Global Solo Challenge

A solo round-the-world race where the slowest boats start first

25,000 nautical miles, three legendary capes, staggered departures over five months, and one crystal-clear principle: first boat across the line wins. The Global Solo Challenge returns in 2027-2028 with a second edition that promises to fix the flaws of the first while preserving the DNA that makes it unique—a round-the-world race open to sailors who don't have a Vendée Globe budget.

From A Coruña to Vigo: a new port, a new ambition

The inaugural edition started from A Coruña. This time, it's the Real Club Náutico de Vigo that will host the fleet. The choice is anything but random. Nestled at the head of the Ría de Vigo, the Galician city offers sheltered waters, ideal for orchestrating staggered departures between August and January without fearing the autumn gales of the Bay of Biscay. The pontoons, visible from the city center, also bring the public closer to the boats—an asset for sponsors and shoreside animation.

On February 28, 2026, the organization officially presented the skippers for this second edition in Vigo, turning the page on the first adventure to launch the next cycle.

The pursuit format: the chase as narrative thread

Where most ocean races line up their fleet on the same starting line, the GSC reverses the logic. The slowest boats take to the sea first—starting August 28, 2027—while the fastest won't cast off their lines until January 2028.

The ranking system is ruthlessly simple: no corrected time, no IRC calculation at the finish. The first boat back to Vigo wins the race. Full stop.

How does it actually work?

Each boat is classified according to its TCC (Time Correction Coefficient) from its IRC certificate. The start groups break down as follows:

• August 28, 2027 — TCC up to 0.890: robust cruising yachts, the slowest in the fleet
• September 2027 — TCC from 0.891 to 1.010: cruiser-racers, classic production boats, older prototypes
• October 2027 — TCC up to 1.250: recent Class40s, performance prototypes
• December 2027 / January 2028 — TCC above 1.490: pure racing machines, Open 50/60

Each competitor must meet a theoretical arrival deadline calculated at 80% of their polar. This system creates a spectacular chase effect: as the weeks go by, the fast boats devour the miles to catch those who hit the water weeks earlier.

The route: Good Hope, Leeuwin, Horn

The course remains that of the great historical circumnavigations—a loop of approximately 25,000 nautical miles (46,300 km) from west to east, with three mandatory marks to be left to port:

• Cape of Good Hope (South Africa)
• Cape Leeuwin (Australia)
• Cape Horn (Chile)

An Antarctic exclusion zone and strict ice limit frame the descent into the Southern Ocean, requiring skippers to keep a safe distance from icebergs.

The brutal lessons of 2023-2024

Impossible to approach this second edition without looking the numbers from the first straight in the eye: 6 finishers out of 16 starters. An attrition rate of 62% that says everything about the brutality of the challenge.

Philippe Delamare won this inaugural edition on Mowgli (Actual 46), completing the course in 147 days. Behind him, American Cole Brauer finished second overall and became the first American woman to complete a solo non-stop round-the-world—a feat that triggered a media phenomenon well beyond sailing circles.

But the list of retirements tells the other side of the GSC story:

• Dismastings: Ronnie Simpson, Ari Känsäkoski
• Collision: William MacBrien
• Autopilot failures: Dafydd Hughes, Juan Merediz
• Medical issues: Pavlin Nadvorni, David Linger

For 2027, the watchword is clear: reliability before performance. Preparations are focused on the robustness of critical systems—autopilots first and foremost—rather than chasing an extra tenth of a knot.

An eclectic fleet, true to the GSC spirit

The strength of the Global Solo Challenge is its cast. No millionaire stars, but unusual profiles united by the same obsession: completing the lap.

• Noa Hopper (United States) — Young sailor on Penelope (Koopmans 41), he approaches the race as "a series of puzzles to solve"
• Michal Krysta (Czech Republic) — Extreme athlete in a Class40, he aims to become the first Czech to complete a solo non-stop round-the-world
• Sam Glover (United Kingdom) — Winner of the "World's Toughest Row" (rowing across the Atlantic), he's moving to sailing with a mindset forged by the ocean
• Juan Merediz (Spain) — Forced to retire in 2023 after an autopilot failure on Sorolla (Class40), he's coming back to finish the story
• Elizabeth Tucker — She's taking over First Light, Cole Brauer's legendary Class40, after delivering it back from Australia herself
• Ari Känsäkoski (Finland) — Dismasted during the first edition, he made it to shore under jury rig. He's preparing his return in a Class40

Find the skipper profiles and compare their boats on spencer.club.

Weather strategy: the departure window puzzle

The pursuit format isn't just about simplified rankings—it imposes formidable strategic choices tied to weather.

Leaving early, in August, allows you to dodge the worst North Atlantic depressions at the start. But the risk is arriving in the Southern Ocean while the austral winter hasn't yet released its grip. Leaving late, in November or December, offers a more forgiving Southern Ocean but forces you to cross a North Atlantic often raging at the start, then push hard to close the gap with the fleet.

Key dates to remember

• March 31, 2027 — Deadline to contest your start group
• June 30, 2027 — Deadline to submit a final "Endorsed" IRC certificate
• August 28, 2027 — First start (slowest boats)
• January 2028 — Last starts (fastest boats)

Follow Global Solo Challenge news and the full offshore racing calendar on spencer.club.