The celebrations are over; the ocean has taken charge. Sixteen sailors departed on Sunday, 6 September, for the 2026 McIntyre Golden Globe Race, cheered through the Les Sables d’Olonne harbour channel by thousands of supporters. Ahead lies a circumnavigation in old fashion boats demanding traditional seamanship, physical endurance, psychological fortitude and the ability to keep going through months alone at sea. Some commentators now believe this completely unique challenge and fiercely human story is tougher than all other around the world yacht races. One thing is certain - this is a rae of Attrition borne of the extreme nature of the challenge.

Four years of preparation, one final handshake

The final fortnight mixed safety inspections, briefings and last-minute jobs with celebrations and difficult goodbyes. At the Captains’ Dinner, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston offered encouragement from an unrivalled perspective: he was the only finisher of the original 1968–69 Sunday Times Golden Globe, aboard Suhaili.

This edition also remembers Donald Crowhurst, whose false position reports and tragic disappearance in 1969 remain part of the race’s complex human history. Members of his family travelled to Les Sables-d’Olonne, where his son Simon Crowhurst presented the official commemorative coin to the entrants.

Saturday’s public farewell drew thousands to the marina and surrounding balconies, including visitors from across Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. On Sunday, the final hand each skipper shook before leaving the dock belonged to Sir Robin, with an encouraging word for every sailor.

A harbour full of history

The parade of sail brought together the locally built Viking replica Olaf d’Olonne, classic yachts from La Rochelle and Kifanlo, the traditional fishing boat built in Les Sables in 1955. A Class Globe 5.80 represented the recently completed 2025–26 Mini Globe Race, followed by Explorer, the Swan 57 veteran of the 2023–24 Ocean Globe Race, and Bernard Moitessier’s legendary ketch Joshua. Around 25 colourful wooden Olonnois boats added a distinctly local flourish.

The GGR entrants left the marina at two-minute intervals, echoing the individual departures of the 1968 race. Sunshine and cheering crowds made a glorious backdrop, but nobody mistook this for an ordinary Sunday sail. The modern race produced five non-stop finishers from 18 starters in 2018, and three from 16 in 2022; other 2022 finishers completed in the separate Chichester Class.

A gentle start, then Biscay bites

Beyond the breakwater, the fleet set sail in barely enough wind to fill the canvas. The coastal course led around La Nouch south cardinal, west to Petit Barge and back to La Nouch before the boats headed offshore. Britain’s Henry Wootton, aboard the Cape George 36 Privateer, was first around the final mark.

Surrounded by spectator yachts, the boats picked up speed as the breeze built to 7–12 knots, only to stall in stubborn wind holes. The first night’s light headwinds and 1.5mtr seas strengthened through Monday. By Tuesday morning, a front brought 25–35-knot southwesterlies and 3mtr seas directly ahead one again, reports of seasickness and the unwelcome discovery of leaks above bunks and chart tables . Biscay had finished being hospitable.

GGR Window Live already a success

The start up of the “world first” GGR Window Live has already created waves within the adventure and sailing community and it is here for the next eight months 24/7. The current 600-1000 live viewers is expected to grow in the weeks ahead. Followers can watch and listen to the eight skippers in real time. The sailors are giving regular explanations of everything associated with their day or night, while explaining the impact of “Mal der Mer”?? 

Britain’s Ertan Beskardes, sailing the Rustler 36 Miss Beagle, took the long view. Having run as high as second, he simply stopped sailing for the night and did not resume until around midday Tuesday. On GGR Window Live, he explained that rest and protecting the boat mattered more than pressing hard in the opening miles.

Norway’s Helga Marie (Mara) Løvenskiold Kveseth, aboard the Saltram Saga 36 Showgirl, gave viewers of the WINDOW LIVE an equally honest account of frustrating leaks below. Seen resting on the cabin sole not feeling the best, Mara offered a reminder that the reality of ocean racing is not always the view from the helicopter.

Early repairs, determined returns.

Sweden’s Pär Nyman, on the Rustler 36 Lazy Otter, returned to port after losing a critical rigging component overboard before the start and then discovering a rudder problem offshore. Monday’s haul-out revealed one broken bolt; a second snapped during removal. The 2018 GGR winner Jean Luc Van den Heede secured the parts and repairs completed, he was finishing preparations on Tuesday and hoped to leave early on Wednesday, 9 September. Slow progress offshore has limited the fleet’s head start to only 140 miles.

The youngest skipper, France’s Louis Kerdelhué, reported another concern around midday Tuesday from his Biscay 36 IE Charge: the Hydrovane control head was swinging freely and could not be secured. He considered returning to Les Sables for repairs before restarting again, but a second call a few hours later brought better news. A temporary fix was holding, and he was continuing.

The race to escape Biscay

At 12:00 UTC on Tuesday, 8 September, France’s Damien Guillou led aboard the Rustler 36 Solarem after taking a southerly track. The fleet had divided, with a northern group hoping to reach the forecast windshift first. In the event, the new breeze arrived across both groups at much the same time, leaving the contest for Cape Finisterre unresolved.

Tuesday’s race-control forecast placed a high-pressure centre over the fleet within the following 24–36 hours. Boats rounding Cape Finisterre before the wind faded could gain a day or two on those trapped behind. Clearly Damien Guillou has a plan, but it is not certain it will be successful? 

“Getting out of the Bay of Biscay is always a struggle,” said Don McIntyre, founder and chairman of the Golden Globe Race. “The first boats around may suddenly jump ahead of the fleet by a day or two.”

For now, the Southern Ocean remains roughly two months away. First come the North Atlantic, the equatorial doldrums and the long passage down the South Atlantic. The farewell was unforgettable; the patience test has only just begun.