A Sailor's Dream, 30,000 Miles Strong

After raising two kids and a 29-year career in the Navy, Matt Woodside is embarking on the 2026 Golden Globe Race (GGR), a circumnavigation of the world around the three great capes (Good Hope, Leeuwin & Cape Horn) covering 30,000 miles. In keeping with the original 1968 race, the GGR entrants will navigate with sextant and chronometer, sailing boats less than 36' in length.

The race is slated to start in Les Sables-d'Olonne, France on September 6th, 2026. Matt will be navigating the globe with nothing but grit, skill, and a deep love of the sea.

Since buying his Cape George 36, in 2010, Matt has sailed S/V Tipi Haere to the Sea of Cortez while also completing two deployments to the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. After retiring from the Navy in 2014, he completed a degree at the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building and inspired by Kirsten Neuschäfer's first place finish in her own Cape George 36 in 2022, Matt has worked alongside Cape George Marine Works and Port Townsend Rigging for the last 18 months to refit Tipi Haere to GGR standards.

The re-fit of the Tipi Haere is done, and Matt is fully committed.

Tipi Haere left Cape Marine Works and splashed on May 7, 2025.

Tipi Haere isn't just a boat - it's a symbol of freedom and adventure into which he's poured his heart and soul. He's spent years in the service of others - from decades in the Navy to tenderly caring for his late wife during her illness and then recently supporting his current partner through fer own battle with cancer. Matt is also a loving grandfather, too, in pursuing his own adventure (while still being able bodied and sassy as all hell according to his daughter) and is showing us how to grasp hold of a dream and bring it to life.

We need your help to get Matt and Tipi Haere from Port Townsend, Washington, to France and then around the three Capes. Please consider pitching in to help a slightly weathered and determined soul take on one of the toughest sailing races around.

Below are just a few of the required items of gear that your contributions will help secure:

-GGR First Aid Kit (includes 24/7 Telemedicine Coverage)

-GGR Approved Plastimo 4 Man Life Raft

-Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon

-Jury Rig to include second Spinnaker pole & rigging (Dynemma)

-Emergency Rudder Replacement (Scanmar)

-Hydro-generator

-2 Fire extinguishers

-Waterproofed Maritime charts & maps

-Iridium Satellite Phones x2