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?

Certainly, Damien Guillou should be seen as a favourite going into the race. A professional skipper with a background in IMOCAs and Figaros, his experience of the French offshore scene makes him a top contender in this 2026 edition of the Golden Globe. Solarem, his Rustler 36, is incredibly well prepared and  confidence radiates off the Solarem team. Despite this, the GGR is prone to wildcards and the Southern Ocean isn't bothered about an IMOCA background or Solarem’s fancy sprayhood.

Another well-prepared boat on the GGR dock undoubtedly is Andrea Lodolo’s Rustler 36, Bibi. Bibi has seen a huge amount of investment from Andrea and his team, and should be seen as a front runner.

Matt Woodside on the other hand has something potentially more valuable than the fanciest equipment aboard his Cape George 36 Tipi Haere - experience of his own boat. He has cruised Tipi Haere for fifteen years as his personal yacht - while many other competitors have purchased their boats specifically for the race - and has already partially circumnavigated with his passage from the US West coast to Les Sables d’Olonne, experience which should serve him well.

Another American skipper has experience useful for the GGR too - not just experience of the boat but of the Golden Globe itself: Guy deBoer. Having competed in 2022 before retiring following a grounding on the rocks at Lanzarote, he repaired a huge hole in the side of Spirit and has returned for 2026 feeling even more prepared. While there have been a few teething issues with equipment, he is an underdog you should be watching.

Speaking of underdogs, we should certainly discuss Etienne Messikommer and his very purple Tradewind 35, Bernard. Having completed won the inaugural 2021 Mini 5.80 transatlantic race aboard Numbatou, he is experienced in McIntyre events and is looking forward to cutting his teeth on another.

Ertan Berskades is another Mini 5.80 skipper participating in the GGR - and it isn’t his first GGR rodeo either. Having competed in both the 2018 and 2022 GGR, he hopes for better luck for the 2026 edition and his Rustler 36, Miss Beagle, has pedigree; originally named Matmut, she was the 2018 GGR winner with legend Jean-Luc Van Den Heede at the helm. Certainly a skipper to watch in the early stages of the race.

Ertan’s old boat, Lazy Otter, is being sailed by Pär Nyman in this edition of the Golden Globe race. Another underdog in this race, Pär has raced to ensure his boat is ready for a circumnavigation, but has a unique determination which will serve him well in the Golden Globe.

Pat Lawless also competed in the 2022 GGR alongside Lazy Otter and has returned wanting more for 2026, having been forced to retire in 2022 following equipment failure. He aims to become the first Irishman to complete the GGR, following in the footsteps of his father who was the first Irishman to circumnavigate the globe.

Helga Marie Løvenskiold Kveseth, known also as Mara, is unfortunately the only female entrant in the GGR aboard her Saltram Saga 36, Showgirl. Active on social media, she has attracted a lot of attention towards her campaign and, as a professional licensed captain with over 25,000nm under her belt, she will be an inspiration to many watching her through the GGR Live Window system and GGR tracker.

Someone who opted against the Live Window streaming system was Selim Yalcin, who was determined to ensure his GGR experience was as analogue as those who began their circumnavigations in 1968. A very experienced sailor with over 90,000nm already under his keel with his wife Nadire, he has grown his solo experience aboard his Endurance 35 Help Disabled Children - a nod to his and Nadire’s previous careers as paediatric lecturers who toured the globe in the name of medical care for children. A heartwarming entrant, no-one can deny.

Another exciting entrant for the 2026 edition of the GGR is Louis Kerdelhué, the first gen-z entrant the Golden Globe has seen. A dinghy sailor turned offshore racer, he offers inspiration to young sailors across the globe, showing that age shouldn’t get in the way of adventures - no matter what your parents say!

Isa Rosli, similarly to Louis, found offshore sailing relatively recently - but that hasn’t stopped the Canadian from feeling confident as the start line approaches. Sailing an OE32, the smallest boat in the fleet, he acknowledges his underdog status with older sails and equipment, but remains optimistic he can show the GGR is possible without big budgets, and aims to become the first Canadian Melayu to circumnavigate solo, non-stop, and unassisted.

One boat which is strikingly prepared though is Henry Wootton's Cape George 36; an Army Officer, he has the backing of Army Sport and hopes to raise money for the Royal British Legion. He found, similarly to Isa, offshore sailing relatively late in life, but an epic 2021 solo voyage to New Zealand confirmed his passion for navigating oceans alone, a passion which brought him to the 2026 edition of the Golden Globe.

Another skipper involved in public service prior to the GGR is Daniel Pinsky - formerly working in the Israeli Navy Coastguard, he sailed a full Atlantic circuit 2021-2024, ending back in Israel where he began working towards the GGR. 

Gunnar Christensen embodies the international vibe of the GGR fleet - an American, living in Gosport, with a Danish name! Having worked as a professional yacht captain (similarly to Mara) all of his life, sailing began to feel ‘jaded’ - but stopping full-time sailing a decade ago and recently moving to a house in sight of the Isle of Wight reignited that love for sailing, a love that like all the other GGR skippers brought him to Les Sables d’Olonne.

And last - but certainly not least - Guido Cantini is the sixteenth entrant into the GGR. An Italian skipper, he hopes to circumnavigate aboard his Vancouver 34, Hannah of Cowes. He is the first skipper to campaign a Vancouver 34, and his progress will be fascinating to follow as the fleet heads south towards the Cape of Good Hope.

In terms of the route, the skippers will sail around thirty-thousand nautical miles overall. Firstly, they head south from Les Sables d’Olonne towards the Canary Islands, where they will exchange film with the GGR team before continuing south towards the Cape of Good Hope. They then head east, leaving Cape Leeuwin to port before anchoring for 90 minutes in Tasmania, another opportunity to meet with Don and the team and to exchange film.

They then continue east towards Cape Horn, before pointing back up towards the North Atlantic and back into Les Sables d’Olonne. The route should take around eight months, with the first skippers returning April/May time.

The Golden Globe Race is a retro race based on the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, where nine competitors left and just one returned: Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who became the first individual to complete a solo, non-stop circumnavigation. The modern edition is run by Don McIntyre and McIntyre Adventures, where competitors must use technology and yachts from 1968, without any outside assistance. It is the toughest round-the-world sailing race in the world.

The Golden Globe Race can be followed on the GGR live tracker, YouTube (where you can watch live footage from eight yachts through the Live Window system), and on Facebook.