Cape Horners take centre stage at Vendée Globe

It was a night of celebrations, meeting old friends and recounting memorable stories of rounding Cape Horn amongst a veritable Who’s Who list of global circumnavigators attending the Vendée Globe to applaud the latest names to be inducted into the Cape Horn Hall of Fame.

First to be recognised was four-time French circumnavigator, Loïck Peyron, a former Jules Verne Challenge record holder, followed by two fellow French sailing heroes, Jean Le Cam and the current circumnavigation record holder Francis Joyon.

Joining them in this very select group of 40 sailors that now have their names enscribed on the Hall of Fame are Dr Roger Nilson and 10-time Australian circumnavigator Andrew Cape.

Image: Barry Pickthall/PPL

The sixth inductee, Britain’s Mike Golding joined the ceremony via video link from the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean where he and his family had just just berthed during a voyage delivering their catamaran from New Zealand back to Europe.

It was Golding perhaps, who summed up the feeling of all the inductees, saying: “It is a fantastic honour to be nominated and inducted into the Cape Horn Hall of Fame. There is no finer award than one created by your peers. I can’t quite believe that my name will now sit alongside the many great names from the past and present.”

For Golding, who has made 6 roundings of Cape Horn, three westward and three eastward, his most abiding memory of the this infamous Cape is the smell…”The smell of land, the smell of heather, and the smell of peat,all combined by the churning ocean. It is just the most amazing place,”  he enthused.

The International Association of Cape Horners (IACH) received 30 nominations for  this year’s Hall of Fame from the public. This list was verified by an independent selection committee chaired by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo non-stop around the world, and 15 names went forward to a vote by all members of of IACH.

This is the 4th year of the Cape Horn Hall of Fame awards and the names of 40 of the most famous round the world sailors now adorn theCape Horn honours board housed in a club house in the French port of Les Sables d’Olonne, the home of solo sailing, hosting not only the Vendée Globe, but the Golden Globe Race and Mini-Transat events.

Yannick Moreau, the Mayor of Les Sables d’Olonne, and Alan Leboeuf, President of the Vendée region who hosted this year’s awards both described the event as “Amazing”.

Yannick Moreau added: “This year we have le crème de la crème of ocean sailing talent here.”

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, President of the International Association of Cape Horners, said to both: “Thank you for all the support you have given to single-handed sailing over the years. Your efforts have turned Les Sables d’Olonne into the solo sailing capital of the world.”

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