Globe40 unveils its 2028/2029 program
by Sirius Events 31 Aug 06:48 BST
September 2025 - April 2026
Globe40 © Jean-Marie Liot
With the publication of its Notice of Race, the GLOBE40 unveils the program for its third edition, presenting the Notice of Race and updated racing rules.
The event remains true to its DNA: a round-the-world race combining high-level performance, human adventure, and the discovery of new regions. The second edition was marked by an incredible sporting narrative, deep emotion among both professionals and skilled amateurs, and significantly amplified international media coverage. The experience gained from the first two editions will now fuel this new ambition.
A look back at the 2nd edition: sporting feats, emotions, and international reach.
Winner Ian Lipinski and his CREDIT MUTUEL team covered 34,826 nautical miles over 123 days at sea, spanning a prologue and six legs. The sporting drama was beyond imagination: the top three boats finished in Réunion just nine minutes apart after a 7,000-mile journey; there was a tie for first place in Valparaíso; the top two teams were level on points at the start of the final leg in Recife; and the outcome was decided only in the very last hours before the finish in Lorient. The duel with Jonas Gerckens' BELGIUM OCEAN RACING team enlivened the entire event. That same Belgian team (Benoît Hantzperg and Djemila Tassin) also set a world record ratified by the World Sailing Speed Council, covering 459.78 nautical miles in 24 hours at an average speed of 19.16 knots. Performance metrics soared across the long-distance Southern Ocean legs—for both professionals and amateurs alike—with a margin of barely four days separating competitors on the trans-Pacific crossing; the Brazilian team BARCO BRASIL, led by José Caldas, ultimately won the classic Class40 category. Records were also shattered in terms of media coverage—particularly digital—with audiences quadrupling to reach 20 million views for the organizers. The sporting challenge proved just as captivating as the adventure itself; Austrian skipper Lisa Berger, for instance, garnered 23 million views on Instagram alone thanks to her authentic and compelling storytelling.
3rd Edition: A refreshed course balancing continuity with new horizons.
The format has been optimized to improve accessibility and allow for longer stopovers at the skippers' request: a prologue and five legs instead of six, with the total duration reduced from eight months to seven. The schedule has been revised, with the start planned for late September 2028 and the finish in April 2029, to avoid the constraints of a mid-summer departure and to benefit from favorable weather conditions. Two new major ocean legs are proposed: a direct Atlantic route from Europe to South Africa and a full Indian Ocean leg between South Africa and Australia. The South American leg (Atlantic side) will also feature a new destination. This amounts to a total of 29,079 nautical miles via the direct route (1,380 fewer than in 2025/2026) and an estimated 118 days at sea for the winner—all aboard the Class40, a boat class that has proven its reliability in round-the-world racing, with every starter reaching the finish line. Some favored stopovers from the second edition—Cádiz, Sydney, and Valparaíso—remain to be confirmed for the third. The program presented is therefore provisional; while discussions are well advanced, the details have yet to be finalized contractually.
The sporting fundamentals have been preserved and enriched by experience.
The original rules remain in place: two-person crews, the option to swap a crew member at each stopover, a course meeting the International Federation's Category 1 equipment standards,a points-based ranking, and 2 rankings, general and sharps for amateurs. Feedback from the second edition and discussions with skippers via a detailed questionnaire led to a few adjustments: scoring coefficients have been smoothed out to avoid the disproportionate impact of a single exceptionally good or bad leg; all long stages exceeding 5,000 miles now carry the same coefficient (2); a "joker" option has been introduced, allowing a competitor to miss the start of one—and only one—leg while still starting the next and remaining in contention for the overall ranking; regarding safety, the emergency towing sail invented by Yves Partier (Liberty Kite) is now mandatory—in the event of dismasting where a jury rig is not feasible, this sail allows the boat to reach land rather than drifting aimlessly across the vast Southern Ocean. There have also been changes to sail requirements following updates to class rules, with the previously required spare sail now eliminated.
Finally, it is worth noting that in response to the questionnaire's last question — "Do you plan to participate in the next edition?" — six of the eight teams answered in the affirmative.