American Marine veteran Ronnie Simpson sailed the vintage Open 50 Shipyard Brewing. After safely negotiating the Indian and Pacific Oceans and completing more than 70% of the course, his mast came down suddenly in the middle of the night on 12 February 2024 off the coast of Argentina, with a strong storm rapidly approaching. Ronnie spent hours cutting away the broken spar and rigging, which threatened to hole and flood the boat, before deciding to activate his emergency beacon. He was rescued by the bulk carrier Sakizaya Youth just ahead of the storm front, making the extremely painful decision to abandon and scuttle his boat in order to save his life. It can’t be easy to accept such cruel fate after rounding all three great capes. Ronnie has not given up and decided to do it all over again by entering the Global Solo Challenge 2027-2028 for this he was presented in Vigo with the “Perseverance Award”. Foto: @Marta Domínguez.
Ronnie Simpson’s return to the Global Solo Challenge
