How racers manage to do the vendee globe (solo, from france around-the-world back to france) in just 80 days with just sails and ropes as engines is beyond me.
FYI the fastest solo sail around the world was set in 2017 at 40 days in a Trimaran
then you should check this amazing sailor named Yann Quenet who built his own 4m sailboat [1] (yes 4m is crazy) on which he did a circumnavigation and once he came back worked at improving his little boat and just left 8 days ago for another circumnavigation.
He has been documenting his journey on youtube[2]:
ref:
Not to dimish their perfomance, but still worth noting that they are taking the curves as tightly as anyhow possible. Which is okay, I guess, it's a race after all.
https://www.vendeeglobe.org/themes/custom/front/dist/assets/112114cd193fee4caebf.webp
https://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/what-vendee-globe
This is of course ok, given that any other criteria would be equally subjective.
Going through Panama, the Phillipines and back through Suez honestly seems way better. Aside from the part where they get shot and killed off the coast of Somalia of course.
The route is chosen due to an unobstructed path ‘around the world’ in the Southern Ocean.
[1] http://www.youtube.com/@patricklaine6958
Edit: official channel URL
On hiatus from sailing due to family reasons; most recent video:
Tides/currents make a huge difference too. There is a right way and a "wrong way round" when sailing the globe. Rather than head south from europe and left towards asia, you turn right towards the south pacific.
Yes, but people have gone the "backwards" way as well:
> The oldest person to sail around the world singlehandedly and non-stop is Bill Hatfield (Australia, b. 14 January 1939), who was aged 81 years 39 days when he sailed into The Spit on Australia's Gold Coast on 22 February 2020. He embarked on his eight-month (295-day) solo circumnavigation – on the more challenging westerly route, against the prevailing winds – on 8 June 2019 in his 11.5-m (38-ft) yacht L'Eau Commotion.
* https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/oldest-pe...