Erden Eruç discusses his preparations ahead of this year's upcoming Golden Globe Race
by David Schmidt 19 Jan 08:00 PST
January 19, 2026
Erden Eruç uses his sextant aboard CLARA, his Biscay 36, during his 4,732 nautical mile solo qualification passage ahead of the 2026 Golden Globe Race © Erden Eruç Collection
Everyone's path to sailing is a unique journey, however few involve as much solo time at sea as that of my longtime friend Erden Eruç (pronounced "Air-dan Air-rooch"). While Eruç has "only" been sailing seriously for about 15 years, in 2012 he became the world's first person to complete a solo, human-powered circumnavigation. This journey, which measured 41,196 statutory miles, took five years, 11 days, 12 hours, and 22 minutes, and included rowing across the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans, and biking across Africa, Australia, and North America.
It also involved spending 312 days alone aboard his ocean rowboat in a single shot. (In total, Eruç has spent 1084 days—or 2.97 years—of his life rowing solo across oceans.)
While this is a jaw-dropping feat of human perseverance and willpower, there's a lot more to his story, including racking up 18 entries in the Guinness Book of World Records (including for spending 1,084 days rowing alone); earning an undergraduate degree in engineering, dual master's degrees, and an MBA, and achieving fluency in multiple languages.
Then there was the time he rode his bike from Seattle, Washington, to Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve, summiting the park's namesake peak (20,310 feet), and then biking back home. Or the times that he topped-out The Salathe Wall (1991; Grade VI 5.9 C2) on El Capitan and the Regular Northwest Face (1989; Grade VI 5.9 C1) of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. (Editor's Note: these are all serious climbs that involve massive amounts of exposure, risk, and time commitments.)
Or the time he attempted to become the first person to row from California to mainland Asia (2021-2022), only to get stymied by pandemic-era visa restrictions to China (but he still managed to land his vessel in Legazpi, in the Philippines, thus successfully completing the first transpacific row from North America to Asia and earning Eruç his 18th Guiness World Record).
While Eruç's resume is deep with academic, professional (in all his spare time, he also built an impressive career in project management), and outdoor adventures, I personally think his smartest move was marrying Nancy Board, his (very cool) wife of almost 23 years, but that's a different story.
More recently, Eruç turned his attention and to solo, non-stop around-the-world sailing. But instead of hydrofoils, canting keels, or water-ballast tanks, Eruç (now 64)—who is no stranger to long, lonely, and mentally taxing stints at seas—gravitated towards the Golden Globe Race (GGR), a "retro race" that seeks to replicate the adventures and hardships of the 1968-1969 Golden Globe Race.
Race rules require that sailors race aboard 32-36' boats that were designed before 1988 (with a production run of at least 20 boats); they must navigate using sextants and paper charts, and they must pass the world's three great capes to port.
In 2024, Eruç purchased CLARA, his Biscay 36 that skipper Simon Curwen sailed to line honors in the 2022 GGR. (N.B., Curwen was forced to make a pitstop in Puerto Montt, Chile, to repair CLARA's windvane system, which relegated him to the GGR's Chichester Class, which he won.) Eruç plans to race CLARA in the 2026 GGR, which starts in Les Sables-d'Olonne, France, on September 6.
I recently caught up with Eruç, via email, to learn more about the state of his campaign. This is the fourth interview with Eruç that Sail-World has published in his run up to the 2026 GGR's start—the other three can be found here:
We last checked in May 2025. Can you please tell me about the sailing you've done in the last eight months?
I had the opportunity to help deliver a J/111 from Waikiki, Hawaii to Anacortes, Washington mid-summer after they completed Transpac 2025. We were a team of four, keeping watches as teams of two.
What are the biggest items on your work list for CLARA ahead of the GGR's start?
Replacing the standing rigging, servicing the furlers, replacing the rivets on the boom and installing a second Hydrovane are my next big tasks. There are myriad smaller tasks that surround these, including fitting sturdier chainplates, stringing the HF antenna in order to certify proper transmission, and applying new antifouling. I want to repaint CLARA before installing the Hydrovane units.
The dual windvanes will live 14" apart on the transom, and only one will be in use at any time. If there is failure in the primary drive unit, I will move the rudder blade and the vane to the spare one. Even though this will add extra weight, I hope to avoid a stopover like Simon Curwen, the previous owner of CLARA, which removed him from official classification in the 2022 GGR.
I am considering a waterproof enclosure to replace my companionway. British GGR skipper Alan Lillywhite designed one for his Biscay 36. He will make another one for me then I will install that in May after I move CLARA from Portugal to Lymington in the UK. This is a nice to have item, Simon did not have one.
What kinds of pre-race training (medical, etc.) have you been working on since we last spoke about your campaign?
I completed the Medical First Aid course in November at the Medical Support Offshore (MSOS) facilities in Southampton, UK. They will also offer a five-day course titled Proficiency in Medical Care in early February. MSOS is the official remote medical service contracted by GGR. They will supply us with a substantial medical kit, and their medical staff will be available over satellite phone should that be necessary.
There is always more reading to be done. I am reviewing my celestial-navigation skills and reading Modern Marine Weather by David Burch while keeping an eye on Windy.com for weather patterns at the southern latitudes. This time next year, we will be halfway done with the lead skippers past the Hobart Photo Gate.
There are some items that will have to wait until closer to the race start, including repacking the life raft, replacing the flares, and obtaining signatures on dental and medical forms.
Looking ahead, what are your biggest pre-race goals for 2026?
My biggest pre-race goal is to see my task list diminish and to sail out of Lymington in July ship shape with little remaining to be done on CLARA. The pace of work so far has been slow, which is stressful. It is difficult to manage refit tasks when the boat remains in Portugal.
One good development is that I received the word from Pete Keeping, Lda in Portimao to schedule my rigging work for the first week of February.
Lowering my level of anxiety and regaining the sense that I am in control of the project timeline remain priorities. With multiple maritime service companies in Portimao, about 30 miles east of Lagos, we should be able to complete the remaining tasks.
In terms of personal preparations, are you more focused on physical or mental training right now? Also, can you tell us what kind of work outs or mental training you have been doing?
My physical workouts have been long walks and regular jogs. I want to be more intentional about my physical activities. I was in Portugal until Thanksgiving; I will return there on Jan 25th.
While in Portugal, I have access to a long boardwalk and trails along the Algarve coastline, which offer me a chance to clear my frustrations on delayed work on CLARA. I should locate a local gym for some resistance exercises...
As for mental training, visualization goes a long way. Books on storm tactics and sheet-to-tiller setups provide quality entertainment. I run what-if scenarios in my mind to sort what I would do in what order. I can foresee long sessions outside on the tiller during a storm; acceptance of such a possibility ahead of time is the first step to surviving it. These mental exercises will guide how I pack my boat and the manner in which I will handle myself when conditions demand my utmost performance.
I realize that the GGR doesn't start for about nine months, but what aspects of the race itself are you the most excited about at this point?
What excites me most about this solitary nonstop race around the world is the immense challenge that it represents. Only nine sailors ever completed the GGR in all its iterations in 1968, 2018 and 2022.
It is a daunting proposition to sail around Antarctica in a 36-foot boat built in 1976.
Sir Robin Knox Johnston, the only finisher in the original 1968 GGR and the patron of modern GGR, used "demolition derby" to describe how these small vessels would get dismasted in severe storms. I will be the caretaker of my boat and my own health, so that we can survive this undertaking.
To finish will be the primary goal, to stand on the podium secondary.
I know that you're a reader. Have you already started planning your onboard library for the race? If so, what books will for sure be on CLARA's shelf when you depart France in September?
Other than celestial navigation, which will keep me preoccupied by constantly browsing the almanac and sight-reduction tables, I intend to spend time reviewing my French. We lived in Belgium for three years when I was in high school where I learned the language initially.
Languages are best practiced with frequent repetition; I am not bothered by talking to myself, either. So, my French language books will see a lot of use. I will hope to hold a casual conversation in French by the time that I finish the race at Les Sables-d'Olonne.
I have had Volumes 1 & 2 of The American Practical Navigator by Nathaniel Bowditch on my library for a long time. These reference volumes will finally get read cover to cover. The race is so long with so little distractions that this may be my opportunity to also read War and Peace, who knows?
Is there anything else about your 2026 GGR campaign that you'd like to add?
[My wife] Nancy will join me in the UK in early July. I am looking forward to us sailing from UK to France together. After sending me off on Sept 6th, the next time that we will see each other will be at the Hobart Photo Gate where each skipper will be required to drop sail for 90-minutes for a sanity check by the race committee.
Any skipper who arrives at Hobart after the 31 January 2027 deadline, will retire from the race. If conditions mandate it, I may have to drop anchor to remain inside Storm Bay at the north end of which is Hobart. Nancy will be allowed to come alongside on another boat without touching my boat. Then in April of 2027, I intend to celebrate my arrival at the finish under Nancy's proud gaze.
Nancy is my official Team Manager, a requirement by GGR. She is also managing our outreach for sponsorships and support. While I am busy with boat preparations focused on the race itself, she will make sure that our communications don't falter.
The About menu on my website has contact information to request our campaign portfolio. Please see: www.erdeneruc.com
At this point, we do not have any sponsors as a U.S. entry. If that does not change, I may win a Corinthian Trophy should I be the first non-sponsored skipper to cross the finish line. I would be amused to receive both the GGR Trophy as the overall winner and the Corinthian Trophy in a clean sweep, but I would rather race with sponsors.
To help support Eruc's campaign, please visit: www.gofundme.com/f/2026-GGR