Ronnie Simpson Racing

Thanksgiving At Sea, And The Realities Of The Southern Ocean: Captains log, Episode 8 Ronnie expresses his thanks to all those who are supporting him in his quest to win the Global Solo Challenge on board the Shipyard Brewing. The holiday is b...

One month at sea - Ronnie Simspon - Shipyard Brewing Shipyard Brewing blog Friday December 1, 2023 A day of milestones There are a number of milestones to be celebrated and reflected upon in this entry. I have now been out here at sea for more than a month. Shipyard Brewing and I have now passed the 1/4 way mark in this long journey of […]

🇬🇧 Ronnie Simpson aboard Shipyard Brewing rounded the Cape of Good Hope! 👇
Ronnie Simpson aboard Shipyard Brewing rounded the Cape of Good Hope today at around 10:00 UTC. The American skipper reached this important milestone after 35 days of sailing on his Open 50′.
https://globalsolochallenge.com/ronnie-simpson-aboard-shipyard-brewing-rounded-the-cape-of-good-hope/

🇬🇧 Ronnie Simpson. Blog: "At 0349 UTC this morning, myself and Shipyard Brewing crossed the equator. The first major milestone in this journey around the globe, this milestone is the accumulation of a lot of smaller milestones. First it was the start, and then getting out of Europe. The Canary Islands, the Cape Verdes and then the Doldrums. And now beating across the Southeast Trades, we have crossed the equator and entered a new hemisphere. To go from the northern hemisphere winter in Europe to south of the equator off of Brazil, solo, in just 15 days is pretty cool. Who knows what will unfold before Shipyard Brewing crosses this mythical mark again....."

Keep on reading Ronnie's blog at https://globalsolochallenge.com/major-milestone/

Nice article from my friend Wendy Clarke at SAIL Magazine

Blue Water Warrior, Part II Making it to the starting line of a nonstop global circumnavigation is never a simple matter, no matter who you are and where you come from. But for Ronnie

RONNIE is on his way to Spain! You can track his journey as he sails SHIPYARD BREWING (US Patriot Sailing 's SPARROW) to the start of the Global Solo Challenge.
https://ronniesimpsonracing.com/

Shipyard Brewing Company Elvstrom Sails Ronstan Sailing Wichard

Refitting the Open 50 Sparrow: Ronnie Simpson's Journey to the Global Solo Challenge The world of solo circumnavigation is not for the faint of heart, and American entrant to the GSC, Ronnie Simpson, knows it all too well.

Stoked to have completed my 2,000 mile qualification sail for the Global Solo Challenge! I sailed into Portland, Maine and the Maine Yacht Center a week ago after completing a course from inside the Chesapeake Bay, out around Bermuda, and up to Portland, Maine where we will conduct a hual-out and a short re-fit before going over to Europe for the start. We pulled the mast out on Tuesday for some mast and rigging work, and the boat will come out of the water tomorrow.

During the 2,000 mile qualifier, Sparrow and I saw everything from light air downwind to Bermuda, to some solid reaching conditions coming back from Bermuda and then saw some pretty intense thunderstorms for two nights on our way back from Bermuda. In the Gulf of Maine, we sailed through a gale that brought up to 54 knots of breeze.

All is well with Sparrow and I, and there is only minor damage to be repaired. My new Elvstrøm Sails A/S performed great, as did my furlers from Facnor Profurl and Wichard. While here in Maine, we hope to fit some new equipment from Ronstan Sailing and some new cordage from New England Ropes as well as source bottom paint and othe supplies from West Marine.

Huge thanks to everyone who has helped get us this far! For more information about our campaign, or to contribute to helping me get to the starting line, check out www.ronniesimpsonracing.com, and there are also a handful of blog entries on there about the 2,000 mile qualifier.

I will post more photos on here soon, once the boat is out of the water.

Aloha

Kirsten Neuschäfer Wins the Golden Globe Race Kirsten Neuschäfer, a South African whose life as a sailor has practically defined the word “adventure,” today won the 2022-23 Golden Globe Race, becoming the

So happy to have Elvstrøm Sails A/S and Challenge Sailcloth onboard my campaign for the Global Solo Challenge! Thanks so much to Chesapeake Sailmakers for putting this whole deal together. Day by day, getting after it to prepare for the race! Picking up the last of the motor parts today and beginning engine re-assembly. Can’t wait to get back on the water soon and continue training for the GSC!

A big campaign is well on its way for Ronnie Simpson Racing in the 2023 edition of Global Solo Challenge - powered by Elvstrøm Sails A/S, Chesapeake Sailmakers and Challenge Sailcloth. ⛵️🗞 See more here:
https://elvstromsails.com/news/31-racing-news/1897-ronnie-simpson-is-gearing-up-for-global-solo-challenge-with-elvstrom-sails-and-challenge-sailcloth

Tick tock, tick tock. Every day between now and October matters in getting the boat, and myself, ready to go for the this fall. Photo taken last night with the boat fully back together, instruments up and running, a day after re-stepping the mast. The last thing standing in my way that prevents me from really training right now is the diesel engine, which has been an issue since day one. Going to install the new inner forestay chainplate and do some composite work today while the sun is shining and the air is warm, and then roll into pulling the motor (again) and beginning my rebuild. Buying a new motor or farming it out to a pro mechanic is not in my budget, time to get my hands dirty in a friend’s garage, Global Solo Challenge lessssgoooooo!!!!! ⛵️🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀

This may be a solo race i’m preparing for, but it’s a team effort! Truly grateful to have the help and friendship of others to help me along in my journey to get to the Global Solo Challenge starting line in Spain. I have not had functioning wind instruments since day one of getting Sparrow, and to fix this required pulling the mast. Truly grateful to local riggers , John and also my old SF Bay friend George Hughes and his buddy Ronin for helping pull Sparrow’s rig for general work and mast wiring work and new wind instrument install. And the guys at the commercial port in Morehead City were awesome!!! No shortage of resourcefulness on display here in Beaufort, yesterday was rad. Also a massive Merci Beaucoup to new campaign sponsor Sailutions and Jerome Sammarcelli who is helping me get my NKE electronics sorted. When we re-step, i should have two new NKE masthead anemometers and two new data cables installed. Time to get after it on a grey, rainy Wednesday.

Cape Horn from "Sparrow", December 26 2020

Open 50 "Sparrow" after sailing 20,000 miles with the tri-radial Hydra-Net Main and Jib we made. If you sail offshore and want both performance and durability, ask us about Hydra-Net.