The Ship Report: T he 2026 Golden Globe solo race has begun

<p><strong>The Ship Report, Tuesday, September 8, 2026</strong></p><p>Sixteen sailboats left Les Sables D&#39;Olonne, France, over the weekend to compete in a unique race called the Golden Globe.</p><p>Participants sail solo in boats equipped only with technology available when the race was first run in 1968. That means no GPS, no satellite connectivity, no cell or sat phones. Sextant and compass to navigate, radio for communication, and a willingness to spend 8 months or more alone at sea. </p><p>They&#39;ll sail to the bottom of the world using the &quot;Clipper Route&quot; and if all goes well, pass south of all the fearsome capes of the world, including infamous Cape Horn. Then they&#39;ll said up the Atlantic and end the race in France where they started.</p><p>As in 2022, only one entrant is a woman. Last time, Kirsten Neuschafer of South Africa won the race, becoming only the second woman to enter and the first ever to win. This year, Norwegian Helga Marie (Mara) Løvenskiold Kveseth is now the third.</p><p></p>