After several months of exchanges and a recent week on site, the GLOBE40 is thrilled to add a stopover in VALPARAISO in Chile to its provisional schedule. With an ETA of February 2026, it will round off course 4, which sets sail from Australia. Assuming the relevant administrative permits and agreements are confirmed, all the local public and private forces welcome the prospect of this project with open arms.
A ‘World’ port with pacific vibes
Valparaiso built its prosperity as a major port by embracing European commerce and the famous clippers in the 19th century after the tough sea passages synonymous with the Strait of Magellan and Cape Horn. Though the opening of the Panama canal in 1913 slowed its expansion, Valparaiso remains the main port on South America’s western seaboard open to the Pacific vastness. The whole of the maritime universe is represented there as a result, making it the home of the Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile), a commercial port and its container terminal, the hosting of cruise ships and cruising boats, the port of registry for the superb 4-masted schooner and academy vessel Esmeralda, the 3rd largest yacht in the world, as well as its renowned Yacht Club at the far end of Concón Bay in Higuerillas. However, the port of Valparaiso is so much more than a series of facts. It also has the unique aroma of a ‘world’ port; a universe which is reminiscent of Amsterdam, Alexandria, Mindelo, Bombay and Karachi all at once… A universe where worlds and continents come together and blend in a wondrous mix of fragrances, noise and dust. The mere mention of going to Valparaiso… a word that is a voyage in itself.
A city of culture and the global realm of street art
With its inimitable character and its geography shaped by a tangle of 45 hills (‘Cirros’), Valparaiso has created its own artistic universe, which is evident the moment you head inland and hitch a ride on its famous funicular railway. The realm of street art, not a single house, restaurant, hotel or stairway has escaped a pop of colour, with varying degrees of sophistication. Overlooking whole swathes of bohemia, this same street art is also an expression of an economic and social dimension. ‘Valpo’, as the locals call the city, is an outdoor museum, an endless stroll through hills dotted with colourful houses. It is such a special and fascinating city that it is impossible to remain impervious to its charms. So much so, that the centre of Valparaiso has been ranked as a Unesco World Heritage site.
An epic seaside resort with Viña Del Mar
Within the fabulous sweep of Valparaiso bay, Viña Del Mar (the Garden City) boasts wide expanses of sand beaches backed by the dunes of Concon, as well as the model riviera charm of a major tourist resort that attracts locals from nearby Santiago and is just a short hop away for Argentineans. Offering the GLOBE40 skippers a clean, relaxing atmosphere after a Pacific passage stretching over 6,000 miles from Australia, this stopover has been timed to arrive during the warmth of the peak season by cannily shifting the race start in Europe by 2 months in relation to the 1st edition.
Getting to Valparaiso will be complicated, but leaving will not be easy…
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