Sailing: A new record for distance covered in 24 hours
In the Class40 category, the Belgium Ocean Racing – Curium crew covered 459.78 nautical miles in 24 hours during a stage of the Globe 40.
The Globe 40 is a competition reserved for 40-foot monohull sailing boats (approximately 12 metres long) which is contested in pairs with the possibility of changing one of the two skippers at each stage. This round-the-world race began at the end of August 2025 and will take the competitors who set sail from Lorient during the prologue on a long sporting and human adventure, stopping in Cadiz, Spain, for a grand departure to Mindelo in Cape Verde, then the island of Réunion, Sydney, Valparaiso (Chile), Recife (Brazil) and finally a return to the port of Lorient scheduled for mid-April 2026.
This year, a Belgian boat, the Belgium Ocean Racing – Curium, set sail with Belgian skipper Jonas Gerckens, accompanied by Benoit Hantzperg (co-skipper), Djemila Tassin and Renaud Dehareng.
Currently leading the competition after three stages that have already taken them to Australia, the crew of the Belgian yacht is currently crossing the Pacific Ocean towards the Chilean coast.
It was during this fourth leg that Belgium Ocean Racing – Curium broke the record for distance covered in 24 hours, covering 459.78 nautical miles (approximately 860 km) at an average speed of 19.16 knots (36 km/h). The Belgian team thus surpassed its own record of 457.41 nautical miles set during the second leg between Cape Verde and Réunion. The on-board data even recorded a distance of 480 nautical miles and an average speed of 20 knots over 24 hours, but these figures cannot be used as such for record certification.
Well done and smooth sailing to the Belgian boat!