Golden Globe Yacht Race 2026
Solo around the world, inspired by 1968
Golden Globe Race 2026: tracker, news and fleet
- Race start
- Departure port
- Les Sables-d’Olonne, France
- Race distance
- Approximately 30,000 nautical miles
The Golden Globe Race 2026 is a solo round the world yacht race, sailed without stopping or outside assistance. Inspired by the original 1968 race, it puts traditional seamanship and celestial navigation at the heart of the challenge.
Follow the race with Go Boating’s latest reports, published distance snapshots and the official YB tracker. Explore the starting fleet to identify each skipper, boat and yacht design.
Time since race start: Race began on 6 September 2026.
Latest from the race
Guillou's lead grows to 656 miles as a calm grips the pack
Damien Guillou leads by 656 miles after a 161-mile day while a South Atlantic calm holds the pack and a new low builds near its path.
Selected report checked on 31 October 2026. This is dated reporting, not live race positions.
Banner: illustrative artwork. Race identity supplied by Golden Globe Race.
The miles behind them
Golden Globe Race 2026: distance sailed
This graph shows recorded distance sailed by Golden Globe Race 2026 skippers across snapshots published in Go Boating’s race reports. It shows how those recorded totals change over time.
Distance sailed is not a race ranking or the distance remaining to the finish. Retired sailors remain in the historical record. Check each snapshot label when comparing sailors.
Select a skipper’s name beneath the graph to hide or show their line. Open the distance table below for their latest available recorded total.
Checking Go Boating’s latest reports for the progress graph…
View the latest recorded distances
Skippers appear alphabetically. These are published distance totals, not live race placings. A skipper’s latest available snapshot may differ from others. Snapshot labels retain the wording used in the source report.
| Skipper | Distance sailed, nautical miles | Snapshot |
|---|
Source: Go Boating’s published graphs, based on Golden Globe Race and YB tracker snapshots. This section checks available reports when you load or refresh the page. The snapshot labels show when the recorded data applies.
Follow the fleet
Golden Globe Race 2026: race tracker
Follow the Golden Globe Race 2026 fleet using the official YB race tracker below. Select a yacht to explore its reported position and track. Open the fleet panel for standings and boat details.
How current are the tracker positions?
Positions update as tracking reports become available. Each position represents a reported location, rather than a continuous live position. Check each yacht’s report time before comparing sailors.
On a phone, opening the tracker in a separate tab gives the map more space. If the embedded map does not load, use the same link to access the tracker directly.
Tracking supplied by YB for the Golden Globe Race, opens in a new tab.
Meet the fleet
Golden Globe Race 2026: boats and skippers
Sixteen boats started the Golden Globe Race 2026. The table lists each boat, skipper, yacht design, country and GGR entry number, alphabetically by boat name.
This is the starting fleet, not the current race standings. It includes sailors who have since retired or continued in Chichester Class. Use the official race tracker above to follow reported positions.
GGR entry numbers follow the official skipper profiles. They are separate from national sail numbers, which are omitted here because they have not been independently confirmed.
Accents are optional when searching names.
On smaller screens, swipe across the table to see every column. Boat names stay visible as you scroll.
| Boat name | GGR number | Skipper | Yacht design | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernard | 69 | Etienne Messikommer | Tradewind 35 | Switzerland |
| BiBi | 11 | Andrea Lodolo | Rustler 36 | Italy |
| Exodus | 07 | Daniel Pinsky | Baba 35 | Israel |
| Hannah of Cowes | 68 | Guido Cantini | Vancouver 34 Classic | Italy |
| Help Disabled Children | 62 | Selim Yalcin | Endurance 35 | Turkey |
| IE Charge | 17 | Louis Kerdelhué | Biscay 36 | France |
| Lazy Otter | 37 | Pär Nyman | Rustler 36 | Sweden |
| Miss Beagle | 03 | Ertan Beskardes | Rustler 36 | United Kingdom |
| Olleanna | 01 | Isa Rosli | OE 32 | Canada |
| Pompoen | 31 | Gunnar Christensen | Hans Christian 34 | USA |
| Privateer | 36 | Henry Wootton | Cape George 36 | United Kingdom |
| Showgirl | 13 | Mara Løvenskiold Kveseth | Saltram Saga 36 | Norway |
| Silvermines Hydro | 22 | Pat Lawless | Saltram Saga 36 | Ireland |
| Solarem | 85 | Damien Guillou | Rustler 36 | France |
| Spirit | 56 | Guy deBoer | Tashiba 36 | USA |
| Tipi Haere | 05 | Matt Woodside | Cape George 36 | USA |
No matching entries. Try a shorter name or clear your search.
Country follows the official race entry. This starting fleet list is maintained editorially and does not update automatically.
Source: official Golden Globe Race skipper profiles. The verification date applies to these fleet details, rather than current positions or race status.
All articles
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Golden Globe Race: Christensen's penguin was a dolphin
Golden Globe Race Day 69: Guillou leads by 1,267 miles, Wootton regains third and Christensen spots a dolphin.
Golden Globe Race: Messikommer toasts the Cape with rum
Golden Globe Race: Guillou leads by 1,288 miles on Day 68 while Messikommer toasts the Cape and retakes third from Wootton by 12 miles.
Golden Globe Race: Wootton edges into third, for now
Damien Guillou leads the Golden Globe Race by 1,285 miles on Day 67 while Henry Wootton moves 12 miles ahead of Messikommer for third.
Golden Globe Race: Messikommer won't be an easy overtake
Damien Guillou leads the Golden Globe Race by 1,282 miles on Day 66, while Wootton closes to 34 miles behind Messikommer for third.
Golden Globe Race: a sextant, spuds and a helping current
Damien Guillou leads the Golden Globe Race by 890 nautical miles on Day 65, as Ertan Beskardes posts the fleet's best run with a helping current.
Fractures, a navy rescue and a retirement thin solo fleet
The Golden Globe Race fleet drops to ten after a knee fracture, a navy helicopter rescue and a penalty-driven retirement test the solo sailors.
Media breaches and Starlink misuse end Mara's solo voyage
Mara Løvenskiold Kveseth quits the Golden Globe Race after Starlink misuse and media breaches sparked penalties and a 16-day sanction.
Golden Globe Race: Bernard flies, Pompoen hunts for sun
Damien Guillou leads the Golden Globe Race by 911 nautical miles on Day 64, while Etienne Messikommer posts the fleet's best daily run.
Injured solo sailor winched to safety off Brazilian coast
Injured Golden Globe Race sailor Guy deBoer is winched to safety by the Brazilian Navy after a fall left him unable to walk or use his arm.
Golden Globe Race: Beskardes counts birds after the storm
Damien Guillou leads the Golden Globe Race by 870 miles from Ertan Beskardes on Day 63 as a calm slows Miss Beagle after the storm.
Solo sailor seeks urgent rescue after fall off Brazil coast
Golden Globe Race sailor Guy de Boer requests urgent evacuation from his yacht SPIRIT after a fall off the Brazil coast left him unable to walk.
Golden Globe Race fourth place comes down to one mile
Damien Guillou leads the Golden Globe Race by 755 miles on Day 60, but Henry Wootton is now fourth, one mile ahead of Mara Kveseth.
After 8,000 miles, the Southern Ocean bares its teeth
The 2026 Golden Globe Race fleet battles brutal Southern Ocean storms as leader Damien Guillou rounds Good Hope and others face setbacks.
Wootton's 156 miles tighten the Golden Globe Race chase
Golden Globe Race Day 59: Guillou leads by 780 miles, while four boats chasing third are separated by 92 miles on distance to finish.
Golden Globe Race: Guillou slips past the Cape of Good Hope
Golden Globe Race Day 58: Damien Guillou leads by 743 miles after slipping past the Cape of Good Hope, as a new Southern Ocean low looms.
Golden Globe Race: why Mara Kveseth is holding a pumpkin
Golden Globe Race Day 57: Damien Guillou leads by 767 miles again as Mara Kveseth shows off a Halloween pumpkin at sea.
Golden Globe Race: a passing ship backs Beskardes' sextant
Golden Globe Race Day 56: Damien Guillou leads by 767 miles while Ertan Beskardes cross-checks his sextant with a passing ship.
Golden Globe Race: Christensen apologises to the wind
Golden Globe Race Day 55: Damien Guillou leads by 754 miles, Daniel Pinsky takes fifth and Gunnar Christensen apologises to the wind.
Guillou's lead grows to 656 miles as a calm grips the pack
Damien Guillou leads by 656 miles after a 161-mile day while a South Atlantic calm holds the pack and a new low builds near its path.
Guillou stretches his lead to 607 miles as the fleet stalls
Damien Guillou's lead grows to 607 miles as a South Atlantic high traps the fleet and Ertan Beskardes struggles for wind.
Pinsky hand-steers overnight as Guillou clears the gale in the Golden Globe Race
Daniel Pinsky breaks his wind vane in a night of hand steering while Damien Guillou comes through a second South Atlantic gale.
Guillou faces a second gale as Beskardes fights for miles
Damien Guillou prepares for another South Atlantic gale while Ertan Beskardes battles shifting winds and a fleet-wide scramble for miles.
Guillou threads the storm gap as Lodolo rides out 60 knots
Damien Guillou keeps the Golden Globe Race lead after sailing through a gap in the South Atlantic storm, while Andrea Lodolo reports 60-knot gusts.
Guillou braces for 70-knot gusts as Ertan Beskardes gets the green light
Damien Guillou faces 7 to 8 metre seas and gusts to 70 knots in the South Atlantic while Ertan Beskardes gets the nod to head south-east.
Alone but live: Golden Globe skippers wait out the storm
Damien Guillou ran 260 miles north-east to avoid the worst of a South Atlantic storm, while skippers in the fleet describe the wait at sea.
Storm bears down as Guillou's GGR lead shrinks to 450nm
A severe South Atlantic storm threatens the Golden Globe Race fleet as leader Damien Guillou's lead narrows to 450nm and Pat Lawless retires.
Pat Lawless Out for Good as Corroded Fittings Fail His Rudder
Pat Lawless confirms his Golden Globe Race is over after corroded rudder fittings failed. Damien Guillou stalls in a calm as Beskardes holds second.
Pat Lawless Retires From the Golden Globe Race After Solent Stay Fails
Pat Lawless is out of the Golden Globe Race after his Solent stay failed. He is safe, sailing north, and Damien Guillou now leads alone.
Rig failure ends Lawless's dream chase of Golden Globe lead
Rig failure forces Pat Lawless to retire from the Golden Globe Race, ending his bold chase of leader Damien Guillou in the Southern Ocean.
Pat Lawless out of the Golden Globe Race after Solent rig failure
Pat Lawless retires from the Golden Globe Race after a Solent rig failure in the South Atlantic, with no injury reported.
Six illicit sat-phone calls cost Mara 16 days in solo race row
Mara faces a 16-day penalty after six unauthorised sat-phone calls during the Golden Globe Race, sparking a public dispute with race organisers.
Lawless Closes on Guillou as Kveseth Faces Six Penalties
Pat Lawless is about 70 miles behind Damien Guillou as both hit headwinds, while Mara Kveseth is hit with six satellite phone penalties.
Guillou Faces a Weather Squeeze With Lawless a Day Behind
Damien Guillou must cross a collision of two highs while Pat Lawless trails by 108 miles in the Golden Globe Race, as skippers cross the equator.
Lawless Closes on Guillou as Trade Winds Reach the Golden Globe Fleet
Pat Lawless cuts Damien Guillou’s lead to 106 miles as the trade winds reach the Golden Globe Race fleet and the skippers open up on air.
Guillou Pauses at Trindade, Golden Globe Fleet Awaits Trades
Guillou stops at Trindade, Lawless closes to 142 miles and the Golden Globe fleet heads for the trades, as skippers open up on air.
Guillou Nears Trindade as Calms Strand the Chasing Fleet
Guillou plans a pit stop at Trindade, Beskardes crosses the equator and the chasing Golden Globe fleet drifts in light air.
Beskardes saves the fizz for Neptune as Christensen counts his Atlantics and Nyman fights a bolt
Ertan Beskardes plans a toast to Neptune at the equator, Gunnar Christensen counts his Atlantic crossings and Pär Nyman wrestles a stubborn bolt.
Kerdelhué sails again after a near code orange as Cantini loses his radio
Louis Kerdelhué is sailing again after a near code orange, Guido Cantini loses his radio and Guy deBoer restarts in the Chichester Class.
Doldrums split Golden Globe fleet as Guillou extends lead
Damien Guillou stretches his Golden Globe Race lead as the Doldrums scatter the fleet, with Lawless chasing and drama hitting several solo sailors.
deBoer sails again and Messikommer asks his viewers to send wind
Guy deBoer is back at sea, Damien Guillou's lead could shrink at Trindade and Etienne Messikommer asks his viewers to send wind.
Cantini accepts 24-hour radio penalty as Christensen chases his runaway dinghy
Guido Cantini takes a 24-hour penalty after a radio repair call, Gunnar Christensen chases a runaway dinghy and Guy deBoer nears a restart.
Beskardes eyes the trade winds as Kerdelhué resurfaces and deBoer's sea trial is waived
Ertan Beskardes could gain a day on rivals in the Golden Globe Race as Louis Kerdelhué resurfaces and Guy deBoer's sea trial is waived.
Guillou crosses the equator as McIntyre opens up on a missed check-in from Kerdelhué
Damien Guillou crosses the equator with a huge Golden Globe Race lead as Don McIntyre addresses a missed safety check-in from Louis Kerdelhué.
Guillou closes on the equator as the chasing pack bunches so tight even the leaderboard stops meaning much
Damien Guillou closes on the equator in the Golden Globe Race as the chasing fleet bunches so tightly even the leaderboard order barely matters.
East or west? Golden Globe fleet splits as Guillou and Lawless close on the equator
Damien Guillou and Pat Lawless near the equator in the Golden Globe Race as the chasing fleet splits between east and west routes.
Guillou and Lawless reach the trade winds as Kveseth questions her own reasons for finishing
Damien Guillou and Pat Lawless reach the trade winds in the Golden Globe Race as Mara Kveseth questions her own motivation to finish.
Storms and social media test solo sailors' resolve at sea
Inside the McIntyre Golden Globe Race, Gunnar Christensen battles storms while Mara Kveseth weighs quitting over social media coverage of her campaign.
Yalçin retires from the Golden Globe Race as deBoer's clearance turns into a real dispute over paperwork
Selim Yalçin exits the Golden Globe Race while Guy deBoer's return is caught in a paperwork dispute with race organiser Don McIntyre.
DeBoer and race management at odds as storm-force gusts confirmed through the fleet
Guy deBoer's Golden Globe Race future is in doubt after a standoff with organisers, as Tropical Storm Gonzalo brings confirmed gale-force winds.
Solo sailors face 55-knot fury as Gonzalo hits Cabo Verde
Golden Globe Race skippers near Cabo Verde face Tropical Storm Gonzalo's 55-knot gusts and five-metre seas as the fleet scatters to dodge the worst.
deBoer faces total elimination as Guillou plots a rare shortcut through the Doldrums
Guy deBoer could be eliminated from the Golden Globe Race over hull repairs, as Damien Guillou finds a rare shortcut through the Doldrums.
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Guillou stretches clear as a serious hull problem clouds deBoer's return, and a major depression builds off Cape Verde
Damien Guillou extends his Golden Globe Race lead as Guy deBoer faces a serious hull problem and a major depression builds off Cape Verde.
Guillou stretches past 2,350 miles as Lodolo and Messikommer continue their private battle
Damien Guillou stretches his Golden Globe Race lead past 2,350 miles as Etienne Messikommer and Andrea Lodolo fight for third.
Guillou closes on 2,200 miles as Rosli briefly outpaces the whole fleet
Brunswick Corporation confirms Aine Denari as its next CEO from January 2027, with David Foulkes retiring after eight years leading the company.
Guillou's coastal gamble pays off again as the chasing pack refuses to break
Damien Guillou stretches his Golden Globe Race lead to 100 miles with a smart coastal route, as the chasing pack settles into a tight standoff.
Messikommer muscles into third as fleet hugs a narrow band of coastal breeze past Morocco
Etienne Messikommer rises to third in the Golden Globe Race as the fleet squeezes into a narrow coastal wind corridor past Morocco.
Guillou and Lawless clear Lanzarote with unfinished business from 2022 still driving them
Damien Guillou and Pat Lawless reach the Golden Globe Race's first checkpoint at Lanzarote, both racing to redeem mechanical failures from 2022.
Guillou climbs his own mast, sails on to lead solo race
Damien Guillou climbs his own mast to fix a spinnaker block and leads the Golden Globe Race 2026 as Pat Lawless chases hard behind him.
Guillou closes on Lanzarote as deBoer nears the island that ended his last race
Damien Guillou closes on the Lanzarote film gate first, while Guy deBoer approaches the island where his 2022 Golden Globe Race campaign ended.
Beskardes sneaks past Lodolo as Guillou fights off a closing Lawless
Ertan Beskardes overtakes Andrea Lodolo in the Golden Globe Race as Pat Lawless closes to 50 miles behind leader Damien Guillou.
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Beskardes closes on Lodolo by sailing the shorter course, as Nyman and Yalçin finally find their breeze
Ertan Beskardes cuts Andrea Lodolo's Golden Globe Race lead to 19 miles by sailing a shorter course, as Nyman and Yalçin post big recovery days.
DeBoer surges through the fleet as Guillou and Lawless stretch clear at the front
Guy deBoer posts the fastest run in the fleet as Damien Guillou stretches his Golden Globe Race lead over Pat Lawless to 60 miles.
Lodolo closes on Beskardes as Guillou and Lawless hold the front of the fleet together
Andrea Lodolo posts the fastest run in the fleet to chase down Ertan Beskardes, while Damien Guillou's lead over Pat Lawless narrows.
Guillou and Lawless break clear as the rest of the fleet stalls in a windless high
Damien Guillou and Pat Lawless escape a Bay of Biscay high pressure system that has stalled most of the Golden Globe Race fleet.
Guillou surges as high pressure threatens to split the fleet in two
Damien Guillou posts the fastest run in the fleet as a high-pressure system over Biscay threatens to split the Golden Globe Race in two.
Golden Globe Race fleet battles Biscay headwinds as Damien Guillou leads
Damien Guillou leads the Golden Globe Race fleet through Bay of Biscay headwinds, with sailors facing repairs, leaks and challenging conditions.
Sixteen sailors, 1968 tech, and a solo battle out of Biscay
The 2026 Golden Globe Race fleet faces headwinds and leaks escaping Biscay, with Damien Guillou leading on retro 1968-era tech and no GPS.
Guillou opens early lead as Golden Globe fleet splits tactics in Biscay
Damien Guillou's early lead in the 2026 Golden Globe Race grows in the Bay of Biscay, while a tactical split forms behind him.
No GPS, no shortcuts: 16 sailors ready for solo epic
Sixteen sailors prepare for the 2026 McIntyre Golden Globe Race, a 30,000nm solo voyage without GPS, starting Sunday from Les Sables-d'Olonne.
Sextants set, decks leaking, one skipper already out before the start
Sixteen Golden Globe Race yachts open to the public at Les Sables-d'Olonne, with one skipper, Colm Walker, already withdrawing before the start.
Sixteen skippers gather for solo round-the-world reckoning
Sixteen sailors gather in Les Sables-d'Olonne for the 2026 McIntyre Golden Globe Race, a solo non-stop round-the-world challenge starting 6 September.
Meet the 17 skippers tackling the 2026 Golden Globe Race
Seventeen sailors from 11 countries prepare for the 2026 Golden Globe Race. Meet the fleet at Les Sables-d'Olonne on 13 August.
Six quit Golden Globe race as six more race Atlantic deadline
Six sailors have quit the 2026 Golden Globe Race while six more race to complete Atlantic qualifying voyages before the 10 August cutoff.
Solo round-the-world fleet gathers with one month to the start
Seventeen skippers converge on Les Sables-d'Olonne one month before the 2026 McIntyre Golden Globe Race solo circumnavigation begins.
Funding shortfall puts 24/7 Golden Globe Race live streaming system at risk
The 2026 Golden Globe Race's groundbreaking 24/7 live streaming system is built and tested, but a funding shortfall threatens to shut it down before it starts.