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The Golden Globe Race 2026 is under way: 16 solo sailors set off from Les Sables-d’Olonne on 6 September on a non-stop circumnavigation, using a sextant instead of GPS and sailing boats designed before 1988. Here you'll find the official tracker, the competitors and the latest standings (as of 13 November 2026).
Golden Globe Race 2026: What are the current standings?
Live update · Tracker, 13 November 2026, 10 am
1. Damien Guillou (France) is leading. He has sailed 9,577 nautical miles, with 17,382 nautical miles still to go to Les Sables-d’Olonne. In the last 24 hours he covered 125 nautical miles.
Gap between the chasing pack and the leader:
- 2. Ertan Beskardes (UK): 1,279 nautical miles covered · 128 nautical miles in 24 hours
- 3. Etienne Messikommer (Switzerland): 1,557 nautical miles covered · 177 nautical miles in 24 hours
- 4. Henry Wootton (UK): 1,558 nautical miles covered · 184 nautical miles in 24 hours
- 5. Daniel Pinsky (Israel): 1,670 nautical miles covered · 180 nautical miles in 24 hours
- 6. Guido Cantini (Italy): 1,947 nautical miles covered · 142 nautical miles in 24 hours
- 7. Pär Nyman (Sweden): 2,034 nautical miles covered · 132 nautical miles in 24 hours
- 8. Isa Rosli (Canada): 2,336 nautical miles covered · 100 nautical miles in 24 hours
- 9. Gunnar Christensen (USA): 2,442 nautical miles covered · 106 nautical miles in 24 hours
- 10. Matt Woodside (USA): 2,579 nautical miles covered · 82 nautical miles in 24 hours
Chichester Class: Guy deBoer (USA) has been out of the race since 4 November on medical advice, including the Chichester Class. The tracker still shows 21,564 nautical miles to the finish for his yacht Spirit; his public position has been frozen for safety reasons. In the daily report of 12 November, the race organisers had not yet confirmed his arrival in Rio de Janeiro.
Notable incidents: According to the daily report of 12 November, Damien Guillou is sailing in 28 to 30 knots of north-westerly wind with waves of almost 5 metres; a new low could bring him waves of 6 to 7 metres within 36 to 48 hours. Henry Wootton has lost a halyard, and an attempt to climb the mast was unsuccessful. A high-pressure area in the South Atlantic brings the risk of light winds for boats too far north. Andrea Lodolo is sailing to Cape Town with a broken knee. Selim Yalçın, Pat Lawless, Louis Kerdelhué and Andrea Lodolo have retired. Helga Marie “Mara” Løvenskiold Kveseth was disqualified, and Guy deBoer is also out. 10 skippers are still at sea and in the race.
To the official tracker → · Daily reports from race control →
The essentials at a glance
- The start was on Sunday, 6 September 2026, from 14:30 German time in Les Sables-d’Olonne. The finish is there too. The first boats are expected from around the end of March 2027.
- 16 skippers started, 10 are still at sea and in the race.
- The Frenchman Damien Guillou leads on a Rustler 36, with around 7,300 nautical miles sailed at the end of October.
- You can follow the race on the official live tracker, which is also available as an app.
- There is no German entrant. Etienne Messikommer is taking part from Switzerland. At the end of October he was just in fourth or fifth place on the tracker.
Following the Golden Globe Race 2026 live: where can you find the tracker?
The official tracker is available on the organiser's website and as a mobile app. Each boat reports its position regularly via a satellite transmitter.
Not every position is equally up to date: some boats report with a delay, so in tight phases the ranking can differ from the actual situation. Race control also publishes daily reports with speeds, weather and news from the fleet.
New in this edition is “GGR Window Live”. In rotation, some boats broadcast live video, along with the skipper's vital signs such as pulse and body temperature. The boat of the Swiss sailor Etienne Messikommer is also taking part. The link works in one direction only, from the boat to the viewers.
What is the Golden Globe Race?
The Golden Globe Race is a single-handed, non-stop circumnavigation without outside assistance, sailed with 1968 technology. It is modelled on the first race of its kind in 1968, which Robin Knox-Johnston finished after 312 days as the only one of nine starters.
It has been held every four years since 2018, and 2026 is the third edition. Its official name is now the McIntyre Golden Globe Race. Don McIntyre revived the race in 2018.
What rules apply on board?
GPS is banned. Position is determined with a sextant from the sun and stars, and all observations and calculations must be handed in after the finish. How this works in practice is shown in our article on celestial navigation for beginners.
Electronic autopilots and instruments are also taboo; steering is done with a wind-vane self-steering system. The skippers do their own weather forecasting and keep the logbook by hand. The satellite phone on board is there for contact with race control and for emergencies.
Which boats are permitted?
Production yachts of 32 to 36 feet in GRP that were designed before 1988 are permitted. They need a full-length keel with an attached rudder and a displacement of at least around 6.2 tonnes, and at least 20 boats of the same type must have been built. The fleet includes several Rustler 36s, a Tradewind 35, a Cape George 36 and a Tashiba 36.
What is the Chichester Class?
Anyone who puts into a port or accepts outside help drops out of the main classification. The race committee can then allow them to continue in the Chichester Class, but a second stop is not permitted. The name recalls Francis Chichester, who sailed around the world with a single stop in 1966/67. In 2026, the American Guy deBoer is sailing in this class after having his boat repaired in the Canary Islands.
What route does the Golden Globe Race 2026 follow?
The route leads eastwards around the world, covering more than 30,000 nautical miles. The three great capes, Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn, are left to port.
There are fixed mandatory points along the way. Off Marina Rubicón on Lanzarote, the skippers had to round a mark and hand over film footage without tying up. After that, the island of Trindade in the South Atlantic had to be left to port. In the southern Indian Ocean, waypoints are set at 45 degrees south.
The next major event is the Hobart Gate, a gate line in Storm Bay off Tasmania, where material is handed over again. After Cape Horn, the fleet heads back through the Atlantic to Les Sables-d’Olonne.
| At a Glance | Golden Globe Race 2026 |
|---|---|
| Start | 6 September 2026, Les Sables-d’Olonne (France) |
| Destination | Les Sables-d'Olonne |
| Distance | more than 30,000 nm, eastbound, non-stop |
| Started | 16 skippers |
| Still racing | 13 (12 main classification, 1 Chichester Class) |
| Mandatory points | Lanzarote, Trindade, Hobart Gate, Cape Horn |
| Expected duration | 200 to 300 days at sea |
Our article explains how long a nautical mile is nautical mile.
When will the finishers arrive in the Golden Globe Race 2026?
There is no official forecast yet. Based on the 200 to 300 days the organiser expects, the first boats will arrive in Les Sables-d’Olonne from around the end of March 2027.
For comparison: the record is held by Jean-Luc Van Den Heede, who won in 2018/19 after 211 days. The South African Kirsten Neuschäfer won in 2022/23 after 235 days. According to a rough estimate by the race committee, Guillou could reach the Hobart Gate before Christmas. A fixed deadline applies there for the Chichester Class: anyone arriving in Hobart after 12 noon local time on 31 January 2027 is out.
What distinguishes the Golden Globe Race from the Vendée Globe?
Both races start from Les Sables-d’Olonne and go single-handed and non-stop around the world. The difference lies in the boat and the technology.
In the Vendée Globe professionals sail 60-foot IMOCA-class racing yachts with modern electronics and satellite navigation. Charlie Dalin won the 2024/25 edition in 64 days and 19 hours. In the Golden Globe Race, heavy long-keel boats are sailed and navigation is by sextant and paper chart. Even the record winner of 2018 took 211 days, a good three times as long.
Frequently asked questions
Where can you follow the Golden Globe Race live?
On the public live tracker at goldengloberace.com and in the accompanying app. Daily reports are also published there.
When did the Golden Globe Race 2026 start?
On Sunday, 6 September 2026, from 2:30 pm in Les Sables-d’Olonne. The boats started one by one, a few minutes apart.
How many participants are there in the Golden Globe Race 2026?
16 skippers started. 10 are still at sea and in the race (as of 13 November 2026).
Is a German taking part in the Golden Globe Race 2026?
No. Nobody from Germany or Austria is on the start line. Etienne Messikommer is competing from Switzerland, on a Tradewind 35.
How long does the Golden Globe Race take?
Between 200 and 300 days. The record stands at 211 days.
Sail long distances yourself
If you would like to gain experience at sea and log nautical miles of your own, you will find offers on Törnfinder for a Mile building with night passages and longer legs. You will find an overview of all sailing areas and dates under Trips.
