He sailed solo nonstop around the world – pure and unadulterated, the old-school way. The challenge in this race is to circumnavigate the globe aboard a full-length-keel boat, without modern equipment, and entirely unsupported. In brief: from France to France, once around our planet. This race takes boats across the Atlantic, from north to south, across the southern seas, around the three big capes, and again across the Atlantic heading north.

The participating boats are selected from a list of eligible models built before 1980. It is worth mentioning that, contrary to what we see in other regattas, they must not have been modified to optimize their weight, nor include any high-tech equipment. In fact, the sailors only rely on a sextant and nautical charts as navigation aids. For communication, they use a shortwave radio.

In this regatta, there are not only rules regarding the boats and their technical equipment but also regarding their cordage. The use of performance equipment is prohibited. Thus, the obvious choice was our Sirius 500, a polyester double-braid line that successfully took a Biscay 36 around the world.

So, do we consider a third place in this regatta race a success? Absolutely! In fact, we ought to celebrate Michael just for his endurance alone. But let’s not rest on our laurels. For Robline, this is now the time for thorough analyses. The Biscay 36 will be de-rigged completely, and the lines will be subjected to detailed inspections. After all, they have been through a grueling 30,000 nautical-mile voyage. As a result, our learning curve will definitely be going up. However, one thing has already been confirmed: in terms of endurance, we are by no means second to our adventurer.