From shearing sheep to sailing around the world solo: inside the wondrous world of Golden Globe Race skipper Etienne Messikommer

Ahead of the 2026 Golden Globe Race, Etienne Messikommer shares the story of his late-start passion for sailing, being inspired by adventurers of old, and how he's preparing to follow his Mini Globe Transat win with an even bigger adventure.

Climber-sailor-storyteller Etienne Messikommer wears a red, Cousteau-style hat.

He appears in onboard interviews surrounded by splashes of colour and well-loved paperbacks. His speech is marked by a rare sense of play, and genuine wonder.

‘Reading all the books from my heroes gave me this envie to live what they were experiencing,’ he explains in a podcast. ‘This is definitely what made me want to try to live something similar to what these people lived.’

Messikommer’s website splits between his maritime adventures so far and a gallery of his own photography, which has appeared in snowboarding magazines and features travel shots, mountainous landscapes, and an assortment of skateboarder friends.

Now, Yachting Monthly steps into the solo skipper’s colourful world to find out how he’s preparing to sail around the world solo, single-handed, and nonstop using only traditional navigation techniques.

Etienne Messikommer’s late-start sailing story

Messikommer didn’t start sailing until he was 21, when an ‘astonishing’ outing on a catamaran started his ‘quest for more wind and bigger waves.’

He followed the breeze to New-Zealand, ‘the country of the long white cloud’, to discover the wider world of sailing, in 2015.

He ended up shearing sheep in the mountains, then working as a deckhand in the Southern Ocean, between the tropics and New Zealand.

Once he realised that setting sail was what he really wanted, he bought and refit a 34ft steel yacht called SOUNDSGOOD.

He spent the next four years cruising around the South Pacific, reading sailing and mountaineering literature, meeting other sailors and working his way through their book recommendations.

When Covid hit and complicated his cruising plans, it was time for the next adventure: building a Mini Globe 5.80.

The Mini Globe 5.80 Transat

Messikommer is taking part in the Golden Globe Race on special invitation after winning the inaugural McIntyre Globe 5.80 Transat Race on his hand-built Numbatou (sailed by Jasmine Harrison in the most recent edition).

He won the race’s first leg, a 600nm qualifier, in just 4 days, 20 hours, and 55 minutes and went on to complete the 3,184 nautical miles from Lanzarote to Antigua in an impressive 26 days, 7 hours, and 48 minutes.

While he loved the adventure, ‘camaraderie’, and ‘friendship’ he found through the event, Messikiommer says he wouldn’t sign up for the full Mini Globe Race.

‘I’m very impressed by the people who are doing the MGR right now, because it’s so small. Chapeau, very impressive,’ he has said in a podcast.

But for his own next adventure, he felt it was time to go for something bigger.

Bernard sailed on Joshua, so Etienne sails on Bernard

Messikommer was staying with GGR race organisers Don McIntyre and Jane Zhou in Les Sables d’Olonne for the start of the Vendée Globe, looking for his next project. It was McIntyre himself who nudged him towards the vessel, and the adventure.

‘To be honest, I didn’t even have to look for a boat — a boat found me,’ Messikommer says of coming across his Tradewind 35. ‘She was hidden up a river in Cowes, filthy, neglected, but cheap and full of potential.’

The rig was far past its prime; there lots of water intakes and mould inside. The hull was sturdy, but the engine needed a lot of TLC.

The vessel had been a military schooling boat in Ireland used for trips and trainings, and had been sitting, abandoned, on its mooring since Covid.

Messikommer snatched the opportunity and patched her up just enough to cross the channel for a full refit in Brest, France.

Messikommer called the Barney-coloured boat BERNARD after Golden Globe Race legend Bernard Moitessier and Swiss sailor Bernard Stamm.

He painted her hull distinctive purple with orange accents on deck.

Having always sailed on brightly hued vessels, Messikommer explains, ‘For me, going with a white boat is a no go. So boring.’

He has been in Brest since December, working on a full refit that includes work on the hull and stanchions, all new painting, removing and remounting the railings; a new mast, new rigging, new sails, a a full engine refurbishment by a professional diesel mechanic.

‘One item gets crossed off and another two get added,’ he says of the extensive to-do list.

A lot of the remaining work is in the details, ‘spray cover design, cabinetry inside, lockers and fixing all the potential flying objects or pieces of heavy equipment, like batteries.’

But these are just as important, Messikommer maintains.

‘In French we say le diable se cache dans les details.’

He has prioritised changing the steering system from a wheel into a tiller.

‘That’s a very important modification for me. I just want to have something simple and sturdy and robust. […] the wheel systems have many places where they can break, and I like to feel the boat on the tiller. It’s direct information.’

He has also opted to keep all his reefing at the mast, where he has installed sturdy granny bars for protection.

In the end, Messikommer spent a lot more than he intended to rebuild BERNARD entirely.

‘The project is much more expensive than I expected,’ he says candidly. ‘So I really hope I find a sponsor. That would help a lot.’

Ever-positive, he still spins this as somewhat of a benefit, ‘I know the boat perfectly now. Every corner, every cable. Everything.’

He’s been conducting an in-depth analysis of previous entrant’s breakages and failures in order to preempt them, and is looking forward to his 4000 mile qualifying sail, during which he’ll fine tune the vessel and brush up his ‘rusty’ celestial navigation.

‘It’s not rocket science, just repetition, repetition. It’s hard to train on land, so it’ll be good to get on the water and get that skill back on the top of the pile.’

Etienne Messikommer’s road to the Golden Globe Race

Messikommer says the Golden Globe Race is ‘the next level in term of organisation and budget’ compared to his Globe 5.80 Transat.

‘I see it as a triangle, boat-body-mind,’ he says of his approach. ‘With the boat, I’m getting the vessel ready with all the spare and tools that could be usable. Body wise, I’m doing sport preparation like any athlete. Mind, I’m doing a psychological therapy, as well a mind preparation with a coach.’

He’s not too worried about the isolation.

‘Actually, I’m looking forward to be just by myself for a while. I like being solo. In our society it is almost impossible to be isolated like we are going to be.’

He sees the prolonged solitude as ‘A chance, an opportunity to explore my relationship with myself.’

The competitive element adds ‘spice’ to the circumnavigation, he says.

‘I’m going for the adventure, but also for the race.’

The other competitors, ‘are turning into a sort of family or friends group. It’s not the kind of sport or racing event where each party is keeping secret all the details to gain advantage on their opponent.’

x

As he inches towards the start, he’s increasingly aware of the most precious resource: time.

‘The clock is ticking and there is no way to stop it.’

Quick facts: Etienne Messikommer / BERNARD (Tradewind 35)

Sail Plan? 

Genoa and yankee both on spinnaker poles. Main sail with 4 reefs, a very nice reefable jib; two symmetrical spinnakers, and probably a secret sail that we are working on with Incidence (my sailmaker) here in Brest…

Furler or hank on?

Furler for the two main head sails, but the jib is hank on

Self-steering set up?

Hydrovane

Antifouling?

The same as Simon Curwen, Nautix A9000 SPC Self-Polishing Copolymer

It’s the most expensive paint I’ve ever bought, but he came back to Les Sables d’Olonne with an immaculate hull

Sailing Inspirations:

Bernard Moitessier, Bernard Stamm… my boat ‘s name is BERNARD!

Three unexpected items you’ll take onboard: 

I don’t know yet, you’ll have to ask again just before the start!

 

 

---

Enjoyed reading this profile of Golden Globe Race skipper Etienne Messikommer?

A subscription to Yachting Monthly magazine costs around 40% less than the cover price, so you can save money compared to buying single issues.

Print and digital editions are available through Magazines Direct – where you can also find the latest deals.

YM is packed with information to help you get the most from your time on the water.

• • • Take your seamanship to the next level with tips, advice and skills from our experts
    • Impartial in-depth reviews of the latest yachts and equipment
    • Cruising guides to help you reach those dream destinations

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

The post From shearing sheep to sailing around the world solo: inside the wondrous world of Golden Globe Race skipper Etienne Messikommer appeared first on Yachting Monthly.