Solo sailors in the Golden Globe Race fleet are bracing for a brutal night at sea as Tropical Storm Gonzalo bears down on boats near Cabo Verde, with forecast gusts of up to 55 knots and seas building to five metres.
Race control confirmed four skippers were already battling winds of 30-35 knots as the system, upgraded from a tropical low over the past 24 hours, tracks north-northwest at seven knots. The US National Hurricane Center's 03:00 UTC advisory on Friday put Gonzalo's maximum sustained winds at 40 knots, with strengthening to 45 knots and gusts to 55 knots expected through Friday and into the night.
The most exposed sailors are considered to be Louis Kerdelhué (France, 21) aboard the Biscay 36 ketch IE Charge, Gunnar Christensen (USA, 60) on the Hans Christian 34 cutter Pompoen, and Matt Woodside (USA, 68) aboard the Cape George 36 Tipi Haere. As they work southwest, race organisers warn they could face strong southerly winds swinging rapidly through east to north within hours, throwing up a confused sea that will test even the most experienced offshore sailor.
Further west, Henry Wootton (UK, 35) on the Cape George 36 cutter Privateer and Helga Marie "Mara" Løvenskiold Kveseth (Norway, 35) on the Saltram Saga 36 Showgirl may dodge the worst of it thanks to their westward positioning. Guido Cantini (Italy, 58) aboard the Vancouver 34 Classic Hannah of Cowes is nearing a passage through the Cabo Verde islands, while Daniel Pinsky (Israel, 35) on the Baba 35 Exodus made a night landfall near Santo Antão before rounding the northwest tip, largely avoiding the heaviest winds. Isa Rosli (Canada, 51) on the OE 32 Olleanna, who briefly outpaced the whole fleet earlier in the race, appears to have taken a more southerly track than the weather warnings suggested, possibly missing the alert, and will now face strong westerly winds turning northwesterly. Pär Nyman (Sweden, 56) on the Rustler 36 Lazy Otter, approaching from the north, is expected to miss the brunt of the storm entirely.
Ashore, Guy deBoer (USA, 70) remains alongside at Marina Rubicón in Lanzarote awaiting a surveyor's report on his Tashiba 36 Spirit before structural repairs can be approved and a new green card issued for him to continue in Chichester Class. The saga has escalated in recent days from a chainplate concern to questions over whether he has a race left at all, after the survey turned up serious problems in an existing hull repair. Selim Yalcin (Turkey, 65), aboard the Endurance 35 sloop Help Disabled Children, remains in Cádiz working through radio problems, with no confirmed return date to the fleet.
Thursday evening's GGR Window Live broadcast captured Etienne Messikommer (Switzerland, 38) reducing sail aboard his Tradewind 35 cutter Bernard as conditions deteriorated, giving viewers a real-time look at solo seamanship under pressure rather than an edited highlights reel. Messikommer has spent much of the race locked in a private battle for position with Andrea Lodolo further back in the fleet.
Organisers say the race's social media reach has grown 400-500 percent compared with the 2022 edition. A new statistics platform, GGR Stats, launches on Saturday 26 September, bringing together detailed performance data from the 2018, 2022 and 2026 races, including average speeds, 24-hour runs and comparisons between boats and skippers.
"We are absolutely convinced that keen followers will love the outcome," said Don McIntyre, Golden Globe Race founder.
In their daily check-ins on 24 September, sailors described conditions firsthand. Matt Woodside reported weathering "a 36-knot squall as the wind shifted from northeast to southeast," while Henry Wootton said he was "pushing southwest at pace to get around the top of the low-pressure system." Pat Lawless aboard Silvermines Hydro, who has held a distant second place behind race leader Damien Guillou for much of the voyage, noted a further storm forming to his southeast, watching "clouds passing the moon" as he tried to stay ahead of it.
