The Global Solo Challenge is a single-handed (solo) non-stop round the world yacht race. The race was founded by Marco Nannini. The Second edition will be 2027-2028, starting and finishing in Vigo, Galicia, Spain.

History

The race was founded by Marco Nannini, and first ran beginning on September 30, 2023. Nannini is a sailor, writer and consultant in marketing and communication with a financial background. After a career in banking in the City of London he decided to take part in the Global Ocean Race 2011/2012 taking second place overall.

The race

The race was designed with the intent that budget alone would not be a deciding factor in how well each boat does. Each boat's departures date is set according to the boat's performance characteristics. Slower boats start earlier than faster boats. The faster boats then have to try to catch up with the slower boats. Once at sea, there are no classes. The first boat to cross the finish line wins. During the race, boats may anchor, but outside assistance is restricted. Time penalties are imposed for infractions. Making way under engine is not permitted except for emergency situations. The organizer may apply a time penalty if it is deemed that the participant has gained an unfair advantage as a result of using its motor. All boats are monitored using satellite trackers. External weather routing is permitted.

Yachts

The race is open to monohull yachts with LOA greater than 32 ft, including one-off open designs and other racing boats such as Class40, Open 50 and IMOCA 60. Boats not meeting this criterion may still apply and may be accepted at the sole discretion of the Organizer.

Course

The course is essentially a circumnavigation along the

clipper route The clipper route was derived from the Brouwer Route and was sailed by clipper, clipper ships between Europe and the Far East, Australia and New Zealand. The route, devised by the Dutch navigator Hendrik Brouwer in 1611, reduced the time of a ...

: from Vigo, Galicia, Spain, down the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

to the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

; then clockwise around

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

, keeping

Cape Leeuwin Cape Leeuwin is the most south-westerly (but not most southerly) mainland point of the Australian continent, in the state of Western Australia. Description A few small islands and rocks, the St Alouarn Islands, extend further in Flinders ...

and

Cape Horn Cape Horn (, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which is Águila Islet), Cape Horn marks the nor ...

to port; then back to Vigo. There is an exclusion zone set around Antarctica where competitors are prohibited to sail due to risk of ice-bergs. A circumnavigation by the three great capes is approximately 26,000 Nautical Miles long, and runs from August to the following August, timed to place the competitors in the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean, generally taken to be south of 60th parallel south, 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is the seco ...

during the austral summer.

Qualification

Skippers must be 18 years of age or older by departure date and are required to have taken medical and survival courses within 18 months of departure. All skippers must have sailed a minimum qualification passage of 2,000 nautical miles single-handed and non-stop on the boat entered in the event by a passage route approved by the Organizer.

Results

;Notable around the world races * The Vendée Globe, a non-stop solo race, currently run using the IMOCA 60 Class. * The Ocean Race, a stopping fully crewed race, currently using the Volvo Ocean 65 and IMOCA 60 class. Previously known as the Whitbread Round The World Race and the Volvo Ocean Race. * The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, a stopping crewed race for amateur crews using the Clipper 70 Class. * The Golden Globe Race has returned since

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as a retro sailing race without the use of modern technology for navigation. * The Jules Verne Trophy, a trophy for the fastest circumnavigation of the world by any type of yacht with no restrictions on the size of the crew. ;Former races including: * The Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, held in 1968-1969, the first round-the-world yacht race. * The BT Global Challenge, was a race held every four years and followed the westward route. * The Race, was a race held in 2000, involving multihulls. * The Oryx Quest, held in 2005, starting from

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

. * The Velux 5 Oceans Race, a stopping solo race, currently run using the IMOCA 60 Class previously known as the BOC Challenge, later as Around Alone. * The Barcelona World Race, a non-stop two handed race, currently run using the IMOCA 60 Class.

References

External links

* {{Offshore sailing races Single-handed crew sailing competitions