MIKE GOLDING

In his new column, solo round the world racer mike explains why the Golden Globe race Is one of the toughest challenges for decades

Don’t for a moment underestimate the enormity of the challenge that the sailors taking part in the 2018 Golden Globe Race (GGR) are undertaking. It would be easy to think of the GGR as another ‘ARC style’ ocean rally – but that could not be further from the truth. The GGR is, without question, one of the toughest sailing challenges for many decades, and I hope the 18 competitors receive a supportive following.

The start in July from Les Sables d’olonne was not particularly heralded, and the first weeks have been… well, rather uneventful. The excruciatingly slow passage south has been in complete contrast to the recent fast and furious Volvo Ocean Race and, more than once, I have refreshed my browser in the belief that the GGR tracker was not updating!

OK, so the GGR was always going to be a slow burn, but with the South Atlantic and the Southern Ocean looming hold onto your seats, as the tougher stories of this race are about to unfold.

The original 1969 Golden Globe had just nine competitors and it ran for only one edition; one sailor was driven to taking his own life, and after 312 days the race had just one finisher – Robin Knox-johnston. The GGR is in part a re-enactment of that 1969 event, restricting all entrants to use only the same or similar equipment and technology that was carried on board Sir Robin’s race winning yacht Suhaili.

However, it’s no accident that almost all of today’s round the world yacht races involve designs of greater than 60ft in length – perhaps the minimum size of boat to better cope with the challenging conditions faced in the Southern Ocean. With a modern, lightweight race boat it’s often possible to evade bad weather and, even if you are caught, it’s seldom necessary to stop sailing.

The GGR’S retro designs will require employing some retro survival strategies. Without the internet or weather data, judgements will need to be made with the barometer and physical observation. With low boat speeds and such limited data, when the gales come (and they will come), the GGR sailors will eventually need to use old school heavy weather techniques such has lying ahull or setting a sea anchor before literally battening down the hatches.

Many an old school sailor will tell you that these smaller, long keel, traditional designs are the world’s best seakeeping yachts but, sorry, that is a complete and utter myth. While Rustlers and Biscays etc are well known as good cruising boats, this reputation invariably emanates from owners who more normally are crossing the Channel or Biscay a few times a year.

This is just one of many, many reasons why I feel that, in its own quiet and unassuming way, the GGR is going to be a simply huge challenge for these sailors. While the GGR may lack the gloss of its modern contemporary events, it’s absolutely not a cake walk on a comfy cruiser.

As a sailor who loves all the technical shenanigans of the sport and loves to go fast, however, I simply can’t get all whimsical about sailing these boats. Equally, sailing offshore, alone without a good autopilot or, worse still, a selection of GPSES is, to me, just plain self-flagellation. While I fondly remember navigating by sextant – that’s it, it’s a fond memory. When I saw that French sailing legends Jean-luc Van Den Heede and Philip Peché had signed up to compete in the GGR, for the briefest of nanoseconds I considered entering the race myself. But, equally swiftly, I knew the limitations and restrictions would drive me completely and utterly bonkers.

Only the legendary Sir Robin Knox-johnston finished the 1969 Golden Globe. Like Sir Robin, all nine sailors were arguably an especially tough post-war breed, moulded in different times and more or less free of the health and safety protocols and risk assessments we endure today.

The GGR offers a refreshing opportunity to take on a huge personal challenge without the cost and complexity of one of the mainstream professional events. It’s entirely possible to fund an entire GGR campaign for the price of a single IMOCA 60 mainsail – which opens the door to a completely new band of solo adventurers.

If the original race is anything to go by only two of the 18 starters might complete the 2018 event as true Golden Globe finishers. Perhaps another four or six will need to stop but can still finish as ‘Chichester class’ entrants. Finishers or not, these 18 sailors from 13 countries will certainly have some amazing stories to share. And if the GGR produces even one more Robin Knox-johnston and a scattering of Chichesters, what’s not to like?

‘THIS IS GOING TO BE A HUGE CHALLENGE’