whitbread yacht race 2023

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Latest News: 2026 Golden Globe Race – Two years to go!

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Back to the Whitbread

Ocean Globe Race is good for GGR

As you know we now have a sister event, another retro fully crewed race around the world called the  OCEAN GLOBE RACE (OGR) . It is closely connected to the GGR in philosophy and concept, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the original 1973 Whitbread Race.

While it is a stand alone event we thought you may be interested in this first official press release. This is the only time we will share an official OGR release with you here. If you would like to follow the first ever retro fully crewed race around the world please go to the  www.OceanGlobeRace.com  website NOW and register to receive all the press releases and my thoughts in the years ahead. It is going to be one hell of a race! Thanks from Jane and me!

The spirit of the Whitbread Round the World Race is back with the announcement of the 2023 OCEAN GLOBE RACE, a retro event starting from a European port on September 10th 2023, celebrating the 50th anniversary of this major milestone in adventure sailing.

In a world now dominated by professional sailors, foiling yachts and eye-watering budgets. This retro race reopens once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for ordinary sailors and adventurous yacht owners to follow in the wake of  Tabarly ,  Blake ,  van Rietschoten ,  Blyth ,  Knox-Johnston  and of course Mexican  Ramon Carlin , winner of the first Whitbread fully crewed global challenge in 1973 with his production  Swan 65 Sayula II .

Organised by Australian adventurer  Don McIntyre  along similar lines to the highly successful 2018 Golden Globe Race, which he also founded, the  2023 Ocean Globe Race (OGR)  will follow the original Clipper ship sailing route around the Globe, just as the Whitbread Race did in 1973. The course traces the classic four-leg route from Europe to Africa and on to Australasia, then back via a South American port: 27,000 miles and seven months passing under the three great Capes with Cape Horn the prize for most.

Just like the 2018 GGR, this new fully-crewed challenge is equally retro, sailing similar well proven yachts to those entered in the first Whitbread and with technology limited to what was available to those pioneers back in 1973. That means no high tech materials, computers, satellite systems (including phones and GPS), as well as mobile phones. Navigation will be limited to sextant plots on paper charts, communications to SSB and VHF radios, and music will be played on cassette tapes.

Entries are limited to ‘approved’ fibreglass production yachts designed prior to 1988, from 47ft (14.32m) to 66ft (20.11m) LOA segregated into two groups:  ADVENTURE (47-56ft 14.32-17.06m) & SAYULA (56-66ft 17.07-20.11m) classes.  In addition, original entries from the first three Whitbread Races (1973/4, 1977/8 and 1981/2) together with ‘Class surveyed’ production sail training yachts up to 68ft (20.73m) make up a third  FLYER Class.

Nautor Swan  production yachts that fall within the age/length parameters are currently approved, and similar well-proven production yachts will be considered on application. The fleet is limited to a maximum of 30 yachts and the Race will be sailed under the International Collision Regulations.

Race founder  Don McIntyre  says:

For the first time in 3 decades, ordinary sailors and yacht owners have an opportunity to experience racing around the world in an affordable, safe and fun way. You don’t need to be an elite sportsman nor require a huge support team. And as far as budgets go, the cost of a campaign need not cost any more than one half of one foil on an IMOCA 60. So many sailors harbour dreams of circling the globe and racing around Cape Horn. The Ocean Globe Race now makes these ambitions possible once more.

Best practice safety and security arrangements recognised by maritime agencies around the world have been adopted for the Race and strict minimum crew standards and numbers are specified for each class. Each yacht must also include at least one woman and youth crew aged under 24 at the start of the race.

McIntyre went on to say that the experience of running the 2018 Golden Globe Race has shown up a strong appetite for simple adventurous sailing around the world and has created a great platform to launch the Ocean Globe Race.

The GGR was a huge success for competitors and attracted a large passionate following around the world. The Race achieved everything we set out to do on a very limited budget. We learned important things about what works and why, and now have a unique formula that provides strong point of difference to any other event.

The 2023 Ocean Globe Race will be run under the auspices of by the  Royal Nomuka Yacht Club  in the  Kingdom of Tonga  and is underwritten by  McIntyre Adventure Ltd .

Applications for an invitation compete will be available from  Sept. 10th, 2019 , four years ahead of the start.

What will it cost to enter and campaign a competitive entry in the OGR?

A competitive  ADVENTURE CLASS  entry with 8-9 crew might start with a good NAUTOR SWAN 55

• Example on brokerage: 180,000 Euro
• Refit using crew labour 100,000 Euro
• Entry fees 25,000 Euro
• Insurance and misc. costs 20,000 Euro

Total Capital outlay 325,000 Euro .

Your crew should contribute total operating cost around the world, food and maintenance. At the conclusion, sell your SWAN for 200,000 Euros. The experience has cost 125,000 Euros. (You could do it for less with a smaller entry). A set of foils and handling gear on an IMOCA 60 is $500-600,000 EUR.

Don McIntyre GGR Chairman and Founder

Don McIntyre is the founder and underwriter of the goldengloberace.com the oceangloberace.com and the minigloberace.com . Follow him at mcintyreadventure.com .

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Ocean Globe Race 2023: everything you need to know

• Katy Stickland
• August 23, 2023

The Ocean Globe Race will see 14 boats and their crews circumnavigating the world without the use of modern equipment, in the spirit of the 1973 Whitbread Race

All 14 teams taking part in the 2023 Ocean Globe Race will be racing with similar gear and boats as those who raced in the Whitbread Races of old. Credit: Philip McDonald Credit: Philip McDonald

What is unique about the Ocean Globe Race?

The Ocean Globe Race is a round-the-world yacht race, held to mark the 50th anniversary of the first Whitbread Round the World Race in 1973.

The Whitbread Round the World was the forerunner of The Volvo Ocean Race and The Ocean Race.

The first edition in 1973 started from Portsmouth and was the first fully crewed round the world yacht race.

Ramón Carlin, who skippered the Swan 65, Sayula II to victory in the first Whitbread Round the World Race in 1973-74. Credit: Getty

It followed the route of the great Clipper ships.

18 yachts – between 45ft-74ft- crossed the start line.

The 1973 Whitbread Race was won by the standard production Swan 65 yacht, Sayula II , skippered by Mexican Ramón Carlin. The yacht was crewed by family and friends, not professional sailors; this helped make yacht racing not just for the elite, but for the ordinary sailor.

What is the Ocean Globe Race?

The 2023-24 Ocean Globe Race is a 27,000-mile round the world yacht race with no assistance and without the use of modern technology.

This means the teams can’t use GPS , chartplotters , electric winches , spinnaker socks, Code 0 furling, electric autopilots, mobile phones,  computers, iPads or use synthetic materials like Spectra, Kevlar or Vectron.

Navigation will be done by sextant , paper charts and the stars.

Their only means of communication is via registered, licensed maritime-approved HF Single Side Band (SSB) Radio . HAM Radio transmission is banned.

Navigation is by sextant only. Here, the skipper of Outlaw, and the oldest entrant in the race, Campbell Mackie, 73,  and Outlaw’s crew, British sailor, India Syms take sights. Credit: OGR 2023/Outlaw/Spirit of Adelaide

Weather forecasts will be received via the radio or stand-alone paper print HF Radio weather fax.

Each boat can only carry no more than 11 sails (sloop) or 13 sails (ketch). Teams will be subject to a time penalty if they have to use replacement sails.

Approved items include desalinators, refrigeration, non-GPS digital cameras, electric clocks and headsail furling .

Teams will be penalised for using replacement sails during the 2023-24 Ocean Globe Race. Credit: Translated 9

The teams will also carry emergency gear, including a GPS chartplotter/AIS MOB plotting and locating system with a sealed screen for emergency use only by authorized crew, AIS Transponder and Alarm, Radar transponder and Alarm, Two SOLAS liferafts (200% crew capacity).

Every week, the team needs to run the boat’s engine for 30 minutes, with the prop turning.

Each boat should also carry standard operating procedures documents for man overboard (MOB), fire, dismasting, steering loss , grounding , serious injury, jury rig and other emergencies. Each team will have already carried out an MOB jury rig and emergency steering trials.

Where does the race start and finish, and what is the route?

The Ocean Globe Race 2023 will start at 1300 on 10 September 2023 from the Royal Yacht Squadron start line at Cowes, Isle of Wight.

The route of the 2023-24 Ocean Globe Race. Credit: OGR 23

It will have four legs.

The first leg – 6,650 miles – is from Southampton to Cape Town . The first boats are expected to finish between 9-21 October 2023.

The second leg – 6,650 miles – is from Cape Town to Auckland, New Zealand . It starts on 5 November 2023. The first boats are expected to finish between 14-23 December 2023

The third leg – 8,370 miles – is from Auckland, New Zealand to Punta del Este, Uruguay . It starts on 14 January 2024. The first boats are expected to finish between 9-18 February 2024.

The fourth leg – 5,430 miles – is from Punta del Este, Uruguay to Southampton . The first boats to cross the finish line are expected 1-10 April 2024.

Each team must reach port no later than 48 hours after the restart of the next leg or will be disqualified. A minimum stop of three days is mandatory, but the clock starts with the gun.

Which teams are taking part in the Ocean Globe Race?

218 sailors – 65 women and 153 men – will sail from Southampton. The teams are made of 23 nationalities including 96 crew from France, 31 from Finland, 18 from the UK, 18 from the USA, 11 from Italy and 6 from South Africa.

Tracy Edwards’s Maiden is the only all-female crew taking part. This was the case in the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race.

Just in 1989-90, Maiden will be the only yacht racing with an all female crew. Credit: The Maiden Factor/OGR 2023

The captain, chief mate or one designated Ocean Yachtmaster must sail the entire race.

All entrants – who have to undergo a medical examination and have completed an approved medical/survival training course – must have onboard for each leg:

• 1 Ocean Yachtmaster
• 1 Yachtmaster
• 1 under 24 year old
• Maximum 70% crew swap at any stopover
• Maximum 33% professional crew ( 24-70 year old, paid to go sailing)

70% of the crew (including the Yachtmaster Ocean and Yachtmaster) registered for the start leg must complete a 1,500-mile non-stop ocean voyage all together in the entered yacht, after March 2023

The Ocean Globe Race has three classes:

• Adventure Class (47ft-56ft) is limited to 12 places, with a minimum crew of seven;
• Sayula Class (56.1ft-66ft) is limited to eight places, with a minimum crew of eight;
• Flyer Class is limited to eight places for yachts previously entered in the 1973, 1977 or 1981 Whitbread, or ‘relevant’ historic significance and ‘approved’ production-built, ocean-certified, sail-training yachts generally 55ft to 68ft LOA.

Adventure Class

There are 5 teams in this class.

Triana – France

The core of the Triana crew. Credit: Projet Triana/OGR2023

Led by Franch media entrepreneur, Jean d’Arthuys, the crew of Triana includes professional French sailor, Sébastien Audigane, who has sailed six roundings of Cape Horn and is a double holder of the Jules Verne Trophy – in 2017 on IDEC with Francis Joyon, and 2005 on Orange 2 with Bruno Peyron.

Audigane is the First Mate onboard  Triana, a 1987-built Swan 53, designed by German Friers.

Sterna – South Africa

The crew of Sterna have completed several Atlantic crossings on the Swan 53; the team are pictured in Martinique, ahead of their second transatlantic crossing. Credit: Allspice Yachting

Allspice Yachting entered the Ocean Globe Race in December 2019 after founder Gerrit Louw was inspired by the 2018 Golden Globe Race.

The Swan 53, Sterna of Allspice Yachting will be skippered by professional South African sailor, Rufus Brand, who hopes the race will allow him to fulfil his dream of circumnavigating the world.

The First Mate and navigator is South African Melissa Du Toit.

Sterna of Allspice Yachting is a modified Swan 53, built in 1988. Some of the yacht’s unique features include a custom keel with an improved righting movement, a 135hp engine (instead of the normal 85hp engine) and expanded water and diesel tanks for offshore sailing .

Allspice Yachting bought the yacht in 2021 for the Ocean Globe Race, and a crew sailed her from Grenada to the boat’s home port of Cape Town to prepare Sterna for the race.

Galiana WithSecure – Finland

The skipper of Galiana WithSecure , Tapio Lehtinen hopes the Ocean Globe Race will result in a new generation of offshore Finnish yacht racers. Credit: Sanoma Media Finland Kaikki oikeudet/Juhani Niiranen/HS

The Swan 55 will be skippered by the 2018 and 2022 Golden Globe Race veteran, Finnish sailor, Tapio Lehtinen. First mate is Ville Norra, who has a history of sailing keelboats and offshore.

The Galiana WithSecure team is one of the youngest taking part in the Ocean Globe Race , with the majority of those on board under 30 years of age; only two members of the team have ‘strong racing DNA’, while the others come from Optimist, Sea Scout or other sailing backgrounds.

Lehtinen is a veteran of the 1981-82 Whitbread Race when at the age of 23, he earned a place as watch captain on Skopbank Finland , a C&C Baltic 51 skippered by Kenneth Gahmberg.

His motivation for entering the Ocean Globe Race with a young team is to encourage young Finnish sailors into ocean sailing; Lehtinen also wants to raise awareness of the impact of climate change on the world’s oceans and has only partnered with companies and organisations which promote solutions to this global problem.

Outlaw – Australia

Some members of the Outlaw crew. Credit: Aïda Valceanu/ OGR2023

The Baltic 55, Outlaw , is a Whitbread Race veteran, having raced in the 1985-86 edition as Equity and Law .

Built in 1984 to Lloyds of London specifications, the Douglas Peterson-designed Outlaw will be skippered by Campbell Mackie.

The Australian sailor has 70,000 ocean miles under his belt, having taken part in the 2015-16 Clipper Round the World Race and the 2017-18 edition, where he was First Mate on Sanya , the winning boat.

First Mate is Dutch professional sailor, Rinze Vallinga.

Godspeed – USA

The crew of Godspeed is made up of American military veterans. Credit: Skeleton Crew

The Swan 51, Godspeed is the only American boat to enter the race.

The skipper is Taylor Grieger, a former US Navy veteran, who has assembled a crew made up of representatives from the US military services.

Grieger suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after years spent as a US Navy rescue swimmer. Along with friend, Stephen O’Shea, he sailed a leaking 1983 Watkins 36CC from Pensacola, Florida, through the Panama Canal and down the South American coast to Cape Horn . The film of their voyage – Hell or High Seas – has been released.

Following this, Grieger set up Skeleton Crew Adventures, to help other veterans to recover from PTSD through sailing.

Sayula Class

There are four entries in this class.

Explorer – Australia

The crew of Explorer, skippered by Mark Sinclair. Credit: Don McIntyre/ OGR2023

Explorer was designed by Olin Stephens and was launched in 1977. The boat is owned by the founder of the Ocean Globe Race, Don McIntyre.

The yacht will be skippered by 2018 and 2022 Golden Globe Race veteran, UK-born Australian Mark Sinclair , who has circumnavigated the world with one stop.

The Yachtmaster Offshore, a former Royal Australian Navy Commander, has over 60,000 sailing miles under his belt.

Explorer ‘s Chief Mate is Terry Kavanagh, a liveboard sailor from Ireland who was circumnavigating the world aboard his yacht when he decided to take part in the race. He also has experience sailing in Arctic Norway.

White Shadow – Spain

Crew training aboard White Shadow in the Mediterranean. Credit: OGR/ White Shadow

The only Spanish entry in the Ocean Globe Race, White Shadow is a Swan 57, built in 1978.

The yacht will be skippered by owner French offshore racer, Jean-Christophe Petit, who has also completed four Atlantic crossings .

The mixed crew  – from France, Italy, Turkey, Spain, Argentina, Belgium and Colombia – are aged from 20 to 57.

Evrika – France

The Swan 65, Evrika . At the time, the Swan 65 was the largest GRP construction yacht , and was one of the designs that led the racing circuit in the 70s-80s. Credit: Sophie Dingwall

Previously owned by Pink Floyd’s Rick Wright, who lived aboard her in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, Evrika also has strong racing credentials, having won the Swan Cup in the 1980s.

The Swan 65 was built in 1982 with a ketch rig ; the yacht has been extensively restored for the race including a new teak deck, and remodelling down below, including layout changes in the forward cabin. Nearly all changes were in keeping with the yacht’s original style and materials.

Evrika will be skippered by French sailor and boat builder Dominique Dubois.

Originally the team was to race the Swan 651, Futuro , but in February 2023, the boat was blown from its cradle during Storm Gérard; the damage cost more than the value of the boat.

Dubois then bought Evrika from Brit Richard Little, who had entered the Ocean Globe Race, but later withdrew.

Spirit of Helsinki – Finland

The crew of Spirit of Helsinki prepare to leave Finland for the race start in Southampton. Credit: OGR2023 / Team Spirit of Helsinki

Designed by German Frers and built by Nautor in 1984, the Swan 651 sloop, Spirit of Helsinki was built specifically for the Whitbread Round the World Race and was raced to third place in the 1986 edition under the name Fazer Finland .

The all Finnish crew is led by hotel entrepreneur and amateur sailor and racer, Jussi Paavoseppä.

First Mate is professional sea captain Pasi Palmu, who has worked as a full-time racing sailor and sailing coach for over 15 years.

Flyer Class

There are 5 entries in this class.

Maiden – UK

The Maiden crew: Skipper: Heather Thomas (UK), First Mate: Rachel Burgess (UK) Crew: Willow Bland (UK) Lana Coomes (USA), Payal Gupta (India), Ami Hopkins (UK), Vuyisile Jaca (South Africa), Junella King (Antigua), Molly Lapointe (Porto Rico/USA), Kate Legard (UK), Najiba Noori (Afghanistan), Flavia Onore (Italy), Dhanya A Pilo (India). Credit: The Maiden Factor-Kaia Bint Savage

Maiden is the only UK entry in the race.

The Bruce-Farr 58ft yacht will be skippered by British sailor, Heather Thomas, 26 and her crew will be all female – just as in the 1989-90 Whitbread Race when the boat was skippered by Tracy Edwards.

Thomas, who was previously a watch leader on the training vessel James Cook, run by the Ocean Youth Trust North, has previously sailed the Pacific leg of the 2015-16 Clipper Round the World Race with the Da Nang Viet Nam team, after winning a place onboard.

The yacht was skippered by Wendy Tuck, who went on to become the first woman to win a round the world yacht race when she led her Sanya Serenity Coast team to victory in the 2017-18 edition of the Clipper Race .

The Maiden team ranges in age from 18 to 42, with the majority of the crew competing in all four legs of the race.

Previously to the Ocean Globe Race, Maide n has been sailing around the world to promote education for girls through The Maiden Factor.

Pen Duick VI – France

Marie Tabarly has sailed Pen Duick VI since she was a child. Credit: James Tomlinsen

Led by the daughter of French sailing legend, Éric Tabarly, the Pen Duick VI team’s goal is not just the race, but to raise awareness of the Elemen’Terre project, which looks at environmental and social global issues.

Marie Tabarly is one of two female skippers in the race (the other is Maiden ‘s skipper, Heather Thomas).

The professional racing sailor, who competed in the 15th Transat Jacques Vabre with Louis Duc aboard the IMOCA 60, Kostum Lantana Paysage , has extensive offshore experience, having sailed Pen Duick VI since childhood. She has also recently completed a circumnavigation of the world with Pen Duick VI .

At 73ft LOA, Pen Duick VI is the largest yacht taking part in the 2023 Ocean Globe Race

The 73ft Pen Duick VI was built specifically by Éric Tabarly for the 1973-74 Whitbread Race.

The yacht dismasted twice in the race – during the 1st and 3rd legs, but she was repaired and went on to win the 1974 Bermuda-Plymouth race, the 1976 Atlantic Triangle Race and the 1976 OSTAR.

Renamed Euromarché, the yacht came 5th in the 1981-82 Whitbread Race.

Neptune – France

Designed by André Mauric, Neptune was launched in July 1977, before racing in the 1977-78 Whitbread Race to 8th place.

The 60ft aluminium sloop will be skippered by professional ophthalmologist Tanneguy Raffray, who is one of France’s most successful International 8 metre class racers, aboard Hispania IV , which he restored.

Neptune racing in the 1977 Whitbread Race. Credit: Ocean Frontiers OGR/ GGR/CG580

The refit of Neptune for the Ocean Globe Race was overseen by Finot-Conq naval architect, Erwan Gourdon, who is also part of the crew, and included four watertight bulkheads, furling headsails and a new sail plan.

The team also includes French sailor, Bertrand Delhom, who aims to become the first sailor with Parkinson’s disease to race around the world.

Translated 9 – Italy

The Translated 9 crew has a party in Rome ahead of leaving for the start village in Southampton, UK. Credit: Antonio Masiello

The first edition of the Whitbread Round the World Race was won in 1974 by the family and friends of Mexican Ramón Carlin, who skippered the Swan 65 yacht, Sayula II.

The Translated 9 team is following in their wake; 1,000 amateurs, new to ocean sailing, applied for a position on the 13-strong crew.

The Swan 65 is being skippered by owner Marco Trombetti and professional racer and boat designer Vittorio Malingri , who was the first Italian to race in a Vendée Globe (1993) and was part of Giovanni Soldini’s crew on the TIM trimaran.

British skipper Clare Francis and the crew of ADC Accutrac together in 1977 Whitbread. They’re looking forward to meeting the crew of Translated 9 at the Whitbread Reunion on 5 September. Credit: Dr Nick Milligan

Malingri’s son Nico is First Mate and has also previously sailed with Giovanni Soldini

With Nico, Malingri also holds the Dakar to Guadeloupe 20ft Performance record, having sailed 2,551nm in 11 days, 1 hour, 9 minutes and 30 seconds.

The crew also includes 2022 Golden Globe Race veteran, Simon Curwen, who took line honours in the race and was first in the Chichester Class.

The Sparkman and Stephens’s designed Translated 9 was originally ADC Accutrac , which was raced to 5th place by British skipper, Clare Francis in the 1977 Whitbread Around the World Race.

L’Esprit d’Equipe – France

The L’Esprit d’Équipe team. Credit: Team L’Esprit d’Équipe

The Philippe Briand-designed 58ft yacht was built by Dufour and has strong Whitbread Race roots.

It is the only boat in the Ocean Globe Race to have won at Whitbread Race (in the 1985-86 edition, skippered by Lionel Péan; it was the smallest boat in this edition. Modifications to save weight included shortening the boat’s rear arch, moving the keel further back and installing a 27m mast)

The French team is led by professional boat builder and sailor, Lionel Regnier, a seasoned racer, who won the OSTAR in 2005 and has taken part in three Mini Transats, and numerous Class 40 races, including the 2006 and 2014 Route du Rhum

His First Mate is Pierre-Yves, who has project managed most of Lionel’s races since 2003 and has raced in the Transat Jacques Vabre.

Continues below…

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Which boats will be raced during the Ocean Globe Race?

L’Esprit d’Équipe is the only boat in the Ocean Globe Race to have won at Whitbread Race (in the 1985-86 edition. Credit: RORC / James Mitchell / James Tomlinson

All boats in the Adventure and Sayula classes must be ocean-going GRP production yachts designed before 1988 and from an approved design list which includes the Swan 47, Swan 47, Swan 48, Swan 51, Swan 53, Swan 55, Swan 57, Swan 59, Swan 61, Swan 65, Swan 651, Nicholson 55, Baltic 51, Baltic 55, Baltic 64, Oyster 48 and Grand Soleil 52.

The Baltic 55, Outlaw was previously raced in the 1985-86 Whitbread Race. Credit: Outlaw Team

All yachts must be fitted with a bow crash bulkhead. A main watertight bulkhead and watertight door are recommended immediately forward of the saloon along with a second watertight bulkhead forward of the rudder post.

Severn former Whitbread Race boats will be taking part in the Ocean Globe Race:

• Maiden (previously Disque D’Or 3 , 1981-82 Whitbread; raced as Maiden in 1989-90 Whitbread)
• Pen Duick VI (1973-74 Whitbread; raced as Euromarché in the 1981-82 Whitbread)
• Translated 9 (previously ADC Accutrac , 1977-78 Whitbread)
• Neptune (1977-78 Whitbread)
• L’Esprit d’Equipe (previously 33 Export , 1981-82 Whitbread; L’Esprit d’Equipe , 1985-86 Whitbread; Esprit de Liberté , 1989-90 Whitbread)
• Outlaw (previously Equity and Law , 1985-86 Whitbread)
• Spirit of Helsinki (previously Fazer, Finland , 1985-86 Whitbread)

How can I follow the Ocean Globe Race?

All 14 boats taking part in the 2023 Ocean Globe Race can be seen at the Ocean Village Marina in Southampton from 29 August 2023. Credit: Ocean Frontiers OGR/ GGR/CG580/Pic suppliers

The Ocean Globe Race village at Ocean Village, Southampton will open to the public from 29 August 2023 until the race start. It is free to enter.

Daily events will include celestial navigation demonstrations (2-4, 6 September from 14:00 hrs), as well as a chance to see the 14 boats and meet their crews.

Tours will take place every day from 29 August between 13:o0 hrs and 17:00 hrs and can be booked via Eventbrite in advance or on the day ( https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ocean-globe-race-2023-pontoon-access-tickets-700811284417 ).

Visitors taking a tour will have the option to make a small charitable donation before the tour which will go to support the Blue Marine Foundation, Ocean Youth Trust (South) and The Maiden Factor Foundation.

Tuesday 29 August, 11:00 hrs – Official Ribbon Cutting Friday 1 September, 13:30 hrs – A Welcome from the City of Southampton Friday 1 September, 18:30 hrs – MDL Captain’s Dinner and Charity Auction Saturday, 2 September, 13;00 hrs – Writer and broadcaster, Paul Heiney talks about his tales of sailing the Atlantic single-handed Tuesday 5 September, 17:30 hrs – Whitbread Veterans Reunion Thursday 7 September, 10 hrs – OGR Final Press Conference Friday 8 September, 18:00 hrs – MDL Whitbread 50th Anniversary Farewell Hog Roast Party Saturday 9 September, 14:00 hrs – OGR Teams’ Public Farewell presentation Sunday 10 September, 09:00 hrs – Full Teams parade of honour from MDL Race Village to their yachts 13:00 hrs – RACE START – Royal Yacht Squadron start line, Cowes, UK. Viewing of the start line can be seen from the beaches in Gurnard, Isle of Wight or Lepe Beach in the New Forest.

The race can be followed via the Ocean Globe Race website and Facebook page .

The teams can also be followed via YB Tracking .

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Whitbread Revival 2023 : First entries for the Ocean Globe Race

Kristina Müller

 ·  17.10.2019

He has obviously struck a nerve. At the end of June, Australian circumnavigator and adventurer Don McIntyre announced that in four years' time, in 2023, wants to organise a new edition of the Whitbread Round The World Race . In 1973, crews sailed around the world in stages in a regatta for the first time.

The race to mark the 50th anniversary of the Whitbread Race is to be called the "Ocean Globe Race" and will take place around the world on GRP series yachts modelled on those of yesteryear. However, the concept is still in its infancy; the start and finish harbours are not yet known.

Resonance for the retro race

Nevertheless, McIntyre has now announced that the idea has met with keen interest worldwide. He has already received twelve confirmed registrations. The teams are mainly from France, the UK and Finland, but also from Belgium, Denmark, Scotland, Spain, Sweden and the USA.

In the "Sayula" class (named after the winning boat of 1973, a Swan 65), in which GRP series yachts between 56 and 66 feet are to sail, Dominique Dubois, owner of the French Multiplast shipyard, has reported. State-of-the-art offshore racers are built here, most recently the Trimarana "Sodebo Ultim 3" by offshore professional Thomas Coville.

"Maiden" should be there

Tracy Edwards has also already expressed an interest in taking part. The now 67-year-old British sailor became famous as the skipper of the first pure Women's crew on the "Maiden" at the 1989 Whitbread Race.

The documentary will be released on 8 March

In the second starting group for smaller yachts, Finnish offshore sailor Tapio Lehtinen and his crew want to take part with a Swan 55. He was one of only five solo skippers to finish the Golden Globe Race 2018/19 and reach the finish line in Les Sables d'Olonne .

17 skippers and one female skipper started in this new Golden Globe Race, but the majority of them had to give up.

Relaxed rules

A maximum of 30 yachts are to take part in the Ocean Globe Race 2023, navigating as they did 50 years ago: without GPS and chart plotters, without grib files and weather routing, using only a sextant and paper chart. The ships will also be equipped as much as possible as they were back then.

However, following discussions with potential participants in the round-the-world race, navigation electronics, carbon parts, Dyneema or Spectra in the rig are now allowed to remain. According to the original invitation to tender, all of this would have had to be removed from the aged but often refitted ships that make up the starting field.

Official rules at the end of next year

Don McIntyre does not intend to announce the official tender, which will include the route and the start and finish harbours, until the end of 2020. Until then, further changes to the original idea may follow.

However, the Australian, who lives on Tonga, has already proven that he can mobilise deep-sea sailors and adventurers from all over the world with the most recent Golden Globe Race. He also wants to organise it again in 2022.

Most read in category Regatta

Ocean Globe Race 2023-24

“ In the Spirit of the original 1973 Whitbread Race” Celebrating its 50th Anniversary.

The golden age of fully crewed ocean racing around the world seems a distant memory..

Huge budgets and elite professionals racing custom carbon yachts that ‘fly’ on €800,000 foils steered by sophisticated autopilots, not sailors, where shore teams via satellite are making tactical decisions is the new norm. Technology moves so fast, that sailors the world over, while marvelling at these advances, have been left behind and look back fondly at the Corinthian days of the 1973 Whitbread Race and dream.

A time when adventurous sailors put together their own fun campaigns, skippers and crew made all decisions and where the simple fleet was evenly matched. A time when budget

played a small part, technology was minimal and humans dared to achieve.

Well it’s time for a reality check. Time to step back, slow down, take a deep breath and go.

Following the hugely successful 50th Anniversary  Golden Globe Race  in 2018,  McIntyre Adventure  is proud to announce a 50th anniversary celebration of that first fully crewed round the world race. The retro Ocean Globe Race (OGR) will take to the high seas in 2023, following the same route as the Clipper ships and the inaugural 1973 Whitbread Race in similar affordable yachts.

The Ocean Globe Race is the future of accessible round the world ocean yacht racing for any sailor. The opportunity returns after nearly 30 years and is set to inspire and capture the imagination of sailors and passionate followers the world over.

Turning the tide for ordinary sailors with a dream.

Don McIntyre Ocean Globe Race Founder 1st July 2019

180 days to go dateline: 15 march 2023, les sables d’olonne.

•   Maiden ’s all-female crew returns as the first British entry in the OGR
•   Maiden ,  Pen Duick VI  and  L’Esprit d’Equipe  face off for line honours in FLYER Class
•  30 years later, Whitbread racers, production yachts and amateur crews are back into racing around the world
•  OGR team vacancy and welcome to Georgie

The legendary Whitbread Round The World Race will forever be linked to Great Britain with those iconic images of 17 classic yachts sailing down the Solent into the unknown.

It was the start of the first ever fully crewed yacht race around the world on September 8th, 1973. No one knew what would happen. Eight months later, passing the Needles on the way to the finish, the legend of the Whitbread was set. It had cost the lives of three sailors swept overboard, but changed the lives of every sailor who had participated. With the Whitbread so connected to British yachting history, it was ironic that none had entered the Ocean Globe Race until now, with the French contingent leading the charge for honours in this 50th anniversary celebration of that first race.

Tracy Edwards , who expressed early interest in the OGR, had her plans for  Maiden  disrupted by the global pandemic. The iconic yacht had to stop then resume her world tour in September 2021. Her ongoing mission is to educate, empower and elevate girls, increasing their life and career choices through the all-woman  Maiden  Whitbread story. The crew engaged with schools, charities and organisations in more than 20 destinations around the world, raising money to fund girls’ educational projects.

Now,  Tracy Edwards  MBE and  DP World , the sponsor of The Maiden Factor World Tour, have seen a new opportunity to further their objectives and announced that  Maiden  and her all-female crew will enter the 2023 Ocean Globe Race.

We are very excited to take part in the 2023 Ocean Globe Race, over 30 years since  Maiden  and the first all-female crew defied the odds in the 89/90 Whitbread race. Since then,  Maiden  has become a Global Ambassador for empowerment of girls through education and we have a young skipper and crew who will have the experience of a lifetime, just as we did all those years ago. TRACY EDWARDS MBE

Maiden  had first entered the 1981 Whitbread as Disque d’Or III with Swiss skipper  Pierre Fehlmann . Tracy had entered the 85-86 edition as a cook on  Atlantic Privateer,  one of only five women in the 200 crew participation. She was determined to change that. In 1989  Maiden ,  Great Britain  and  Tracy Edwards  made history. She entered the first ever all-female crew. She was met with disbelief, raising more than a few eyebrows in what was then a male-dominated sport. Yet, this “tin full of tarts” as the late yachting journalist Bob Fisher infamously nicknamed  Maiden , gave the boys a run for their money, winning two legs in the Southern Ocean and leading their class!

When Don McIntyre, the OGR Founder, offered Tracy a special dispensation from the mixed gender crew rule of the OGR, she initially said, “No! I think I will take a male cook!”. With sailor extraordinaire  Marie-Claude Heys (GBR)  on board for the round trip,  Maiden  is certainly a strong contender in the historic Flyer Class!

We are delighted to have  Maiden  back in the OGR, joining the strong Flyer Class, currently dominated by the well prepared entries of Marie Tabarly and  Pen Duick VI  and Lionel Regnier and  L’Esprit d’Equipe , soon to be joined by Tanneguy Raffray’s  Neptune . We have given special dispensation to  Maiden  in regard to the OGR rule of mixed gender crew in recognition of her historic achievement. Everyone involved is excited to see her race with an all-female crew and once again inspire women around the world. DON MCINTYRE, OGR FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN

The OGR digs deep into the Whitbread’s historic roots!

Many historic Whitbread veterans had expressed a strong interest in entering the OGR. Covid, the war and sponsor challenges upset many plans, but some of the best will make the start line.  Pen Duick VI  tops the list! With  Eric Tabarly  she participated in the inaugural 1973 Whitbread, dismasting twice and creating controversy with a depleted uranium keel. She came back again in 1981, four tons lighter with a redesigned keel as  Euromarché,  finishing in 10th position. She is coming back to win in the 2023 OGR under the command of  Marie Tabarly,  a truly amazing sailor and   a woman of indomitable spirit,   who has assembled an impressive and talented young crew of diverse characters.

Another 1981 Whitbread legend in the OGR is  33 Export,  specially designed for that race by  Philippe Briand.  Deeply modified and re-entering the 1985 edition with  Lionel Péan  as skipper, under the name  L’Esprit d’Equipe , she became the first ever French yacht to win the Whitbread.

France had to wait 30 years for another win in the 2011/2012 Volvo Ocean Globe Race with  Groupama 4  led by  Frank Cammas  and his Dream Team including  Damien Coville, Jean-Luc Nélias  and  Charles Caudrelier . Meanwhile,  L’Esprit d’Equipe  again returned in the 1989 Whitbread  as L’Esprit de Liberté  is back recreating history a fourth time in the OGR with a Vendée-based team led by  Lionel Regnier  and supported by  Les Sables d’Olonne .

Both teams have been training hard for the OGR through 2022 and 2023, joining many classic races, including the Round Ireland Race, the Dhream Cup, the RORC transatlantic Challenge and last month the  RORC Caribbean 600 . This was part of an Atlantic Tour that was going to take them to New York for an historic photo shoot at the feet of another famous French staple in the U.S., the Statue of Liberty. Alas, both yachts encountered severe weather conditions in a large low-pressure system en route to NYC and had to divert their route. Twice  Pen Duick  broke her steering cables in the heavy conditions and had to be steered by tiller back to Bermuda, a serious job for such a powerful yacht.

Marie Tabarly (FRA)  was disappointed not to sail  Pen Duick VI  back to the US 48 years after her father’s victory in the 1976 OSTAR. She flew to New York to meet the press and members of the  New York Yacht Club , greeted by the French Consul General in NYC  Jérémie Robert .

It was important for me to welcome Marie Tabarly to New York as she represents the French excellence in sailing. I was delighted to learn more about her adventure as part of the Ocean Globe Race as well as her commitment to protecting the environment through her Elemen’Terre project. JÉRÉMIE ROBERT, FRENCH CONSUL GENERAL IN NYC

Neptune, God of the seas, is back with a mission

Neptune  was commissioned to André Mauric to compete in the 1977 Whitbread by the photographer for a team of journalists related to the then leading French yachting magazine  Neptune  Yachting, including famed editor-in-chief  Daniel Gilles  and famous pipe-smoking journalist  Bernard Rubinstein  who sailed the 1973 edition on  Eric Tabarly ’s  Pen Duick VI . This time the most famous crew on board is  Bertand Delhomme , an experienced sailor suffering from Parkinson’s disease who decided to race around the world to deliver a message of hope for the 7 million Parkinson’s patients in the world, including 200,000 in France.

As in any adventure, one must see his chance and seize it. Our first chance is to have met  Neptune , built for the Whibread, through Daniel Gilles who raced on board the second edition of the race. Our second chance is to have met Bertrand who joined our project and gave it another dimension. With him on board despite his illness, he will feed and share our dream. He carries us by his strength of character and his will. Our third chance is the meeting, this link that unites us all around the project, pushing us beyond, with the only goal to sail together on  Neptune  and to build more than a team: a “crew”! TANNEGUY RAFFRAY, NEPTUNE

Back in a deep refit,  Neptune  is now being brought back to her former glory by an experienced team including the original team member and Tabarly biographer  Daniel Gilles . She now has the BIP (Bateau d’intérêt du Partimoine) label, support from both the  Département du Morbihan  where she is refitted and the French Ministry of Health for her role in raising awareness against Parkinson’s disease. She is planning to be out of the shed in May for  La Semaine du Golfe , a 1000-strong meeting of classic yachts.

The S&S Swan 65 design, the Whitbread legend!

The first Whitbread victory went to Mexican  Ramon Carlin  in a production Nautors Swan 65 with his family crew on  Sayula II.  This weekend sailor inspired many other round-the-world hopefuls to enter the same or a modified version of this iconic yacht in later editions. In 1977, four of the first finishers were Swan 65’s or an emulation of the legendary yacht.

Nick Ratcliff   on King’s Legend  takes 2nd place, the Swiss skipper  Pierre Fehlman  takes 4th place on  Disque d’Or  while  Clare Francis , the first woman to lead a crew in a round the world race finishes 4th on  ADC Accutrac .  Flyer . The race winner in the hands of  Cornelis van Rietschoten,  while not strictly speaking a S&S 65, was designed by the same famed architect as an extended custom aluminium 68-foot version to beat the 65.

45 years later , ADC Accutrac  is back with the OGR in the  Flyer Class  as  Translated 9  in the hands of  Marco Trombetti.   Dominique Dubois  from Lorient recently lost his beautiful Swan 651  Futuro  damaged beyond repair, blown over on the hard in a violent storm. He has replaced her with a Swan 65  Evrika , the former yacht of Pink Floyd’s keyboardist  Richard Wright,  considered one of the finest afloat.

Other Whitbread boats and crew celebrate 50 years in the OGR!

Two former Whitbread entrants are back in the OGR with the same Swan 55 yawl S&S designs.  Tapio Lehtinen , the GGR 2018 and 2022 veteran who first went around the world as a 23-year-old on board the Baltic 51  Skopbank of Finland  in the Whitbread 1981. He has entered his immaculate  Galiana  with a young Finish crew.  Arnaud Lizop  from Marseille who first rounded Cape Horn on  Pen Duick III  during the original Whitbread in 1973 has entered his Swan 55  Nakamal .

Spirit of Helsinki  is a  German Frers  designed production Swan 651 specifically commissioned for the 1985 Whitbread, which she finished on the podium as  Fazer Finland  skippered by  Michael Berner . Nearly four decades later she is back after a full rebuild with a Finnish team led by  Jussi Paavoseppä.  He specifically looked for a historic Whitbread yacht to participate in this 50th Anniversary celebration Ocean Globe Race.

The Baltic 55 Australian OGR entry  Spirit of Adelaide  was originally commissioned for the 1985 Whitbread under Dutch flag as  Outlaw . Her team has strong family connections with the Whitbread.

Crew  Dougie Mill  always wanted to sail around the world inspired by his father. He discovered the Ocean Globe Race celebrating the original spirit of amateur sailing and he immediately wanted to get involved. Months later, he read about Team  Spirit of Adelaide  buying  Outlaw , the very same boat his dad  Alastair Mill  had raced on in the 85 Whitbread finishing in 9th place as  Equity & Law.  He signed on  Spirit of Adelaide , sets sail from America to Europe at the end of April and has a sudden vacancy for Chief Mate in the OGR! If you have some serious sailing experience and a year to spare,  click here  for details.

McIntyre Adventure team vacancies!

With 18 boats signed up for the start of the OGR, the management team is ramping up with new  Operations Manager   Georgie Vinter  joining Don, Jane, Seb, Lutz, Rob, Aida and Marco this week. Georgie is a keen British ocean sailor involved in race training for kids and years of race and event management, later joining the Royal Yachting Association in the racing rules department. We are now looking for a general assistant CREW MANAGER based in Les Sables d’Olonne.

For entries and media requests:

Don McIntyre OGR Founder & Chairman [email protected] Skype: Don.McIntyre462 Mobile: +61 481231710

Sébastien Delasnerie Media & Assistant Race Director [email protected] Skype: sdelasnerie Mobile: +33 764248706

Historic images:

To view the lightbox of historic Whitbread pictures,  click here . Alternatively, paste the following address into your browser window:  http://www.pplmedia.com/online/lightbox.lasso?id=12676472

About the Ocean Globe Race

The Ocean Globe Race   (OGR) is a fully crewed retro race in the spirit of the 1973 Whitbread Round the World Race to mark the 50th Anniversary of the original event. Starting in Europe in September 2023, the OGR is a 27,000-mile sprint around the Globe divided into four legs, taking in the Southern Ocean and the three great Capes.

The fleet is divided into three classes. With 20 entrants, the OGR may possibly be the biggest fully crewed round the world race of the last 29 years. Stopovers will include Cape Town in South Africa, Auckland in New Zealand and Punta del Este in Uruguay, before finishing back in Europe in April 2024.

For more information, visit  www.oceangloberace.com .

NOTICE OF RACE

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Tracy Edwards’ Maiden to compete in the new retro Whitbread Round the World Race

• Katy Stickland
• October 17, 2019

Tracy Edwards has announced that her 58ft Bruce Farr-designed Maiden will race in the Ocean Globe Race, the retro Whitbread Round the World Race

Tracy Edwards made history in 1989 as the skipper of the first all female crew to sail around the world in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race. Maiden won two legs and came second overall in her class. The best result for a British boat in the race since 1977.

Now Maiden could be racing the route again in the Ocean Globe Race (OGR), a retro Whitbread Round the World Race designed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first event in 1973.

Organised by Don McIntyre, who was behind the 2018 Golden Globe Race , the 30,000 mile event is scheduled to start in Europe on 10 September 2023 and will have four legs taking in the Southern Ocean and the three great capes.

Stopovers will include South Africa, Australia or New Zealand and South America, before finishing back in Europe in April 2024.

Maiden won two legs in the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race

Skippers from France, Finland and the UK have already committed to take part in the event including Edwards.

She recently told organisers: ‘With so many yachts from previous Whitbread races being rescued and restored, as has Maiden of course, it seems only fitting that we should race them around the world again. COUNT US IN!’

Maiden is currently sailing around the world as part of work for the not-for-profit The Maiden Factor , promoting girls’ education and raising money to directly support a group of charities  already working in the field.

Tracy Edwards is currently focussed on The Maiden Factor, promoting girls’ education around the world, but will she be tempted to skipper in the race?. Credit: Tim Anderson

Finland’s Tapio Lehtinen , a finisher in the 2018 Golden Globe Race, has entered a Swan 55 in the Adventure Class for production yachts between 47 – 55.25ft.

He has just taken ownership of the Olin Stephens designed yawl Galiana , one of two Swan 55s now entered in the 2023 Ocean Globe Race , and will set out from Southampton UK bound for Finland at the weekend.

First launched in 1970, Galiana is the second of 16 yachts to be built by Nautor to this design, which Lehtinen describes  as ‘the classiest and most beautiful of the early Swans.’

Tapio Lehtinen was the last to finish the GGR. Credit: Christophe Favreau/PPL/GGR

British yachtsman Alan Macmillan shares that view. He has entered his cutter rigged Swan 55 Ariana and is about to embark on a round the world cruise in preparation for the 2023 OGR.

Lehtinen, who has also re-entered the 2022 Golden Globe Race, sailed in the 1981 Whitbread as watch leader aboard Skopbank of Finland , and is using his OGR programmer to ‘blood’ the next generation of Finnish ocean sailors now graduating through the youth racing classes by introducing them to the Southern Ocean and the global racing scene.

This he hopes will secure a continuation of the Finnish round the world sailing legacy, which dates back to the days of the Gustaf Erikson windjammers and the theme of the Ocean Globe clipper route.

Demand for places in the Sayula Class for prescribed yachts between 57.4 and 65.5ft is equally high with five owners earmarking Swan 65s – sisterships to Sayula II , the original 1973/4 Race winner.

One is French entrant Dominique Dubois, owner of the Multiplast Boatyard in Vannes, who previously owned a Swan 65, but sold it a few years ago to buy an ultralight boat to compete in last year’s Route du Rhum solo transatlantic race.

Continues below…

Ocean Globe Race: Retro Whitbread Round the World race announced

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The story of Tracy Edwards’ Maiden campaign in the 1989-90 Whitbread round the world Race still astonishes 30 years on,…

Tracy Edwards’ ‘Maiden’ returning to UK

Round-the-world yachtswoman Tracy Edwards‘ famous yacht Maiden, which was found abandoned on an Indian Ocean island last year, is to…

Golden Globe Race: Tapio Lehtinen’s barnacle blight

The last Golden Globe Race skipper Tapio Lehtinen has arrived back in Les Sables d'Olonne after 322 days alone at

He built all the Volvo 65’s, the giant record setting trimarans like Francis Joyon’s Idec Sport and Thomas Colville’s Sodebo , together with a series of race-winning IMOCA 60’s.

Commenting on the entry list, race chairman Don McIntyre said: ‘Many want to remain confidential at this stage but I can say we now have 12 confirmed entries representing Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, UK and USA with the strongest enquires coming from Finland and France. There is also strong interest from the current owners of Sir Peter Blake’s 1981/2 Whitbread yacht Ceramco NZ and the French Whitbread winning yacht L’Esprit d’Equipe.’

The UK’s Alan Macmillan promises strong competition from his cutter rigged Swan 55, Ariana

Sir Chay Blyth , who competed in two of the early Whitbread races onboard Great Britain II , and claimed nine of the 12 trophies on offer in the ’73 Race, has also endorsed the OGR.

‘Delighted to hear that a 50th Anniversary edition of the Whitbread is being launched. The Ocean Globe will be a great adventure as well as a great race for participants. What a great challenge they can set themselves. My congratulations to the organiser; it is such a bold and exciting move! he said.

Recent Rule Changes

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the first fully crewed 1973 Whitbread Race and sailed in similar yachts with 1970’s equipment including sextants and cassette music tapes, the 2023 OGR gives ordinary sailors the opportunity to race around the Globe for the first time in nearly 30 years.

Entries are limited to approved production ocean racing yachts between 47 and 65.5ft designed prior to 1988. There are also 8 places available in a third Flyer Class for yachts that competed in the first three Whitbread races and other production ocean certified sail-training yachts. Tracy Edwards’ Maiden is eligible because the yacht first raced in the 1981/2 Whitbread as Disque D’or .

Together with the pre-1988 designed Nautor Swan range of yachts, the Nicholson 55, Grand Soleil 52, Oyster Lightwave 48 and Baltic 48 production yachts are also now type approved.

Some OGR entrants were challenged with the idea of removing extensive electronics, carbon spars or painting high visibility patches on beautiful teak decks as required under the pre-Notice of Race. Following extensive discussions, entrants no longer need to remove existing electronics, just disable them temporarily by removing control heads. High visibility cockpit dodgers will also substitute for the high vis. deck paint, and carbon spars fitted before July 1st 2019 are also approved.

Tapio Lehtinen has entered the yawl rigged Swan 55, Galiana in the race

The larger yachts and ex-Whitbread entries use Dyneema/Spectra runners and check stays for safety reasons, as well as halyards. All now approved. Spinnaker snuffers were shown to be available in 1973 and are now approved for safety reasons with amateur crew, even though they were not used in the original Whitbread Race.

Following six months of discussion with builders, surveyors and owners, it has also been shown that each keel is unique with regard to engineering integrity. While the final responsibility rests with the skipper, it is now agreed that the independent qualified surveyor responsible for inspecting an entry prior to the start of the OGR, will consider the yacht’s history and condition before determining if the keel needs to be removed for service.

The use of satellite communications equipment is severely restricted except for safety, and no live video streaming is allowed, but the scheduled once-a-week satellite phone call to race control, now includes delivery of one satellite photo from the yacht.

For the smallest Adventure Class for yachts down to 47ft, the minimum mixed gender crew required has been reduced to six.

All OGR outer garments must predominantly be of a colour that easily distinguishes with the wearer in the ocean.

Arnaud Lizop sailed with Marc Cviklinski onboard PEN DUICK III in 1973, as a fresh-faced 20-year-old crewman.

2023 Ocean Globe Race set to be the World’s biggest ever

In 1981, 29 entrants set out on the third edition of the Whitbread Around the World Race, creating the current record as the biggest ever, fully crewed challenge. As the race evolved every four years, it became ever more professional and eventually, as the Volvo Race for elite sailors, the numbers dropped dramatically, averaging in the past 20 years, to only seven starters.

The 2023 Ocean Globe Race (OGR) will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the original 1973 Whitbread, the first ever fully crewed race, around the world. Already, two-and-a-half-years from the start, 25 entrants are paid up and another three have committed, meaning we have 17 different countries represented. The clear expectation is that a full fleet of 34 yachts, sailed by professional and amateur, mixed gender crews, will cross the start line on Sept. 10th 2023. If so, the OGR is set to become the largest ever, crewed, round-the-world race!

Starting in Europe, the Four Leg, 28,000-mile race around the globe, via the three Capes, will stop over in South Africa, Australia and South America, before sailing back to Europe in late April 2024. Negotiations continue with various potential Host Ports, all currently affected by Covid issues, yet retaining strong interest and great passion, for a back-to-basics human event, rich in stories that local communities relate to. The expectation is for the final course to be announced no later than the third Quarter of 2021.

“The excitement and enthusiasm for the Ocean Globe Race from the sailors that know about it, has been extraordinary,” said Don McIntyre, OGR founder and Race organiser. “When COVID first appeared in February 2020, we decided to stop all promotion of the race, as the World faced serious challenges. But entries kept coming! Now we are recommencing promotions and available places are filling fast. We had to close ADVENTURE CLASS permanently but entries are still available in the remaining three classes.”

The OGR steps back in time to the 1970’s as a Retro Race, with two classes sailing production yachts designed before 1988 (Adventure Class 47-55ft and Sayula Class 56-65ft) and a third Flyer Class, sailing previous Whitbread entrants from the first three editions of the original races. Retro Classes must navigate by sextant, use no modern high-tech equipment, or computers and have only cassette tapes for music. A fourth Classic Challenge Modern Class, sailing Whitbread Maxis and Whitbread/Volvo 60’s will use the same start finish ports, but race a longer course than the slower Retro Classes for a special “BIG RED” Trophy, in honour of the late Sir Peter Blake. The combined fleet covers the entire history of the Whitbread Race.

Early editions of the Whitbread saw French entries dominate, filling over 33% of the fleets. Eric Tabarly sailed the controversial PEN DUICK VI in the first 1973 edition and subsequently entered many later editions. Arnaud Lizop sailed with Marc Cviklinski onboard PEN DUICK III in 1973, as a fresh-faced 20-year-old crewman. He returns in the 2023 OGR as one of five French entries (again the largest competing nation) to skipper his classic Nautor’s Swan 55 Nakamal, reliving his adventure into the unknown of 50 years ago.

“I am excited to join the 50th Anniversary celebration of my original Whitbread experience,” said Arnaud Lizop “The OGR is a unique opportunity to promote values in which I believe such as LONG TERM. The Classic yachts and long distance of the OGR reflect this. Our mixed gender team will also reflect diversity of origins and age.”

Another Whitbread veteran in the OGR (also sailing a Nautor’s Swan 55, Galiana) is 63-year-old Finnish sailor, Tapio Lehtinen. He was watch leader onboard Skopbank Finland in 1981. In 2018 he entered the Golden Globe Race, returning to the Southern Ocean he loves and was the last of only five finishers. He has entered the 2022 Golden Globe Race again, so will have just weeks to recover from that solo circumnavigation, before setting off for his fourth circumnavigation in the 2023 OGR. Tapio has been testing 60 young Finnish sailors over the past year and now has 18 in the running to be part of his Final race crew.

“Since sailing the 1981-82 Whitbread Race as a 23-year-old university student, I have woken up countless times during the following decades, having dreamed of doing the Whitbread again,” said Tapio Lehtinen. “When Don revealed to me that he was going to give a rebirth to the race in 2023, I knew instantly that it’s my dream come true:). As much as I enjoy shorthanded and single-handed sailing, doing the OGR gives me an opportunity to enjoy sailing a big boat, with a young crew, passing the heritage of Finnish ocean sailing to a new generation of sailors – I am as excited and enthusiastic as the young student some 40 years ago, again!”

Early Whitbread crews and yachts are spread throughout this OGR. The only French yacht ever to win a Whitbread in 1985, L’Espirit d’Epuipe (ex 33 Export and Espirit de Liberte’) skippered by Lionel Pean will be sailed by a tough group of sailors from Les Sables d’Olonne France, skippered by Lionel Regnier.

“We have a great yacht and are excited coming back to the origins of offshore racing that promotes human values,” said Lionel Regnier. “Our mixed age and gender crew lets the oldest pass knowledge and experience to the youngest and the youngest bring fresh ideas, thinking and performance to the campaign. The OGR, like no other challenge, is life defining. We must and will surpass ourselves individually and collectively, to reach the summits of this incredible challenge!”

Two giant Maxis are preparing to enter the Classic Challenge and at the opposite end, the smallest yacht ever to race the Whitbread is currently under refit with big plans for the OGR! The French 46ft Mor Bihan was skippered by Philip Poupon/Riguie in the 1981 Whitbread. She hopes to sail again in 2023 under the French Flag and a strong crew from Brittany.

For the first time ordinary sailors can race around the world. All details including the Pre-Notice of Race and Entry applications are available at www.OceanGlobeRace.com

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Latest News: 2023 McIntyre Ocean Globe Prize giving!

days hrs mins secs

Watch out for the OGR Prize Giving live on Facebook and YouTube from 7PM Rome local time on 21st June 2024.

-319 days until the start of Leg 2!Start Day!

5 November Race Start Leg 2, Cape Town to Auckland, Table Bay Harbour (Live streamed on Facebook and YouTube ).

Entrants depart the V&A marina from 10:30hrs local time. Official start 14:00hrs local time. The race start can be viewed from East Pier, Cape Town Harbour.

Congratulations Maiden! Winners of OGR 2023

Explorer aus (28) cross the royal yacht squadron finish line, cowes, at 17:35 on 13 may after 69d 0h 35m 52s., they are the last finisher of the 2023 ocean globe race., follow the race.

Get all the latest McIntyre Adventure news delivered to your email.

Turning the tide for ordinary sailors with a dream

The golden age of fully crewed ocean racing around the world seems a distant memory..

Huge budgets and elite professionals racing custom carbon yachts costing upwards of €1m, that 'fly' on foils steered by sophisticated autopilots, not sailors, where shore teams via satellite are making tactical decisions are the new norm. Technology moves so fast that sailors the world over, while marvelling at these advances, have been left behind and look back fondly at the Corinthian days of the 1973 Whitbread Race and dream.

A time when adventurous sailors put together their own campaigns, skippers and crew made all decisions and the fleet was evenly matched. A time when budgets played a small part, technology was minimal and humans dared to achieve.

Well it’s time for a reality check. Time to step back, slow down, take a deep breath and experience life defining moments!

Following the hugely successful 50th anniversary Golden Globe Race in 2018, and again in 2022, McIntyre Adventure is proud to launch the 50th anniversary celebration of that first fully crewed round the world race. This retro Ocean Globe Race (OGR) takes to the high seas with 14 teams on September 10th from Southampton, following the same route as the clipper ships and the inaugural 1973 Whitbread Race in similar, affordable yachts.

The Ocean Globe Race is the future of accessible around the world ocean yacht racing for any sailor and has a huge future. This opportunity returns after nearly 30 years and is set to inspire and capture the imagination of sailors and passionate followers the world over. Already nine teams are preparing for the 2027 OGR as sailors grasp what this opportunity truly means. 

Turning the tide for ordinary sailors with a dream.

Don McIntyre Ocean Globe Race Founder

2023 Entrants

White Shadow

• Boat Type: Swan 57
• Skipper: Jean-Christophe Petit
• Country: SPAIN

Galiana WithSecure

• Boat Type: Swan 55 (Hull No. 2)
• Skipper: Tapio Lehtinen
• Country: FINLAND

• Boat Type: Swan 53 (Hull No. 17)
• Skipper: Rufus Brand
• Country: SOUTH AFRICA

• Boat Type: Baltic 55
• Skipper: Campbell Mackie
• Country: AUSTRALIA

• Boat Type: Swan 65 Ketch
• Skipper: Dominique Dubois
• Country: FRANCE

Spirit of Helsinki

• Boat Type: Swan 651
• Skipper: Jussi Paavoseppä

L’Esprit d’équipe

• Boat Type: 33 Export
• Skipper: Lionel Regnier

Translated 9

• Boat Type: Swan 65
• Skipper: Marco Trombetti / Vittorio Malingri
• Country: ITALY

Pen Duick VI

• Boat Type: 73ft Bermudan Ketch
• Skipper: Marie Tabarly

• Boat Type: 60ft Aluminium Sloop
• Skipper: Tanneguy Raffray

• Boat Type: Nautor Swan 57
• Skipper: Mark Sinclair

• Boat Type: Swan 53
• Skipper: Jean d'Arthuys

• Boat Type: 58ft Bruce Farr Design
• Skipper: Heather Thomas
• Country: UNITED KINGDOM

• Boat Type: Swan 51
• Skipper: Taylor Grieger
• Country: USA

Latest News

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Featured Video

Press Conference Intro - Yacht Club Punta del Este

The Ocean Globe Race (OGR) is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic Whitbread Race the best way possible, by sailing around the world like it’s 1973.

The opportunity returns to race around the globe

Time to step back, slow down, take a deep breath and go..

With so many of the beautiful yachts from previous Whitbreads being rescued and restored, as has Maiden of course, it seems only fitting that they should be raced around the world again! Tracy Edwards MBE, Maiden

I'm delighted to hear that a 50th anniversary edition of the Whitbread is being launched. The Ocean Globe will be a great adventure as well as a great race for the participants. What a challenge one can set themselves? My congratulations to the organisers - it's such a bold and exciting move. Sir Chay Blyth

Of all the challenges, this Ocean Globe Race beats all its predecessors, the Whitbread and those that followed in its wake. The late Bob Fisher, veteran yachting journalist and author

This supreme challenge is an opportunity for those who could usually only dream of participating in such an event. Take it from me, this will offer an experience of a lifetime with lasting memories that will forever remind you of a unique and outstanding achievement. Ashley Manton, Chairman International Association of Cape Horners

What a brilliant idea to give people another chance to have the fun, to make the friends and to share the experiences we had fifty years ago. There will be days and weeks of being terrified, exhausted, cold, wet and miserable; other times you will be excruciatingly bored, but you will make friends for life, with a deep friendship born of the shared experience of danger, exhaustion and discomfort, and at the end you will realise it was the best thing you have done in your entire life. Butch Dalrymple Smith, Crew Sayula Winner 1973

The first Whitbread Race in '73 was a huge adventure and became a major milestone in the history of ocean racing. This retro Ocean Globe Race marking the 50th anniversary of that first race will be just as exciting and provides a unique opportunity for ordinary sailors to test themselves in the rolling surf of southern oceans once more. Barry Pickthall, Author of five Whitbread Race books

Those early Whitbread days really were full of passion. Every edition put up new challenges with the human element so important. The stories and characters became legend and we had a lot of fun. I have lots of memories of 'Fisher & Paykel', many of which are about coming only second! This new Classic Challenge in the Ocean Globe is going to excite a lot of people on and off the water. Imagine if Steinlager and F&P return! Grant Dalton, Whitbread and Volvo Ocean Race legend

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U.S.-Soviet yacht venture is voyage into free enterprise

• TERRY TOMALIN

When the next Whitbread Round-the-World Race begins in 1993, Rick Grajirena hopes the people of Tampa Bay will be rooting for the Soviets. Grajirena hasn't become a communist. Quite the contrary. He is a capitalist to the bone.

"That is what it is all about ," Grajirena said. "Free enterprise."

The Tampa sailmaker and three business associates have formed a partnership with a group of "free-enterprise" investors from the Soviet Union. Together, they plan to build and enter a boat in the world's premier ocean-racing event.

The Whitbread is a grueling, 33,000-mile race that begins and ends in Southampton, England. Often described as the "Mount Everest" of ocean sailing, the race is the ultimate test of both man and machine.

The race is viewed by more than 700-million people worldwide, making it a sporting event second only to soccer's World Cup.

To date, eight U.S. teams have entered the race, as have crews from countries including South Africa, Japan and New Zealand.

But when the sixth Whitbread regatta leaves port in September 1993, the Odessa will be backed by both the Soviets and the Americans.

"Our group will have the world marketing rights to the Odessa," Grajirena said. "Money is coming from the Soviets, but it is not state money. It is all from private investors."

Grajirena and his partners will travel to London next month to meet with their Soviet partners. As it stands now, the Americans will put up about $4-million over the next three years. The Soviet contribution will be 3-million rubles.

"The boat is in the design process right now," Grajirena said. "The hull will be built in Leningrad _ the hardware and electronics will come from the West."

Grajirena was hesitant to discuss specifics of the boat, other than it will be in the 60-foot range, a class new to the Whitbread. Ocean sailing of this magnitude is often cloaked in secrecy. At least a dozen of the syndicates entered still are listed as "confidential."

But the Tampa-Moscow syndicate has a name, the Odessa Challenge. The Americans are Grajirena, Tampa businessman Tom Henshel, Clearwater businessman Zane Roberts and Belleair attorney Roger Tucker. The Soviets are Anatoly Verba, co-skipper of the Soviet's last Whitbread entry, the Fazisi; Sercey Voronkiv, the director of a Soviet import/export company and a "free-enterprise" Moscow bank; and Mrs. Lyudmila Danilova, director of Vodnik, a Moscow yacht club.

If things go as planned, the Odessa will be completed by November. The boat should arrive in Tampa Bay by January 1992 for sea trials. The all-Soviet crew, which will include Vladimir Kulinichenko, the Fazisi's sailmaker who is currently working out of Grajirena's Tampa shop, will train in the bay area.

In the summer of 1992, the Odessa will sail to Spain to take part in the celebration of the 500th voyage of Christopher Columbus. By spring 1993, the crew will be back in the United States to embark on a goodwill tour of the Atlantic Coast.

Then it is off to England for the start of the Whitbread. The boats will head for Punta del Este in Uruguay, then it is off to Australia. From Freemantle, they'll head to Auckland, New Zealand, then back to Uruguay. By May 1994, the boats should be in Fort Lauderdale, before embarking on the final leg to Southampton.

But throughout the nine-month race, bay area residents will be able to trace the Odessa's progress through satellite linkups.

"If Tampa Bay takes this Russian boat on as their own," said Grajirena, "they'll be able to watch their progress every night on the evening news."

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