Golden Globe Race 2026: Sail like it’s 1968. Experience it like it’s 2026

Excitement is building in Les Sables-d’Olonne. 17 sailors are making their final preparations. In just under three weeks, the fourth edition of the Golden Globe Race will get underway there. The race is the successor to the legendary Sunday Times Golden Globe of 1968/69, in which Sir Robin Knox-Johnston became the first person to sail solo and non-stop around the world. It has been held every four years since 2018. In 2022, Kirsten Neuschäfer became the first woman to win the race.

• ​Profile: Kirsten Neuschäfer and her experiences in the Golden Globe Race
• ​YACHT Podcast: Kirsten Neuschäfer on her historic sailing achievement
• ​After the euphoria of victory: On board with Kirsten Neuschäfer on the “Minnehaha”

Non-stop. Without assistance. Using traditional navigation methods

A new edition of the race is now set to begin. The start is on Sunday, 6 September. The sailors are expected to take around eight months to cover the 30,000 nautical miles in their production boats. They will sail non-stop, without outside assistance, navigating using a sextant and nautical charts. No GPS, no computers, no modern assistance systems. Those who set sail are on their own.

A look back at the three previous editions shows just how challenging this race is: only around 30 per cent of the starters reached the finish line. Of the 43 sailors who set off, only nine have ever made it to the finish line in the race’s history.

Organiser Don McIntyre says: “I’d be delighted if at least half of this fleet crossed the finish line. They’re better prepared than any other fleet we’ve seen in the last three editions.” He continues:

"This race has a habit of writing its own story. The oceans always have the final say."

​Don McIntyre – adventurer and visionary

The Australian Don McIntyre has been making his mark on the international sailing scene with his projects for decades. In 1993, his first expedition took him to Antarctica, and many more voyages followed on his ice-strengthened vessel, the ‘Sir Hubert Wilkins’.

Later, the visionary launched the Golden Globe Race – with the 2018, 2022 and 2026 editions serving as a revival of the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race – as well as the Ocean Globe Race. He developed the Globe 5.80 amateur-built class, sailed 3,600 miles solo across the Atlantic in 2021, and won the Seniors Class at the first Globe 5.80 Transat.

Most recently, he organised the Mini Globe Race, in which 16 sailors sailed round the world in 5.80-metre-long boats – many of which they had built themselves from plywood. German Christian Sauer was also there.

Find out more:

• ​Class Globe 5.80: An interview with McIntyre – “The aim is to inspire people”
• ​Mini Globe Race: Christian Sauer completes historic solo circumnavigation of the globe
• ​New podcast episode: Christian Sauer on his participation in the first Mini Globe Race

​The schedule for the Golden Globe Race, even before the start

The official start is scheduled for 6 September 2026 in Les Sables-d’Olonne. A three-day test sail is already planned for 16 August. This will give the sailors the opportunity to test their on-board systems under offshore conditions. Crews of two or three are permitted.

And from as early as next week, anyone interested will be able to visit the venue. The jetty and pavilion will open to visitors from 22 August. They will be officially opened by the mayor of Les Sables-d’Olonne. A particular highlight is likely to be the ‘Suhaili’, the boat in which Sir Robin Knox-Johnston became the first person to sail solo and non-stop round the world. According to the organisers, it will be on display from 29 August.

At the same time, visitors can meet the race participants at the Golden Globe Marina. Final preparations are under way for them: safety inspections, emergency medical training and final work on board.

More information You can find here.

​Follow what’s happening on board live

New in this issue is the so-called “GGR Live Window”. This will allow interested parties to follow selected participants online in real time. A one-way satellite transmission will broadcast live video footage from on board, without the sailor receiving any feedback: in other words, no messages, no weather reports, nothing. According to the organisers, biometric data will also be transmitted alongside the video footage.

The live streams from the seven sailors taking part in the project alternate in two- to three-hour blocks. They can be watched on YouTube. If anything happens in the meantime, you can switch to the relevant stream at any time. The organiser says:

"For the sailors, it’s still 1968. For the spectators, it’s already 2026!"