A month into the 2026 McIntyre Golden Globe Race, the Atlantic has stopped being gentle with the fleet of solo circumnavigators, and the leaders have begun to break clear of the pack.
Tropical Storm Gonzalo has passed, but the Doldrums have taken over as the defining challenge, dishing out calms, broken wind bands and headwinds in what race organisers are calling the traditional Atlantic lottery. One boat finds five knots of breeze while another nearby virtually stops. The fleet, 16 strong at the start and now down to 14, is effectively splitting into three separate races.
At the front, Damien Guillou aboard SOLAREM and Pat Lawless aboard SILVERMINES HYDRO have broken into the southeast trades and pulled away from the rest. Guillou has been the standout, posting a run of around 164 nautical miles on 4 October and continuing to grind out small gains. This morning SOLAREM was making about 6.9 knots, with Lawless on SILVERMINES HYDRO at 5.9 knots after a run in the high 140s. Both are closing on Trindade, where a shift in the South Atlantic High could give Lawless a chance to close the gap.
It has not been easy for Lawless. He lost around 90 minutes hanging off the back of his boat repairing failed steering lines from his windvane self-steering, with no outside help available.
Behind the top two, Ertan Beskardes on MISS BEAGLE has made his eastern-side gamble pay off, establishing himself in the southeast trades ahead of the rest of the chasing group and holding third.
Further back, fortunes are swinging wildly. Etienne Messikommer (BERNARD) and Henry Wootton (PRIVATEER) were both making around 3 knots southwest this morning, while Andrea Lodolo (BIBI) and Daniel Pinsky (EXODUS) sat together at about 3.7 knots. Guido Cantini on HANNAH OF COWES has found yet another hole, managing just 0.7 knots over four hours, compounded by a repeat failure of his SSB radio after an earlier breakdown had already cost him a 24-hour penalty for an authorised satellite phone call to his shore team. A repair stop now could force him into Chichester Class.
Gunnar Christensen on POMPOEN spent around 90 minutes in the water scrubbing significant barnacle growth from his hull, a problem that tends to worsen quickly once it starts.
The most serious moment of the week came on 5 October, when Race Control raised concern over Louis Kerdelhué aboard IE CHARGE after his tracker showed him drifting at a knot or less for almost 24 hours and he missed two daily safety reports. A potential Code Orange file was opened, with the nearest boat, Christensen's, some 150 nautical miles away. Just 30 minutes before the deadline to contact search and rescue authorities, Kerdelhué's speed picked up to around 4.5 knots. He has since confirmed by message that all is okay, though voice contact has still not been established, and he faces a €50 penalty for each missed daily safety report.
Guy deBoer is back at sea aboard SPIRIT after chainplate and hull repairs in Lanzarote. He is now sailing in Chichester Class, out of contention for the main trophies, but continuing the adventure some 1,500 miles behind the fleet.
Guillou looks strong, Lawless is in pursuit, and Beskardes holds useful breathing space in third. Behind them, little is settled. The Southern Ocean, the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn all still lie ahead.
