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Mara decided to use the WINDOW LIVE in unique ways, contrary to its intended purpose and on one occasion outside the agreed code of conduct. The events that followed and its escalation were very unfortunate. Much has been said and debated on social media, often without knowing the facts. GGR always investigates any breach of the Notice of Race and issues a public report for everything other than minor rule infringements to ensure the facts are known. The following three reports conclude the GGR’s position on this subject, and we wish Mara great success in the GGR.
12th October 2026
There are two principal issues arising from the events surrounding Mara and WINDOW LIVE:
- The unauthorised use of the satellite phone; and
- Whether Mara has intentionally acted in a manner that brings, or could bring, the McIntyre Golden Globe Race into disrepute.
NOR F.8.1 — Unauthorised Satellite Phone Call
“After all facts have been considered and at the discretion of the GGR Race Office, penalties for an unauthorised Satellite Phone call may include a 24hr time penalty for first offence with no material assistance proven and 72hrs for subsequent penalties and relegation to Chichester Class where material assistance is proven.”
NOR C.2.3 — GGR Ambassador
“A GGR Entrant who has moved to Chichester Class and makes a second stop, or an Entrant is disqualified from the GGR by the organiser or voluntarily removes themselves from the GGR rankings after the start, out of any rankings, or trophies within the GGR, but is able to continue their voyage in a timely safe manner, at the sole discretion of the Organiser and without obligation, ‘may’ be allowed to continue sailing as part of the event and GGR fleet, remaining on the GGR Tracker, posting daily Tweets, joining the SoundCloud weekly calls and reported on the usual GGR media updates. This entrant becomes a GGR Ambassador, is free to use sat comms, GPS, receive free weather reports, but should make every effort to keep up with the fleet. An Ambassador can be removed from the GGR event at any time by the organiser without explanation.”
GGR WINDOW LIVE
During the development of GGR WINDOW LIVE (WL), Mara was adamant that she wanted her LIVE broadcasts to appear on her own social media platforms and that she wanted control of her own 24/7 channel.
GGR’s position was that WINDOW LIVE would only be broadcast through the official GGR YouTube platform. Mara ultimately agreed to those conditions and was allocated a sponsored WINDOW LIVE schedule of up to three hours per day.
Lanzarote — 18 September
At the Lanzarote film drop, only 12 days after the start, Mara had a private meeting at sea with her manager, who subsequently spoke with GGR. GGR was advised that Mara was dissatisfied with the performance of her social media campaign and was considering retiring from the GGR and moving into GGR Ambassador status.
The attraction of that option, as described at the time, was that Mara thought she could potentially take control of her satellite communications and broadcast her WINDOW LIVE content through her own social media platforms.
WINDOW LIVE — 27 September
On 27 September, Mara breached the WINDOW LIVE Code of Conduct by broadcasting a controversial message directly to her social media team. During that broadcast she said she might have to be disqualified from the GGR if her social media team did not begin delivering what she expected.
The significance of that statement was that she assumed disqualification or withdrawal from the competitive event could potentially lead to consideration of Ambassador status, under which an entrant may be permitted considerably greater freedom regarding satellite communications, GPS, weather information and personal media activity.
Social media proposal — 8 October
On 8 October, GGR received a proposal from Mara’s social media management strongly requesting that Mara’s WINDOW LIVE broadcasts be moved from the GGR YouTube platform onto her own social media platform.
This was effectively a return to the same issue that had been discussed and rejected before Mara agreed to participate in WINDOW LIVE under the existing terms.
Allegations and request for apology — 11 October
At approximately 1100 UTC on 11 October, Mara called GGR and made a number of allegations concerning Don McIntyre and GGR while seeking a public apology. Don McIntyre responded by email at approximately 1730 UTC, denying the allegations and requesting that the specific accusations be identified and supported with evidence.
No such supporting evidence had been supplied at that stage.
Unauthorised satellite calls — 11 October
At approximately 1930 UTC on 11 October, during Mara’s scheduled WINDOW LIVE session, Mara commenced a series of unauthorised satellite telephone calls with her manager at his request and without prior notice to GGR while broadcasting live.
Over approximately the following 50 minutes, six separate satellite calls totalling 31 minutes were made.
During those calls, approximately eight different subjects were discussed, including:
- sponsors;
- networking;
- staff issues;
- social media;
- radio technology;
- performance;
- the possible establishment of a Board of Directors; and
- what Mara’s team should do next.
At the same time, Mara’s manager streamed the conversation LIVE through Mara’s own social media account.
He also read a prepared letter to Mara setting out his interpretation of the dispute with GGR and proposing four possible courses of action.
GGR considers the decision to conduct and simultaneously broadcast this dispute publicly to have been highly inappropriate. It also significantly increased the public exposure of allegations against GGR and its Founder which, at that stage, had not been supported by evidence.
The question therefore arises as to whether these actions themselves brought, or were capable of bringing, the GGR into disrepute.
Both Mara and her manager appeared to misunderstand the penalties applying to unauthorised satellite telephone calls under the Notice of Race.
Mara has a hard copy of the NOR onboard and her manager has access to the digital version.
Her manager indicated that he believed an unauthorised call would incur only a 24-hour penalty.
They also explained that the call was being streamed publicly so that there could be no suggestion of “secret assistance” attracting a larger penalty.
The NOR does not contain a separate penalty based simply upon a call being conducted secretly. The relevant considerations under F.8.1 include whether the call was authorised and whether material assistance was provided.
Was this part of a broader strategy?
The sequence of events raises legitimate questions.
Was Ambassador status simply being considered as a fallback position before the start, if Mara left the competitive GGR?
Or had obtaining greater control over Mara’s LIVE broadcasts, satellite communications and social media always been an important objective?
The chronology is relevant:
- Before WINDOW LIVE commenced, Mara wanted her LIVE broadcasts on her own
- platform.
- GGR refused and required WINDOW LIVE to operate through the official GGR YouTube channel. Mara finally agreed to this months before the start.
- At Lanzarote her manager advised that Mara was considering leaving the competitive event and moving toward Ambassador status.
- On 27 September Mara publicly suggested that she might need to be disqualified.
- On 8 October her management again requested control of her WINDOW LIVE broadcasts.
- On 11 October the dispute with GGR was broadcast simultaneously through Mara’s own social media platform while six unauthorised satellite telephone calls were taking place.
This does not, by itself, establish that there was a predetermined strategy. However, the sequence reasonably raises the question of whether control of Mara’s LIVE broadcasting and social media has been a central factor throughout the dispute.
Is Mara now waiting to be disqualified? Will she voluntarily retire from the competitive GGR in protest? Or can the dispute be resolved and Mara continue racing under the existing NOR and WINDOW LIVE arrangements?
Those questions remain unanswered.
Four options proposed by Mara’s manager
During the public LIVE broadcasts, Mara’s manager read four possible options to her:
- “Leave the GGR organization and continue sailing around the world on your own while Live streaming on your Classic Mara channel in order to continue to promote your causes.”
- “Change to Ambassador class and stream on your own channel. You know the rules there.”
- “Negotiate a dual embedded stream so that you can have your own chat on your channel run by your own moderators.”
- “Straighten things out with Don and continue with the GGR under modified terms.”
Options 1, 2 and 3 all have one obvious common element: control of Mara’s LIVE broadcasting and social media.
Option 4 refers to continuing in the GGR under “modified terms”. It is unclear exactly what those modified terms are intended to mean. GGR has no reason to create special rules or arrangements for one entrant outside the existing NOR and agreed WINDOW LIVE conditions.
There also appears to be a misunderstanding by Mara regarding Ambassador status. An entrant cannot simply elect to become a GGR Ambassador and dictate the conditions under which that will occur. Under C.2.3, Ambassador status exists solely at the discretion of the Organiser and without obligation. That substantially changes the relevance of Option 2.
Option 3 — moving or duplicating WINDOW LIVE onto Mara’s own platform with her own moderation — has effectively been requested before and rejected by GGR.
That leaves the fundamental choices considerably clearer.
Current position
At this stage:
- No apology has been made because the allegations for which an apology is sought have not been clearly particularised and supported with evidence.
- GGR has requested that Mara and/or her manager identify all the specific allegations and provide the evidence relied upon.
- Six unauthorised satellite telephone calls have been confirmed.
- No material assistance has been established from those calls.
- Under NOR F.8.1, the first offence attracts 24 hours and each subsequent offence attracts 72 hours.
- The resulting cumulative time penalty for the six calls is 16 days.
- Mara’s participation in WINDOW LIVE has been suspended while the dispute is being resolved as Mara’s manager advised publicising the issue on the WL.
Beyond that, there is little value in escalating the situation further. The relevant penalty has been applied under the NOR. The allegations can be dealt with if and when all evidence is supplied.
Mara’s manager advised Mara to go LIVE the next day to announce her further moves Quote “after all it’s a show on Showgirl.” This is highly inappropriate.
Mara is removed from WINDOW LIVE until the dispute is settled.
For now, GGR can put the surrounding argument to one side and see what Mara and her management decide to do next. The final act is theirs to play.
14th October 2026
GGR Statement on Mara’s unfounded and incorrect statements about GGR and Don McIntyre and an appeal on the 16 day Satphone penalty.
On 11th October, Mara made serious allegations against GGR and Don McIntyre on the GGR WINDOW LIVE. All those allegations have been proven incorrect with no supporting evidence from Mara’s team. The GGR team has been carefully considering this matter for some time because several separate issues require attention.
Regarding Mara’s statement that alleged screenshots were presented to me containing comments that Mara would die, and that I responded by saying, “Yes, Mara would die,” no evidence has been produced to support that allegation. No screenshots have been provided, nor has any evidence been submitted demonstrating that I made such a statement. Based on the information available to us—and none provided by Mara’s team—this allegation has not been substantiated.
Regarding the allegation that the GGR and Don McIntyre had been making negative posts and comments about Mara for many months prior to the start of the GGR, we have similarly found no supporting evidence. On the information available to us, and none, not one provided by Mara’s team, that allegation is also unsubstantiated.
Regarding Mara’s request for an apology concerning the Facebook post, Don asked for specific details identifying which parts of that post, or of the VELA article referred to within it, had caused offence. This would allow Don to properly understand the concerns raised and consider an appropriate response, including an apology if warranted. Mara’s team provided no specific details.
Nevertheless, the Facebook post concerning chat restrictions on gender-related issues, including the reference to the VELA article, was removed on 14th October. GGR is preparing a statement explaining our position and making clear that we are sorry Mara was offended. That statement will be provided on 15 October.
Regarding the six satellite phone calls Mara’s team requested a review on the basis that it was a first offence and they would accept a 2-day phone penalty. That request to reassess the severity of the 16-day penalty applied under the Notice of Race, was carefully reconsidered along with the explanation provided in support of Mara’s position.
The following points have been taken into account:
- It is the responsibility of both the entrant and the entrant’s manager to understand the Notice of Race, including the rules governing communications and the penalties that apply. Mara has a copy of the NOR onboard, and you have access to the digital version.
- Any dispensation granted to one entrant in relation to a particular circumstance does not automatically apply to another entrant or another situation, nor does it establish a precedent.
- The penalties applicable to unauthorised satellite phone calls are clearly and specifically set out in the NOR.
- The calls were deliberately timed to coincide with WINDOW LIVE, thereby providing maximum public exposure to serious allegations being made against the GGR which, on the evidence available to us, have not been substantiated. The timing also meant that no attempt was made beforehand to contact GGR to clarify how the satellite phone penalty would apply, or to request any dispensation covering calls that might drop out and require immediate reconnection.
- By your own admission during the final call, you were unsure how the satellite phone penalty operated and expressed concern that the penalty might be greater than the 24 hours you had assumed, at which point you indicated that you had better hang up.
- No attempt appears to have been made to check the relevant satellite phone penalty provisions in the NOR before the calls were made. This is also reflected in your reference to an additional penalty for “secrecy” in relation to a satellite phone call. No such penalty exists in the NOR, yet you indicated that this understanding influenced the decision to make the call during WINDOW LIVE.
Having considered all of the above, we do not believe there are sufficient mitigating circumstances to justify reducing the 16-day penalty to the extent originally requested.
We have, however, taken into account that this is a first offence. That must be balanced against the deliberate timing of the calls during WINDOW LIVE and the fact that the calls were used publicly to raise serious allegations against the GGR which have not been supported by the evidence provided.
Nevertheless, as a gesture in the spirit of the GGR, we have decided to suspend six days of the original penalty.
The satellite phone penalty will therefore be reduced from 16 days to 10 days.
The suspended six days will remain conditional upon Mara and her team complying with the Code of Conduct and the communication rules, and refraining from conduct which brings the GGR into disrepute, whether during WINDOW LIVE or otherwise, for the remainder of the GGR.
If there is a further breach of this nature, the suspended six days may be reinstated in addition to any penalty applicable to the new breach.
We believe this represents a fair and proportionate balance between applying the Notice of Race consistently, recognising the seriousness of what occurred, and acknowledging that this is a first offence.
Don McIntyre, GGR Founder and Race Director
15th October 2026
GGR and Mara’s public request for an apology
Mara and her team asked GGR for an apology regarding the publication of an article from the Italian sailing magazine VELA on the GGR Facebook page.
GGR advised the team that providing a meaningful response or apology was difficult without precisely understanding what was considered offensive. We therefore asked for clarification identifying the particular statements, wording or issues in either the GGR post or the VELA article that caused concern.
No specific response addressing those points was provided, although the request for an apology continued.
Context of the article that upset Mara
GGR published a Facebook post that included an article from the Italian magazine VELA. The article was preceded by the following statement:
WINDOW LIVE Chat BOX UPDATE — GGR is shutting down any and all gender comments, good, bad or indifferent, about Classic Mara, or her WINDOW LIVE comments about not needing the GGR. She is one of 15 sailors in the GGR. Thank you — Don.
This action is because the conversation and issue is being hijacked by women’s interest groups. Personally I support women in sailing. By way of an example, here is an article from an influential Italian magazine discussing Mara’s LIVE comments. NOTE: Never once is her gender even referred to. It simply questions what she said, not about being a woman. Similar comments were construed to be only because she was a woman. This is incorrect. Here is the Giornale della Vela article of October 3rd 2026. You can decide.
The VELA article then followed.
An explanation
The race organiser has legitimate reasons to moderate hostile, abusive, repetitive or irrelevant discussion on official GGR platforms. Sharing or referring to outside media commentary does not automatically mean that GGR endorses every opinion or conclusion expressed by the independent writer.
GGR is also entitled to apply the race rules equally to all entrants. This includes restricting team-directed logistical communications through WINDOW LIVE, publishing factual decisions concerning the Notice of Race, and moderating inappropriate comments regardless of who makes them.
The organiser must also remain free to discuss legitimate race-related issues, including motivation, fatigue, media obligations, performance and whether public comments or shore-side distractions may affect a skipper’s focus. Where such matters involve opinion or interpretation, they should be clearly distinguished from verified fact.
The official GGR record also contains positive and supportive comments regarding Mara’s sailing ability and her participation in the event. It would therefore be unfair to conclude from this single post that GGR or Don McIntyre does not wish to see Mara succeed.
Regarding the gender issue, nothing reviewed in the GGR post or the supplied English version of the VELA article establishes discriminatory intent by GGR. Criticism of a competitor’s conduct or public statements is not automatically discriminatory because the competitor is a woman.
The purpose of moderating the WINDOW LIVE chat was to prevent the discussion becoming dominated by hostile or repetitive arguments concerning gender and to maintain a civil and race-focused discussion. It was not intended to suppress legitimate views concerning women’s rights or prevent reasonable discussion.
The VELA commentary may reasonably question whether a competitor in a solo round-the-world race should devote significant attention to shore-side media obligations. It is also legitimate to discuss whether speaking directly to a team through WINDOW LIVE was consistent with the communications rules.
Such criticism can be debated on its merits and should not automatically be characterised as discrimination.
Assessment of the VELA article situation
- The VELA article does not directly connect criticism of Mara’s conduct with her gender, apart from references to her foundation and women’s-rights objectives.
- Mentioning those subjects is not, by itself, evidence of sexism or discriminatory intent.
- Nothing reviewed provides sufficient grounds for GGR or Don McIntyre to accept that discriminatory intent was involved.
- Criticising the conduct or public statements of a female entrant does not automatically make that criticism sexist.
- GGR must retain the ability to discuss safety, rule compliance, communications, performance and other substantive race matters even when an entrant disagrees with the commentary.
- The VELA article reflects the views and conclusions of its author and publication. GGR is, however, responsible for its own decision to share the article through an official GGR platform and for the wording used when introducing it.
Five-point response
- GGR accepts that publishing the VELA commentary through an official GGR Facebook account, together with some of the wording used in the accompanying post, may have led some readers to believe that the organisers endorsed all of the article’s negative assumptions or conclusions about Mara. That was not the intention.
- GGR acknowledges that the article represents the views of an independent media outlet and should not be regarded as GGR’s judgment of Mara’s character, integrity, motivation or charitable work.
- GGR recognises and supports Mara’s stated objective of using her round-the-world voyage to raise awareness of women’s rights and related causes.
- GGR supports Mara’s safe continuation of her voyage and respects her sailing ability, while maintaining that every entrant must operate under the same racing and communications rules.
- The purpose of moderating WINDOW LIVE comments is to prevent personal attacks, hostility and discussion being overwhelmed by one issue. It is not intended to suppress reasonable views from women’s-rights organisations, supporters of Mara, or anyone else.
GGR — Public Clarification and Statement
We understand that GGR’s decision to share the VELA commentary through an official GGR account, along with some of the wording used in our accompanying post, may have made Mara and her team feel that the organisers were not treating her fairly.
That was unfortunate, as it was not the intention, and we are sorry for that. We are sorry for the hurt or misunderstanding this may have caused.
The VELA article represented the views of an independent publication. By sharing it, GGR did not intend to adopt every opinion or conclusion expressed in that article as its own.
We respect Mara’s sailing ability, her determination and her charitable objectives, including her stated commitment to raising awareness of women’s rights.
GGR remains committed to treating Mara, and every other entrant, fairly and consistently under the Notice of Race and the agreed WINDOW LIVE arrangements.
Don McIntyre, GGR Founder and Race Director
