It’s not your average Yacht Race
If you love ocean racing, chances are you’ve heard of the Golden Globe Race.. But even if you’re not a sailing enthusiast, this extraordinary race is worth knowing about.
Because this isn’t your average yacht race. It differs from the Vendée Globe, a modern, high-tech professional race that also departs from Les Sables d’Olonne every fours years (next race in 2028). There is no GPS. For the Golden Globe Yacht Race, there is no modern electronic navigation. No weather routing. No outside assistance. Instead, these hardcore solo sailors will navigate the world’s oceans using traditional techniques, including sextants, compasses, paper charts, the sun and the stars.
Les Sables d’Olonne
The race starts from Les Sables d’Olonne on France’s Atlantic coast. If that name sounds familiar, it might be because I’ve already written about this rather wonderful seaside town in my guide, Uncover the Maritime Magic of Les Sables d’Olonne — and So Much More.
When I visited, I discovered that Les Sables d’Olonne is so much more than a beautiful French beach destination. Its fishing heritage, working harbour, historic neighbourhoods and deep connection with the Atlantic are everywhere.
Now, with the Golden Globe Race about to set sail once again, it’s the perfect excuse to look at Les Sables d’Olonne through the eyes of the adventurers who are about to leave its shores.
Where Ocean Adventure Begins
There is something wonderfully fitting about the Golden Globe Race starting in Les Sables d’Olonne. The town’s relationship with the sea stretches back centuries. Its maritime identity was shaped by fishing, shipbuilding and commercial trade long before modern offshore racing put it firmly on the international sailing map.
Today, Port Olona is perhaps best known as the home of the legendary Vendée Globe, the solo, non-stop, around-the-world yacht race. Since the first Vendée Globe in 1989, Les Sables d’Olonne has established itself as one of France’s great offshore sailing centres.
And if you’ve read my original Les Sables d’Olonne guide, you’ll know that its maritime character is impossible to miss.
A channel runs through the town, separating La Chaume, the old fishermen’s quarter, from the elegant seafront of Le Remblai and its enormous Grande Plage. Fishing boats and working vessels share the waterways with yachts and racing boats.
Here, the sea isn’t simply something pretty to admire from a promenade. The sea is part of the town’s DNA.
And on Sunday 6 September, that connection will once again take centre stage.
The Golden Globe Race 2026
The 2026 McIntyre Golden Globe Race begins in Les Sables d’Olonne on Sunday 6 September 2026.
The course is approximately 30,000 miles, taking the sailors eastwards around the world via the five Great Capes before returning to Les Sables d’Olonne. It is a modern revival of the original Sunday Times Golden Globe Race of 1968/69, when Sir Robin Knox-Johnston became the first person to sail solo and non-stop around the world. And the 2026 race deliberately retains much of that old-school spirit.
Competitors sail traditional production yachts of around 32–36 feet, based on designs from before 1988. Modern technology is heavily restricted, meaning sailors must rely on traditional navigation rather than satellite navigation and the sophisticated systems found on today’s ocean-racing yachts. It sounds almost unimaginable in our smartphone-and-Google-Maps world.
Imagine being thousands of miles from land, surrounded by nothing but ocean, calculating your position with a sextant and celestial observations.
Then imagine doing it alone.
For months. This race is Solo, Non-Stop and Unassisted. Think about this. Those three words really capture the Golden Globe Race.
The current 2026 fleet comprises 16 entrants, representing a remarkable range of nationalities and backgrounds. The sailors range in age from 21 to 70, with an average age of 46. And these aren’t people who have simply decided that sailing around the world sounds like fun. The entry requirements are formidable. Competitors must demonstrate at least 8,000 nautical miles of ocean sailing experience, plus solo sailing experience and qualifying miles in their GGR boat. Even then, getting to the start line is only the beginning.
The previous three editions saw 43 sailors start but only nine finish. That statistic really puts the scale of the challenge into perspective doesn’t it?
Who Is Sailing the Golden Globe Race 2026?
The 2026 fleet includes sailors from France, Britain, the United States, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Turkey and Switzerland.
There are some fascinating stories among them. One sailor who particularly caught my attention is Louis Kerdelhué, the 21-year-old Frenchman and youngest skipper in the fleet. Louis represents a very different generation from many of the experienced ocean sailors around him, yet he is taking on an adventure that demands skills more closely associated with a bygone era.
He will sail his Biscay 36, NURI, a boat designed for exactly this kind of traditional ocean adventure. The GGR describes Louis as the youngest skipper in the 2026 fleet. At just 21, spending eight months alone at sea is quite some way to make your mark on the world!
The Woman to Watch
There is also an important female presence in this year’s fleet. Helga Marie “Mara” Løvenskiold Kveseth, aged 35, is the Norwegian skipper competing aboard a Saltram Saga 36. And she certainly has a precedent worth remembering. In 2022, Kirsten Neuschäfer became the first woman to win the Golden Globe Race, completing her solo circumnavigation in 235 days.
So while the Golden Globe remains an extraordinary test for every sailor who enters, it will be particularly interesting to see how Helga tackles the challenge.
Who Will Win the Golden Globe Race?
Now comes the impossible question:
Who is likely to win?
Experience will obviously count for a huge amount, but the Golden Globe isn’t simply a test of speed. The sailors will face storms, equipment failures, fatigue, isolation and thousands of miles of open ocean. And unlike modern offshore racing, there is nobody coming to fix things for them.
The fastest completed Golden Globe circumnavigation remains the approximately 211-day record set by Jean-Luc Van den Heede in 2018.
For some perspective:
- Sir Robin Knox-Johnston — 1968: 313 days
- Jean-Luc Van den Heede — 2018: approximately 211 days
- Kirsten Neuschäfer — 2022: 235 days
The 2026 sailors are expected to spend around seven to eight months at sea, although weather, repairs, strategy and the inevitable unpredictability of ocean sailing will determine how long each journey actually takes. So perhaps the better question isn’t simply who will win? It might be:
Who will make it home?
The Golden Globe Race Begins in Les Sables d’Olonne
This is where the race becomes particularly special if, like me, you’ve visited and loved your time in Les Sables d’Olonne. On Sunday 6 September, the town’s famous channel will become the stage for the departure. The Parade of Sail begins at 2 pm, with a spectacular collection of historic and modern vessels expected to take part.
Among them will be some truly legendary boats, including Joshua, associated with Bernard Moitessier, and Suhaili, the yacht Sir Robin Knox-Johnston sailed to victory in the original 1968 Golden Globe Race. They will be joined by IMOCA racing yachts, classic sailing boats, fishing vessels, the local Viking longship and other craft celebrating the town’s extraordinary maritime heritage.
From 2:30 pm, the Golden Globe yachts will leave the GGR marina at two-minute intervals. One by one, they’ll disappear into the Atlantic.
And then the real adventure begins.
Les Sables d’Olonne Gets Ready for the Race
The excitement hasn’t been limited to race day.
From 22 August, the GGR Pavilion and Vendée Globe Marina have been open to the public, giving visitors the opportunity to meet the skippers and see their traditional yachts up close.
The programme has included:
- Meet-and-greets with the skippers
- Celestial navigation demonstrations
- Sextant demonstrations
- Skipper Q&As
- Poster signing sessions
- Opportunities to see the classic yachts
- Special events celebrating the history of the race
And perhaps most excitingly for sailing history buffs, visitors have been able to see Suhaili and Joshua alongside the 2026 fleet. That’s quite a collection of maritime history in one French harbour.
How You Can Join the Golden Globe Adventure
The great thing about the Golden Globe Race is that you don’t have to own a yacht — or know how to use a sextant — to follow the adventure. There are several ways to get involved.
Sail the Virtual Golden Globe Race
The Fairwinds Virtual GGR allows you to take control of a virtual Rustler 36 and navigate through the same real-time weather systems as the actual fleet. You can even learn celestial navigation and use a virtual sextant. It’s probably considerably less stressful than trying to do it halfway across the Southern Ocean!
Try the Virtual Golden Globe Race
Watch the GGR Live Window
The Golden Globe Race has also created an innovative GGR Window, allowing spectators to follow selected sailors using one-way satellite technology.
The system can provide information such as the yacht’s speed, course, wind conditions and even selected biometric data, alongside video from participating boats. Crucially, the system sends information out but does not send messages or weather information back to the sailor.
So you can get a fascinating glimpse into life aboard without compromising the race’s fundamental principle of self-reliance.
Why I Think Les Sables d’Olonne Is Worth a Visit
All of this has made me look at Les Sables d’Olonne slightly differently. When I visited, I was there as a traveller, discovering the beaches, old streets, harbour and food rather than following an ocean race. But once you understand the town’s relationship with offshore sailing, so many things begin to make sense. This isn’t simply a resort town that happens to have a marina. It is a place shaped by the ocean.
Walk through La Chaume, and you’re wandering through the old fishermen’s quarter. Follow the waterfront, and you’re watching boats come and go through a harbour that has been central to the town’s identity for generations. Look towards Port Olona, and you’re standing somewhere that has become synonymous with some of the world’s most demanding sailing challenges. And then there’s that glorious Atlantic beach.
Which, let’s be honest, is a pretty good place to recover after contemplating sailing 30,000 miles around the world!
Read More: Uncover the Maritime Magic of Les Sables d’Olonne
If you’re planning a visit, my original guide is the perfect place to start:
Uncover the Maritime Magic of Les Sables d’Olonne — and So Much More
I’ve covered the town’s maritime history, beaches, La Chaume, things to see and do and why this corner of France deserves more than a quick stop.
From Fishermen to Ocean Racers
Perhaps what fascinates me most about the Golden Globe Race is how beautifully it connects the old Les Sables d’Olonne with the new.
The town’s maritime story began with fishermen, sailors and explorers. Today, it is home to some of the world’s most challenging offshore sailing events.
Yet the fundamental attraction hasn’t changed.
Adventure.
The Golden Globe sailors are simply taking that idea to an extraordinary extreme. They will leave Les Sables d’Olonne tomorrow with their boats, their skills and the stars above them. There is no GPS, no modern navigation systems and no support crew waiting offshore.
Just one sailor, one boat and an enormous ocean.
And somewhere, many months from now, we’ll be waiting to see which of them sails back through that famous channel into Les Sables d’Olonne.,I suspect the welcome home will be quite something.
Bon voyage, Golden Globe sailors. And may the stars guide you home.
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