Please select your home edition
Edition
RS Sailing 2021 - LEADERBOARD

Global Solo Challenge updates, Transat Jacques Vabre finishes, Ocean Globe Race news

by David Schmidt 21 Nov 2023 20:00 GMT November 21, 2023
Andrea Mura - Open 50' Vento di Sardegna © Global Solo Challenge

These must be heady days for singlehanded skipper Andrea Mura. The Italian sailor set out from A Coruña, Spain, on Saturday aboard his Open 50, with nothing but wide-open horizon in front of his bow. That, and the 13 other skippers who began the pursuit-style Global Solo Challenge ahead of him. As of this writing (Monday morning, U.S. West Coast time), Mura was roughly off the coast of southern Portugal, making six-plus knots of VMG.

"I was aiming for the Vendée Globe because I wanted to push myself beyond the competitions I had already won," said Mura of his circumnavigation attempt in an official race report. "Unfortunately, that project did not come to fruition. Now, the Global Solo Challenge offers me the opportunity to sail around the world with my 23-year-old boat."

While Mura might be just finding his sea legs, others have been at this game for months. Skipper Dafydd Hughes (UK) departed from A Coruña on August 26 aboard his 1971 S&S 34, and is currently skimming the northern barrier of the race's ice exclusion zone to the west and south of Perth, Australia.

Only Hughes and Philippe Delamare (FRA), sailing aboard his Actual 36, have made it past the Cape of Good Hope, but, given the pursuit-style nature of this race, both race leaders know that they are being stalked from astern by faster competitors.

The exact opposite is true for sailors who are still competing in the Transat Jacques Varbre, which takes doublehanded crews from Le Harve, France, to Martinique. Here, the hares (read: Ultim trimarans) started first, and were pursued (once storm Ciaran sufficiently passed and the race organizers allowed the rest of the fleet to begin racing) by the IMOCA 60s, Ocean Fifty trimarans, and Class 40s.

After 14 days, 10 hours, 14 minutes, and 50 seconds, skippers Armel Le'Cleach and Sebastian Josse, sailing aboard the Ultim Maxi Banque Populaire XI, took top honors. They were followed by skippers Francois Gabart and Tom Laperche, sailing aboard SVR Lazartigue, and Charles Caudrelier and Erwan Isreal, sailing aboard Maxi Edmond de Rothschild.

In the Ocean Fifty class, skippers Thibaut Vauchel-Camus and Quentin Vlamynck, sailing aboard Solidaires en Peloton, took the bullet. They were followed across the finishing line by Fabrice Cahierc and Aymeric Chappellier, sailing aboard Realities, and Pierre Quiroga and Ronan Treussart, sailing aboard Viabilis Oceans.

History was made in the IMOCA class as skippers Thomas Ruyant and Morgan Lagraviere, sailing aboard For People, took top honors. For Ruyant, this win was his third consecutive transatlantic win (two were doublehanded victories, one was singlehanded), which is a new record.

But, rather than bask in post-racing glory, Ruyant was already focusing on his next goal, which is the singlehanded Vendée Globe Race.

"We work to win," Ryant said in a TJV communication. "I know I've won the last three transatlantic races, but the Vendée Globe isn't a transatlantic race and there are other competitors. That's the goal and the whole group is working towards it. In the back of our minds, we're making our boat more reliable for the Vendée Globe. You can't write the history of the Vendée Globe in advance, but that's our goal."

Ruyant and Lagraviere were followed across the finishing line by Yoann Richomme and Yann Elies, sailing aboard Paprec Arkea, and by Sam Goodchild and Antoine Koch, sailing aboard For The Planet.

The leaderboard is still being contested amongst the Class 40s. As of this writing, Xavier Macaire and Pierre Leboucher, sailing aboard Groupe Snef, were in the pole position, with ballpark 500 nautical miles to go. They were being chased, some 60 nautical miles astern, by Ian Lipinksi and Antoine Carpentier, sailing aboard Credit Mutuel, and Ambrogio Beccaria and Nicolas Andrieu, sailing aboard Alla Grande Pirelli

Meanwhile, in the fully crewed and retro-style Ocean Globe Race 2023, race leaders have now cleared the halfway point between Cape Town, South Africa, and Auckland, New Zealand. As of this writing, skipper Marie Tabarly and her Pen Duick VI team were leading the charge, followed by co-skippers Marco Trombetti and Vittorio Malingri and their Translated 9 crew, and by skipper Heather Thomas's Maiden.

According to reports, crews are enjoying long-period Southern Ocean waves that are ideal for surfing.

"This place is just amazing," said Jean-Christophe Petit, who is the skipper of the Swan 57 White Shadow, in an official race report. "None of us can refrain from saying it day and night. Everyone is having such pleasure navigating here. You almost have a feeling of exclusivity because you know it takes a lot of effort to get here, not only to participate in the Ocean Globe Race but you have to cross a lot of oceans to get here. It's a long trip, but really, really perfect."

While we're not there, we suspect that sentiments are different aboard skipper Taylor Grieger's Godspeed/Skeleton Crew. Word recently broke that the team has dropped out of the race after equipment damage and complications that further hampered their efforts.

Also, the crews of All Spice Yachting and Explorer have been dealing with unexpected headaches, but as of this writing, Explorer's bow was once again moving eastwards.

Sail-World wishes all Global Solo Challenge, TJV, and Ocean Globe Race competitors safe and speedy passage on their respective racecourses.

May the four winds blow you safely home,

David Schmidt
Sail-World.com North American Editor

Related Articles

The power of tech
What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it? What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it? Posted on 2 Jul
An evening with the Scaramouche Sailing Trust
Sailing hasn't always been a sport for inner-city state schools like the Greig City Academy Sailing hasn't always been a sport for inner-city state schools like the Greig City Academy (GCA). But they've shown it can be accessible to everyone, with amazing results. Posted on 2 Jul
Jazz Turner completes Project FEAR
Drama right to the end in her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles Jazz Turner has completed Project FEAR, her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles in her Albin 27 yacht. A flotilla of supporters met her in Seaford Bay, which grew and grew the closer they came to Brighton Marina. Posted on 1 Jul
Project FEAR is in the final few days
Charity circumnavigation almost over, in record time, with a record total raised Jazz Turner is expected to reach home (Brighton Marina) on Monday 30th June or Tuesday 1st July. She has sailed round the British Isles - all round Ireland and the Shetland Islands - without any assistance in 27 days so far. Posted on 28 Jun
Funding for clubs transforms sailing opportunities
During the latest RYA Participation Webinar we heard from UK clubs about their experiences During the latest RYA Participation Webinar we heard from a range of UK clubs, walking through their case studies, and then heard from experts in finance who talked us through the opportunities and pitfalls of acquiring funds. Posted on 26 Jun
A brief history of marine instrument networks
Hugh Agnew has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge One man who has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge, is Hugh Agnew, the Cambridge-educated mathematician who is one of the founders of A+T Instruments in Lymington, so I spoke to him to find out more... Posted on 25 Jun
Project FEAR turns southwards
Charity circumnavigation progress report from the Shetland Islands Last month I didn't even know that Muckle Flugga existed. Yet today, the very name of the island brought tears of emotion to my eyes, as I heard Jazz Turner scream it out in victory, in a video she took when passing the lighthouse. Posted on 22 Jun
The Big Bash
Every summer the tournament rolls into town. A short format of the game. Fun and excitement abound. Every summer the tournament rolls into town. Local and international players. A short format of the game, run over a relatively compact six-week season. Posted on 15 Jun
The oldest video footage of Kiel Week
A look back into our video archive at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s In our series of articles looking back in time through our video archive, we visit Germany. Kiel Week is been a crucial event on the world circuit, and here we look back at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s. Posted on 15 Jun
Jazz Turner's fundraising target is smashed
Already £30k raised for Sailability, so it's time to up the ante Jazz Turner has now passed the northern-most tip of Ireland and is on her way to the Shetland Islands, and at the same time her fundraising total of £30,000 has been smashed! Posted on 15 Jun