Global Solo Challenge

The Global Solo Challenge has been launched, an incredible personal navigation challenge: a solo circumnavigation, without stops, on standard production ships with departure and arrival in A Coruña in 2023.

Many are those passionate about ocean sailing, professionals with thousands of miles under their keel who are often unable to enter and compete in major ocean sailing events due to the enormous costs involved. The Global Solo Challenge seeks to close that gap. Boats admitted to the event are widely available 35- to 45-foot production boats built in a minimum series of 20 units and launched prior to 2005.

There are other limitations regarding the displacement / length ratio that effectively eliminate boats that are too expensive, open layouts, custom builds, all in order to contain the budget and create an event that is truly one of a kind in its format.

The choice of widely available series boats has also been taken into account the environment, as it follows the guiding principles of a “circular economy”, where available resources are reused while respecting the sea and the planet.

The Global Solo Challenge is an event created by sailors for sailors. The Event Director, Marco Nannini, has a track record that includes participation in the OSTAR, the Route du Rhum and the Global Ocean Race. The latter is a regatta for two around the world in stages in Class40s, where he took second place in the general, which earned him the title of Italian Navigator of the year 2012 and a medal for his merits awarded by the Presidency of the Senate of the Republic of Italy.

For five years, Nannini managed an offshore training and navigation center in Italy, bringing together the largest fleet of Mini 650s in one location in the Mediterranean. There he organized frequent training regattas. His BA in Economics and Finance from York University and his previous degree in Finance add value to the managerial side of the event.

“The Global Solo Challenge is the result of an in-depth study on how to offer a sailing event where it is not just the budget that makes the difference. The format of the event is new and unique, ”explained Naninni.

“The safety of the participants is an absolute imperative: skippers must demonstrate that they are prepared with a 2000 mile qualifier in challenging and varied sea conditions on the boat they wish to enter the event, a qualifier that will be monitored by the organizers. Several outings are scheduled for the participants, with the aim of keeping the fleet as close as possible, especially at the crucial moment of the Cape Horn rodeos, in case of technical problems or difficulties. The smallest and slowest boats will have the upper hand and week after week, in groups of boats of similar speed, all boats will start with the fastest boat leaving last. However, once started, the event takes place in real time without time correction and therefore the first boat to return home will win. Thanks to the format, the slower boats will also have a chance to win and will not be eliminated ”.

The different starts of the Global Solo Challenge will take place in September 2023 from A Coruña. The route is the traditional east on the circumnavigation around the world passing the three great capes: Cape Good Hope, Cape Leeuwinn and Cape Horn, leaving the Antarctic region and all known ice to starboard with exclusion zone marking.

The event has already attracted the interest of more than 40 skippers from around the world in its first week alone. Skipper Ivan Dimov, originally from Bulgaria but a longtime resident of Italy, was the first to join the challenge.