Celebrating the starts of the Globe40, La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, and the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup
by David Schmidt 9 Sep 2025 20:00 BST
September 9, 2025
Globe40 day 4 © Jean-Marie Liot / Globe40
It's always an encouraging sign when a round-the-world race begins its second edition, especially when the steeds in question are approachable boats for most serious sailors. The inaugural 2022-2023 edition of the Globe40 race took a fleet of Class 40 raceboats on a circumnavigation course that was split into around nine legs and negotiated all three of the world's great capes. The doublehanded race was a success, and its second edition began last week with a prologue leg that took the nine-strong fleet from Lorient, France, to Cadiz, Spain, where the race will begin in earnest on Sunday, September 14.
Co-skippers Ian Lipinski and Antoine Carpentier, racing aboard Credit Mutuel, were the first boat home to the barn, having polished off the 900-mile prologue leg in 4 days, 2 hours, 25 minutes, and 1 second.
They were joined in Cadiz by Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink, sailing aboard Next Generation Boating Around the World and Jonas Gerckens and Renaud Dehareng, sailing aboard Belgium Ocean Racing—Curium.
While this 900-mile prologue leg no doubt served up some challenges, these were likely minor compared to what the fleet will encounter as they race around the world's great capes and across all of its big and beautiful oceans.
The first leg of the 2025 edition of the Globe40 race, which starts on Sunday, September 14, will take competitors from Cadiz to Mindelo, in the Cape Verde islands. From there, the fleet will race to Reunion Island on October 2, followed by leg three, which will take the fleet to Sydney, Australia beginning on November 21. The race's fourth stage begins on New Year's Day and carries the two-handed sailors to Valparaiso, Chile, where they rest up before the start of the fifth leg, on February 18, which will take them around Cape Horn to Recife, Brazil. From there, the fleet will begin their final leg on March 29, which will carry them back to Lorient, France, where they are expected to arrive around April 17.
North American interests are being represented by Canadian sailor Melodie Schaeffer, who will be joined by a rotating cast of co-skippers (including Craig Horsfield, Julia Virat, and Paul Stratfold), racing aboard Whiskey Jack. Schaeffer, it will be remembered, finished in fourth place in the 2022-2023 edition of the Globe40, while Craig Horsfield raced to a first place finish with co-skipper Oliver Bond aboard Amhas.
While we strive hard not to be biased at Sail-World, it's fair to say that the North American staff (that would be me) has a candle lit that Schaeffer and her Whiskey Jack crew are able to successfully leverage their experience with the course and aboard their steed in this year's race.
Afterall, if there's zero chance that the Star-Spangled Banner will be played at next year's globe40 award's ceremony due to lack of an American-flagged entrant, O Canada sounds like a great ear-pleaser.
Also in offshore news, the first leg of the annual La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec began on Sunday in Rouen, France. This multi-leg race will take 34 singlehanded skippers, racing aboard identical Figaro Beneteau 3 foilers, to Baie de Morlaix, France, then on to Vigo, and then finally to Saint-Vaast-La-Hauge.
Historically, this race has been a feeder for events like the Vendée Globe. Many famous names have made their mark in the La Solitaire du Figaro over the years, including (but certainly not limited to) Yves Parlier, Michel Desjoyeaux, Jean Le Cam, Roland Jourdain, Armel Le Cleach, Charles Caudrelier, and Tom Laperche.
As of this writing, Tom Goron, racing aboard Groupe Dubreuil, was leading the hunt in Leg 1, followed by Arthur Meurisse (Kiloutou) and Thomas De Dinechin (Almond for Pure Ocean).
While the La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec is a largely Francophile affair, North American interests are being represented by Erica Lush, who is racing alone aboard Hope.
Sail-Word wishes all sailors participating in both the Globe40 and the La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec safe and speedy passages.
And finally, for anyone who loves outrageously huge boats racing on inshore waters, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is taking place this week on the waters off of Porto Cervo, Sardinia, featuring a mix of windward-leewards and coastal races, the latter of which take competitors through the stunning Maddelena Archipelago.
May the four winds blow you safely home.
David Schmidt
Sail-World.com North American Editor