Jean-Luc Van Den Heede aboard his Rustler 36 Matmut has crossed the finish line at Les Sables d’Olonne today to win the Golden Globe Race at about 1100h local time. He arrived to a huge welcome after his circumnavigation of the globe, sailing without modern technology or benefit of satellite based navigation aids. His elapsed time is 212d 5h 10m 0s.
The 73-year-old sailor Jean-Luc Van Den Heede won the non-stop, unsupported solo round the world race this, a revival edition of the legendary 1968-1969 race.
By safely getting to port this morning, Van Den Heede has kept himself ahead of the next series of rapidly approaching classic Bay of Biscay superstorms, forecast to be so extreme that second-placed Mark Slats of The Netherlands, who was 350 miles astern of van den Heede when the latter finished, is currently heading for shelter in La Coruna in northwest Spain after controversial communication with his shore team.
Slats is facing a time penalty for a breach of satellite communication rules, and direct outside assistance from his Dutch team manager Dick Koopmans.
NOTE: Jean-Luc Van Den Heede absorbed an 18-hour time penalty as a result of his actions when he sustained mast damage during a storm 1,900 miles west of Cape Horn. His mast remains structurally unsound which may impact his performance for the remaining miles.
Event details – Entry list – Tracker – Facebook
Background:
The 2018 Golden Globe Race started for 17 skippers from Les Sables d’Olonne on Sunday July 1, 2018, with the inaugural solo non-stop around the world yacht race expected to take 9-10 months to complete.
The event marks the 50th anniversary of the Sunday Times Golden Globe solo non-stop round the world race in 1968-69 when rules then allowed competitors to start from ports in northern France or UK between June 1st and October 31st.
A notable twist to the 2018 Golden Globe Race format is how entrants are restricted to using the same type of yachts and equipment that were available in that first race, with the premise being to keep the race within financial reach of every dreamer.
The rules allow for one breach of the strict solo, non-stop un-assisted circumnavigation without the aid of modern electronic navigation aids regulations that make this Race unique. However, those that do move down to the Chichester Class as if, like Sir Francis Chichester in 1966-67, they have made one stop during their solo circumnavigation.
Those who breach the rules for a second time are deemed to have retired from the GGR Event and the organisers have no responsibility or obligation to them.
Published on January 29th, 2019
Source: GGR
Source: https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2019/01/29/golden-globe-van-den-heede-wins/
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