McIntyre Golden Globe Race - Injuries, rescue and disqualification reshape the game

by Golden Global Race 9 Nov 14:14 GMT 9 November 2026

Mara Løvenskiold Kveseth aboard SHOWGIRL (inset) . The Norwegian sailor announced her retirement on 7 November after being notified of two disqualification penalties, both suspended © Team Mara Løvenskiold Kveseth / GGR2026

In 1968, nine sailors started the inaugural Sunday Times Golden Globe Race. Only one finished: Sir Robin Knox-Johnston aboard SUHAILI.

Six of the 16 starters have retired, leaving 10 sailors racing towards Les Sables-d'Olonne.
Andrea Lodolo sails for Cape Town with a fractured knee; Guy deBoer is stable aboard Brazilian Navy corvette Barroso following his evacuation.
Mara retires after notification of 2 disqualification penalties, both suspended.
Damien Guillou leads into the Indian Ocean, Ertan Beskardes holds 2nd and Etienne Messikommer moves into 3rd.
Calmer conditions bring relief, with Guillou's Hobart film drop tentatively estimated around 17 December.

The 50th anniversary edition of the McIntyre Golden Globe in 2018 had 18 starters and five finishers. In 2022, 16 started and just three finished.

The 2026 McIntyre Golden Globe Race also began with 16 sailors. Today, just two months later and with 19,000 miles still to run, six have retired and just ten sailors continue towards the finish in Les Sables-d'Olonne. How many will eventually cross that line remains an open question in this, one of the most grueling competitions on earth.

The story of featured 1968 entrant Donald Crowhurst, sailing TEIGNMOUTH ELECTRON, adds a poignant historical note. Under intense financial and sponsorship pressure, he transmitted false positions suggesting a circumnavigation while remaining in the Atlantic. As he headed north, the prospect of scrutiny threatened to expose the deception. His yacht was later found abandoned. He is presumed to have died by suicide, although the precise circumstances of his disappearance remain unknown.

In the past few days, 3 more entrants have left the 2026 race, for very different reasons.

Andrea Lodolo heads for Cape Town

Italian Andrea Lodolo, sailing BiBi, suffered a painful fracture around his knee after falling from the cockpit through the companionway into the cabin. Consultation with Medical Support Offshore (MSOS), GGR's 24/7 telemedicine service, established that the injury was significant and might require evacuation.

Otherwise in strong physical condition, Lodolo has chosen to sail to Cape Town rather than abandon his boat and stop sailing. He wants to finish it! The passage is demanding. Under close MSOS supervision, sometimes with 2 medical checks a day, he is taking painkillers and trying to immobilise his leg. He sleeps on the cabin sole because climbing into the quarter berth is too difficult, and keeps trips into the cockpit for sail changes to a minimum.

He reports feeling okay. Code Orange has not been declared as GGR considers him capable of reaching Cape Town. Race control is providing regular weather updates and assistance, while Royal Cape Yacht Club members prepare to support his arrival, currently estimated in approximately 5-6 days.

Lodolo had been holding 3rd place and gaining, with BiBi in excellent condition and his campaign firmly on course. His disappointment is understandable, but he remains proud of his efforts.

Guy deBoer is stable after evacuation

American Guy deBoer was successfully evacuated from SPIRIT by Brazilian Navy helicopter on 8 November after injuries sustained in a fall aboard. He is now in stable condition under the care of medical personnel aboard the corvette Barroso, bound for Rio de Janeiro with an ETA of 11 November. GGR is hopeful that he will fully recover over time. SPIRIT remains adrift in the South Atlantic.

Mara retires after disqualification

Mara Løvenskiold Kveseth, sailing SHOWGIRL, has retired after being notified of 2 disqualification penalties, both suspended.

Mara broadcast some inappropriate social media posts which were brought to the attention of the GGR team. A preliminary assessment of more than 13 significant social media posts by Mara's media manager prompted a detailed GGR investigation. Mara was notified on 28 October. The investigation into her actions and her shore-based management and media team established multiple breaches of the Notice of Race, GGR WINDOW LIVE Code of Conduct and Starlink usage regulations, including:

GGR considers these breaches particularly serious given clear instructions, rule briefings and previous warnings, and their impact on the race's ethos, fairness, restricted communications and equal treatment of entrants. This has placed the event in disrepute.

The accompanying report (available in full HERE) determined that 2 breaches warranted disqualification from the event. However GGR decided later to suspend both penalties "in the spirit of the GGR", allowing Mara to continue as a full entrant and complete her solo circumnavigation, subject to no further NOR breaches. Other penalties included permanent removal from the GGR WINDOW LIVE and reinstatement of a previously suspended 6-day penalty for multiple unauthorised phone calls, bringing her total to 16 days. They would be served in the North Atlantic while sailing north towards Les Sables-d'Olonne.

On 6 November, Mara and her management team were given 24 hours to review the report and show due cause why the proposed penalties and subsequent suspension should not be applied. Instead, Mara formally announced her retirement from the 2026 McIntyre Golden Globe Race on 7 November.

GGR regrets her departure, having enthusiastically supported and enjoyed her participation. Mara is a competent sailor with a well-prepared boat and is currently in 5th Place. The GGR must apply the Notice of Race fairly and consistently to all entrants and uphold the race's unique ethos and integrity. GGR remains committed to a smooth transition of all Mara's safety and security arrangements associated with the GGR. Don, Jane and the GGR Team thank Mara and her team for their support over the past few years and wish her every success with her continuing voyage and future adventures.

GGR 2026 – The race continues east! The fleet spreads across the South Atlantic and Southern Ocean, with race leader Damien Guillou well ahead and pushing into the Indian Ocean - photo © GGR2026

The race continues east

After a succession of storms and fronts, the weather has settled and the remaining fleet is steadily making progress east in more stable conditions.

Ertan Beskardes, aboard MISS BEAGLE, holds 2nd place and, unbeknown to him, is currently riding a 2-3-knot flow in the Agulhas Current. A little help from the ocean is always welcome.

Swiss sailor Etienne Messikommer, aboard BERNARD, has moved into 3rd. Several weeks ago, frustration in the Doldrums had brought him close to retiring. Now he is in a podium position, with plenty of ocean still ahead and Henry Wootton bearing down on him!

Etienne Messikommer aboard BERNARD, sailing steadily east in the Southern Ocean. After weeks of frustration in the Doldrums that nearly led him to retire, the Swiss sailor has made an impressive comeback, climbing into 3rd place in the Golden Globe Race - photo © GGR2026

Race leader Damien Guillou, aboard SOLAREM, is well on his way into the Indian Ocean. Early indications suggest he could reach the Hobart film drop around 17 December, although that remains an estimate.

For those still racing, no serious issues are currently being reported.

The human story of the GGR continues and it does not get any easier! But that is the name of the game.