Solo, non-stop circumnavigation from east to west

By mooring his multihull at the Quai du Commandant Malbert, Guirec Soudée has just achieved a masterstroke: at 34, on his very first attempt, he has managed to seize the most demanding sailing record in existence.

Last summer, while Guirec Soudée's transatlantic warm-up with the famous YouTuber Inoxtag (see MW203) may have resembled a vacation, it was in fact to prepare both man and his boat for an extreme project – a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the globe via the three great capes… but not in the usual direction. This time, the approach is to head straight for Cape Horn, followed by Cape Leeuwin and the Cape of Good Hope, which must be left to starboard.

The Breton sailor thus left his home port of Lorient at the end of December aboard his Ultim MACSF. Two days before Christmas, the solo sailor crossed the starting line of the round-the-world race off the island of Ushant. Ahead of his bows lies a 22,000-mile direct route against wind and currents. While Guirec is a particularly seasoned and determined sailor – he has already completed a double transatlantic row – the challenge of this round-the-world voyage is colossal. Even the greatest sailors, like Thomas Coville, fresh from his record-breaking Jules Verne Trophy, readily admit: "It's a challenge that impresses me and that I think I would never have been able to take on. It's extraordinary. I don't know if people really realize what he's doing, but it truly defies everything in terms of adventure."

It's no coincidence that the previous record, set by Jean-Luc Van Den Heede on his fourth attempt, stood for 22 years! The sailor from Les Sables-d'Olonne readily acknowledges that records are made to be broken, especially those set in a monohull. In reality, a 25.70-meter aluminum sailboat is still better suited to this boat-breaking course. Sailing solo on one side of his Ultim Actual, Yves Le Blévec capsized shortly after rounding Cape Horn – that was in 2017. Sailing double-handed, Romain Pilliard and Alex Pella ran aground at the entrance to the Cook Strait after anchoring their trimaran Use it Again to avoid a storm on the 34th day of sailing – that was in 2022. Guirec, for his part, covered nearly 38,000 miles, while the reference route is barely more than 22,000. Where VDH passed south of Point Nemo, skimming the ice, the solo sailor sailed almost to the Equator in the Pacific to protect his Ultim. "He who has far to ride spares his horse," as the saying goes… For the sailor, not bringing his trimaran back – partly due to his financial commitment to this project – was not an option. On the technical side, Guirec had to contend with a starboard rudder damaged in the Indian Ocean by a fishing net and countless other malfunctions, fortunately without major consequences for speed or safety. Nevertheless, just hours from the finish, the Ultim MACSF was still reaching speeds of over 20 knots.

One can only imagine the intense pressure the sailor must have been under until that liberating crossing of the finish line. Well done, Guirec!

The record for circumnavigating the world from east to west

1971 – Chay Blyth aboard British Steel (monohull) – 292 days
1994 – Mike Golding aboard Group 4 (monohull) – 161 days
2000 – Philippe Monet aboard Unnet (monohull) – 151 days
2004 – Jean-Luc Van Den Heede aboard Adrien (monohull) – 122 days
2026 – Guirec Soudée aboard MACSF (multihull) – 94 days

Ultim MACSF: A Tried and Tested Trimaran!

The Ultim MACSF was first launched in 2014 bearing the name Sodebo Ultim'... but this giant trimaran has much earlier origins, as it borrowed many elements such as the connecting arms and floats from Geronimo, a multihull launched 13 years previously. The trimaran continued its (very) long career under the names Actual Leader, Mieux, and finally Adagio before flying the colors of MACSF, a French insurance company for healthcare professionals founded in 1935.

Technical Specifications

Length: 102’ (31 m)
Beam: 70’ (21.2 m)
Mast height: 115’ (35 m)
Maximum sail area: 7,136 sq ft (663 m²)
Top speed: 43 knots