In 1895, a jobless former captain, Joshua Slocum, goes alone around the world on board of a reconverted fishing ship , SPRAY, a wooden boat, length 37ft, two masts, sloop rig, no motor and no auto pilot! His book, Sailing alone around the world, is a best seller. Born in 1893, Alain Gerbault leaves Cannes on 25 April 1923 on board a 11 m long cutter, FIRE CREST. After crossing alone the Atlantic ocean, he continues his trip in 1924, closing the loop after 700 sailing days. In 1942, the Argentin Vito Dumas, is the first to sail around by the three mythic capes ( Good-Hope, Leewin and Horn) and the roaring forties on LEHG II, a ketch of 9,55 × 3,30 m. The trace for future around-the-world tours is made. For the first time, someone are sailing on the former great clippers route. Leonid Telica,on OPTY, a 9,85 metres (30 feet) yacht, leaves Gdynia at the end of 1966. L = 9,85 m l = 2,75 m hauteur = 13,5 m sail area = 60 m² poids = 5 t. materials: oak (hull), mahogany, pine (masts), copper, steel, sails - cotton canvas On Cor Caroli (Kor Karoli), Georgi Georgiev is the first Bulgarian around the world. First, he is racing in the OSTAR 76 (The Observer Singlehanded Transatlantic Race) with a 9 m yacht then on 20 December 76, he leaves Havana to come back on 20 December 77 after 24 435 miles with an average speed of 5 knots. Born at Clamecy (Nièvre, France), Alain Colas sails with Eric Tabarly and Olivier de Kersauzon. Winner in 20 days of the fourth singlehanded transat on Pen Duick IV(renamed Vendredi 13 then Manureva), he is the first circumnavigator without call on multihull. On Club Méditerranée, he arrives after Tabarly in the English transat. Disabled by a wound, in 1978 he is at the depature of the route du Rhum and disappears on sea. The 'Whitbread Round the World Race' in 6 legs occurs every 4 years and is open to monohulls in different classes, according to the yachts size. 'New Zealand Endeavour', winner in 1993/94 is a maxi ketch of 27.2m/89.3', designed by Bruce Farr. In 1989, The French Post engages a crew of eight postmen in the race with a First 51 Bénéteau, 15.63 metres long . First in the last stage in her class, the ship will arrive at Portsmouth after 181 days on sea. In 1993, the French Post orders to Bénéteau yards a 25 metres maxi yacht, rigged as a ketch designed by Bruce Farr. With Eric Tabarly as skipper, she will finish 7th in 123d 22h. The Whitbread (so called because of its sponsor) became the "Volvo round the world". The boat depicted on the stamp and miniature sheet, a Volvo 60, is 60 feet (15 m) long with a total weight of 13,5 tonnes. The mast is 29 m high and the engine a Volvo Penta. Around the world solo race, the Golden Globe Challenge, renamed BOC Challenge then Around Alone, is run every four years with several calls (three in 82, five today). On 28 December 94, Isabelle Autissier has 5 days ahead with Ecureuil Poitou-Charentes 2 after the first call (Charleston- Cape Town). During the second stage, she lost the mast, she joins Kerguélen islands jury-rigged (1240 milles to sail !), she gets in the Archipelago a new mast then resumed the run toward Australia. She was gaining on the fleet when, on December 28, 60-knot winds and 30-foot seas rolled her boat 360 degrees and pitched it end over end, tearing the mast and mizzen completely off and leaving a large hole in the deck, 1000 milles South off Sydney. She was rescued after four days (in the new year's night...) by an Australian Air Force helicopter. But the boat is lost... Ecureuil Poitou-Charentes 2 is a 60 feet open monohull (18,28 m long) designed by Jean Berret and Olivier Racoupeau. She was made of carbon and was equipped, the first time for a racing yacht, of a pendular keel. The Vendée Globe then Globe Challenge is run for the first time in 89 : she is a solo round-the-world race, with no help. Isabelle Autissier is engaged in the third Vendée Globe Challenge starting on 3 November 1996. The rudder brokken, she must call in Cape Town. Then out of the race, she closes the loop around the world after 105 days. Pre-stamped envelope 2004 On October 15th 2000, eight identical 60 foot racing yachts with 14 volunteer crew and a professional skipper raced away from Portsmouth. They spent 11 months circumnavigating the globe. LOA : 59'7" (18.16m) ; LWL: 46' 8" (14.22m) Beam : 15'7" (4.75m) Draught : 7' (2.1m) Displacement : 25,000 Kgs Hull material : GRP Mast : anodised aluminium Mast height : 71' from deck Sail Area (windward): 2,300 sq ft (213,7 m²) Sail Area (downwind): 3,700 sq ft (343.75 m²) Ballast: 8.25 tons The overall race was divided into sixteen smaller races, each run between different foreign ports of call. Jersey will finish the race in second place.