MEDIA ALERT – ATTEND IN PERSON OR WATCH LIVE

PRESS CONFERENCE INVITATION – McIntyre GOLDEN GLOBE RACE

In less than a month, 17 provisional entrants are scheduled to set sail on 6 September in one of sailing’s most extreme challenges: the 2026 McIntyre Golden Globe Race.

When: 15:00 UTC / 17:00 CEST, Thursday, 13 August 2026.

Where: GGR Office, École des Pêches, Allée du Frère Maximin, Les Sables-d’Olonne, and live on the GGR Facebook and YouTube channels.

Who: Participating 2026 skippers, Jean-Luc Van Den Heede, and GGR Founder and Chairman Don McIntyre

What: Skipper interviews, the latest race news and media photo opportunities. 

The 17-entrant provisional fleet is gathering in Les Sables-d’Olonne.The skippers are preparing for one of the most difficult challenges of their lives, starting on 6 September 2026.

Recognised as the Grandmother of the Vendée Globe: the GGR is a solo, non-stop, unassisted round-the-world race, without GPS or modern electronic navigation aids.

Competitors sail traditional production yachts and navigate with sextants, compasses and paper charts, using the sun and stars.

The 17 sailors, representing 11 countries, are preparing to embark on this exceptional adventure with one ambition: to finish.

Some will also hope to win—and beat the 211-day GGR record set by legendary French sailor Jean-Luc Van Den Heede.

In the past three editions of the GGR, 43 sailors started and only nine finished!

Come meet these adventurers in the midst of their preparations

Please confirm your in-person attendance by emailing press@goldengloberace.com

or by calling +33 6 71 16 02 16.

• A 17-entrant provisional fleet gathers in Les Sables-d’Olonne for final checks and the three-day GGR SITraN Challenge Prologue.
• The FairWinds Virtual GGR launches today, with free entry and the option to navigate by virtual sextant.
• Colm Walker and Isa Rosli are now expected to miss the 10 August arrival deadline and incur race-time penalties.
• The “Barnacle Battles” begin, as antifouling choices are made and twin Hydrovane self-steering installations dominate dockside discussion.

With 30 days remaining before the start of the 2026 McIntyre Golden Globe Race, skippers from around the world are converging on Les Sables-d’Olonne for the final phase of preparation for sailing’s original and most gruelling solo, non-stop, unassisted around-the-world challenge.

The official “Meet the Skippers” press conference will be held on Thursday, 13 August at 17:00 CEST, streamed live on the Golden Globe Race Facebook and YouTube channels.

After years of preparation and online contact – and a November 2025 competitors’ conference that brought part of the group together – the full fleet is now taking shape at the marina. The mood combines relief, emotion, humour, camaraderie and uncertainty. These are responsible risk-takers preparing to face something extraordinary.

For years, each skipper has lived with one overriding goal: reaching the McIntyre GGR start line. Now the reality of what lies ahead looms large. Across the three previous Golden Globe editions, 43 sailors produced only nine finishes. For some there is self-doubt; for others, pure excitement. For all, arriving in Les Sables-d’Olonne is a milestone in itself.

FairWinds Virtual GGR launches today – with a sextant option

The FairWinds Virtual GGR gives followers everywhere the chance to join the adventure and compete around the world in real time. FairWinds is the official virtual sailing partner of the 2026 Golden Globe Race, and registration and GGR races are free.

Virtual sailors can take command of a Rustler 36, race through the same real-time weather systems as the ocean fleet and use celestial or chartplotter tools. Those who want the full retro challenge can navigate with a virtual sextant while following the positions of the real GGR sailors through integrated competitor tracking.

Join the FairWinds Virtual GGR and start practising celestial navigation today.

Meet the skippers in Les Sables-d’Olonne

The GGR Vendée Globe Marina pontoon and GGR Pavilion open to the public from Saturday, 22 August. At 14:30 that afternoon, Mayor Nicolas Chénéchaud will officially welcome the 17 provisional entrants to Les Sables-d’Olonne.

The public programme includes daily celestial noon-sight demonstrations at approximately 13:30, entrant poster signings from 14:00 to 15:00, and skipper Q&A sessions at 16:00 in the GGR Pavilion. Live boat tours will run on Facebook from 24 August to 3 September, while official French-language public group tours take place daily from 29 August to 3 September.

From 29 August, visitors can also see two legendary circumnavigation yachts – Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s Suhaili and Bernard Moitessier’s Joshua – alongside the GGR fleet.

View the full 2026 programme of events for dates, times and locations.

Fleet update: the final race to Les Sables-d’Olonne

Etienne Messikommer (Switzerland) has arrived aboard his vividly coloured Tradewind 35, Bernard, following an extensive self-led rebuild and refit. He is sailing in support of the PanEco Foundation, raising awareness and funds for the protection of Sumatran orangutans and their rainforest habitat.

Guy deBoer (United States) is sailing the Tashiba 36 Spirit and is due on 9 August – just one day before the arrival deadline.

Henry Wootton (United Kingdom) aboard the Cape George 36 cutter Privateer, and Pat Lawless (Ireland) aboard the Saltram Saga 36 Silvermines Hydro, are expected this weekend.

Colm Walker (United States/Ireland) continues the extraordinary qualifying voyage of his Tayana 37 Mo Chuisle from the west coast of the United States, through the Panama Canal and across the Atlantic. His current ETA is 16-17 August. He therefore faces a late-arrival penalty, with his final start decision still pending.

Isa Rosli (Canada) is completing his remaining qualifying miles aboard the OE 32 Olleanna. His current ETA is 12 August, two days after the deadline, and he is also expected to incur a time penalty.

Entrants are required to arrive at the race venue by 16:00 local time on 10 August 2026. For each day late, half a day is added to the skipper’s elapsed race time. All ETAs remain subject to weather, boat speed and technical reliability.  

The “Barnacle Battles” begin

Antifouling choices are a major technical focus after marine growth posed a serious threat to performance in both the 2018 and 2022 editions. Most entrants are using a hard antifouling base coat with three softer coats above it. Others are relying on Coppercoat, or on several layers of soft antifouling alone. A poor choice can cost thousands of miles and jeopardise a skipper’s chance of finishing.

Redundancy is another strong theme. Several skippers have fitted twin Hydrovane self-steering units, making dual installations an increasingly familiar sight on the dock. Emergency-rudder arrangements are being checked against long-standing GGR requirements, and every entrant must demonstrate a workable jury-rig solution for sailing home after a dismasting.

Final safety, medical and systems checks

The final month includes comprehensive safety inspections and an additional full day of medical training with MSOS. MSOS also provides 24/7 telemedicine support throughout the circumnavigation. Every boat carries a customised MSOS single-handed offshore medical kit, and each skipper has completed a three-day offshore medical course.

The traditional GGR SITraN Challenge Prologue starts at 14:00 on Sunday, 16 August and returns to the Vendée Globe Marina late on Wednesday, 19 August. The approximately 350-nautical-mile out-and-back course into the Bay of Biscay is the fleet’s final on-water systems check before the start.

Satellite-phone calls and messaging, YB3 tracking and messaging, HF SSB radio, radio beacons and emergency communications will all be exercised. The prologue will also host the first extended public test of the new one-way “GGR Window” LIVE system, which brings viewers aboard without sending modern information back to the sailor.

Heritage on the marina

The International Association of Cape Horners will hold its 2026 Cape Horn Hall of Fame induction ceremony at 16:00 on Friday, 4 September in the GGR Race Village. Video links will connect inductees who cannot attend in person.

Alongside Suhaili and Joshua, two ALMA Globe 580 yachts from the 2025-26 McIntyre Mini Globe Race  and the Swan 57 EXPLORER, a veteran of the 2023 Ocean Globe Race will be displayed in the marina. With one month remaining, every day is focused on ensuring the skippers and their yachts are ready for one of sailing’s greatest tests.

“Here we go!”

The GGR only happens once every four years, but when it does the world experiences something raw, totally and utterly human. It takes this adventure to a completely different level from all other solo races and human competition. Call it what you like, but the GGR stands out. It is a brutal demonstration of the human spirit and a race of attrition like no other.I am very proud of this group of sailors. I am thankful to all the volunteers helping to make this amazing event happen, and for the support of Les Sables-d’Olonne once again. Here we go! Life, hey!

Don McIntyre, Founder and Race Chairman

47 Days to the Start! Six entrants retire in quick succession, six more race across the Atlantic to complete their qualifiers, three partners strengthen the adventure, and the “GGR Window ” LIVE system successfully completes sea trials

• Six entrants retire following accidents, medical and family issues, funding pressures and a lack of time; 18 active provisional entrants remain.
• Six entrants are still at sea, racing to complete their 4,000-mile Atlantic qualifying voyages and reach  Les Sables-d’Olonne by the 10 August cutoff
• The Département de la Vendée, Scipio SA and Arthur Beale join or expand their support for the 2026 McIntyre Golden Globe Race.
• The custom-built GGR Window completes sea trials aboard Pär Nyman’s Rustler 36 Lazy Otter.

LES SABLES-D’OLONNE, FRANCE — The McIntyre Golden Globe Race is known as one of the toughest, longest and loneliest sporting events on the planet. Its sailors face a solo, non-stop, unassisted voyage of more than 28,000 miles around the world, navigating with sextants and paper charts in small, traditional yachts and spending around eight months totally alone.

Usually, the excitement, drama and extraordinary human endeavour begin after the fleet leaves Les Sables-d’Olonne. For the 2026 McIntyre Golden Globe, the drama has already begun—47 days before the 6 September start.

Six entrants retire in quick succession

Over recent weeks, six sailors have been forced to abandon their dreams of starting the 2026 race. The reasons are different, but together they demonstrate the enormous personal, physical and financial challenge involved in simply reaching the McIntyre GGR start line.

• Edward Walentynowicz,  73, from Canada, has retired for family reasons. Edward was preparing to sail the Rustler 36 Noah’s Jest.
• Arsène Ledertheil, 69, from France, suffered a back injury and was admitted to hospital. With an expected recovery period of approximately three months, there was no longer enough time for him to complete his preparations and qualifying requirements. He has entered the 2030 GGR.
• Daniel Alfredsson, 50, representing Norway aboard the OE 32 Pale Blue Dot, concluded during his qualifying voyage that he was not ready for the full Golden Globe challenge and made the difficult decision to withdraw.
• Andrew Ritchie, 69, from the United Kingdom, discovered medical issues during his compulsory GGR medical examination and decided to retire his Saltram Saga 36 Symphony from the race.
• Erden Eruç, 65, from the United States, tripped while exercising and ruptured his Achilles tendon. He was admitted to hospital immediately and faces an estimated three-month recovery period, ending his 2026 campaign aboard the Biscay 36 Clara. He may enter the 2030 GGR.
• Christopher Langham, 54, from the United States, successfully completed his qualifying voyage aboard the OE 32 Savoir Vivre Liberte, but his campaign ultimately ran out of funding. He has entered the 2030 GGR.

“The Golden Globe has always been about real people confronting real challenges, but normally we expect the drama to begin after the start,” said Don McIntyre, GGR founder and chairman. “This year it has started before the fleet even reaches Les Sables-d’Olonne. Accidents, health issues, family realities, money and time are all part of this adventure. Every one of these sailors has invested years of work, emotion and personal resources. Stepping away is never an easy decision.”

Six sailors racing the Atlantic—and the clock

While six campaigns have ended, six other entrants are currently sailing in the Atlantic, desperately trying to complete their mandatory 4,000-mile qualifying voyages and reach Les Sables-d’Olonne before the 10 August cutoff. For each day late, Half a day penalty is added to their sailing time around the world.

For various reasons, most began their final passages much later than originally planned. Unusually light weather, boat speed, equipment reliability and fatigue will now decide who reaches France in time.

• Isa Rosli, 51, from Canada, is sailing the OE 32 Olleanna. She is not currently expected to reach Les Sables-d’Olonne until shortly before the 10 August deadline.
• Pär Nyman, 57, from Sweden, is heading for France aboard the Rustler 36 Lazy Otter after sailing north toward Iceland. He is expected to arrive within the next two weeks. During the voyage, Pär has also been sea-trialling the new “ GGR Window ” satellite equipment, which has performed as designed.
• Colm Walker,  43, from the United States, has sailed his Tayana 37 Mo Chuisle from the west coast of the United States, through the Panama Canal and across the Caribbean. Current estimates suggest that he may arrive after the cutoff date.
• Matt Woodside,  68, from the United States, is nearing the conclusion of an extraordinary 22,000-mile preparation voyage involving New Zealand and Cape Horn. Following a final refit in the United States, he is now crossing the Atlantic aboard the Cape George 36 Tipi Haere and may just reach Les Sables-d’Olonne in time.
• Guy deBoer, 70, from the United States, departed the Canary Islands aboard his Tashiba 36 Spirit. He remains several weeks from France but is currently expected to arrive only one or two days before the deadline.
• Stephen Wraith, 65, from the United States, was the last of the six to depart, setting sail on 18 July. With approximately 4,000 miles still to cover, current estimates suggest that he may arrive at least a week after the cutoff.

“For these six sailors, the qualifier has become a race within the race,” McIntyre continued. “Six months ago, this was shaping up as the best-prepared fleet of any GGR edition, but this is an unscripted adventure with an unknown outcome from the start. There is no time left in the bank and no margin for major problems. Every mile and every day now matters. Simply reaching Les Sables-d’Olonne and being ready for the start will be an extraordinary achievement.”

Three important partner commitments

Against this hard-edged backdrop—and amid a challenging global economy—McIntyre Adventure has welcomed three important new or expanded partner commitments to support the organisation and delivery of the 2026 Golden Globe Race.

“These partnerships have arrived at exactly the right moment,” McIntyre said. “The Département de la Vendée’s direct support is a major vote of confidence in the Golden Globe Race and in McIntyre Adventure. Scipio is preserving an important part of Golden Globe history through the traditional £5,000 prize, while Arthur Beale brings a proud maritime name and an exciting official clothing range to the adventure.”

GGR Window successfully completes sea trials

The custom-built GGR Window LIVE system, developed with Swedish technology partner TriPeak, has now successfully completed sea trials aboard Pär Nyman’s Lazy Otter.

Using Starlink satellite connectivity and purpose-built hardware and software, the system creates a strictly one-way window from the participating yachts to GGR control. A sailor can activate the system with a single button and select one of three cameras, but cannot receive messages, data, weather information or any other communication in return. 

Seven selected entrants—Ertan Beskardes, Stephen Wraith, Gunnar Christensen, Etienne Messikommer, Louis Kerdelhué, Helga Marie “Mara” Løvenskiold Kveseth and Pär Nyman—are scheduled to transmit on a rotating basis during the voyage. Viewers will be able to open the YouTube GGR Window 24 hours a day for scheduled two- to three-hour daily live transmissions, breaking-news interruptions and a scrolling feed of fleet updates.

The audience will gain unprecedented access to life aboard the yachts, while the sailors remain isolated behind their radios, sextants, paper charts and 1968-style navigation equipment. The official GGR description confirms that the system transmits information outward while sending nothing back to the entrant.

“The sea trials are complete, and the system works,” McIntyre said.

“This is one-way television, not two-way communication. The audience can step aboard in 2026, but the sailor remains in 1968. Seven entrants will now be able to share the reality of their voyage with the world without receiving any modern navigational or communications advantage.”

The first extended public test of the GGR Window is planned to run during the three-day SITraN Challenge Prologue, beginning in Les Sables-d’Olonne on 16 August.

The adventure has already begun

Forty-eight days remain before the 2026 McIntyre Golden Globe fleet leaves Les Sables-d’Olonne on 6 September 2026. For some sailors, the race around the world has ended before it began. For six others still crossing the Atlantic, the first finish line is now Les Sables-d’Olonne—and the clock is running.

ENDS 

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Notes to editors

The McIntyre Golden Globe Race is a solo, non-stop and unassisted race around the world, sailed in approved production yachts of traditional design using technology available to sailors during the original 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race. The 2026 event is the fourth running overall and the third modern edition.

The 2026 edition starts from Les Sables-d’Olonne, France, on Sunday, 6 September 2026. Competitors will sail more than 28,000 nautical miles around the world via the three great capes before returning to Les Sables-d’Olonne. 

Eighteen active provisional entrants remained as at 20 July 2026; the final starting fleet will be confirmed only after each entrant completes all conformance requirements and receives a GGR Green Card.

Media contact: GGR press office — press@goldengloberace.com

High-resolution images: media accreditation and image library

Skipper profiles and current status: 2026 entrant list

Useful links for editors

Golden Globe Race — official website	GGR Live Tracker
GGR Window	2026 event programme
2026 press kit	Notice of Race
Département de la Vendée	Les Sables-d’Olonne
Scipio SA	Arthur Beale — official GGR collection
TriPeak AB	Media accreditation and image library

The McIntyre GGR embraces satellites for the audience, while keeping entrants behind with 1968 radios, sextants and paper charts.

• A custom-built “MAGIC BLACK BOX” will open a one-way LIVE WINDOW into the lives of seven 2026 McIntyre Golden Globe Race entrants, controlled only by an ON/OFF command from the sailor.
• For eight months, followers will be able to open the YouTube “GGR Window” 24 hours a day to watch scheduled 2–3 hour daily live transmissions, breaking news interruptions and the latest fleet news scrolling across the bottom of the screen.
• The system is designed to dramatically increase the reach of the world’s original solo race around the world, starting September 6, 2026 from Les Sables d’Olonne, France, while protecting the race’s strict 1968 ethos.

Les Sables d’Olonne, France — The 2026 McIntyre Golden Globe Race will give followers something never before seen in solo around-the-world racing: a 24/7 one-way live window into selected yachts racing around the world, without giving sailors any modern communication or navigation advantage.

The “GGR Window” will stream live video, boat movement and selected onboard data from seven of the 23 entrants on a rotating daily schedule. Each participating skipper will be able to go live during a two or three hour time slot by pressing one button, choosing one of three cameras, and transmitting. From that moment, GGR control takes over the production.

Breaking news or dramatic incidents can interrupt normal programming at any time, while a scrolling news footer will keep followers updated on the rest of the fleet. The result is simple for viewers: open the YouTube “GGR Window” and step onboard with the sailors, live, as the race unfolds.

For the sailors, nothing changes. They cannot see the data being sent, cannot receive information back, and cannot access satellite communications, computers, GPS or modern navigation aids. The system sends information out, but sends nothing in.

The GGR Window automatically displays skipper heart rate, yacht pitch and roll, apparent wind speed and direction, speed and course over the ground. This information is for the audience and race production only. It is invisible to the entrant.

Seven skippers join the first GGR Window schedule

The seven participating skippers are Ertan Beskardes (UK, 65), Stephen Wraith (USA, 65), Gunnar Christensen (USA, 60), Etienne Messikommer (CH, 38), Louis Kerdelhué (FRA, 21), Helga Marie “Mara” Løvenskiold Kveseth (NOR, 35), and Pär Nyman (SWE, 57).

This LIVE WINDOW isn’t just a wild way of showing what’s actually going on inside the GGR, but it also motivates me to keep pushing on through the hard times.

Mara Kveseth (NOR, 35) – GGR 2026 entrant, SY SHOWGIRL, Saga 36

Most people spend their lives trying to escape uncertainty. I’ve chosen to sail directly into it, alone, around the world, with nothing but wind, judgment, and whatever version of myself comes back. I hope the audience can come with me through the GGR live stream.

Gunnar Christensen (USA, 60) – GGR 2026 entrant, SY POMPOEN, Hans Christian 34

1968 sailing, 2026 audience access

The ethos of the Golden Globe Race remains clear: entrants sail like 1968, in the spirit of the original Sunday Times Golden Globe Race won by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston in SUHAILI. Fifty-eight years later, the 2026 entrants still race with paper charts, sextant, wind-up clocks and towing logs. HF SSB radio remains their only link to the outside world.

That is what makes the GGR Window unusual. The audience is invited in, but the sailor is not connected out. There are no screens, no computers and no incoming data for the entrant. The black box is a one-way broadcast device, not a communication tool.

The black box that did not exist

With no computers or satellite access allowed for entrants, the GGR Window required custom-built electronics, circuit boards, hardware and management software. Don McIntyre teamed with Swedish technology company TriPeak to develop a compact marine-hardened black box with six buttons, built for an eight-month ocean adventure and designed to use minimal power, averaging around 4 amps.

This is a game changer for the GGR, with absolutely zero entrant impact on the 1968 ethos. Our experience in the McIntyre Mini Globe Race, where all but one entrant was using Starlink and computers, made us think. But GGR could not use any components currently available, so we built our own thanks to TriPeak. It costs a lot, but the reason we invest in adventure, even without major partners, is to inspire people. This will shoot the numbers through the roof for mums and dads and sailors alike, inspiring many more than we ever have in the past. It’s truly exciting.

Don McIntyre,GGR Founder and Race Director.

TriPeak joins as streaming platform partner

TriPeak is the streaming platform partner for the GGR Window. The company builds purpose-built product solutions for demanding operating environments and delivers complete systems end to end, including hardware design, embedded software, systems integration, cloud platform and field operations, rather than handing separate components to integrators.

A major investment in audience growth

The total investment in prototype hardware, software, production units and eight months of management is around €300,000. It is a major commitment for McIntyre Adventure and the participating sailors, especially as the 2026 McIntyre GGR again has no major sponsor and, in fact, less sponsor support than ever before.

The same system is planned for the 2027 McIntyre Ocean Globe Race, the fully crewed four-leg race around the world run in the spirit of the original 1973 Whitbread Race. The 2022 McIntyre GGR recorded a total Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) of €165 million, excluding social media and YouTube. With the GGR Window, the 2026 edition has the potential to be significantly larger. McIntyre Adventure continues to seek partners and sponsors for the project.

First live test begins August 16

The first three-day live test of the GGR Window will begin on August 16, 2026 during the SITraN Challenge Prologue Race from Les Sables d’Olonne. A camera will also be set up in the McIntyre GGR office to occasionally share operations with followers. The 2026 McIntyre Golden Globe Race starts on September 6, 2026 from Les Sables d’Olonne, France.

Check out the Lead-up events click here

• No GPS, no sat phones, no computers, totally alone… BUT would YOU watch it LIVE on YOUTUBE?
• Windspeed, direction, boat speed, course, and skipper heart rate, body temperature, and blood pressure in the middle of Southern Ocean storms, or while sleeping,  from entrants a few hours a day!
• The fourth Golden Globe Race, starting from Les Sables d’Olonne, FRANCE on Sept 6th 2026, is on the verge of world-first 24/7 LIVE YouTube coverage, while still maintaining the GGR 1968 ETHOS.
• The GGR is the longest, loneliest, most gruelling and psychologically demanding sporting event on the planet! It’s sailing like 1968. The organisers have built a unique one-way satellite LIVE WINDOW, but should they use it?

The 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race was the first ever sailing race around the world. Nine started and only one finished. Robin Knox-Johnston, onboard his 32ft ketch SUHAILI, became the first person ever to circumnavigate solo and non-stop. Man had also just landed on the moon. The 1969 Apollo moon landing guidance computer ran at 1.024 MHz with just 4 KB RAM and 72 KB storage. Today iPhones run near 4 GHz with 8 GB RAM and hundreds of gigabytes, making them millions of times more powerful, yet Apollo still had a backup sextant! Just in case!

In 2015, Australian adventurer Don McIntyre announced the Golden Globe Race was back for its 50th Anniversary in 2018. It was a simple idea. Sail like it’s 1968 in old-fashioned yachts without computers, GPS, electric clocks, or satellite phones, and only HF SSB radios for communication. There would be no satellite weather and music had to be on cassette tapes. Sextants with paper charts and towing logs would keep you safe! Modern tech was banned. It was retro, an original idea and a huge success. The ultimate human adventure with real stories and drama. But McIntyre paid a heavy price. There was no satellite media so no sponsors took the title. Even so, followers around the world grew rapidly.

The third edition of the McIntyre GGR in 2022 saw only three finishers from 18 starters. Again, there was plenty of drama and real adventure. South African Kirsten Neuschäfer became the first ever woman to win any yacht race around the world. Still no satellite media and still no title sponsor. McIntyre resisted satellites once again to keep with the 1968 ethos of complete sailor isolation and sextants.

Then came the 2025 McIntyre Mini Globe Race, a 28,000-mile solo race around the world in 19ft/5.8m plywood ALMA Globe 580 home-built minis. 15 sailors started and 11 finished. All but one sailed with Mini Starlink, reporting live all the way around the world. For the entire race, McIntyre asked, “How could we create a one-way WINDOW in the 2026 GGR without computers?” He tried a system for the 2023 McIntyre Ocean Globe Race, but it was not right. For GGR, computers and iPhones are banned and no online connections are allowed. No current hardware or software anywhere in the world could do what GGR needed. Unless he built his own!!

The ethos of the GGR is simple. No computers, no satellite comms for communication to anyone except GGR, and total sailor isolation. You cannot use satellites or Starlink for 24-hour LIVES without computers. So McIntyre decided to build a unique control system, hardware and new management software from the ground up with the help of TriPeak AB in Switzerland. The design brief: no onboard computers, no way to download anything, no way to speak with anyone, yet still do LIVE streaming video and show skipper biometrics, like heart rate, body temperature and blood pressure, LIVE to the world for eight months!

He did it, and the prototyping and software are now complete. It’s ready to go. It just needs the hardware production budget in a race against time. The GGR starts in 131 days! The program budget is Euro 240,000 and GGR still has no title sponsor and fewer sponsors for this edition than the first!! The final GO/NO GO decision on this LIVE will be made in the next two weeks.

This is truly exciting. We went right back to developing our own circuit boards. No one has ever streamed LIVE 24/7 for an around-the-world yacht race and the GGR is no ordinary race! With this new equipment and software, we can do it and still maintain the ethos of the GGR, like it’s 1968, which we protect fiercely. That is the only reason we can do it. This opportunity will generate a huge number of views and inspire a whole new group of followers. That is the reason we continue to support our three unique around-the-world races. It’s a bit late for sponsors, but this is a game changer for sure and we are open to offers!! The 240,000 budget for this LIVE is supported by entrants themselves, and Jane and I fund the rest. The war and world economy have not helped. Sponsor revenue is down 70% on the last 2022 GGR. But there is a big opportunity here for someone!

Don McIntyre,  GGR Founder and Organiser.

This new system allows a GGR sailor to press a couple of buttons on a control panel to start Starlink and one of three onboard cameras, which then starts transmitting live images to GGR headquarters. It’s that simple. Still isolated, still totally alone and not communicating with anyone, and we have their heart rate too! Followers watching will hear them and the sounds of wind and waves in storms or calms, LIVE. The cockpit camera has night vision without lights, down below has auto-tracking of the sailor, and then there is a hand-held action camera.

GGR then directs the LIVE action to GGR YouTube. Up to four incoming GGR entrant streams can be received at the same time. Participating entrants — not all will, as it is voluntary — will be scheduled on the LIVE YouTube WINDOW at publicised times, allowing followers to tune in to their sailor. If an entrant wants their own 24/7 live streaming for eight months, that is a dedicated GGR entrant window. If there is BREAKING NEWS, or an incident onboard, it immediately overrides the scheduled programming for all to see.

A YES/NO survey for a GGR LIVE WINDOW on social media brought stunning results, best summed up by one comment: “I would give up my job to go home and watch GGR LIVE 24/7!!!” Keep your fingers crossed! Don is waiting by the phone for sponsor calls!