Dateline June 6, 2018 – Les Sables d’Olonne, France
- Less than a month to the race start, and a week to the Suhaili 50 Falmouth Parade of Sail
- Entries: 18 sailors from 13 countries – France 4, Britain 2, Australia 2, and one each from Estonia, Finland, Ireland, India, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Palestine, Russia and USA
- Falmouth Parade of sail celebrations taking shape. Cruising Association flotillas to escort Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and Suhaili into Falmouth and Les Sables d’Olonne. Lively Lady pulls out of Falmouth celebrations
- Les Sable d’Olonne GGR Race Village program announced
With less than a month to the start of the Golden Globe Race from Les Sables d’Olonne on July 1st, skippers are working feverishly to complete their preparations ready to take part in the Suhaili 50 Falmouth Parade of Sail celebrations between 11-14th June to mark the 50th anniversary of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s departure from the port to start the original GGR back in 1968.
Skipper Updates
Best news – three skippers, Mark Slats (Ned) Gregor McGuckin (Ire) and Igor Zaretskiy (Rus) all confirmed they had won full sponsorship last week. Slats’ Rustler 36 has been renamed Ohpen Maverick following support from Ohpen, builders of the world’s first cloud based core banking engine. McGuckin’s Biscay 36 yacht is another to have undergone a colour change, this time to green and been renamed Hanley Energy Endurance. Hanley Energy is a global specialist in the design, source, supply, install and commission of critical power, energy management and IT infrastructure solutions. Igor Zaretskiy, currently sailing his Endurance 35 Esmeralda from the Med directly to Falmouth has won support from The Russian paper and packaging group Double V
Sadly, Cornish-born solo circumnavigator Robin Davie has been forced by lack of preparation time to postpone his entry until the next Golden Globe Race in 2022. ‘We were just running out of time and two weeks ago, I had a ‘come to Jesus’ discussion and concluded that there was little time left for proper preparation of the boat, and even less time for race prep.’ Admits Davie. ‘I remembered how I truly struggled to get to the start line of the 1998 BOC solo round the world race and I did not want my GGR effort to be a repeat. Stress levels have been rising rapidly, and it is time to say ‘enough is enough’ and to focus towards 2022 – wealth and health permitting.’
Don McIntyre says:
This is very sad. Robin has put his all into preparing for this race working 18-20 hour days to get his boat restored and in good shape for circling the globe. He is hugely experienced and very practical, and it is a measure of the man that he has taken stock of the situation rather than press on in blind faith and run the strong risk of failure. We are all sorry that he will not be on the start line this year, but applaud his decision and will welcome him to join us for the 2022 Golden Globe Race.
Don McIntyre
All other bows are now headed towards the Cornish Riviera port with the exception of Francesco Cappelletti’s Italian yacht 007. Delayed by last minute hitches to final preparations, he has been given special dispensation to ship his Endurance 35 overland directly to Les Sables d’Olonne while he flies in to Falmouth for the compulsory skipper’s safety conference on 12th June. There is also a question mark over which way Nabil Amra’s campaign is going. The Palestinian entrant has to complete his 1,000 mile solo qualifier before the skipper conference, and though he is allowed to use his engine, by yesterday his satellite tracker showed he had covered little more than 125 miles in two days and lay stalled all night.
Better news from Finland’s Tapio Lehtinen. His Gaia 36 Asteria was off-loaded from a ship in Zeebrugge on 3rd June and two riggers have arrived to step the mast and sail with Tapio directly to Falmouth. He expected to set sail on the 340 mile leg to Falmouth on June 6 in some sort of company with Mark Slats (Ohpen Maverick) and Indian competitor Abhilash Tomy who has been preparing his Suhaili replica Thuriya in Holland.
First to tie up at Falmouth Haven Marina, is Britain’s Ertan Beskardes Rustler 36 Lazy Otter. He arrived in port last week at the completion of his 2,500 voyage from Fertilia Marina in Sardinia.
Mark Sinclair (Aus) now has his Lello 34 Coconut sailing out of Plymouth Haven Marina where he has based his preparations, while fellow Australian Kevin Farebrother, who chose Les Sables d’Olonne as his base, plans to set sail for Falmouth on June 6, possibly in company with French rivals Antoine Cousot (Métier Intérim) Jean-Luc Van Den Heede (Matmut), Loïc Lepage (Laaland) and Philippe Péché (PRB).
Suhaili 50 Falmouth Parade of Sail – June 11 – 14
11th June:
Arrival of the 2018 Golden Globe Race fleet at Falmouth Haven Marina followed by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and Suhaili escorted by a flotilla of yachts representing the Cruising Association
12 – 13th June:
Falmouth Haven (adjacent to Custom House Quay) open to the public to view the historic fleet each day from 11.00am – 20:00pm. There will also be a small marquee with historic images illustrating Sir Robin’s achievements 50 years ago.
12th June:
- Arrival of Gipsy Moth IV.
- 2018 Golden Globe Race skipper safety at sea conference
19:00: St Mawes Sailing Club Golden Globe Race cocktail party for skippers, event organisers, friends and families. Suhaili, Gipsy Moth IV and Lively Lady will be moored just off the St Mawes harbour wall. This is a ticketed invite-only event.
13th June:
- Midday – 2018 Golden Globe Race Press Conference and public presentation of skippers.
- 14:00pm – Book Launch and signing: Sir Robin Knox-Johnston on Seamanship & Seafaring at The Falmouth Bookseller, Church Street.
- 16:00-17.00pm – Illustrated talk at The Poly with Barry Pickthall – former Sunday Times & Times yachting correspondent, Chris Eakin, author of the book ‘A Race Too Far’ and Bill Rowntree, the former Sunday Mirror photographer who was assigned to cover Robin Knox-Johnston’s start and historic return to Falmouth 50 years ago. They will be recalling the highs and lows of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s incredible voyage and triumphant return to Falmouth. A must-attend event! Tickets details available very soon.
- 18.00pm till late – Suhaili Evening at The Chain Locker Pub with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston in attendance early and later into the evening
- 19:30pm – Sir Robin Knox-Johnston pre-Parade dinner at The Royal Cornwall Yacht Club. This is a ticketed event.
- 22:00pm – Firework display over Falmouth’s harbour and bay, illuminating many of the town’s award-winning attractions including the historic waterfront and Pendennis Castle.
14th June:
- 10:00am: Suhaili 50 Falmouth Parade of Sail. Suhaili leads the historic yachts, the 2018 Golden Globe Race Fleet and a flotilla of supporting boats on a celebratory tour of Falmouth harbour, starting from Custom House Quay and taking in St Mawes and Pendennis Point and Castle.
- 13:30pm: Start of the SITRaN Charity Race from Pendennis Point to Les Sables d’Olonne, France, the first stage of the 50th anniversary Golden Globe Race which will commence from the French port on Sunday July 1st.
GGR Programme in Les Sables d’Olonne June 16 – July 1st
The GGR Race Village will open each day from 10:00am to 8:00pm and until 02:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
Visitors will find the GGR yachts and skippers on the Vendée Globe pontoons, and admire the historic solo yachts – Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s Suhaili, Bernard Moitessier’s Joshua and Sir Francis Chichester’s Gipsy Moth IV, together with Eric Tabarly’s Pen Duick III and Pen Duick VI. There is something for all ages: Learn to navigate with the stars and instruments of the past, attend conferences, interviews and demonstrations, participate in workshops and boat baptisms, and the conviviality of the Bar Guinguette during evening concerts.
The Race Village is open to the public from June 16 to 30, and is free of charge. Activities are planned each day and entertainment specifically for children will take place on:
- Wednesdays 10:00 to 12:00 and 15:00 to 17:00
- Saturday 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:30 to 17:30
- Sundays 16:00 to 17:00
Full list of events and times
Visitors will discover the GGR yachts and skippers on the Vendée Globe pontoons, and admire the historic solo yachts – Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s Suhaili, Bernard Moitessier’s Joshua and Sir Francis Chichester’s Gipsy Moth IV, together with Eric Tabarly’s Pen Duick III.
There is something for all ages: Learn to navigate with the stars and instruments of the past, attend conferences, interviews and demonstrations, participate in workshops and boat baptisms, and the conviviality of the Bar Guinguette during evening concerts
On the stage between 12:05 and 17:30 each day, a series of presentations are planned, including interviews with skipper and other key sailing personalities. Download a full program here.
Visitors will discover the GGR yachts and skippers on the Vendée Globe pontoons, and admire the historic solo yachts – Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s Suhaili, Bernard Moitessier’s Joshua and Sir Francis Chichester’s Gipsy Moth IV, together with Eric Tabarly’s Pen Duick III.
Diary of events
- June 16 at 9:30 am: official opening of the GGR Village followed at 12:00 by the broadcast of the France-Australia World Cup match and sea shanties performed by the Olonnais at 15:00
- 17 June at 16:00: official presentation of the GGR skippers
- 18 June late afternoon: arrival of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and his yacht Suhaili escorted by a flotilla of yachts representing the Cruising Association
- 21 June at 17:00: broadcast of the France-Peru World Cup match followed at 21:00 with live music performed by the Léonie group.
- June 22 at 21:00 pm: concert with Jean-Luc Van Den Heede and his Globally Yours group
- June 23rd at 16:00 – 18:00: skippers parade along the harbour channel followed by a Fireworks display at 23:00
- June 25th from 17:30: Arrival of Eric Tabarly’s Pen Duick III and Pen Duick VI yachts
- 26 June: Pen Duick III and Pen Duick VI yachts open to the public. 16:00: France-Denmark World Cup match broadcast live
- June 27 at 16:00 pm: children’s show “Joshua and the Sea of Stories’
Live TV coverage at start and free satellite feed to rest of the world
France 3, Chaine Team, TV Vendée, Tébésud, Tébéo, and TVR will carry live coverage of the start. Events within the Race Village and the start will also be available in English on the GGR Facebook page.
The live feed is also available free to any TV station in the world. Click here for details.
Sponsorship
The GGR welcomes three new supporting sponsors. DHL Express, Matmut, Mercedes SAGA, GAC Pindar, MSOS, Boatshed.com and Marina Rubicon, which join Les Sables d’Olonne Agglomération, Presenting sponsor McIntyre Adventure, official timekeeper RALF TECH watches, Hydrovane self steering Plastimo and PPL Media.
Other sponsors supporting individual entries include DHL Express, PRB, Matmut, Fugro, Altia, Métier Intérim, Ohpen Hanley Energy, and Double V.
***The race has still to secure a headline sponsor for the 2018 GGR which is expected to attract up to 1m visitors to Les Sables d’Olonne and more than 120m Euros of TV and media coverage.***
For a sponsorship pack, contact Barry Pickthall: barry@goldengloberace.com +44(0)7768 395719
Press Registration
To register for regular press updates on on the 2018 Golden Globe Race Click here.
Copyright free images of competitors and their yachts, and copyright reserved historic images of solo sailing pioneers and the original Sunday Times Golden Globe Race are managed by PPL Photo Agency and available online to search/download in hi-res.
Please allow 24 hours for accreditation to be confirmed.
For further information contact: Barry Pickthall – GGR Media Coordinator
barry@goldengloberace.com +44 (0)7768 395719
