Live Window system - which you can read about here. read more

The GGR Live Window - explained

While the 2018 and 2022 editions of the Golden Globe Race engaged and inspired audiences globally, the 2026 edition will see that step up with the unprecedented, all-new GGR Live Window system. Built in conjunction with pioneering Swedish technology company TriPeak, it will draw the curtain on seven skippers’ circumnavigations and welcome audiences around the world into the fold. read more

Green Cards & Safety Checks in the Golden Globe Race

Daniel Pinsky of Exodus and Pat Lawless of Silvermines Hydro are the first skippers of the Golden Globe Race fleet to receive their ‘green card’ - but what, you may ask, actually is a green card?

As in any yacht race, boats must be certified for conformity to the rules before the race start - and the GGR is no different. Standard safety and skipper checks occur as part of the green card system, as well as checks to ensure conformity to the GGR's retro rules. read more

Canoe & Transom sterns - the GGR fleet

On the British and European coast, canoe sterns - that is, a stern which return to a single point, creating an elliptical deck plan - are not at all common. Indeed, transom sterns - those with a flat-faced stern - are seen almost universally in our home waters.

However, in contrast to that recognisable trend, almost 40% of Golden Globe entrants use boats designed with canoe sterns, an anomaly easily spotted when walking down the GGR dock in Les Sables d’Olonne. read more

Sprayhoods, Dodgers, and Doghouses - the GGR fleet

Differences in doghouses, sprayhoods, and cockpit coverings across the fleet are some of the most visible contrasts between competitors readying themselves for the Golden Globe Race start next Saturday 6th September.

Indeed, choices range from small, solid doghouses to larger, canvas sprayhoods, to cockpit-covering hoods more akin to Vendée Globe boats. These decisions reflect the skippers’ personal philosophies in protecting themselves against the worst the ocean can throw at them. read more