THE 2022 GGR FLEET

The Rustler 36 still dominates, with four taking part in 2022. There are also two Tradewind 35s and two Biscay 36s, including Michael Guggenberger’s Nuri, the only ketch in the fleet. Three double-ender boats are racing – Guy deboer’s Tashiba 36; Pat Lawless’s Saltram Saga 36 and Jeremy Bagshaw’s OE32, the smallest boat taking part – also the one with the longest waterline. Other boats include the Barbican 33 Mk2 and Gale Force 34.

The majority of skippers – 12 of the 16 starting – have opted for Hydrovane self-steering. This was also the choice of Jean Luc Van den Heede and Uku Randmaa, who came first and third respectively in 2018. Abhilash Tomy and Jeremy Bagshaw have chosen the Wind Pilot, and Mark Sinclair and Pat Lawless the Aries, which was used by Mark Slats, who came second in 2018.

All of the fleet have opted for either one or more furling systems; in 2018 both Mark Slats and Philippe Péché raced with hanked-on sails – a move they ended up regretting because of the constant effort involved in changing sails.

Antifouling was one of the big issues during the 2018 race, particularly for Tapio Lehtinen as barnacle growth on his boat’s hull made his Gaia 36 uncompetitive against the rest of the fleet.

None of the 2022 boats could be hauled out after 6 August 2022 for antifouling, so skippers had to choose their paint wisely.

Both Michael Guggenberger and Edward Walentynowicz opted to use Seajet, the same paint as Van den Heede. Jeremy Bagshaw and Mark Sinclair have decided to use Coppercoat while Tapio Lehtinen has chosen a Jotun paint specifically designed for offshore use.