The 2026 Golden Globe Race fleet is in Les Sables-d’Olonne, where 16 solo skippers prepare for the non-stop round-the-world start from France on 6 September.

The 28,000-nautical-mile McIntyre GGR will be sailed without outside assistance or modern navigation electronics. The fleet’s arrival at Port Olona gives visitors a rare opportunity to see the traditional long-keel yachts and meet their sailors before departure.

Golden Globe Race 2026: key dates and facts

  • Public welcome: Saturday, 22 August at 14:30 at the GGR Pavilion, Place Vendée Globe, Port Olona.
  • Visitor opening hours: the pavilion and public marina pontoon are open daily from 10:00 to 19:00.
  • Safety inspections: 26 and 27 August.
  • Parade of Sail: Sunday, 6 September from 14:00.
  • Race departure: the 16 yachts leave the marina from 14:30 at two-minute intervals.

Les Sables-d’Olonne welcomes the Golden Globe Race fleet

Mayor Nicolas Chénéchaud will officially welcome the remaining skippers on 22 August. Entry is free and no special pass is required. The GGR Pavilion presents the history of the race, the sailors and the yachts taking part in the 2026 edition.

Port Olona is already operating as a working race marina rather than a conventional boat show. Crews are testing equipment, loading provisions and completing final repairs before facing the Southern Ocean with sextants, paper charts and traditional windvane self-steering systems.

Damien Guillou wins the SITraN Challenge Prologue

French skipper Damien Guillou won the three-day SITraN Challenge Prologue aboard the Rustler 36 Solarem. Britain’s Henry Wootton finished second on the Cape George 36 Privateer, while Italy’s Andrea Lodolo completed the podium aboard the Rustler 36 BiBi.

SITraN Challenge podium with Henry Wootton, Damien Guillou and Andrea Lodolo
From left: runner-up Henry Wootton, winner Damien Guillou and third-placed Andrea Lodolo at Port Olona. Image: Bernard Gergaud.

Light and unsettled conditions gave the fleet a useful systems test. Seven yachts also failed to complete a technically valid rounding of one virtual waypoint after confusion between 46°30′N and 46.30°N, or after passing on the wrong side. As the prologue was a training event, no protests were lodged and no penalties were applied.

Henry Wootton sailing the Cape George 36 Privateer during the SITraN Challenge Andrea Lodolo sailing the Rustler 36 BiBi during the SITraN Challenge
Henry Wootton aboard Privateer (left) and Andrea Lodolo aboard BiBi during the prologue. Images: JJ / GGR2026 and Don McIntyre / GGR2026.

GGR Live Window completes its first fleet test

Seven yachts used the new one-way GGR Live Window during the prologue, providing an early test of the live coverage planned for the round-the-world race. Developed with Swedish technology partner TriPeak, the Starlink-based system can transmit video and selected boat data ashore but cannot send messages, weather information or navigational assistance back to a skipper.

The offshore test revealed intermittent audio and camera issues, alongside some operator errors, but supplied useful commissioning data. Guillou has since added Solarem to the programme, taking the number of participating 2026 skippers to eight.

Colm Walker withdraws and targets the 2030 race

American-Irish skipper Colm Walker reached Les Sables-d’Olonne on 17 August after sailing his Tayana 37 Mo Chuisle approximately 8,000 nautical miles from the west coast of the United States via the Panama Canal. A growing list of deck leaks and repairs could not reasonably be completed before departure, so Walker has withdrawn from the 2026 race and intends to return in 2030.

Colm Walker arriving in Les Sables-d’Olonne aboard the Tayana 37 Mo Chuisle
Colm Walker and Mo Chuisle arrive in Les Sables-d’Olonne after an 8,000-nautical-mile preparation passage. Image: JJ / GGR2026.

Mo Chuisle will remain on display at the GGR Marina alongside the rest of the fleet during the pre-start programme.

Final inspections before the 6 September start

Detailed safety and equipment inspections on 26 and 27 August will cover emergency gear, communications, rigging, navigation equipment and compliance with the race’s traditional-technology rules. Two yachts are already replacing failed long-range HF/SSB radios—exactly the kind of weakness the prologue and inspection period are designed to uncover.

The Parade of Sail begins at 14:00 on Sunday, 6 September. From 14:30, the boats will leave the Vendée Globe Marina at two-minute intervals, pass through the famous Les Sables-d’Olonne channel and begin their voyage towards Cape Horn and back to France.

What is the McIntyre Golden Globe Race?

The McIntyre Golden Globe Race is a solo, non-stop and unassisted round-the-world race for approved production yachts of traditional design. Competitors use technology available during the original 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race. The 2026 event is the fourth Golden Globe Race overall and the third modern edition.

Event information and updates are available on the official Golden Globe Race website.