Sir Robin was the first person to sail single handed and non-stop around the world between 14 June 1968 and 22 April 1969. His voyage lasted just over ten months.

He arrived back in Falmouth after 312 days at sea, securing his place in the history books.

In recognition of his achievement, he was created a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and a knight bachelor.

In 1996, Robin established the first Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. It is perhaps his greatest achievement to have introduced so many people to competitive sailing via their involvement in the Clipper Race.

In 2012 the Australian Geographic Society, recognising his many divers expeditions over the years and his ongoing efforts to promote adventure, presented him with its highest accolade, a ‘Gold’ Medal for a ‘Lifetime of Adventure’. This was only the 12th time it had been presented in the 25 year history of the Society. The inscription on this ultimate ‘Gold’ medal, simply read ‘For a life spent encouraging Adventure and Discovery’.

‘Jane Jane’ manages all financial affairs of the OGR and GGR, all Facebook Live feeds, assists with race photography and never stops smiling.

She is a qualified charter skipper, whale swim guide, diver and Antarctic Zodiac driver who originally trained as an Air Traffic Controller.

She met Don in 2005 as project manager/Chinese interpreter on a boat building project. From Zhuhai China, she finally married Don during the Hobart stopover of the 2018 GGR and they now live in Les Sables d’ Olonne and keep an apartment in China.

Loving life on the water from an early age, Georgie raced dinghies, yachts, and anything that floats. She gained her Yachtmaster Offshore at the age of 22 and spent six years as first mate aboard classic yachts. Over the years, she has built extensive experience working with teams and managing projects and events, primarily within the maritime industry.

Georgie joined the Golden Globe Race team in the final months of the 2022 edition before taking on the role of General Manager and CEO of the highly successful 2023 Ocean Globe Race. Her home port is the River Hamble, Southampton, where she remains an active part of the sailing and racing community.

We’re delighted to welcome Keri Harris to the Golden Globe Race team as Assistant Race Director. A retired Royal Navy Commander, Keri has also served as a diplomat and speaks several languages. He brings decades of leadership and international experience to the role. No stranger to adventure, Keri is currently competing in the Mini Globe Race, putting his sailing skills to the ultimate test.

As Digital Director for the Golden Globe Race, Rob manages the race’s digital platforms and oversees its online presence. After following the GGR’s 50th anniversary in 2018, he joined the team ahead of the 2022 edition.

With a background in high-end film and creative production, Rob works behind the scenes to make sure the Golden Globe Race is presented with impact to engage audiences around the world.

Oron is the volunteer behind the GGR Stats site, where the fleet’s YB tracker data becomes the story in numbers: who is sprinting, who chose which route, how conditions are shaping the race, and how today’s skippers compare with the 2018 and 2022 fleets. It is the same work he does for a living — as founder of TinyAI Studio he builds AI for real factories, turning raw machine and sensor data into something the people on the floor can act on.

A software engineer and statistician by trade and an avid sailor by heart, he has followed the Golden Globe for years and now spends his evenings making its data readable for everyone else. His own dream is simple: to be on the start line of GGR 2034.

British vintage yachtsman and marine professional Rob Buttress brings decades of experience across commercial sailing, navigation technology, marine surveying, offshore operations and maritime training. A commercially endorsed Yachtmaster Ocean with extensive Atlantic and international sailing experience, Rob has worked as a professional skipper, technical author, navigation specialist and marine educator.

For the 2026 Golden Globe Race, Rob will serve as Safety Inspection Manager, leading the safety inspection team in Les Sables-d’Olonne and overseeing the implementation of the race’s safety requirements throughout the pre-start period.

Annette ‘Pepper’ has been an integral team member since its inception when the idea to reinvent the GGR was born on a boat in Tonga in 2014. 

As a highly skilled designer with an extensive background in the international advertising and media industry, she has crafted the brand identity for both GGR and McIntyre Adventure. She served on the GGR management team until 2018 and was responsible for visual identity, social media, and website development. The foundational structure and design principles she established continue to serve as the cornerstone of the current iteration.

In the 2022 edition, she primarily focused on designing essential parts for the race village and managing the GGR Instagram account.

In 1999, Jesse became the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo, non-stop, and unassisted. His voyage took approximately 11 months. He chronicled his adventures in the book Lionheart: A Journey of the Human Spirit, and his story was made into a documentary, Lionheart: The Jesse Martin Story.

In 2002 he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

Jesse directed, edited and filmed most of the 2018 Golden Globe Race documentary, due for release on August 30th 2022.

Melissa has 25 years of experience in the sporting/event world, from production, technical and commercial project management.

Alongside her Vice President role at IMG, she was also Head of Sailing/Nautical Sports for 15 years, during which time she managed two Americas Cups, World Match Racing Tour, Extreme Sailing Series, Volvo Ocean Race, Class One and the H20 series.

Barry Pickthall is a former yachting correspondent for The Times newspaper and has been covering the international stage for the past 4 decades, from the Olympics to America’s Cup and Round the World Races.

Barry is the author of 32 books relating to watersports and his photo library PPL Media Ltd holds the official photo archive tracing the complete history of the original Golden Globe Race.