Jeremy Bagshaw, skipper of the 2022 Golden Globe Race

Jeremy Bagshaw is a lifelong sailor, having started sailing at the age of 6 cruising the lakes and dams of Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, in the family’s old plywood Optimist dinghy.

He raced successfully on Optimists, representing the country at three World Championships before moving to two-person dinghies like Enterprises and Fireballs, then Lasers when the family returned to South Africa.

While at university in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth, he became involved in sailing keelboats, racing offshore as a crew on the racer IOR Charger 33, in the South Atlantic Race of 1985 from Cape Town to Punta Del Este in Uruguay.

“As the youngest member of the crews, I was stuck on the foredeck and was able to learn crew work from the best place on the boat!” remembers Jeremy.

He co-skippered with his longtime sailing mate Frans Loots, who is now his team manager for the 2022 Golden Globe Race, piloting the Farrier 31 trimaran from Simon’s Town to the island of Saint Helena, winning the multihull class in the Governor’s Cup race. .

Jeremy, 59, will compete in the Golden Globe Race aboard one of the smallest boats in the fleet – an OE32. Olleanna once belonged to Norwegian skipper of the 2018 Golden Globe Race, Are Wiig, who was dismasted in a storm and sailed 400 miles under jury rig to Cape Town.

Jeremy Bagshaw has sailed with his family in the Indian Ocean and has undertaken boat deliveries in the Indian Ocean, South Atlantic, Mediterranean, North Atlantic and Patagonia.

He has also chartered Tierra del Fuego and is inspired by “the rawness and beauty of the Southern Ocean”.

‘I don’t have much solo offshore experience at all. I have several thousand miles of double-handed experience, so my 7,000 miles sail to the start line [of the Golden Globe Race] in Europe [Les Sables d’Olonne] will be a good practice run for me,” he said. Monthly Yachting.

Why participate in the Golden Globe Race 2022?

Jeremy Bagshaw: Seemed like a good idea at the time I saw Olleanna looking a little desperate in the marina at the Royal Cape Yacht Club.

I was also looking for a challenge after selling our family’s cruise ship when it became apparent that the cruising lifestyle didn’t appeal to my family as much as I did.

What did you learn from the 2018 Golden Globe Race?

Jeremy Bagshaw: You can’t easily outrun weather systems in a boat that only does 6 knots on a good day! Preparation is paramount.

What storm tactics do you plan to use?

Jeremy Bagshaw: Every storm is different and tactics will need to be adapted to the circumstances.

Wheel-up can be an option in some conditions if I really need to rest, but generally getting the boat going as fast as possible makes more sense to me.

Most of my offshore sailing has been along the South African coast and in the southern Indian Ocean. So there were plenty of opportunities to test a range of tactics.

What did you learn from the 2018 Golden Globe Race?

Jeremy Bagshaw: Experience at sea is the most important factor and age should not be seen as a barrier to success.

Why did you choose Are Wiig’s OE32 for the 2022 Golden Globe Race?

Jeremy Bagshaw: I think the OE32 has very good design characteristics as demonstrated by Are’s performance up to her dismasting.

how do you prepare Olleanna for the 2022 race?

Jeremy Bagshaw: I made some changes to the deck gear layout to reflect my style of boating and reinforced the rigging to better handle rollovers and rollovers.

What will your sail plan be?

Jeremy Bagshaw: The sail plan is quite classic.

Have you completed your 2,000 mile qualifying run for the race?

Jeremy Bagshaw: I haven’t made the qualifying passage yet but I will cover 7,000 miles solo until the start of the race, the first 5,000 miles of which will be non-stop. I’m sure I’ll learn a lot along the way.

Are you looking to win or win?

Jeremy Bagshaw: I’m certainly not here just to invent numbers!

For this race there will be no HAM radio allowed, only maritime licensed and approved Single Side Band (SSB) HF radio, with talks limited to Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) weather . Weather fax will be allowed for the race. Some of the 2018 Golden Globe Race skippers have raised concerns about the GMDSS being picked up in the Southern Ocean. Do you share these concerns?

Jeremy Bagshaw: Time will tell if this is a valid concern. I see the weather fax as a bonus if it’s usable.

My main aids will be my barograph and observation of clouds and sea state.

Jean-Luc Van Den Heede consulted meteorologists and studied the weather to choose the best route which helped him make early gains in the 2018 race. Do you plan to do the same?

Jeremy Bagshaw: There is not much to prepare the strategy along the way.

There are sailing directions from the days of the Clipper and other merchant ships.

There is also a bit of 2018 race history but the timing of the starts makes that of less use [The 2018 Golden Globe Race started on 1 July 2018; the 2022 event will begin on 4 September 2022].

These give a rough guide to follow, but with the weather changes over the last few years it will be a matter of managing what you get, from the best possible position.

Continued below…

How is your celestial navigation going?

Jeremy Bagshaw: Not bad. I took a refresher course from a very capable sailor who uses the sextant often, and I have 7,000 miles to practice daily to get into a good routine.

What autoguiding setup do you plan to use?

Jeremy Bagshaw: I have a Windpilot Pacific.

This is the most suitable vane steering system for the transom of my boat and it will allow me to service and repair all parts of the unit from the deck, without having to descend to water level.

What antifouling are you going to use?

Jeremy Bagshaw: Copper

Are you confident to be on the starting line for 2022?

Jeremy Bagshaw: Yes I will be there.

How many solo miles have you traveled?

Jeremy Bagshaw: About 500

Is coping with isolation a problem?

Jeremy Bagshaw: No, I enjoy my own company and the peace and quiet that comes with being alone on deck at sea.

How do you deal with challenges when you’re alone at sea?

Jeremy Bagshaw: I like challenges.

There is a lot of satisfaction to be gained from solving problems, but a lot to be gained from not having problems to solve as well, a sign of good preparation!

What will you miss by participating in the race?

Jeremy Bagshaw: Color. South Africa is a country where vibrant color is part of everyday life. And fresh vegetables.

What candy are you going to take?

Jeremy Bagshaw: fruit cake

The 2018 GGR was a celebration of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. The 2022 GGR is a celebration of Bernard Moitessier. What words of wisdom from Moitessier will you follow in the race?

Jeremy Bagshaw: I will try to imitate the harmony he had with his boat and the ocean.

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