Since 2027Single-handed
Global Solo Challenge
Non-stop, unassisted solo round-the-world race via the three capes, founded by Marco Nannini; staggered starts based on each boat's performance.
Non-stop, unassisted solo round-the-world race via the three capes, founded by Marco Nannini; staggered starts based on each boat's performance.
The Global Solo Challenge is a non-stop solo round-the-world race founded by Marco Nannini, a sailor and consultant with a banking background who finished second in the 2011-2012 Global Ocean Race. It follows the clipper route: down the Atlantic to the Cape of Good Hope, then past Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn with Antarctica to the south, and back. The course is about 26,000 miles, with an exclusion zone around Antarctica because of ice.
The idea is that budget should not decide the outcome: each boat's start date depends on its performance, with slower boats leaving first and faster ones chasing them. There are no classes at sea, and the first across the line wins. Engines are banned except in emergencies, external weather routing is allowed, and every boat carries a satellite tracker.
The race is open to monohulls over 32 feet, including Class40, Open 50 and IMOCA 60. Skippers must be at least 18 and have completed a 2,000-mile solo qualifying passage on their boat.
The first edition left A Coruña from 30 September 2023; Philippe Delamare (Mowgli) was first to finish, ahead of Cole Brauer (First Light) and Andrea Mura (Vento di Sardegna). The second edition is announced for 2027-2028, starting and finishing in Vigo.
3 sources · updated 6 Nov 2026
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Source: Wikidata (opens in a new tab)
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Source: Nicolas Manthos enters the Global Solo Challenge (opens in a new tab)