The first around the world sailing record for

circumnavigation Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth was the ...

of the world was

Juan Sebastián Elcano Juan Sebastián Elcano (Elkano in modern Basque; sometimes given as ''del Cano''; 1486/1487Some sources state that he was born in 1476. Most of this sources try to make a point about him participating on a military campaign at the Mediterranean ...

and the remaining members of

Ferdinand Magellan Ferdinand Magellan ( or ; pt, Fernão de Magalhães, ; es, link=no, Fernando de Magallanes, ; 4 February 1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer. He is best known for having planned and led the 1519 Spanish expedition to the Eas ...

's crew who completed their journey in 1522. The first solo record was set by

Joshua Slocum Joshua Slocum (February 20, 1844 – on or shortly after November 14, 1909) was the first person to sail single-handedly around the world. He was a Nova Scotian-born, naturalised American seaman and adventurer, and a noted writer. In 1900 he wr ...

in the ''Spray'' (1898). The current record holders are

IDEC 3 ''Groupama 3'' is a high performance racing sailing trimaran designed for transoceanic record-setting ''IDEC SPORT'' ''Banque Populaire VII'', ''Lending Club 2'', ''IDEC 3''). She is one of the world's fastest ocean-going sailing vessels and t ...

, skippered by Francis Joyon in 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds for a crewed journey, and

François Gabart François Gabart (born 23 March 1983 in Saint-Michel-d'Entraygues, France) is a French professional offshore yacht racer who won the 2012-13 Vendée Globe in 78 days 2 hours 16 minutes, setting a new race record. In 2017 he set the speed record ...

with

Macif MACIF (Mutuelle assurance des commerçants et industriels de France et des cadres et des salariés de l'industrie et du commerce) is a French mutual insurance company. It was founded in 1960 in Niort Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; oc, Niòrt ...

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 The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-smal ...

around the

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

continent, passing south of

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramí ...

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is ...

and

Cape Leeuwin Cape Leeuwin is the most south-westerly (but not most southerly) mainland point of the Australian continent, in the state of Western Australia. Description A few small islands and rocks, the St Alouarn Islands, extend further in Flinders B ...

. Since 1918 the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

is an option but the

locks Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

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

multihull A multihull is a boat or ship with more than one hull, whereas a vessel with a single hull is a monohull. The most common multihulls are catamarans (with two hulls), and trimarans (with three hulls). There are other types, with four or more hu ...

s perform much better than monohulls and hold the best times. Leisure yacht skippers who prefer tropical seas more often go westward, using the

trade wind The trade winds or easterlies are the permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region. The trade winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisph ...

s (and the

Panama canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

). The

Jules Verne Trophy The Jules Verne Trophy is a prize for the fastest circumnavigation of the world by any type of yacht with no restrictions on the size of the crew provided the vessel has registered with the organization and paid an entry fee. A vessel holding th ...

is awarded to the skipper who breaks the previous Jules Verne record, starting from an imaginary line between the Créac'h lighthouse on

Ushant Ushant (; br, Eusa, ; french: Ouessant, ) is a French island at the southwestern end of the English Channel which marks the westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and, in medieval terms, Léon. In lower tiers of govern ...

island, France, and the

Lizard Lighthouse The Lizard Lighthouse is a lighthouse at Lizard Point, Cornwall, England, built to guide vessels passing through the English Channel. It was often the welcoming beacon to persons returning to England, where on a clear night, the reflected lig ...

, UK. The records are homologated by the

World Sailing Speed Record Council The World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) was founded in 1972, initially to ratify records at the inaugural Weymouth Speed Week held every year since in Portland Harbor.The WSSRC is the body authorized by the World Sailing (formerly Interna ...

(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 The great-circle distance, orthodromic distance, or spherical distance is the distance along a great circle. It is the shortest distance between two points on the surface of a sphere, measured along the surface of the sphere (as opposed to a st ...

formulas are to be used, assuming that the great circle length is 21,600 nmi. It is allowed to have one single

waypoint A waypoint is an intermediate point or place on a route or line of travel, a stopping point or point at which course is changed, the first use of the term tracing to 1880. In modern terms, it most often refers to coordinates which specify one's posi ...

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 --> The Vendée Globe is a single-handed (solo) non-stop round the world yacht race. The race was founded by Philippe Jeantot in 1989, and since 1992 has taken place every four years. It is named after the Département of Vendée, in France ...

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: * The

, a non-stop solo race, currently run using the

IMOCA 60 The IMOCA ("Open 60"), is a 60ft development class monohull sailing yacht administered by the International Monohull Open Class Association (IMOCA). The class pinnacle event are single or two person ocean races, such as the Route du Rhum and t ...

Class. *

The Ocean Race The Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every three or four years since 1973. Originally named the Whitbread Round the World Race after its initiating sponsor, British brewing company Whitbread, in 2001 it became the Volvo Ocean Rac ...

, a stopping fully crewed race, currently using the

Volvo Ocean 65 The Volvo Ocean 65 is a class of monohull racing yachts. It is the successor to the Volvo Open 70 yacht used in past editions of the Volvo Ocean Race. It was announced at a conference in Lorient, France, during a stopover in the 2011–12 Volvo ...

and

class. Previously known as the Whitbread Round The World Race and the Volvo Ocean Race. * The

Velux 5 Oceans Race The Velux 5 Oceans Race was a round-the-world single-handed yacht race, sailed in stages, managed by Clipper Ventures since 2000. Its most recent name comes from its main sponsor Velux. Originally known as the BOC Challenge, for the title sponsor ...

, a stopping solo race, currently run using the

Class previously known as the BOC Challenge, later as Around Alone. * The Barcelona World Race , a non-stop two handed race, currently run using the

Class. * The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race , a stopping crewed race for amateur crews using the Clipper 70 Class. Former races including: * The

Sunday Times Golden Globe Race The ''Sunday Times'' Golden Globe Race was a non-stop, single-handed, round-the-world yacht race, held in 1968–1969, and was the first round-the-world yacht race. The race was controversial due to the failure of most competitors to finish ...

, held in 1968-1969, the first round-the-world yacht race. * The BT

Global Challenge The Global Challenge (not to be confused with Global Challenge Award) was a round the world yacht race run by Challenge Business, the company started by Sir Chay Blyth in 1989. It was held every four years, and took a fleet of one-design steel y ...

, was a race held every four years and followed the westward route. * The Race, was a race held in 2000, involving multihulls. * The Oryx Quest, held in 2005, starting from

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

Notable solo achievements

From the first round-the-world yacht 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

. 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

without stopover and without assistance: * Francis Joyon (2004) 72 days, (2008) 57 days *

Ellen MacArthur Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur (born 8 July 1976) is a retired English sailor, from Whatstandwell near Matlock in Derbyshire, now based in Cowes, Isle of Wight. MacArthur is a successful solo long-distance yachtswoman. On 7 February 2005, ...

(2005) 71 days * Thomas Coville (2016) 49 days, (2011) 61 days, (2008) 59 days * Francois Gabart (2017) 42 days Only 3 sailors have raced non-stop solo around the world in both directions.

Mike Golding Mike Golding (born 27 August 1960) is an English yachtsman, born in Great Yarmouth and educated at Reading Blue Coat School. He is one of the few yachtsmen to have raced round the world non stop in both directions. He held the solo record for ...

and Dee Caffari both set WSSRC Westbound world records using

boats and also finishing the Eastbound Vendee Globe Race. In 2018

Jean-Luc Van Den Heede Jean-Luc Van Den Heede (born 8 June 1945 in Amiens) is a French sailor. He is best known for his achievements in single-handed sailing and set the current world-record for the westabout circumnavigation (he holds the overall record, i.e. althoug ...

also managed this achievement.

Eastward route

Crewed

Single-handed

Multihulls

Monohulls

Non-stop Longest Distance Sailed

Recognised by the

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing worl ...

Singlehanded Female

The following voyages were pioneers and not officially recognized by the WSSRC. * Ten women have completed the Vendee Globe two of these broke the outright record and more recently the establishment of a monohull record. * In 1978 sailed solo round the world in 272d on Express Crusader (formerly Spirit of Cutty Sark) a 53 ft Monohull Van der Stadt design Gallant 53. * In 1978 became the first women to sail around the world in 401-day voyage 1978http://www.solarnavigator.net/dame_naomi_james.htm#:~:text=In%20context? In context.

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 Homologation (Greek ''homologeo'', ὁμολογέω, "to agree") is the granting of approval by an official authority. This may be a court of law, a government department, or an academic or professional body, any of which would normally work fr ...

Outright Single-handed

Female Non-stop Single-handed

Passage records

Intermediate records

The rules for intermediate records are set by the

WSSRC The World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) was founded in 1972, initially to ratify records at the inaugural Weymouth Speed Week held every year since in Portland Harbor.The WSSRC is the body authorized by the World Sailing (formerly Internat ...

. * Equator to Equator * Indian Ocean * Pacific Ocean * South Atlantic Ocean

From Equator to Equator

From the Atlantic Ocean: Equator =>

Cape Agulhas Cape Agulhas (; pt, Cabo das Agulhas , "Cape of the Needles") is a rocky headland in Western Cape, South Africa. It is the geographic southern tip of the African continent and the beginning of the dividing line between the Atlantic and Indian ...

(

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

) => Around

=> Equator

Indian Ocean

from

(longitude 20°E) to

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

south point, (longitude : 146°49'E)

Pacific Ocean

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

south point, (longitude : 146°49'E) to

(longitude 67°16'W) *

South Atlantic Ocean

From

(longitude 67°16'W) to

(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 Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramí ...

, 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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Around The World Sailing Record Sailing records