In the last Golden Globe Race, the French harbour town of Les Sables d'Olonne became the starting and finishing port for the solo non-stop regatta around the world at short notice after a start in Plymouth in the south of England failed to materialise.
Les Sables' mayor Yannick Moreau had already announced his intention to organise the start and finish of the next Golden Globe Race, which was officially decided at the beginning of July. According to the race organiser Don McIntyre, the continuation of the race in 2026 and 2030 has also already been discussed.
McIntyre is pleased with the prolonged commitment of the city and the region, which proved to be the most important partner of the event - for which no title sponsor was found - during the last race.
McIntyre said:
"We are delighted with this ongoing relationship. The support of the Les Sables d'Olonne agglomeration during the 2018/19 race was strong, professional and based on trust - the perfect foundation for a long-term commitment."
Start in September, weather on board
However, following criticism of the last Golden Globe Race due to numerous accidents and cancellations, something will change when the event is repeated in three years' time, as McIntyre announced in a press release on Wednesday.
Firstly, the race will start later in the season. The next start is planned for 4 September 2022 - in 2018, the yachts set off on 1 July and reached the high southern latitudes correspondingly early in the year.
Another significant change to the rules is that weather faxes may be received on shortwave, enabling participants to receive up-to-date weather charts on board.
The sponsor area on the hull will be doubled and a maximum of two live telephone interviews per week can be conducted with the skippers. In addition, participants will now be allowed to use digital cameras without a GPS function. The official invitation to tender will be published on 4 September 2019, three years before the start.
Interest from all over the world - and Austria
The start list for 2022 is already full: with skippers from ten countries, including the Austrian Michael Guggenberger and his Endurance 35. Guggenberger had already registered for the GGR 2018/19, but then withdrew his participation. In addition, seven British, five Australian, two French, one Canadian and one Irish skipper have also entered.
Organiser Don McIntyre, who told YACHT in January that he wanted to sail around the world himself in the next Golden Globe Race, will now manage the next race from land after all. as well as the new Ocean Globe Race as a repeat of the first Whitbread Round the World Race from 1973 - and not be on the world's oceans yourself.
Lone straggler
Igor Zaretskiy, the last remaining participant in the Golden Globe Race, who had apparently started Albany in Western Australia due to health problems, plans to return to his "Esmeralda" in October, according to McIntyre. If all goes according to plan, he will set off again in November in the so-called Chichester class - for those skippers who had to make a stopover - and hopes to reach Les Sables d'Olonne in spring 2020.
