Cádiz completes the circle as the Official Start Venue for the Globe40

In the latest big reveal, the OFFICIAL START of the 2nd edition of the GLOBE40 in September 2025 is set to enjoy Andalusian vibes.

Cádiz, the oldest city in Western Europe, with a history spanning some 3,000 years, has traversed multiple civilisations and boasts a remarkable historical and cultural heritage. Navigating its ramparts, its narrow, colourful streets and its beaches, warmth, vibrancy and hospitality seem to permeate every pore of this Spanish city. With contracts currently being drawn up, Cádiz is the port that has been chosen to complete the circle in this round the world race 2025/2026. Once again it is shaping up to be a massive sporting challenge with its 30,000-mile course spread as well as a cherished invitation to set sail on an epic journey.

The prologue: a ‘warm-up’ race setting sail from Lorient

LORIENT AGGLOMÉRATION with the support of LORIENT GRAND LARGE will once again host the event prologue in late August 2025. The primary base for a number of Class40 teams, Lorient provides the perfect setting for all the competitors to come together for the first time with all the necessary technical support close to hand. A 900-mile course will lead the fleet away from the French coast and down to Andalusian shores. A small coefficient will be awarded by way of a warm-up for the main event. A 10-day presence in Cádiz will be structured around a dense programme, the details of which will be unveiled at a later date.

Trade wind descent to Cape Verde

Due to set sail from Cádiz on 14 September 2025, a journey of 1,500 miles awaits the skippers en route to the Cape Verde archipelago. This downwind sprint in the trade wind should take a week to complete. The town of Mindelo proved to be a high point of the 1st edition of the race as the wild beauty of these volcanic islands and the unique hospitality of the people of Cape Verde, as evidenced in the music of local songstress Cesária Évora in the dear ‘Petit Pays’ (Little Country), is still incredibly authentic today. The Class40s will be moored in the port of Mindelo itself this time to enable the public to get up close to the fleet and to the skippers.

The first long oceanic course bound for Réunion Island

7,050 miles is the distance to be devoured in this first oceanic sprint, with a long descent of the South Atlantic, a rounding of the Saint Helena High, a test of strength navigating a course around the Cape of Good Hope, the first of 3 legendary capes, and arrival in the Indian Ocean culminating with a climb up to Réunion Island. The TCO (urban area of Territoire de l’Ouest) will accommodate the fleet in the Pointe des Galets marina in early November, after a sea passage of around 30 days for the first crews. Hosting for the first time a major offshore race, the region is keen to shine a spotlight on its nautical appeal, which includes a 22km lagoon and considerable development of its boating domain, as well as the wild countryside of the Intense Island and the mountainous cirques that make hiking an absolute must for the sailors and their families in this haven of trails.

Diving southwards through the Indian Ocean to Sydney Bay

In the 3rd week of November 2025, the teams will set a course for the Deep South and the Australian continent some 5,100 miles along the racetrack. Having cast off from Réunion Island, the skippers will drop down into the Roaring Forties on the fringes of the TAAF (French Southern and Antarctic Lands), before climbing up towards the Great Australian Bight, which may well have a few surprises in store before the skippers negotiate the notorious Bass Strait on their way up to Sydney. With the finish line set in the middle of the bay from around mid-December, it will doubtless be a momentous occasion in this temple of sailing after about 25 days at sea. It will also be a chance for everyone to recoup amidst its restored docks, carry out the necessary technical checks at the midway point in the course, witness the start of the Sydney Hobart race and see in the New Year on the other side of the planet with a backdrop of fireworks lighting up the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

A transpacific passage to the legendary destination of Valparaíso

The buzz of New Year will likely dissipate quickly as the fleet sets off for Chile in early January. On the programme is a 6,400-mile transpacific passage, the 2nd longest leg, with around thirty days at sea for an intended finish in late January. After passing through Polynesia and dropping down to the Horn in the 2022 edition, this second edition will see the Class40s pulling into the exotic Valparaíso. A wonderful trophy for any sailor, the city can open the doors to the global capital of street art, with its coloured houses and its 45 hills surrounding the port, as well as the nearby seaside resort and stunning beaches of Vina Del Mar.

From the east to the west of South America via the Horn

This unprecedented 4,800-mile leg from mid-February through to mid-March will take the fleet down the coast of Chile towards the Horn. Likely to involve a beat initially, the skippers will be seeking to hook onto a westerly wind for the approach and passage around Cape Horn before climbing up to the north-east of Brazil. The second section of the course along the coasts of Argentina and Brazil is always very complicated with multiple wind systems coming into play. Making landfall in Recife once more, the fleet will be accommodated in the new marina / hotel, just as it was in 2022. With all work now complete, the fantastic infrastructure will enable the sailors to really make the most of the ‘Brazilian Venice’.

Return to the North Atlantic and Lorient

A 4,300-mile leg will make up the final ‘purple passage’ of around 20 days from late March to mid-April and herald the grand finale for the GLOBE40 competitors. After what can be a full-on passage back to Europe at the end of winter, the skippers are expected into Lorient from the weekend of 17 April and these ‘circumnavigators of the globe’ will be able to share their epic adventure with the locals the following week on the pontoons of Lorient La Base. The prize-giving and final soirée are scheduled for Saturday 25 April 2026 and, if the 2022/2023 edition is anything to go by, emotions are sure to be running high!

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