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The Sunday Times G°G°R Logo 2022

The third edition of the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race started from Les Sables-d'Olonne in France on 4 September 2022.

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On 4 September 2022, 17 skippers departed Les Sables d’Olonne for a 30,000-mile nine month race around the world in the third edition of the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race.

240,000 people visited the race village in the two weeks before the start.

The starting line just seconds before the GO!

After 233 days, 20 hours, 43 minutes and 47 seconds, South African Kirsten Neuschäfer crossed the finish line as the winner, among only three to complete the race.

She became the first woman to win a round the world race by the three great capes, and the first South African sailor to win a round the world event!

Credit: Rob Havill / GGR2022

Following the race, Kirsten earned many awards and accolades as a result of her win, as well as her involvement in the successful rescue of fellow skipper Tapio Lehtinen. Some of these include The 2023 Rolex World Sailor of the Year, Sailor of the Year and Outstanding Achievement of the Year at the British Yachting Awards, Sportswoman of the Year at the SA Sport Awards and The Cruising Club of America's prestigious Blue Water Medal. The race itself won Event of the Year at the British Yachting Awards.

Credit: GGR2022 / Rob Havill

You can follow the 2022 story from the news section of this website. All 2022 press releases and newsletters telling the complete story are there. All 2022 video lives are on the G°G°R YouTube channel. All 2022 weekly entrant sat phone calls are recorded on the G°G°R SoundCloud.

G°G°R 2022 Timeline
A hero's welcome in the legendary channel of Les Sables d’Olonne. Credit: Rob Havill / GGR2022

The 2022 G°G°R kept millions around the world enthralled from day one. Emotions ran high, month after month, and the G°G°R following grew every day. The release of the Meltwater 2022 G°G°R media analysis and equivalent advertising/PR value of €213 million reflects that following.

Meltwater Report
Kirsten takes to the stage to collect her trophies. Credit: Barry Pickthall / GGR / PPL

2022 Skippers

2022 Tracker

2022 Timeline

  • Start of the Golden Globe Race
  • Damien Guillou reports issues with his Hydrovane and decides to return to LSO to fix it.
  • Edward Walentynowicz retires from race due to personal reasons.
  • Guy deBoer reports that he has narrowly avoided collision with a fishing vessel off the Spanish coast by only 5 metres.
  • Simon Curwen is first to pass the Lanzarote Film Gate.
  • Tapio Lehtinen is 2nd to pass Lanzarote Gate.

    Pat Lawless is 3rd to pass Lanzarote Gate.

    Abhilash Tomy is 4th to pass Lanzarote Gate.
  • Guy deBoer is 5th to pass Lanzarote Gate.

    Kirsten Neuschäfer is 6th to pass Lanzarote Gate.

    Guy Waites is 7th to pass Lanzarote Gate.

    Michael Guggenberger is 8th to pass Lanzarote Gate.

    Ertan Beskardes is 9th to pass Lanzarote Gate.

    Jeremy Bagshaw is 10th to pass Lanzarote Gate.
  • Guy deBoer crashes into rocks at night on the north coast of Fuerteventura, Las Palmas in the Canaries. He fell asleep shortly after passing the Lanzarote film gate, not noticing a windshift that caught him on a leeshore.
  • Elliott Smith is 11th to pass Lanzarote Gate.
  • Ian Herbert-Jones is 12th to pass Lanzarote Gate.
  • Damien Guillou is 13th to pass Lanzarote Gate.
  • Mark Sinclair "Captain Coconut" officially retires from the race at Lanzarote.
  • Arnaud Gaist is 14th to pass Lanzarote Gate.
  • Simon Curwen first to cross the equator.
  • Guy Waites reports that the hull of Sagarmatha is covered with barnacles.
  • Simon Curwen reports: "Bit of drama overnight. Genoa halyard parted."
  • Damien Guillou rang the GGR office to report his Hydrovane self steering gear main shaft has broken. He has the parts to repair it but needs flat water.
  • Guy Waites Reports that Rio is not transmitting Weather Fax anymore, just like others have reported. No weather info!
  • Damien Guillou called Race Control to report that he was able to repair his windvane.
  • Ian Herbert-Jones reports that he has "2nd day without wind since passing Trindade. OK but fed up" - light, shifting winds have been a big challenge for the GGR 2022 fleet across the entire Atlantic.
  • Guy Waites informs Race Control that he is heading towards Punta del Este to haul out the boat and clean the hull.

    Simon Curwen reports that one of his solar panels has packed up.
  • Abhilash Tomy notes that "ten years ago, on this date, I had set off on India's first single-handed non-stop circumnavigation under sail".
  • Guy Waites sends message: "Forget Itajaí, trying to keep the race alive!"
  • Simon Curwen is first to pass the Cape Town Film Gate.
  • Pat Lawless reports "My Aries self steering is broken. I am on sheet to tiller since last night". He confirmed that he has made a satellite call to his wife and will retire from the GGR in Cape Town.
  • Kirsten Neuschäfer is 2nd to pass Cape Town Gate.

    Elliott Smith has lost his one and only spinnaker.
  • Tapio Lehtinen is 3rd to pass Cape Town Gate.

    Message from Abhilash Tomy: "deleting all my footage. to save my soul."
  • Pat Lawless arrives in Cape Town, retiring from the GGR.
  • Abhilash Tomy is 4th to pass Cape Town Gate, giving a surprising interview.

    Damien Guillou is 5th to pass Cape Town Gate.
  • Michael Guggenberger is 6th to pass Cape Town Gate.

    Damien Guillou called GGR control to report the loss of his Hydrovane rudder around midday. He is heading back to Cape Town, considering all options.
  • Damien Guillou arrives at Cape Town marina, officially retiring from the GGR.
  • After passing the Cape Town Gate in 7th place, Ertan Beskardes surprisingly announces that he his retiring from the GGR. Quote: "I was looking for the unknown and I found the unknown!"
  • Abhilash Tomy receives the news via radio and messages "we are 8000000000 humans on earth today" - a suprising fact, if you have been alone at sea for over a month.
  • Jeremy Bagshaw is 8th to pass Cape Town Gate.
  • Race Control receives Distress Alert for 'ASTERIA' from MRCC Cape Town, followed by Liferaft PLB Alert.

    Tapio Lehtinen reports after the rescue that Asteria has sunk within 20 minutes.

    Race Control closely cooperates with the MRCC to coordinate the rescue, deviating Abhilash Tomy and Kirsten Neuschäfer, who were closest to Tapio's position.
  • Kirsten Neuschäfer was first to arrive at scene and rescued Tapio Lehtinen from his liferaft. They shared a glass of rum before he was transferred to a bulk carrier bound for Jakarta.
  • Elliott Smith is 9th to pass Cape Town Gate.
  • Elliott Smith called Race Control to advise his bow sprit has broken in half. He has secured the mast and rig and is heading for False Bay for repair. He also broke all compasses except for one hand bearing compass.
  • Ian Herbert-Jones is 10th to pass Cape Town Gate

    Arnaud Gaist reports to race control that he has a mast and rigging issue that makes it unsafe to sail to windward for now.
  • Elliott Smith was able to fix his bow sprit and is back racing!
  • During his weekly call, Guy Waites tells race control that he cannot clean the hull of barnacles while sailing and that he will pull into Cape Town to haul out the boat.

    Race Control decides to compensate Kirsten Neuschäfer and Abhilash Tomy for the rescue of Tapio Lehtinen: Kirsten Neuschäfer with 35 hours + 30 litres of fuel and Abhilash Tomy with 12hrs.
  • Abhilash Tomy reported a problem with his windvane. The servo pendulum shaft holding the rudder sheared off. This was an easy fix as he carries a complete spare system onboard to strip for spares. He has fitted exactly the same part again.
  • Kirsten Neuschäfer breaks all fleet records: Best speed over 4 hours at 9.8 knots, best distance over 24 hours at 218.9 nautical miles, and best distance over 7 days at 1143.7 nautical miles.
  • Arnaud Gaist messages Race Control that "with the barnacles and my weakness in the mast, it would be Cape Horn in April :( I divert to St Helene and return to Les Sables". He retires from the GGR.
  • Tapio Lehtinen deboarded the Bulk Carrier in Jakarta and is back on land, heading directly back to Finland.
  • Ian Herbert-Jones, Jeremy Bagshaw and Michael Guggenberger are facing their first big southern ocean storm, gusting above 45 knots with big seas.
  • Guy Waites arrives in Cape Town and is hauling out Sagarmatha to remove barnacles and apply new antifouling.
  • Simon Curwen unknowingly sails directly into the centre of a high pressure system, allowing Kirsten Neuschäfer and Abhilash Tomy to catch up, reducing trailing distances by nearly 400 miles.
  • Elliott Smith called Race Control to report that his bowsprit has bent up again. He was able to secure the mast and is assessing the situation, hoping to make repairs as soon as the weather calms down.
  • Guy Waites' Sagarmatha is back in the water and ready to set sail. But unfavourable headwinds are forcing him to wait in Cape Town until the wind shifts.
  • Elliott Smith called Race Control to report that he went up and down the mast more than 10 times to shorten the forestay and bypass the broken bowsprit. However, due to heavy rolling, he lost many spare parts including a spare stay over the side, unable to make any further repairs. He will continue sailing west towards Fremantle or Albany under reduced sails and retire from the race.
  • Abhilash Tomy breaks 7-day record - 1165 miles in one week - just before he needs to replace his split mainsail with an older mainsail.
  • Guy Waites sets sail again with a clean hull, trying the impossible to get to Hobart before the gate closes on Jan 31, 2023.
  • Simon Curwen is first to pass the Hobart Film Gate.
  • Kirsten Neuschäfer is 2nd to pass the Hobart Film Gate.
  • Abhilash Tomy is 3rd to pass the Hobart Film Gate. He stayed a full night after a tiring upwind battle toward Kingston Beach.
  • Michael Guggenberger is 4th to pass the Hobart Film Gate. 'Capt. Gugg' stayed two nights to rest, catch up with his team and do small repairs.
  • Jeremy Bagshaw is 5th to pass the Hobart Film Gate and decides to move to Chichester Class to sort out barnacles, water and food.
  • Ian Herbert-Jones is 6th to pass the Hobart Film Gate.
  • Elliott Smith lands in Fremantle on 19 January after 5000 miles under jury rig. He had broken his bowsprit off the South African coast and lost his spare forestay overboard after trying to repair at sea. He continued under staysail and double-reefed main, with the rig supported by the inner forestay and backstay, but did not have time to repair and get through the Hobart gate closing before 31st January.
  • Jeremy Bagshaw resumes the race in Chichester Class.
  • Simon Curwen's hydrovane got damaged at the top mounting after suffering a potential knock-down in a Southern Ocean storm with large seas. He is continuing towards Cape Horn while working on a repair plan. He has not received any outside assistance at this time and remains to be the leader of the fleet.
  • Abhilash Tomy reports pain in his lower back after helming for many hours and calls his doctor. He suffered a severe back injury during the 2018 GGR.
  • Guy Waites lost his liferaft after a knock-down in strong winds and big seas south of Australia. He is heading for Hobart to replace the essential equipment.
  • Michael Guggenberger enters the Pacific Southern Ocean exclusion zone for 1.5 hours, resulting in a 4.5 hour time penalty.
  • Kirsten Neuschäfer and Abhilash Tomy experience a massive low pressure system with up to 65 knots and 10m swell. Kirsten's Minnehaha, placed a bit further north, has no major incidents to report, while Abhilash's Bayanat suffered two knock-downs without damage.
  • Simon Curwen arrives at Puerto Montt to repair his windvane and sprayhood.
  • Guy Waites arrives in Hobart to get a new liferaft.
  • Forced by a strong gale from south-west, Simon Curwen seeks shelter in an anchorage to wait for a better weather window before heading towards Cape Horn.
  • Abhilash Tomy reports that he has lost his last pendulum rudder for his windvane, sailing with leashed tiller. He also reports that his deck got punctured from the windturbines after 'going underwater again'.
  • At approximately 20:20 UTC Kirsten Neuschäfer is first around Cape Horn, being the first woman ever to lead an offshore around the world race.
  • Abhilash Tomy is second around the Horn, 10 years and 23 days after his last rounding!
  • Jeremy Bagshaw rounds the Horn for the first time. He saw some of the lights but didn't manage to see the outline of the Horn. Sitting in the cockpit with a big grin on his face. During his call with Don today he sounded upbeat and keen to start moving further north.
  • Ian Herbert-Jones approaches Cape Horn in extreme conditions with a broken windvane, after days of "biblical" conditions. With a drogue warp wrapped around the Hydrovane rudder, causing it to snap in half, he decides to stop for repairs before continuing. He is officially moved into Chichester Class.
  • Ian Herbert-Jones messages Race Control in storm gusting over 90kt with confused sea. He is rolled over, dismasted, with water in the boat, an injured back and gashed head. Ian decides to activate his EPIRB so that the search and rescue chain would be aware of his position and situation.
  • Rescue of Ian Herbert-Jones is underway. Taiwanese fishing vessel, the ZI DA WANG, 90 miles away, is diverted to his position with an ETA at 1900 UTC.
  • Of the three fishing vessels routing towards Puffin, ZI DA WANG is the first vessel on scene at 1830 UTC. Transfer of Ian Herbert-Jones from Puffin to ZI DA WANG is successful in 25kt wind and 4m sea. Now bound for Cape Town.
  • Simon Curwen in Chichester Class on board Clara/Howdens was the first home in Les Sables d’Olonne.
  • At 19:43:47 on Thursday 27th of April, Kirsten Neuschäfer and Minnehaha cross the GGR finish line to win the Golden Globe Race in 233d 18h 43m 47s.
  • Abhilash Tomy secures an outstanding second-place finish, crossing the finish line in Bayanat at 06:46hr.
  • Michael Guggenberger and Nuri cross the GGR finish line in third place at 07:42hr in Les Sables d’Olonne.
  • Jeremy Bagshaw calls GGR on his sat phone to report the failure of his forestay at the stem fitting or bow chain plate.
  • Jeremy Bagshaw crosses the line at 1633 UTC as the 5th and final finisher of GGR 2022, having spent 277 days at sea.

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