Gathering at the Hall of Fame Awards for Cape Horn
by Barry Pickthall for the International Association 28 Oct 03:46 PDT
Cape Horn gathering at the Hall of Fame Awards © Paul Bridier / LSO
Front row from left to right: Marco Nannini, Dr. Roger Nilson, Bernard Stamm, Francis Joyon, Skip Novak, Loick Peyron, Alain Leboeuf, President of the Vendee region, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Philippe Delamare, Francois Gouin,
Back row: Louis Robein, Michel Desjoyeaux, Andrew Cape, Jean Le Cam, unknown, Jean-Luc van den Heede, Archie Fairley—Chairman of the Int. Assoc. of Cape Horners, Don McIntyre, Yannick Moreau, Mayor of Les Sables d’Olonne, Riccardo Tosetto.
It was an evening filled with celebration, reconnecting with old friends, and sharing memorable stories of sailing around Cape Horn, featuring a veritable Who’s Who of global circumnavigators present at the Vendée Globe Race to honor the new members being inducted into the Cape Horn Hall of Fame.
The first honoree was four-time French circumnavigator Loïck Peyron, a previous record holder of the Jules Verne Challenge, followed by fellow French sailing legends Jean Le Cam and current circumnavigation record holder Francis Joyon.
Also joining this exclusive group of 40 sailors now honored in the Hall of Fame is Andrew Cape, a ten-time Australian circumnavigator.
The sixth inductee, Britain’s Mike Golding, attended the ceremony via video link from the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean, where he and his family had just docked while delivering their catamaran from New Zealand back to Europe.
Golding perhaps encapsulated the sentiments of all the inductees, stating, “It is an incredible honor to be nominated and inducted into the Cape Horn Hall of Fame. There is no greater accolade than one bestowed by your peers. I can hardly believe that my name will now be alongside so many esteemed figures from both the past and present.”
For Golding, who has rounded Cape Horn six times—three westward and three eastward—his most enduring memory of this notorious Cape is the aroma… “The scent of land, heather, and peat, all stirred by the tumultuous ocean. It’s simply the most extraordinary place,” he expressed enthusiastically.
The International Association of Cape Horners (IACH) received 30 nominations for this year’s Hall of Fame from the public. An independent selection committee, chaired by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first individual to sail solo non-stop around the globe, verified this list and forwarded 15 names for a vote among all members of IACH.
This marks the fourth year of the Cape Horn Hall of Fame awards, with names of 40 of the most renowned around-the-world sailors now displayed on the Cape Horn honors board located in a clubhouse at the French port of Les Sables d’Olonne. This area is the heart of solo sailing, hosting not only the Vendée Globe but also the Golden Globe Race and Mini-Transat competitions.
Yannick Moreau, the Mayor of Les Sables d’Olonne, and Alain Leboeuf, President of the Vendée region, who hosted this year’s awards, both called the event “Amazing.”
Yannick Moreau added, “This year, we have the crème de la crème of ocean sailing talent here.”
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, President of the International Association of Cape Horners, expressed gratitude to both, saying, “Thank you for all the support you have lent to solo sailing throughout the years. Your commitment has transformed Les Sables d’Olonne into the solo sailing capital of the globe.”
Mini biographies of the 2024 Cape Horn Hall of Fame inductees
Loïck Peyron – France (b: 1 December 1959)
As a four-time circumnavigator via Cape Horn, Loïck Peyron has notable achievements, including winning the ORMA Championship four times in 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2002, as well as the OSTAR solo transatlantic race three times, the Transat Jacques Vabre twice, and the Jules Verne Trophy in 2012.
Peyron joined the French Gitana Team in 2006 to race Gitana Eighty, a 60ft monohull, with which he won the Transat. He raced the same yacht during the 2008/9 Vendée Globe, leading the race for 16 days before Gitana’s mast failed.
In 2012, he and his crew won the Jules Verne Trophy aboard the multi-trimaran Banque Populaire, achieving a time of 45 days, 13 hours, 42 minutes, and 53 seconds, breaking the previous round-the-world sailing record by 2 days.
In November 2014, he won the Route du Rhum single-handed Transat, setting a new record for the route from St Malo to Guadeloupe in 7 days, 15 hours, 8 minutes, and 32 seconds (22.93 kts average speed), beating the prior record by 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 34 seconds.
Jean Le Cam – France (b: 27 April 1959)
A veteran of 7 circumnavigations and preparing for his 5th Vendée Globe Race, French sailor Jean Le Cam began his journey as a protégé of Eric Tabarly aboard his yacht Euromarché during the 1981/2 Whitbread round-the-world race. He triumphed in the Solitaire du Figaro Race in 1994, 1996, and 1999.
Jean finished second in the 2004 Vendée Globe, arriving mere hours after the victor, Vincent Riou.
On 6 January 2009, while participating in the 2008/9 Vendée Globe, Le Cam went missing 200 miles west of Cape Horn. He was trapped in his capsized yacht for 16 hours before being rescued by Vincent Riou, captain of PRB.
In the 2020/1 Vendée Globe, the roles reversed as Le Cam conducted a nighttime rescue of fellow competitor and PRB captain Kevin Escoffier, who was stranded 840 miles southwest of Cape Town. Once the rescue concluded, Le Cam resumed racing with Escoffier onboard. Escoffier was later recovered from Le Cam’s aptly named yacht Yes We Cam, earning a 16-hour, 15-minute time compensation for the rescue, elevating him from 8th to 4th in the overall standings.
Jean Le Cam was designated a chevalier of the French Legion of Honor in July 2021.
Dr. Roger Nilson – Sweden (b: 5th March 1949)
A seven-time circumnavigator, Dr. Roger Nilson is a renowned veteran of the Whitbread Round the World Race, completing his first circumnavigation aboard the American yacht Alaska Eagle in 1981. He served as the team doctor aboard Drum in the 1985/6 Whitbread and captained The Card in the 1989/90 event, Intrum Justitia in 1993/4, Swedish Match in 1997/8, and navigated Amer Sports On in 2001.
Nilson also navigated aboard the American maxi-trimaran Innovation Explorer during ‘The Race’ in 2001, and was with Bruno Peyron on Orange II when they established the Jules Verne Challenge record in 2005 with a time of 50 days, 16 hours, 20 minutes, and 4 seconds.
He has authored two books regarding the Whitbread races, completed a biography of his life, and contributed to numerous sailing films as both a cameraman and producer.
Francis Joyon – France (b: 28th May 1956)
A four-time Cape Horner, Francis Joyon made history as the first person to accomplish a solo non-stop circumnavigation in a multihull in 2004, also setting a record in the process. Two years later, he repeated this success, reclaiming the record from Dame Ellen MacArthur with a time of 57 days, 13 hours, and 34 minutes.
On 6 July 2005, Joyon on his multihull IDEC shattered the 11-year solo transatlantic record from Ambrose Light off New York to the Lizard with a time of 6 days, 4 hours, 1 minute, and 37 seconds. During this journey, he also broke the 24-hour distance record for single-handed sailing, covering 543 nautical miles (1,006 km).
In 2017, he and his crew on IDEC Sport reduced the Jules Verne Challenge circumnavigation record to 40 days, 23 hours, and 30 minutes.
Andrew Cape – Australia (b: 28th July 1962)
Andrew Cape stands out as one of the leading navigators globally. The Australian has participated in various competitions, ranging from the Admiral’s Cup and America’s Cup to Transatlantic races and numerous Whitbread and Volvo Ocean Races. He has rounded Cape Horn ten times and was the navigator on the Swiss yacht Alinghi when it won the America’s Cup in 2003.
He also set a world record for distance covered in a 24-hour period aboard the monohull Hugo Boss with Alex Thomson during the 2007/8 Barcelona World Race, achieving 499.22 miles at an average speed of 20.8 knots.
Mike Golding OBE – Great Britain (b: 28th August 1960)
Mike Golding OBE is a six-time circumnavigator (three eastward and three westward) and holds dual championships in IMOCA and FICO, consistently performing well in the most esteemed round-the-world and transatlantic races.
In 1994, while sailing the 67ft steel yacht Group 4 Securitas on a solo circumnavigation, he set a world record for the fastest single-handed trip from East to West. In 2000, he finished a solo circumnavigation (West to East) in the Vendée Globe, becoming the first person to sail solo non-stop around the globe in both directions. He also won the 1997 BT Global Challenge in the same yacht.
Having taken part in four solo Vendée Globe round-the-world races and over 25 transatlantic races, Golding received the Emile Robin and Royal Humane Society awards for rescuing fellow solo sailor Alex Thomson from his yacht Hugo Boss in the Southern Ocean. In 2007, Mike was honored with an OBE for his contributions to UK sport.
Cape Horn artifacts
During a reception at the Le Carre, a clubhouse dedicated to Cape Horners within the Vendée Globe marina in Les Sables d’Olonne, previous inductees presented artifacts representing their experiences rounding The Cape. Michel Desjoyeaux and Jean-Luc van den Heede, who has rounded 12 times, displayed charts detailing their various routes around the Horn. American Skip Novak showcased his Cape Horn Memory Stone, which he collected from the beach beneath the Cape in 1988 during his first voyage to Tierra del Fuego aboard his yacht Pelagic. “Touch the stone, and the memories of your rounding of Cape Horn will flood back,” Skip said.
Names previously honored in the IACH Cape Horn Hall of Fame include:
Willem Schouten (1567-1625), Netherlands
Jacob Le Maire (1585-1616), Belgium
Vice Admiral Robert Fitzroy (1805-1865), UK
Capt. Vern Verner Björkfelt (1900-1982), Finland
Capt. Thomas Carter (T.C) Fearon (1813 – 1869), USA
Capt. Adolph Hauth, Germany
Capt. Louis Allaire (1880-1949), France
Alan Villiers (1903-1982), Australia
Vito Dumas (1900-1965), Argentina
Marcel Bardiaux (1910-1958), France
Sir Francis Chichester (1901-1972), UK
Sir Alec Rose (1908-1991), UK
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (1939-), UK
Bernard Moitessier (1925-1994), France
Sir Chay Blyth (1940-), UK
Ramon Carlin (1923-2016), Mexico
Éric Tabarly (1931-1998), France
Cornelis van Rietschoten (1926-2013), Netherlands
Dame Naomi James (1949-), New Zealand
Kay Cottee (1954-), Australia
Jon Sanders (1939-), Australia
Philippe Jeantot (1952-), France
Titouan Lamazou (1955-), France
Sir Peter Blake (1948-2001), New Zealand
Dilip Donde (1967-), India
Stan Honey (1955-), USA
Dee Caffari (1973-), UK
Jean-Luc Van Den Heede (1945-), France
Dame Ellen MacArthur (1976 -), UK
Grant Dalton (1957 -), New Zealand
Skip Novak (1952 -), USA
Jeanne Socrates (1942 -), UK
Franck Cammas (1972 -), France
Michel Desjoyeaux (1965 -), France
