There is a growing history to racing around the world. It was in the early 1960’s that the first races across the Atlantic took place. Then in 1968, the first circumnavigators participated in the Golden Globe single-handed race around the world. Since then and into the present, there have been a number of variations on the format. Generally, there are two formats – non-stop and multi-legged races.  Both of these traverse nearly the same course, through the same ocean passages, but as the names indicate, only one is nonstop around the world, while the others all make stops at traditional ports.

The non-stop race, know as the Vendee Globe race, is a continuation of the Golden Globe race which marked Sir Robin Knox-Johnston as the first to sail single-handed, non-stop around the world in 1969. This race is competed every four years in Open 60 boats — 60’ sailing boats with little in the way of parameters restricting their design other than their maximum length of 60 feet. Here’s a cool little animation of the route the Vendee Globe runs.

Besides the Vendee Globe, there are two multi-legged races that run presently, each on four year schedules with some variation. The Velux 5 Oceans race, which is a continuation of the BOC single-handed race, traces its origin goes back to 1982, and the Global Ocean Race, which originated in 2007 and is the race Bodacious Dream will be competing in.

These races run similar routes which are the traditional, around the world, race routes.  The boats start in Europe and race to Cape Town, South Africa. They restart in Cape Town and race to New Zealand. Restarting again in New Zealand, they race around the famed Cape Horn to Uruguay.  And after restarting there, they return to the finish in Europe.   The typical leg takes between 30 and 40 days, the total distance of the race is nearly 28,000 miles, around the world, or as some say, around Antarctica.

The GOR is different in that it is specifically set for Class 40 racing boats, which is what Bodacious Dream is.  See our page on the boat for more specific details on what a “Class 40” sailing boat is.