The first around the world sailing record for circumnavigation of the world can be attributed to the surviving crew of Ferdinand Magellan's expedition, including the last captain Juan Sebastián Elcano who completed their journey in 1522. Although not in a single voyage but Magellan was technically the first to circumnavigate the globe since he was killed in the Mactan Islands and while in the Kingdom of Portugal's service, Magellan had already reached the Malay Archipelago in Southeast Asia on previous voyages traveling east (from 1505 to 1511–1512). By visiting this area again but now traveling west, Magellan achieved a nearly complete personal circumnavigation of the globe for the first time in history. The first solo record was set by Joshua Slocum in the Spray (1898). The current record holders are IDEC 3, skippered by Francis Joyon in 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds for a crewed journey, and François Gabart with Macif in 42 days, 16 hours, 40 minutes and 35 seconds for a solo journey. Most races or solo attempts start from Europe. Due to the configuration of the continents, sailing around the world consists of sailing on the Southern Ocean around the Antarctica continent, passing south of Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin. Since 1918 the Panama Canal is an option but the locks must be entered and exited using engine power. Large stretches of the canal can be crossed under sail power. Sailing around the world can be done by two directions: eastward or westward. The dominant winds and currents (outside tropical areas) make the voyage eastwards on the Southern hemisphere faster, most skippers and yachts who race prefer this route. Today, the multihulls perform much better than monohulls and hold the best times. Leisure yacht skippers who prefer tropical seas more often go westward, using the trade winds (and the Panama Canal). The Jules Verne Trophy is awarded for the fastest qualifying circumnavigation, starting from an imaginary line between the Créac'h lighthouse on Ushant island, France, and the Lizard Lighthouse, UK. The records are homologated by the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC). WSSRC rules state that qualifying round-the-world voyages must be at least 21,600 nmi long, calculated along the shortest possible track from the starting port and back that does not cross land and does not go below 63°S. The great-circle distance formulas are to be used, assuming that the great circle length is 21,600 nmi. It is allowed to have one single waypoint to lengthen the calculated track. The equator must be crossed. In reality, this means that the boat should pass a waypoint at or not far from the antipode of the starting port of the journey (the exact position depends on how short the shortest possible track is). For example, the Vendée Globe starts at 46°N 2°W, has a waypoint at 57°S 180°E, and barely makes the distance requirement. The participants don't have to go to the antipode at 46°S 178°E since the rounding of Africa gives extra distance.

Notable races

The most famous races around the world are: Former races including:

Notable solo achievements

From the first round-the-world yacht race (Sunday Times Golden Globe Race) in 1968, to November 2020, around 200 sailors tried their luck in a monohull and less than 100 managed to complete the course, mainly in the context of the Vendée Globe. Only 6 sailors achieved the Westward route facing the dominant winds and currents. Only 4 sailors managed to complete a round-the-world tour in a single-handed multihull without stopover and without assistance: Only 3 sailors have raced non-stop solo around the world in both directions. Mike Golding and Dee Caffari both set WSSRC Westbound world records using Global Challenge boats and also finishing the Eastbound Vendee Globe Race. In 2018 Jean-Luc Van Den Heede also managed this achievement.

Eastward route

Crewed

Single-handed

Multihulls

Monohulls

Non-stop Longest Distance Sailed

Recognised by the Guinness Book of Records

Singlehanded Female

The following voyages were pioneers and not officially recognized by the WSSRC.

Singlehanded Female Monohull

Westward route

This route is the more demanding one, as it faces the dominant winds and currents. There are fewer attempts and records.

Outright Crewed

As of February 2010, no record has been homologated.

Outright Single-handed

Female Non-stop Single-handed

Passage records

Multihull

Multihull (singlehanded)

Monohull (singlehanded)

Vendée Globe Singlehanded IMOCA

Intermediate records

The rules for intermediate records are set by the WSSRC.

From Equator to Equator

From the Atlantic Ocean: Equator => Cape Agulhas (South Africa) => Around Antarctica => Cape Horn => Equator

Indian Ocean

from Cape Agulhas, South Africa (longitude 20°E) to Tasmania south point, (longitude : 146°49'E)

Pacific Ocean

Tasmania south point, (longitude : 146°49'E) to Cape Horn (longitude 67°16'W)

South Atlantic Ocean

From Cape Horn (longitude 67°16'W) to Cape Agulhas, South Africa (longitude 20°E)

From Jules Verne Trophy starting line (Ushant) to Equator (out of WSSRC rule)

From Equator to Cape of Good Hope (out of WSSRC rules)

From Cape Horn to Equator (out of WSSRC rules)

From the cape Horn, cutting the longitude 67°16'W, up to the Equator

From Equator to Jules Verne Trophy finishing line (Ushant) (out of WSSRC rules)

Notes and references