The first major test of the 2026 Golden Globe Race is now behind parts of the fleet. Tropical Storm ‘Gonzalo’ swept across the area near the Cape Verde Islands at the weekend. The The National Hurricane Centre documented the storm with sustained wind speeds of up to 45 knots at times and gusts of up to 55 knots.
Five metres of lake and damage to the ‘Pompoen’
According to the race committee, Louis Kerdelhué on the Biscay 36 ‘IE Charge’, Gunnar Christensen on the Hans Christian 34 ‘Pompoen’ and Matt Woodside on the Cape George 36 ‘Tipi Haere’ were particularly exposed. Rapidly shifting winds and seas from various directions made for challenging sailing conditions. According to the race organisers, Henry Wootton and Mara Løvenskiold Kveseth, who were positioned further west, got off more lightly.
Christensen described experiencing winds of 50 knots and waves five metres high. He lost equipment at the stern, reported damaged solar panels and problems with the wind vane steering. For two days, he had to sail at times in a direction that did not correspond to his planned course. According to the race organisers, Woodside turned off course in winds of around 30 knots to rest. No damage had initially been reported on Kerdelhué.
After that Passing through the Lanzarote Gate the leaders, Damien Guillou and Pat Lawless, are already further south. According to Race control On 28 September, both reached the south-easterly trade winds and, at that point, were some 550 nautical miles ahead of the main fleet.
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Yalçın has been ruled out; deBoer is waiting for the go-ahead
For one competitor, however, the adventure is now over: Selim Yalçın is no longer waiting for a possible return to the race. After his shortwave radio failed, the Turkish skipper sailed into Cádiz. On 26 September, the race organisers confirmed his withdrawal.
According to the organisers, Guy deBoer is currently moored in Marina Rubicón on Lanzarote with his Tashiba 36 ‘Spirit’. Structural problems had been identified on his yacht in the area of the hull and shroud fittings. The race organisers require a favourable assessment and a test sail of 100 nautical miles following the repairs before he can continue the race. It is not yet known whether he has already received these.
Live footage and race data for spectators
There is good news regarding the technical development of the race: With the GGR Window Live Footage from on board selected yachts can be viewed at set times. The broadcast is one-way only: the skippers do not receive any external information via this channel. The organisers estimate that this has increased the race’s social media reach by 400 to 500 per cent compared with 2022.
And there is set to be another new development: the announced platform GGR Stats compares race data the 2018, 2022 and 2026 editions. These include daily averages, average speeds and distances sailed. Anyone wishing to assess the impact of ‘Gonzalo’ on individual boats can compare the voyages undertaken after the storm with the figures from before it.
Fabian Boerger
Editor News & Panorama
