Text: HAL

Image: Global Solo Challenge

With just five months to go until the first start in A Coruña, we are providing an update on the GSC skippers‘ progress based on their blog posts.

Dafydd Hughes aboard Bendigedig, S&S 34
In October 2022, Welsh sailor Dafydd Hughes completed Phase I of his GSC campaign, which consisted of 20 months of planning, designing, and refitting Bendigedig, his boat, a S&S 34 that had spent the last 13 years sitting in a dry barn. Once in the water, it performed exceptionally well. Since launching, Hughes has sailed more than 3,500 nautical miles in various weather conditions, including some challenging ones. Hughes is now in Phase II of his campaign, with a lengthy to-do list that needs to be completed to prepare both himself and Bendigedig for the starting line of the Global Solo Challenge in A Coruña on August 26. As Sir Robin Knok Johnston once said to him, “getting your boat ready, funded, and fully prepared is far harder than the actual sailing part,” which of course will be Phase III.

Kevin le Poidevin a board Class 40 Roaring Forty
Meanwhile, Roaring Forty, the Open 40 owned by Kevin le Poidevin, is moored at Marina Coruña, the host port of the Global Solo Challenge in A Coruña, Spain. Over the past year, Roaring Forty has undergone several refit jobs at Varadero Coruña, boat yard managed by Chuny Bermudez, director of Marina Coruña and an experienced ocean sailor with seven Volvo Ocean Races under his belt. While Kevin is taking some downtime with his family in his homeland Australia, getting medically and mentally prepared for the upcoming challenge, Chuny and his expert team of professionals are completing the remaining tasks on the to-do list. Kevin is expected to return to A Coruña in late April.

Lloyd Davey aboard B42 Taqua II
Towards the end of last year, Lloyd Davey finally launched his Taqua II, a B42 with a captivating tale as Davey had been constructing it for two decades in his yard, located in a restored mill in Brittany, France. In Lloyd’s own words: “After putting in so much effort for many years, the moment the boat hit the water was a significant milestone for me, but, while a boat launch would typically mark the end of the journey, I was well aware that this launch was merely the end of a chapter in my preparation for the GSC.” Currently, Lloyd is content with the sea trials he has conducted thus far, and he has set his sights on completing his 2000-mile solo qualifying sail in May.

 The Global Solo Challenge is a one-of-a-kind event that attracts sailors from all walks of life, with vastly different backgrounds, nationalities, and boats. Yet, despite the differences, they are all united by the same goal: to circumnavigate the globe single-handed, non-stop, and unassisted, passing through the three great capes. 

Click here to read the full blogs of GSC skippers and follow their progress

and for more on the Global solo Challenge