Only three sailors are racing for the finish in the solo round-the-world Golden Globe Race, and it’s getting really close! Who will be the first to cross the finish line in Les Sables d’Olonne? Who will win this incredibly disputed GGR 2022? Who will dare make a prediction on those questions? One thing is for sure; it won’t be the team at the Race Office!

"We have always said that Kirsten Neuschäfer needed to build a big gap in the Southern Ocean where Minnehaha’s power makes for incredible daily distances. Despite a 650-mile gap in the southern Atlantic that made a come-back from Abhilash seem doubtful at the time, here we are! The two leaders are now battling it out in the doldrums, with less than 300 miles difference between the nimble Rustler Bayanat and the heavier Minnehaha", says race founder Don McIntyre.

Kirsten and Abhilash have not talked on the HF radio for weeks, and Kirsten, unaware of Abhilash’s position, is chasing an imaginary leader. She is quite despondent and thinks she has made too many mistakes which she shared on her weekly call.

In reality, she has been leading for the last month! Abhilash Tomy (IND) knows Kirsten is in the lead but ignores where she is exactly. But make no mistake; he is racing! All is well on Bayanat, and Abhilash thoroughly enjoys his uneventful sailing, as he shared in his weekly call. He is busy sailing, collected another 100 litres of water, topping all tanks on Bayanat, and finally has leisure time, namely French literature and a (long) tale of revenge: The Count of Monte-Cristo! 

"I haven’t found the trades at all ever since I’ve been in that high, with the wind coming from all directions but saw nothing consistent with a south-easterly trade, that’s for sure. It’s pretty hot in here, especially when there’s no wind, and it’s been raining all day, which is a bit unusual. I probably haven’t been east enough, but I don’t know since I have zero weather information. If I weren’t in a race, I wouldn’t be frustrated, but I am racing."

Both sailors now have equal weather information: Bayanat has no weather fax installed and Abhilash does not receive Peter Mott’s New Zealand HF weather forecast, while Kirsten recently stopped receiving faxes from Chile and Passage Guardians bulletins relays. Abhilash decided to sail the shorter course, relying on coastal traffic for weather information, while Kirsten is taking an option 550 miles to the east of him based on historical data.

Both boats were involved in the Tapio Lehtinen (FIN) rescue four months ago, and received time and/or fuel compensation to be calculated after docking in Les Sables d’Olonne. Abhilash was awarded a 12-hour compensation for diverting course before being relieved from the rescue effort by the GGR Crisis Management Team and MRCC Cape Town. However, he has lost some diesel through a leak and will be penalised 2 hours for any litre over the 25-litre allowance. Kirsten has been awarded a 35-hour compensation for her rescue and transfer aboard the M.V. Darya Gayatri and a 30-litre fuel allowance for engine use. Every litre of fuel consumed gives the entrant a two-hour time penalty.

2022 GGR entrants to date current positions:

1. Kirsten Neuschäfer (39) / South Africa / Cape George 36 - "MINNEHAHA"
2. Abhilash Tomy (43) / India / Rustler 36 - "BAYANAT"
3. Michael Guggenberger (44) / Austria / Biscay 36 - "NURI"

2022 GGR Chichester Class:
1. Simon Curwen (63) / UK / Biscay 36 - "CLARA"
2. Jeremy Bagshaw (59) / South Africa / OE32 - "OLLEANNA"
3. Ian Herbert Jones (52) / UK / Tradewind 35 - "PUFFIN"

2022 GGR Retired:
1. Edward Walentynowicz, (Canada), Rustler 36, Noah’s Jest
2. Guy deBoer, (USA), Tashiba 36, Spirit
3. Mark Sinclair (Australia), Lello 34, Coconut
4. Pat Lawless, (Ireland), Saltram Saga 36, Green Rebel
5. Damien Guillou, (France), Rustler 36, PRB
6. Ertan Beskardes, (UK), Rustler 36, Lazy Otter
7. Tapio Lehtinen, (Finland), Gaia 36, Asteria
8. Arnaud Gaist, (France), Barbican 33 Mk 2, Hermes Phoning
9. Elliot Smith, (USA), Gale Force 34, Second Wind
10. Guy Waites (UK), Tradewind 35, Sagarmatha

Way before the start of the Golden Globe Race in Les Sables d’Olonne, the last stretch to Cape Horn was always a concern for Ian Herbert-Jones (GBR).

It became more of a worry for him in the South Atlantic when the Shropshire sailor thought of skipping the Cape Town film drop altogether to save time and make the 31st January Hobart gate cut-off date. Miss that gate, and you must stop, as you are considered too late to round Cape Horn before early spring storms. Ian just made Hobart by a few days. Later heading east, after a slow exit of the Tasman Sea, the weather conspired against him north of the Pacific exclusion zone, increasing his concerns about paying the price for a late rounding of Cape Horn.… and so it was!

Sailing for several days in what he described in his weekly satellite safety call as ‘biblical conditions’, Ian faced his worst fears: Extreme winds well over 60 knots, heavy and confused breaking seas, several knockdowns with his hydrovane struggling to cope. He nevertheless carried on, displaying his signature vulnerability, humility, humour and determination to get the job done.

Chilean Navy forecast was for winds gusting up to 70-90kts! Ian said it was simply impossible to guess, as it was so far above his point of reference

On Wed 22nd at 0400 UTC, Ian called the Race Office to advise that the conditions were crazy, screaming wind speeds impossible to determine (Chilean Navy forecast possible gusts to 90 knots) and 7-metre seas. Sailing under bare poles, he was struggling to deploy his drogue which was now a tangled mess in the cockpit. One hour later, he had deployed the drogue, unfurled a small amount of staysail and as the wind was finally abating.

However, at 1100 UTC he called back, sounding stressed, declaring a ‘PAN PAN’ and requesting GGR to notify MRCC of his situation, though NOT requiring assistance. He was unsure of his position and his hydrovane had another issue and was no longer working but in the dark he could not see why and it was dangerous hanging over the back. GGR was providing weather updates and monitoring his track which was headed for the Diego Ramirez Islands. Sailing at only 3 knots under the drogue in seven metre seas, the bottom rapidly rose from 1,500 metres to just 100 metres in a few miles, causing some concern in Race Control. Ian reported serious waves slamming into the back of PUFFIN. He passed 2.5 miles north of the islands as conditions slowly moderated and daylight returned.

Ian Herbert-Jones had several issues with his Hydrovane that he could solve, but not the last one. Images: Nora Havel / GGR

He rang a third time at 1810 UTC to advise that his drogue warp at some time had wrapped around the Hydrovane rudder whilst sailing slow in the big seas. It caused the initial damage and eventually, the rudder snapped in half. He could not fit his emergency electric autopilot as it steered through the Hydrovane rudder, and it was too rough to fit his Hydrovane spare rudder. He was hand-steering to Cape Horn and beyond. He cannot do that for 6,000 miles back to Les Sables d’Olonne. He is now headed for Puerto Williams, about 150 miles away to effect repairs. He has been officially moved into Chichester Class (no longer in the rankings for the solo non-stop GGR), giving him full use of his safety GPS and sat phone to organise the stopover logistics.

Ian is safe, in control and does not require assistance. The ‘Code Orange’, which alerts the Chilean Rescue Coordination Centre of a difficult situation, was cancelled on 22/03 at 2200 UTC.

With Ian rounding Cape Horn in Chichester Class, there are a few significant changes in the fleet. First, all the GGR fleet is in the Atlantic, stretching 3,700 miles between the Tierra del Fuego at 56°S and the leader at 04°S. Secondly, there are now 3 sailors in Chichester Class: Simon, Jeremy and Ian, and only three sailors contending for the GGR trophy: Kirsten, Abhilash and Cpt. Gugg!

Despite the recent concerns about Ian’s safety, there certainly is a sense of relief in the Race Office after an eventful Southern Ocean experience, starting with Tapio Lethinen’s (FIN) rescue in late November and the various entrants knock-downs between the Pacific exclusion zone and the Horn, and a 2,000-mile detour to Chile for Simon Curwen. There has, however, been significantly less damage and loss of boats compared to the 2018 GGR. The new start date of September 4th from Les Sables d’Olonne, two months later than in 2018, put the sailors in the Southern Ocean two months later, experiencing fewer and less violent storms. The long list of retirements this time is mostly a result of personal and technical issues rather than storms.

Racing yachts around the world use computerised weather routing programmes to optimise courses against satellite weather data. Both are banned in the Golden Globe Race, but the current leader and only woman in the race, South African Kirsten Neuschäfer, found the perfect solution for her best route home to Les Sables d'Olonne after rounding Cape Horn.

She consulted Ocean Passages of the World with its 200-year-old weather routing charts, historical weather and suggested routes from the original clipper sailing ships. Following that advice is now paying strong dividends sailing through the tricky horse latitudes! She sailed out to the east and is now in a commanding windward position as she reaches the South East Trades ahead of the rest of the fleet.

Neuschäfer told Race HQ: "I haven’t had much weather info lately. I had one relayed from Peter by Puffin a couple days ago but hadn’t had any since then. I picked up some southeasterlies yesterday and it’s gone further south-east now. I’m hoping that gives me a push after many slow days. I don’t know how far I’m behind now but hope it will hold now!"

Race Tracker below

It's been an eventful month of February for Kirsten Neuschafer (ZAF), finally rounding Cape Horn at 2020 UTC 15th Feb in the Golden Globe Race. She moved to first place after 150 days of racing and had to face two storms, breaking a spinnaker pole and taking down her massive twin sail alone on her yacht Minnehaha rocked by the residual swell.

With the final 10,000 miles to Les Sables on her mind and sensing pressure on her beloved yacht, she sails a conservative course further and longer towards the north-east to avoid the stronger winds and sea in the first front on February 7th, trailing warps and nursing Minnehaha in the ensuing storm. Then finally, a southerly course South of Diego Ramirez Islands creating sea room the Chilean coast before finally heading up for a long look at the infamous final Cape of the course. 

With over 240,000 miles sailing experience, she knows this area very well, sailing many times as a commercial skipper to Antarctica. But this is the first time she crosses the Pacific solo to get around. The famous rock was surrounded by squalls that forced her to make continuous adjustments, poling the Yankee and reducing sails when necessary. Despite all the action, she could hardly speak during her safety call because of the cold shortly before rounding.

2022 GGR entrants to date Current positions :
1. Kirsten Neuschafer (39) / South Africa / Cape George 36 - " MINNEHAHA"
2. Abhilash Tomy (43) / India / Rustler 36 - " BAYANAT "
3. Michael Guggenberger (44) / Austria / Biscay 36 - " NURI "
4. Ian Herbert Jones (52) / UK / Tradewind 35 - " PUFFIN "

2022 GGR Chichester Class:
1. Simon Curwen (63) / UK / Biscay 36 - " CLARA "
2. Jeremy Bagshaw (59) / South Africa / OE32 - " OLLEANNA"

2022 GGR Retired:
1. Edward Walentynowicz, (Canada), Rustler 36, Noah's Jestv
2. Guy deBoer, (USA), Tashiba 36, Spirit
3. Mark Sinclair (Australia), Lello 34, Coconut
4. Pat Lawless, (Ireland), Saltram Saga 36, Green Rebel
5. Damien Guillou, (France), Rustler 36, PRB
6. Ertan Beskardes, (UK), Rustler 36, Lazy Otter
7. Tapio Lehtinen, (Finland), Gaia 36, Asteria
8. Arnaud Gaist, (France), Barbican 33 Mk 2, Hermes Phoning
9. Elliot Smith, (USA), Gale Force 34, Second Wind
10. Guy Waites (UK), Tradewind 35, Sagarmatha

With 20,000 miles and five months at sea — 70% of their voyage complete — the leading yachts in the Golden Globe Race are starting to show little signs of fatigue requiring constant maintenance, just as they are undertaking the most difficult part of the course.

They had 1,800 miles to run between the end of the exclusion zone and the Cape Horn but now a storm has changed all that.

The window that had opened last week for Simon Curwen to reach Cape Horn before Wednesday 8 February has now closed and a succession of low-pressure systems are entering the area, affecting all of the GGR entrants. As summer wanes in the southern hemisphere, the number of low pressure systems passing is sure to increase.

In fact, no one in the leading trio has arrived after 20,000 miles unscathed. Simon Curwen (GBR) has a list of 13 items to sort in Chile onboard Clara besides his broken wind vane and a ripped dodger. Abhilash Tomy (IND) spent 22 hours straight repairing Bayanat after his heavy front on 26 January, ranging from sail damage, mainsail sheet track, rigging and windvane maintenance. GGR leader and sole woman competitor Kirsten Neuschäfer (ZAF) has broken her spinnaker pole and can no longer fly her twin headsails.

A large storm is pounding Abhilash Tomy and Kirsten Neuschäfer right now 1,100 miles northwest of Cape Horn

This comes as the biggest low pressure encountered by the fleet so far is crossing their path en route to Cape Horn. There is no escaping this beast the size of Brazil. It jumped out of the exclusion zone before heading down the coast of Chile.

Following GGR weather alerts and routing suggestions, Abhilash and Kirsten sailed northeast away from Cape Horn for two days, climbing to 45 south latitude, positioning themselves in the safer quadrant.

They both expressed concerns about stressing their yachts with 10,000 miles still to go. Kirsten is watching her rig very carefully with a feeling that it is working hard and has prepared her warps and chains ready to slow the boat. This “go north” tactic should allow them to spend less time in extreme weather and ride more manageable seas, but 36 hours in winds exceeding 60 knots gusts and 11-metre seas is assured. Only Simon who is in advance on his plans at 43°S 77°W will not be exposed.

The back of the fleet has not been spare,d either, with Jeremy Bagshaw (ZAF) having the highest number of low-pressure systems encountered in the fleet so far and Guy Waites (GBR) having the worst weather to date, until today: he lost his life raft last week during a knock-down in winds over 60 knots and 10 metre seas. He was running under bare poles with 140-metre warps and heavy anchor chains out in the steep low-pressure system for days. He experienced a few knockdowns but all was OK. While strapped in his bunk he felt a massive wave bigger than the best and a sudden powerful Knockdown with his mast in the water. The raft was gone!

Kirsten Neuschäfer’s (ZAF) twin headsails | Credit: GGR2022/DD&JJ

Sagarmatha had stopped in Cape Town to remove barnacles and moved to Chichester class. He is now making headway towards Hobart. He will assess options on arrival, but feels too many things are stacking up against continuing. It is now early February, late in the season for a Cape Horn passage. Regardless of his decision, once arriving in Hobart, he is out of the GGR as he missed the gate which closed on 31 January.

Time is of the essence for everyone

Guy is not the only one to be late on his voyage. Ian Herbert Jones (GBR), who passed the Hobart gate on 18 January, is only just past Bounty Island, not yet north of the exclusion zone. He is 3,000 miles behind Abhilash. South African sailor Jeremy Bagshaw (ZAF) in Chichester class has been pushing Olleanna hard, building a healthy 400-mille gap with Ian, but both had a hard time after New Zealand and now have an ETA at Cape Horn for the second half of March. This runs the risk of heavier and more frequent storms so the adventure continues.

Only Michael Guggenberger (AUT) is holding a relative position with the leaders, but is facing water issues and frustration along the exclusion zone. He inadvertently crossed into this NO GO area for 1.5 hours over the week-end. That generated a 4.5 hour time penalty to be served in the Atlantic Penalty Box on the way to Les Sables D’Olonne. This current storm passed just just a few hundred miles infront of him.

Guy Waites’s life raft on the back of Sagarmatha | Credit: Guy Waites/GGR2022

For Simon Curwen (GBR), leading the Chichester class, time is still of the essence. He would like to join his former runners-up to Cape Horn and land ahead of them in Les Sables d’Olonne. With no detailed map of the coastal area around Puerto Mount, GGR is assisting with navigational information and local coordination for his stop to make repairs. He is allowed to access his emergency GPS for the safest and easiest landing after 158 days at sea.

Rather than transit 60 miles each way to Puerto Montt, 120 miles in highly tidal waters with currents up to nine knots and strong wind gusts, the British sailor is now thinking to have the Hydrovane spares sent to him in the shelter of the entrance and carrying the repairs on anchor, in the bay of Ancud.

He has the support of his team that has been sent to Chile by his sponsor Howdens and local sailors who are following the GGR and Chile’s government agencies who have been informed of his imminent arrival.

149 days ago, on Sept 4th 2022, 15 men and one woman set out from Les Sables d’Olonne. Their dreams and aspirations were to circumnavigate solo in the extreme Golden Globe Race. In 1968, nine set out on the first such mission and only one finished. In 2018, 18 sailors set out and just five sailed home. Today only four of the original 2022 sailors are still racing the GGR towards Cape Horn, the most infamous of all Capes. They have over 9,000 miles and many months still to go to Les Sables d’Olonne. Anything can happen.

Out front is an extraordinary solo woman sailor quite unlike any other. Behind her are 15 extraordinary men who have either given up, or struggle to keep up. The GGR is a mind game, so phiysically and mentally tough, relentless and unforgiving, it sometimes beggars belief. They are, or were all volunteers. They are all dreamers, adventurers and passionate about life, giving it their all to achieve something even they may not fully understand. The GGR is an amazing human story of courage and determination unfolding before our eyes.

Unable to repair his Hydrovane self-steering system damaged at sea during a knock-down, race leader Simon Curwen has retired from the GGR into Chichester Class and is heading North East for a Chilean Port to effect repairs.

With 70% of the total distance under his belt and a thousand–mile gap with his closest rivals, Simon Curwen (GBR) seemed untouchable last week as he was screaming down the 50s on his way to Cape Horn, to the point that his runners-up had given-up hope of catching-up! Alas, cruel is the game of the GGR, and a crucial piece of his hydrovane broke when the boat was knocked-down last Friday 27 of January. Listen to his report here.

Simon tried to emulate his hero Sir Robin Knox Johnston who steered Suhaili to the finish, and to victory in the original 1968 GGR, without a windvane for the last stretch of that voyage. Balancing sails, however, proved harder on his cutter rigged Biscay 36 than on the ketch rigged Suhaili and Simon was making slow progress. This would potentially expose himself to future storms in the weeks ahead while attempting to round Cape Horn under duress.

 Simon Curwen's Hydrovane shaft connecting the aerial sheared off in a knock-down four days ago, it is not repairable at sea and Simon could not steer the boat downwind to Cape Horn. He was not carrying wind vane spares to save weight. Photo: DD & JJ / GGR2022

“I tried all sorts of options for several days to make this boat go downwind and she doesn’t want to. I was bullish yesterday with the southwesterly but now I can’t get her to go in the right direction. With all those weather systems coming through with no ability to steer a course, I have to think about safety. Apart from risk to me and the boat, there is also potential risk for any person who may have to come and rescue me” Simon Curwen, Clara / Howden’s

The Race Office advised alternative ports on the west coast of Chile, where the Briton could safely moor, receive the part and replace it in a timely manner. With a lee shore approach, Race Control is monitoring and assisting navigation and giving regular weather updates. Simon has been given a special exemption to use his emergency GPS to ensure maximum safety in the coming days.

It’s a heartbreaking decision for the charismatic sailor who has led the fleet since Cape Finisterre, but a wise one. His sponsor Howdens is providing support.

“Most importantly we are relieved that Simon is safe and well after the incident last Friday. We are talking to Simon’s team and the race organisers on how best we can provide logistical support to assist with repairs as Simon heads to a port in Chile. Simon has been outstanding so far in the race and although the class of competition may have changed, his adventure continues, as does our support.” David Sturdee, Howden’s

Kirsten Neuschäfer with the fastest boat in the fleet this week, taking the lead with just four racing for line honours! 

In the past weeks, this competitive and sometimes frustrated sailor considered the GGR a simple game of luck, with no chance to catch Simon. Safety zone restrictions were frustrating her selection of the fastest course with the strongest wind. Now she is on the hunt, driving hard as she knows she needs to make a break from Abhilash Tomy in the Southern Ocean as he could seriously challenge her in the Atlantic. A whole new race is developing.

After diving three times last week for a total of 8 hours to remove barnacles, Kirsten Neushafer (ZAF) has scored the best 24-hour distance at 185.6 miles, but also this morning the best Weekly distance at 1129,5 miles. This enabled her to catch-up on an resting Abhilash Tomy (IND) on Saturday and to now lead the Golden Globe Race!

Kirsten Neuschäfer – Cape George 36 ” MINNEHAHA ” Photo:  GGR2022 / DD&JJ

Abhilash Tomy a solid second, but must now tend to his body and his boat

Abhilash Tomy (IND) suffered a serious accident during the 2018 GGR. His boat Thuriya, an ERIC 32 replica of the original Suhaili, was rolled over and dismasted in the Indian Ocean, prompting a text-book rescue and recovery involving the Indian and French Government. Abhilash seriously damaged his back and after heavy surgery took years to go back to walking, sailing and ultimately flying aircrafts again in the Indian Navy.

Abhilash fell on his back in the Indian Ocean, and was steering by hand last week for 12 hours during a gale and soon after was plagued by back pain and numb limbs. He spoke to his Doctors in India who gave him exercises to regain control of his leg, as well as the official race doctors MSOS for pain treatment. He was advised to rest and mend himself for a few days before attending to Bayanat’s extensive to-do list prior to diving to Cape Horn, including rigging and mainsail track maintenance and repairs.

He is now sailing to keep the boat comfortable under reduced sails, rather than racing downwind. This is making his route longer and slower than Kirsten’s Cape George 36, which has struggled to catch up to Bayanat in the Southern Pacific so far. This may last a few more days yet. Abhilash is safe and does not require any assistance and is in complete control. He knows he must rest now, so the pains do not return again. GGR is closely monitoring the situation.

Abhilash Tomy (India) ‘s strong mentality has overcome his 2018 ordeals, but his body hasn’t fully recovered yet. He passed all required medical checks to enter the 2022 GGR. Photo Credit: GGR 2018 / Christophe Favreau

Leaving Les Sables d’Olonne was hard on the rescued sailor as he suffered post-traumatic stress during the first 10 days of the race, unable to eat anything. He recovered but crashed again during the Cape Town film drop, declaring the GGR was “Not a race” but just a game of chance and that he was not racing anymore. He thought he had put his demons behind him when he passed the Indian Ocean longitude of his rescue and was excited and happy at the Hobart film drop to be back in the game! Now the memories are back haunting him in a physical rather than psychological way.

Capt. GUGG Nuri Sardines, now 3rd in the fleet, is impressively steady and prepared

The revelation of the Pacific definitely is Michael Guggenberger (AUT) who since the South Atlantic found the manual to get his ketch-rigged Biscay 36 Nuri Sardines go fast and steady, matching the speeds of the other Biscay in the fleet, Simon Curwen‘s cutter rigged Clara. Although still 1200 miles back of the runners-up, Nuri has not lost ground on the most experienced sailors of the fleet, which says a lot!

Nuri Sardines might not be as glittery as Capt. Gugg’s disco ball, but the results speak for themselves! Photo: Nora Havel / GGR2022

It’s not only the pace of Nuri Sardines that forces respect. New to sailing 10 years ago, Michael has matched both the pace and the preparation level of much more experienced sailors, presenting no significant damage after 18000 gruelling miles in the GGR. His only issue being depleting water reserves, holding until March 19 at 1,5 litre/day.

Puffin coming in 4th at speed into the Pacific!

The last GGR sailor in Suhaili Class, playing the game of attrition with success is Ian Herbert-Jones (GBR). So many times since Les Sables d’Olonne he has questioned his GGR reality and seriously considered stopping. The boat is fine, but the isolation and lack of contact with family and friends has pushed him to the limit! Arriving 5th into Hobart swept all that away for good. He is apprehensive about Cape Horn, but he is ready and he is now sailing home!

He left Hobart one day after Jeremy Bagshaw (ZAF) now in Chichester Class who stopped for a few days to clean his barnacle infested hull. Both made the fastest Tasman Sea crossing of the fleet, in a mere 8 days, a week faster than others.

Ian Herbert Jones (52) / UK / Tradewind 35 – ” PUFFIN ” – 6th sail through Hobart Gate. Picture Photo: GGR2022/ DD&JJ

They will get plenty of northerlies this week sending them quickly north of the exclusion zone and into their Southern Pacific ride.

Guy Waites (GBR) has been battling consistent heavy weather the past four days under Australia with more to come. He has been sailing under bare poles towing warps often. Another large low-pressure is on the way with 11mtr seas and 50-60 knot winds forecast. Guy is tired, but getting ready. He confirmed all is well onboard Sagarmatha and looking forward to a break. He did not make the mandatory Hobart gate on time, and will be retired from the GGR once passing the longitude of Hobart.

Jeremy Bagshaw / South Africa / OE32 – ” OLLEANNA” – 5th sail through Hobart Gate & decided to move to Chichester Class, one stop for sorting Barnacle/water and food. 16/01/2013. Photo: GGR2022 / DD&JJ

At 1815 UTC on 27th January, 1200 miles Northwest of Cape Horn, Simon Curwen contacted Golden Globe Race control to advise of the total failure of his Hydrovane steering gear in the solo non-stop race round the world.

He had weathered the worst of a deep depression in 40 knots and 6-metre sea when the boat surged off a wave coming on the port side of his Biscay 36 Clara. He was not towing a drogue but was sailing comfortably and on course at the time.

According to Race HQ, this action appears to have sheared a shaft on the topside of the vane body connecting the wind sensor, which appears irreplaceable. Simon did not take a spare on board to save weight and cannot replace the broken part with the original components.

He is continuing under storm jib and lashed tiller while he decides on a course of action. He is OK, the boat has no other damage, and he requires no assistance. The weather conditions are improving, with the wind moderating into the high 20s after the passage of a front at 0000 UTC, and the sea is decreasing steadily.

Golden Globe Race leader Simon Curwen is continuing under storm jib and lashed tiller while he decides on a course of action. He is OK, the boat has no other damage, and he requires no assistance

The Pontivy-based sailor is still racing and weighing his options, but he cannot race well without a wind vane. It is a major blow, having held the lead from the start.

The weather in the area looks like a typical mild southern ocean for the week ahead, and the resourceful sailor can find ways to progress towards Cape Horn.

An at-sea repair looks unlikely, and stopping for spares to continue in Chichester class may be the only option as he is a long way from Les Sables d’Olonne in France, the finish line of the 2022 GGR. This opens new opportunities for Abhilash Tomy and Kirsten Neuschäfer, currently 50 miles apart, 1200 miles west of Simon, who now have a chance to chase the current leader.

As regular Afloat readers will know, Ireland's entry into the race was forced out in November when Pat Lawless's self-steering gear broke, and the County Kerry sailor retired into Capetown.

The front of the fleet in the Golden Globe Race has some exciting racing with three different designs, three top solo sailors all now in the same weather system and all hungry to be first.

The leading trio have now sailed over 50% of the course. Simon Curwen, the undisputed fleet leader from Cape Finisterre, has consistently sailed the shortest route, with an efficient risk/benefit assessment for every move and routing choice.

Kirsten Neuschafer's ambitious routing options have not always paid off, particularly in the Atlantic but enabled her to come within reach on the Cape Town approaches and in the lead when passing through Tasmania.

Abhilash Tomy (India) - Rustler 36 " BAYANAT"  was third through the Hobart Gate. The Indian pilot and sailor rescued during the previous GGR had a rough start but reached Hobart free of his 2018 baggage.

Simon’s shrewd sailing strategy enabled him to build a comfortable 700-miles lead over the rest of the fleet while passing Cape Leeuwin. However, a faulty HF radio installation is restricting his access to weather information and communications. He is not receiving Kirsten's weather faxes and cannot talk to other entrants sharing weather information. Neither can he reach Peter Mott in New Zealand, a Private Maritime Radio service offering GGR entrants weather bulletins and passing Happy New Year Messages to family. This service from Passage Guardian would come in handy in the weeks ahead with reception expected all the way to Cape Horn.

Simon Curwen, leader since Cape Finisterre, was first Lanzarote, Cape Town and Hobart Photo: GGR2022 / D&J

After more than a hundred days at sea, only six of the original 16 Golden Globe Race entrants who departed Les Sables d’Olonne in France are likely to pass through the Hobart gate, which shuts on January 31st. First, the Atlantic has taken quite a toll on the GGR fleet, which was confronted by adverse conditions from day three. Three boats retired before crossing the equator, another three on arrival at Cape Town, and two more east of Cape of Good Hope. Guy Waites (GBR) is now Chichester Class, and Elliott Smith (USA) can no longer continue past Australia. The GGR is once again taking its toll on some of the best sailors and yachts.

What a difference an ocean makes. Elliott Smith (USA) had a hard time sailing South, dealing with intense frustration in wind holes. He rose up to the challenge and after numerous repairs and eventually found the resources and the mindset to continue in spite of overwhelming odds.

In fact, he even improved Second Wind’s best 24 hour-distance on December 15 with 174 nautical miles under reduced sails before his bowsprit, repaired at anchor in Cape Town, bent up again.

On Monday morning, Elliott started repairs with a plan: drop the forestay, holding the mast with two spinnaker halyards and staysail stay in order to fit a spare shorter cap shroud as a forestay, cut the end of reefing gear extrusions, refit it with link plates and chain to the stem fitting at bow, and disregarding the bowsprit completely.

Alas, even though the wind was down at the time, Elliott still had a 3-metre swell making repairs up the mast extremely difficult. Nonetheless, he went up the mast no less than 10 times, but the movement at the top of the mast, 13 metres above the sea level, was too much. He got bashed around and lost tools and spares overboard, eventually losing his spare stay, critical to the success of the repair.

That was the end of his Race and dream. He will be in Chichester Class on arrival in Australia in about a month. He then has no time to pass the Hobart Gate and would be out of the GGR. “I think I’m gonna have to call it a day,” he said.

You can listen to Elliott’s call to Race HQ below

“We advised Elliott to slowly make his way North for a couple more degrees to get better winds and then sail East towards Fremantle or Albany, which are the best bet.. It’s unlikely Elliott will be able to repair his mast and make the Hobart gate in time. He now must sail carefully for 2500 miles through the southern ocean and look after the mast at all cost. An injured mast is still better than a jury rig, so he can only use two reefs in the main and a staysail. We will provide Elliott with weather information to assist him in making a safe passage.” Don McIntyre, GGR founder and chairman.

The Golden Globe Race fleet is stretched 5000 miles across the Southern Ocean and is not short of stories. Just nine sailors are still bound for Les Sables d’Olonne in France and they are not even halfway! The weather, as much as it has been frustrating and even slow for the sailors, is not bringing the usual intense Southern Ocean storms and that is a good thing. The two months delay in starting this edition was a good decision, but getting around Cape Horn before the end of March 2023 and the “Hobart Gate” closing on the 31st of January for slow entrants is a whole new threat! The Golden Globe is full of challenges. It is hard to get to the start and even harder to make the finish.

Arnaud Gaist (FRA) has been plagued by rigging issues over the past few weeks and now, on top, also with barnacles, He has given up! Today he is 200 miles out of Saint Helena. He officially notified GGR control that he is retiring from the race and is heading north, unable to sail to windward. It took a long, frustrating and depressing time to make the decision but now that it’s done he feels relaxed. After three years of planning and preparation it is a hard decision to make. With another 150 days of food on board, he is planning to head eventually to the Caribbean and then on to Les Sables d’Olonne once Hermes Phoning is back in shape.

The second remaining GGR skipper In the Atlantic, Guy Waites (GBR), is 200 miles from Cape Town and has been posting surprisingly good speeds with his barnacle-infested Tradewind Sagarmatha. He should make landfall Sunday night or Monday. He will slip the boat, scrape the Barnacles and paint the bottom and could set sail a few days later. But will he? He will be a Chichester one-stop sailor because of the stop. He has some serious decisions with Hobart about 6,000 miles away through the Southern Ocean, and only 47 days to get there before the Gate shuts! That is averaging 128 Miles a day on a direct course? As a Chichester sailor missing the gate, you are no longer in the GGR. He said he will make no decisions until he is ready to set sail and is focused on doing that as soon as possible.