Captain Coconut should cross the finish line 27th May at 1430 hrs French time (1230hrs UTC) completing his GGR 28,000 mile solo circumnavigation. He will enter the Les Sables d'Olonne River at 1500hrs and arrive at the Vendee Pontoon at 1530hrs. Follow his arrival on GGR LIVE Facebook! French and English coverage.
GGR Veteran, Australian Oceanographer Mark Sinclair, (Captain Coconut) crossed the Les Sables d'Olonne start line of the 50th anniversary Golden Globe Race nearly four years ago on July 1st 2018. This FRIDAY, 27th May, he will finally cross the finish line as last finisher in the 2018 GGR! In 2018, running out of water he had to break his voyage in Adelaide, South Australia after completing only half the Race.
The 2018 GGR has no finishing time, and Mark only made the one-stop, so was able to re-join under the “Chichester Class”. He set sail from Adelaide on December 5th 2021, solo non-stop bound for Les Sables d’Olonne, officially re-joining the GGR 2018 edition. He will have been at sea for 167 days. Four severe storms when rounding Cape Horn in February severely tested him and his boat. He damaged his forestay and equipment below but he survived. Just a week ago he was Knocked down twice in big seas damaging his inner forestay and his last satellite phone. He is making slow but steady progress toward Les Sables having secured the mast and is down to just one quarter roll of toilet paper.
About the 2022 Golden Globe Race
On September 4th, this year, the third edition of the Golden Globe Race will start from Les Sables d'Olonne, France. 23 sailors from 13 countries will face eight months of isolation sailing 30,000 miles across five oceans solo non-stop and unassisted. The Golden Globe Race was the original round the world yacht race. In 1968, while man was preparing to take his first steps on the moon, a mild mannered and modest young man was setting out on his own record breaking voyage of discovery. He had entered the original Golden Globe. Nine men started that first solo non-stop sailing race around the World. Only one finished. He was 29year old Sir Robin Knox Johnston. History was made. Navigating only with a sextant, paper charts and an accurate and reliable time piece, Sir Robin navigated around the world.
In 2018, to celebrate 50 years since that first record breaking achievement, the Golden Globe Race was resurrected. It instantly caught the attention of the world's media as well as adventures, captivated by the spirit and opportunity. Millions followed it. 18 started and only five finished. The original race was back. Once again they used only sextants, paper charts, wind up clocks and cassette tapes for music. The GGR is the longest, loneliest, most daring challenge for any individual in any sport. It is an extreme adventure full of human stories on a journey that takes longer than flying to Mars!