Every Friday morning at 10.00 UTC, Ireland’s solo circumnavigator Gregor McGuckin calls the Golden Globe Race organisers from his yacht Hanley Energy Endurance to check in. After last weeks call reporting 50+ knot winds and 10m seas, today's call was a much calmer affair as McGuckin enters the Indian Ocean in 3rd place.
The past seven days have seen conditions improve allowing McGuckin to get some essential maintenance and repairs done. When asked about progress, he said, “Not fast progress, quite a lot of calms, light winds. It has been frustrating at times, you expect when you get down here you’ll be moving a lot quicker but it has actually been the opposite.” And reporting on the condition of the boat he said, “The boat is fine, I’ve had loads of time to fix everything.”
His low key no drama nature hasn't gone unnoticed. The race’s chairman and founder Don MacIntyre wrote, "Gregor is pure youthful determination from an Irish guy going places. Bring it on then give him more." The youthful nature is in the context that the current race leader Jean-Luc Van Den Heede is 73 years old, he once raced against Enda O’Coineen in 1979. Don also reported that Gregor, “Has a fire in his belly with a lot at stake and plenty to prove. He is working hard. His boat is good but there are a few little issues to contend with and he does that well. He is comfortable in his world having fun and wants more!”
McGuckin’s calm, understated very ‘Irish’ nature and humour see's him consistently shrug off the lows and take the highs in his stride. This is in line with the steady calm nature and consistent energy use the French solo superstars aim for. He concluded by saying, “So long as it stays windy I’ll be grand.”
