News of a new Jules Verne Challenge record circumnavigation via Cape Horn set by French the team aboard Sodebo Ultim 3 skippered by Thomas Coville on January 25 provides a timely reminder for sailing enthusiasts everywhere to nominate their favourite Cape Horner for the 2026 Cape Horn Hall of Fame awards.
The 32m foil-borne trimaran crewed by Benjamin Schwartz, Frédéric Denis, Pierre Leboucher, Léonard Legrand, and Guillaume Pirouelle set a new record of 40 days, 10 hours, and 45 minutes, an average speed of 27.17 knots for the 28,315-mile distance from Ushant around the three great Capes and back. That is 12 hours 44 minutes faster than Francis Joyon’s long-standing previous record, set by IDEC Sport nine years ago.
Organised by the International Association of Cape Horners (IACH) and co-sponsored by the French port of Les Sables d’Olonne, Spinlock and McIntyre Adventure, public nominations for this year’s intake of Cape Horners closes on 30 April. That’s time enough to include the winner of the Globe 40, 2-man round the world race expected to finish off Lorient just before the deadline. Nominations can include Cape Horners past and present.
Click here for the nomination form which can also be found on the IACH website.
An independent judging panel led by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, which includes 10-time solo circumnavigator Jean-Luc van den Heede, Dee Caffari, Stan Honey and Captain Dilip Donde will short-list 15 nominations which then go forward to be voted on by the IACH membership to select the top six inductees. The awards ceremony is expected to be held in Les Sables d’Olonne, France in September during start week for the 2026/7 Golden Globe solo non-stop round the world race.
Now in its 4th year, the IACH Hall of Fame honours board lists 46 famous Cape Horners, the latest being French Vendee Globe Race winner Charlie Dalin from France, multiple circumnavigator Paul Standbridge, photographer extraordinaire Rick Tomlinson, and two outstanding women sailors, Isabelle Autissier and Samantha Davies.
Circumnavigation Records
The Cape Horners Association also maintain a definitive list of solo and multi-crewed circumnavigations via Cape Horn which are available to view online.
The total number since modern records began with Irishman Coner O’Brien completed a 2-year from Dublin via the 3 Great Capes and back in 1925 aboard his 42ft cruising yacht Saoirse, has now reached 2,374 – an additional 169 names since last year. The latest IACH register update lists 225 who have completed solo non-stop circumnavigations, a further 157 have made similar solo circles of the globe via Cape Horn with stops, and a remarkable 1,992 have now done the same aboard crewed yachts.
The latest of these being the 8-strong women sailors aboard the French Jules Verne multihull The Famous Project CIC skippered Alexia Barrier, who set a female circumnavigation record of 57 days, 21 hours, 20mins, a day after Sodebo Ultim 3’s outright record. Her crew included Dee Caffari (UK), Annemieke Bes (Netherlands), Rebecca Gmür Hornell (Switzerland and New Zealand), Deborah Blair (UK), Molly LaPointe, (USA and Italy) Támara Echegoyen (Spain), and Stacey Jackson (Australia) – more names to consider for the 2026 Cape Horn Hall of Fame!
