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Sailing News for September 30, 2025

Sailing served up contrast this week. The Golden Globe Race is set to return in 2026 with record entries and old-school grit, while Andrew Campbell eyes a U.S. SailGP breakthrough in Cádiz. Offshore, one sailor’s 3,000-mile Pacific crossing tested the limits of endurance and solitude. Inshore, the Melges 24 Worlds roared to a finale in Bora winds, sealing a nail-biting championship. The Sunfish class is splitting paths between hardcore racers and casual cruisers, and rust-stained boats meet their match with a new cleaner. And in Sassnitz, SailGP produced jaw-dropping drama and a miracle repair that led to a fairytale French win.

Sail GP/America’s Cup

The Golden Globe Race Returns in 2026 (2 min read)
Forget foils and carbon. This is solo circumnavigation with wool sweaters, sextants, and long-keeled cruisers. The Golden Globe Race is back in September 2026, launching from Les Sables d’Olonne with a record 27 entrants. Expect legends in the making, slow-motion drama at 5 knots, and no autopilot in sight. With returnees like Damien Guillou and newcomers like Germany’s Oleg Schmidt, the stage is set for another gloriously retro lap around the planet.

Andrew: Making A Final Is Not Far Away (5 min read)
U.S. SailGP strategist Andrew Campbell is backing his squad to finally crack a Final, and soon. After weather forced him off the boat in Geneva, he liked what he saw from the chase boat: tighter communication, better results, and a Sunday showing that was second best in the fleet. The team was only nine points short of the Final, and Campbell insists Cádiz could be the turning point. His message is clear: stick to the process, finish every race, and the breakthrough will come.

Solo Pacific Crossing: One Sailor, One Boat, 3,000 Miles (12 min read)
Metcalfe sailed 3,000 miles alone from Mexico to French Polynesia on his rebuilt Hans Christian 38, Kessel. In 23 days he faced torn sails, squalls, hallucinations, broken gear, and the kind of loneliness that either breaks you or forges you. He also had champagne days under spinnaker, watched flying fish skip across the swell, and found joy in small victories. Landfall in Fatu Hiva was both an ending and a beginning, proof that crossing an ocean alone does not make you better, it makes you real.

Inshore & Offshore Racing

Race Day 5 – Melges 24 World Championship in Trieste (3 min read)
After four days of fickle weather, the Melges 24 Worlds in Trieste finally lit up with a ripping Bora wind on the last day. Four races slammed into the schedule, bringing the total to seven and sealing the championship in classic high-adrenaline style. The fight with rival Sentinel went right down to the wire, every boat and point under the microscope. A nail-biting finish, a relieved winner, and a reminder why the Melges 24 remains one of the most exciting one-design classes out there.

Olympic Class/Dinghy Sailing

Race or Relax: Sunfish and ISCA’s Diverging Paths (6 min read)
The iconic Sunfish has split into two camps. Zim Sailing now builds the ISCA-approved race version with upgraded hardware, stiffer hulls, and better flotation, while SERO Innovation produces licensed Sunfish aimed at casual sailors and sailing schools. To make it even spicier, SERO’s also pushing the SOL, a budget-friendly alternative. The result is a quirky three-way family tree: Sunfish, ISCA, and SOL. Whether you’re chasing trophies or just chasing sunsets, there’s now a fish for every sailor.

Tech & Gear

Can Grunt! Boat Cleaner Get Rid of Rust Stains? (4 min read)
Rust streaks are the bane of every boat owner, and Jake Frith put Grunt! Boat Cleaner’s new formula to the test. Applied with a brush, the gel clings to vertical surfaces and works without nasty fumes. After 15 minutes on a stainless plate’s stubborn rust marks, it didn’t work miracles but made a serious dent in the stains. The verdict: not a one-swipe cure, but effective enough that repeat treatments could get your bulkhead looking clean again.

Sailing Highlight of the Day

Sassnitz delivered pure chaos and drama. France lost a rudder, Brazil nosedived, and Team USA nearly sank after tearing its bow clean off. Overnight, SailGP’s tech crew pulled off a Frankenstein repair that let Emirates GBR rejoin the fight, while Quentin Delapierre shook off a hospital visit to steer France to its first win since Season 3. Oh, and Denmark smashed the all-time speed record at 104 kph. This one had it all: carnage, miracles, and a fairytale French victory.