Cape Horn gathering at the Hall of Fame Awards

by Barry Pickthall for the International Association 28 Oct 10:46 GMT

Cape Horn gathering at the Hall of Fame Awards © Paul Bridier / LSO

Front row left to right: Marco Nannini, Dr Roger Nilson, Bernard Stamm, Francis Joyon, Skip Novak, Loick Peyron, Alain Leboeuf, President of the Vendee region, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Philippe Delamare, Francois Gouin,
Back row: Louis Robein, Michel Desjoyeaux, Andrew Cape, Jean Le Cam, unknown, Jean-Luc van den Heede, Archie Fairley-Chairman of the Int.Assoc. of Cape Horners, Don McIntyre, Yannick Moreau, Mayor of Les Sables d'Olonne, Riccardo Tosetto.

It was a night of celebrations, meeting old friends and recounting memorable stories of rounding Cape Horn amongst a veritable Who's Who list of global circumnavigators attending the Vendée Globe Race to applaud the latest names to be inducted into the Cape Horn Hall of Fame.

First to be recognised was four-time French circumnavigator, Loïck Peyron, a former Jules Verne Challenge record holder, followed by two fellow French sailing heroes, Jean Le Cam and the current circumnavigation record holder Francis Joyon.

Joining them in this very select group of 40 sailors that now have their names inscribed on the Hall of Fame and and 10-time Australian circumnavigator Andrew Cape.

The sixth inductee, Britain's Mike Golding joined the ceremony via video link from the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean where he and his family had just just berthed during a voyage delivering their catamaran from New Zealand back to Europe.

Mike Golding speaks via video link from the Cocos Islands - photo © Barry Pickthall / PPL

It was Golding perhaps, who summed up the feeling of all the inductees, saying: "It is a fantastic honour to be nominated and inducted into the Cape Horn Hall of Fame. There is no finer award than one created by your peers. I can't quite believe that my name will now sit alongside the many great names from the past and present."

For Golding, who has made 6 roundings of Cape Horn, three westward and three eastward, his most abiding memory of the this infamous Cape is the smell... "The smell of land, the smell of heather, and the smell of peat, all combined by the churning ocean. It is just the most amazing place." He enthused.

The International Association of Cape Horners (IACH) received 30 nominations for this year's Hall of Fame from the public. This list was verified by an independent selection committee chaired by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo non-stop around the world, and 15 names went forward to a vote by all members of of IACH.

This is the 4th year of the Cape Horn Hall of Fame awards and the names of 40 of the most famous round the world sailors now adorn theCape Horn honours board housed in a club house in the French port of Les Sables d'Olonne, the home of solo sailing, hosting not only the Vendée Globe, but the Golden Globe Race and Mini-Transat events.

Yannick Moreau, the Mayor of Les Sables d'Olonne Alan Leboeuf, President of the Vendée region who hosted this year's awards both described the event as "Amazing"

Yannick Moreau added. This year we have le crème de la crème of ocean sailing talent here.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, President of the International Association of Cape Horners, said to both. "Thank you for all the support you have given to single-handed sailing over the years. Your efforts have turned Les Sables d'Olonne into the solo sailing Capital of the world."

Mini biographies of the 2024 Cape Horn Hall of Fame inductees

Loïck Peyron - photo © PPL

Loïck Peyron - France (b: 1 December 1959)

A four-time circumnavigator via Cape Horn, Loïck Peyron's most notable achievements, include winning the ORMA Championship four times in 1996, 1997,1999 and 2002, the OSTAR solo transatlantic race three times, the Transat Jacques Vabre twice and the Jules Verne Trophy in 2012.

Peyron joined the French Gitana Team in 2006 to race Gitana Eighty, a 60ft monohull with which he won the Transat. He raced the same yacht in the 2008/9 Vendée Globe and had been leading the race for 16 days, when Gitana's mast broke.

In 2012 he and his crew won the Jules Verne Trophy aboard the multi trimaran Banque Populaire with a time of 45 days 13 hours 42 minutes 53 seconds, breaking the previous round the world sailing record by 2 days.

In November 2014, he won the Route du Rhum single-handed Transat setting a new record, from St Malo to Guadeloupe in 7 days 15 hours 8 minutes and 32 seconds (22.93 kts average speed), beating the previous record by 2h 10mn 34s.

Jean Le Cam - photo © PPL

Jean Le Cam - France (b: 27 April 1959)

A veteran of 7 circumnavigations, and about to embark on his 5th Vendée Globe Race, French sailor Jean Le Cam began his career as a disciple of Eric Tabarly aboard his 1981/2 Whitbread round the world race yacht Euromarché (ex-Pen Duick IV). He went on to win the Solitaire du Figaro Race in 1994, 1996 and 1999.

Jean finished second in the 2004 Vendée Globe, arriving just a few hours after the winner Vincent Riou.

On 6 January 2009, whilst competing in the 2008/9 Vendée Globe, Le Cam went missing 200 miles west of Cape Horn. Trapped in his upturned yacht for 16 hour he was rescued by Vincent Riou, then skipper of PRB.

In the 2020/1 Vendée Globe the roles were reversed when Le Cam conducted a night-time rescue of fellow competitor and PRB skipper Kevin Escoffier, after Escoffier's 840 miles southwest of Cape Town, Once the rescue was complete Le Cam rejoined the race, with Escoffier aboard. Escoffier was later recovered from Le Cam's aptly named yacht Yes we Cam, was awarded a 16hr 15min time compensation for the rescue which lifted him from 8th to 4th in the overall standings.

Jean Le Cam was appointed chevalier of the French Legion d'honneur in July 2021.

Dr Roger Nilson - photo © PPL

Dr Roger Nilson - Sweden (b: 5th March 1949)

A 7-time circumnavigator, Dr Roger Nilson is one of the great Whitbread Round the World Race veterans, completing his first circumnavigation aboard the American yacht Alaska Eagle in 1981. He was the doctor aboard Drum in the 1985/6 Whitbread and skippered The Card in the 1989/90, Intrum Justitia in 1993/4, Swedish Match in 1997/8, and navigated Amer Sports On in 2001,

Nilson also sailed as navigator aboard the American maxi trimaran Innovation Explorer in 'The Race' in 2001. and was on Orange II with Bruno Peyron when they broke the Jules Verne Challenge record in 2005 with a time of 50d 16h 20min 4s

He has written two books on the Whitbread races, a biography of his personal life and has contributed to many sailing films as a cameraman/producer.

Francis Joyon - photo © PPL

Francis Joyon - France (b: 28th May 1956)

A 4-time Cape Horner, Francis Joyon became the first person to complete a solo non-stop circumnavigation in a multihull in 2004, breaking the record in the process. Two years later he repeated the feat, retaking the record from Dame Ellen MacArthur with a time of, 57d 13h 34m

On 6 July 2005 Joyon aboard his multihull IDEC broke the 11-year solo trans atlantic record from Ambrose Light off New York to the Lizard with a time of 6 days 4 hours 1 minute and 37 seconds. During the voyage he also broke the 24-hour distance record for single-handed sailing with a run of 543 nautical miles(1,006 km)

In 2017 he and his crew aboard IDEC Sport reduced the Jules Verne Challenge circumnavigation record to 40d 23h 30m

Andrew Cape - photo © PPL

Andrew Cape - Australia (b: 28th July 1962)

Andrew Cape is one of the world's foremost navigators. The Australian has competed at all levels from the Admiral's Cup, America's Cup and Transatlantic races to competing in multiple Whitbread and Volvo Ocean Races. He has rounded Cape Horn 10 times and won the America's Cup as navigator aboard the Swiss yacht Alinghiin 2003.

He also set a world speed 24hr monohull record with Alex Thomson aboard the IMOCO 60 Hugo Boss during the 2007/8 Barcelona World Race, covering 499.22 miles - an average of 20.8 knots.

Mike Golding OBE - Great Britain (b: 28th August 1960)

A 6-time circumnavigator (3 Eastward and 3 Westward), Mike Golding OBE is an IMOCA and FICO world champion who has consistently delivered winning performances in the most prestigious round the world and transatlantic events.

In 1994, sailing the 67ft steel yacht, Group 4 Securitas on a solo circumnavigation he established a world record for the fastest single handed circumnavigation East to West. In 2000, he completed a solo circumnavigation West to East in the Vendée Globe; to become the first person to sail solo,non-stop around the world in both directions.?He went on to win the1997 BT Global Challenge in the same yacht

Having competed in four solo Vendée Globe round the world races and over 25 transatlantic races, Golding was awarded the Emile Robin and Royal Humane Society awards for his rescue of fellow solo sailor, Alex Thomson, from his yacht Hugo Boss, deep in the Southern Ocean.?In 2007, Mike was awarded an OBE for services to UK sport.

Cape Horn artefacts

During a reception at the Le Carre, a club house dedicated to Cape Horners within the Vendee Globe marina in Les Sables d'Olonne, previous inductees presented mementoes to their roundings of The Cape. Michel Desjoyeaux and Jean-Luc van den Heede, a veteran of 12 roundings, both presented charts showing their multiple courses around the Horn. Not to be outdone, American Skip Novak presented his Cape Horn Memory Stone, gathered from the beach beneath the Cape back in 1988 during his first cruise to Tierra del Fuego with his high latitude yacht Pelagic. "Touch the stone and memories of your rounding of Cape Horn will come flooding back" Says Skip.

Names already honoured on the IACH Cape Horn Hall of Fame: