Challenges in the Global Solo Challenge

With its pursuit start format, the two boats still scheduled to start in the 2023-24 Global Solo Challenge are Curt Morlock with his ex-IMOCA 6 Lazy K and Volkan Kaan Yemlihaoğlu of the Open 70 Black Betty. But challenges remain for them to join the 15 solo skippers on the non-stop round the world course.

Morlock was due to start on December 9, but he will certainly not be able to make that date and is now looking at the feasibility of a late start within the timeframe allowed by the event. His determination and resolve are intact despite the grains of sand in his hourglass becoming fewer and fewer, he’s not intending to throw in the towel until the last grain has fallen.

As for Yemlihaoğlu, he is not due to start until January 6 but has had to come to terms with the lack of sponsorship or funding adequate to prepare a boat of that size. Therefore, he communicated to the organizers that he’ll be continuing with his preparations to be in a condition to take the start in 2027.

Two of the Americans in the race, Cole Brauer on her Class40 First Light and Ronnie Simpson on his Open 50 Shipyard Brewing, have rounded the first of the three major capes, Cape of Good Hope, and have begun their crossing of the Indian Ocean.

Just over 300 miles separate the American skippers, who are in third and fourth position on the water. Brauer has so far produced an excellent performance, having clocked the highest mileage over a given 7-day period, and is now placed second in estimated time of arrival.

She’s overtaken all other boats and, in particular, all those that left the week before her and all those in her group of starters on October 28. She’s certainly setting a demanding pace and giving Ronnie Simpson on his vintage Open 50 a run for his money.

Simpson can’t quite push his boat as much as he’d like, as the age of the hull and equipment and lack of adequate funding have meant that not everything could be optimized to the standards of the ambitious and determined war veteran. He has shared that he’s only just starting to come to terms with the need to find a reasonable balance between performance and boat preservation.

Further ahead in the fleet, Philippe Delamare on his Actual 46 Mowgli still holds firm on his first place in the virtual rankings and second boat on the water. He left four weeks ahead of Brauer and Simpson and has kept the chasers at bay very effectively so far.

As the first starter on August 26, Dafydd Hughes on his S&S 34 Bendigedig has held the lead on the water but a technical issue with his autopilot has prompted a detour to Hobart in Tasmania. Fortunately he was within sailing distance to land, as if it occurred past New Zealand, his options would have been far less ideal.

According to the Sailing Instructions, a boat pulling into port must then observe a minimum 96 hours time penalty or longer as decided by the Organizer. However, no time penalties are applicable if a boat anchors to carry out repairs, find shelter from bad weather, or other reason without receiving any kind of outside assistance.

Here are the remaining starters:

Attrition List:
RTD: Juan Merediz – Class40, Sorolla
RTD: Peter Bourke – Class40, Imagine
DNS: Ivan Dimov – Endur37, Blue Ibis

Race details – Entry list – Start times – Tracking

The inaugural Global Solo Challenge 2023-24 seeks to be a budget-friendly solo, non-stop race around the world. Using a pursuit format for the 2023-24 race, 20 entrants from 34 to 70 feet have start times between August 26 to January 6 from A Coruña, Spain, with the first boat to return deemed the winner.

Source: GSC