This format was organised for the first time in 2018. Ten of the 19 sailors who started made the journey back then - four without a stopover. Among them was the German ocean sailor Susanne Huber-Curphey.
Travelling the world alone together
The joint initiative was launched Circumnavigationwhich is not a regatta and is not a competition, was organised by Frenchman Guy Bernardin. He wanted to organise something similar 50 years after Moitessier's famous voyage as a tribute to him. His motto was: The joy of sailing around the three southern capes.
On the Longue Route, skippers sail alone all the way round, without stopping and without assistance, on a boat that must not be longer than 52 feet. There are no restrictions regarding the equipment on board.
The aim of the Longue Route 2024 is "to create a community of sailors, men and women who want to realise their lifelong dream", according to the organisers Francis Tolan and Bruno Tréca
How it all began: the Golden Globe Race of 1968/69
In 1968, Bernard Moitessier took part in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race with his "Joshua", a twelve-metre steel ketch. This first single-handed circumnavigation of the globe without stopping was endowed with £5,000 by the title sponsor - a lot of money for the time.
Moitessier was on course to win, but after passing Cape Horn, he decided to continue his journey to Polynesia. "Because I'm happy at sea and maybe I want to save my soul," said Moitessier at the time. In doing so, he missed his chance to win - and the prize money - and made sailing history. After another exhausting half circumnavigation, he finally reached Tahiti.
His later book about the journey, "La Longue Route", became a classic of sailing literature. He himself became an inspiration to many, just like his own role model: the first single-handed circumnavigator Joshua Slocum, after whom he named his boat.
One hundred years of Moitessier
At the end of 2022, Francis Tolan, a participant in the Longue Route 2024, had the idea of repeating the event and set about realising it with his friend Bruno Tréca. In addition, Bernard Moitessier would have been one hundred years old next year in 2025 - another reason for organisers and sailors to revive the event. After all, many of the sailors will still be at sea by then.
The plan is for most of the Longue Route participants to start in Lorient, France, on 11 August. But like so many other things, they are free to choose the starting point for this joint circumnavigation - it doesn't have to be Lorient. Unlike Moitessier's big voyage, however, only one circumnavigation is planned - not one and a half - and Lorient is once again the intended port of destination.
Susanne Huber-Curphey is also back on the entry list with her aluminium yacht "Nehaj", which also includes mainly French single-handed sailors. However, which of them will actually set off on the big trip - and who will make it in the end - remains to be seen in the coming months.
