Everybody has a different view of what counts as ‘adventurous’, and some are certainly more extreme than others. Then you have the people who think that sailing around the world is a little too easy, and doing it solo and non-stop is the better way to go. If this still sounds a little pedestrian, you can always sign up for the Golden Globe, where you do it without the help of modern technology. ‘Modern’ included chart plotters, phones, water makers, and basically any other assistance which makes the idea sound remotely possible.
Despite the rather obvious things to discourage entry into the Golden Globe, our Speaker, Ian Herbert-Jones still thought it was a good idea, and in 2022 he set off to start the race.
In the spirit of ‘beginning with the end in mind’, one of the first photos our speaker showed was of his boat lacking a fairly critical part of sailing equipment, namely a full length mast. We quickly realised that this wasn’t going to be a tale of how ‘easy’ an expedition it had been.
Departing from France, Ian rounded the Cape of Good Hope, sailed past Australia, and reached Cape Horn. It may not have been without it’s challenges, but nothing compared with what was to come.
Extreme weather conditions relieved him of a working windvane, and his drogue caught the hydrovane rudder, breaking it in half. A stop for repairs was inevitable, but Ian continued in Chichester Class once he had a steering system again.
Unfortunately, the weather had more plans, and Ian was eventually dismasted after rounding the Cape, and was rescued by a Taiwanese fishing vessel. Not the end to the race that he’d had in mind.
Ian was a fantastic speaker, with an amazing story to tell, but his previous life as a salesperson didn’t appear to have worked in terms of persuading people that the Golden Globe was something they might want to do.
20th January 2026