Greg Were (Graham 2009) has completed a remarkable solo circumnavigation of the globe, sailing his tiny 20-foot (6.1m) yacht, Hummingbird, roughly 37,500 nautical miles around the world.
Greg completed his epic journey in August 2026, returning to Falmouth, Cornwall – the same port from which he departed in June 2024 on his ambitious attempt to become the smallest vessel to circumnavigate the world solo, non-stop and unassisted.
The journey took Greg south past Africa and across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, before continuing around the southern tip of South America and back across the Atlantic towards the UK. Along the way, he encountered severe storms and was forced to make stops for essential repairs.
A violent storm in the Atlantic, while Greg was sailing between America and Africa, forced him to divert to Cape Town for repairs. Later, after encountering further rough conditions, he also made a repair stop in the Falkland Islands. The repairs in Cape Town meant that the voyage could no longer be classified as unassisted, but they did nothing to diminish the extraordinary scale of Greg’s achievement.
Throughout the voyage, Greg kept followers updated on his coordinates and the gruelling routines of life at sea through his Instagram account, @gregor_the_sailor.
Watch this short feature highlighting some of the difficult conditions Greg faced and the repairs carried out along the way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NRA5J-Zur8
Greg’s love of sailing developed after his College years. Mike Were (Graham 1980), Greg’s father, recalls that Greg was passionate about both rowing and hockey while at College, playing 1st XI hockey for two seasons. It was while studying accounting in Cape Town that he discovered his love of sailing.
Over the next decade, Greg honed his skills and became an experienced sailor before purchasing his 20-foot yacht in Port Alfred. He then sailed Hummingbird to Falmouth, where he began his round-the-world adventure in June 2024.
After more than two years at sea, Greg finally returned to Falmouth in August 2026, completing an extraordinary solo circumnavigation of the globe. His father, Mike, flew to England to be there to welcome him at the finish.
Greg’s achievement is remarkable not only for the distance and duration of the voyage, but also for the size of Hummingbird and the challenging conditions he endured along the way. He has now joined the select group of sailors who have successfully circumnavigated the globe.
“This journey has tested every part of me – physically, mentally, and emotionally. But the ocean has a way of teaching resilience,” says Greg.
