At 33 years old With Joel Harkimo there was a lot to talk about on Friday at the Boat Fair, Helsinki Fair Center.
– This is the biggest dream of my childhood, he summed up.
The businessman, media personality and municipal politician has been working on it every day for a year already.
The target is the Golden Globe Race, which will start in the fall of 2026.
It’s about a legendary event, the kingship of solo sailing, a fierce and dangerous ordeal.
In it, you sail alone around the world without modern aids and stopovers.
A fond childhood memory
Joel Harkimo has been sailing all his life. He’s her father, after all Harry “Shit” Harkimo the first Finn to have sailed alone in a race around the globe.
In the Golden Globe Race, however, we are talking about a completely different level of work than what Joel Harkimo has ever done.
That’s why he has now become a full-time sailor. You can’t prepare for the race just by tinkering on the weekends.
This is also the reason why Harkimo wanted to make the matter public already now. Of course, he also needs partners who, in turn, hope for visibility.
– I want to prepare as well as I can. I’m betting that I’ll give it my all. This is now my routine, which I do every single day.
– It’s great when I wake up in the morning and I’m really excited about the future. I am in a grateful position. I’ve never been so motivated for anything.
When Harkimo is asked why this project right now, he returns in his thoughts to his childhood. After all, it’s about a childhood dream.
– Well, this has been on my mind since I was a little boy. My daughter has severe dyslexia. When I was a skid, he didn’t read me storybooks, but told me his sailing stories.
– My father’s sailing adventures took place even before I was born. After all, they have lived with me. And that has fascinated me.
– In addition, I have not felt before that I was mature and ready enough. The decision was definitely not made in a day or a week.
Regarding the timing of the project, Harkimo added that the life situation is also suitable now.
– My wife is also realizing her dreams at the moment and we have agreed together that now is a good time to do our own things.
Harkimo’s wife Janni Hussi see you next week for the first time in the World Rally Championship, when he reads sheet music in Sweden Lauri Joonan as a carter.
Janni Hussi tells Urheilu by phone that the project evokes only good thoughts in him.
– I remember when he first brought it up, I could hear from the tone of his voice that he was a little nervous to tell me, Hussi laughs.
When Harkimo told about his plans, Hussi’s rally goals were already quite clear.
– So the first thing I said to him was that “you really are leaving”. I know how important sailing has been to him. I myself have always been so passionate about things. If something is done, it is done with full feeling.
– This life is so damn short that you have to take the bull by the horns. Otherwise, you can also sit on the rocking chair.
Surely this will help both of you when you are somehow in the same situation?
– It helps. Both of them understand very well that when there are trips to competitions and others, we go there and don’t worry, “do we have to go again”.
– Sure, finding time together can sometimes be challenging. But on the other hand, a year or two is quite a short time. You can make it work if you want.
Hjallis Harkimo: “One died in my race too”
Joel Harkimo gets support for his project from people close to him other than his wife. Sailing is part of Harkimo’s “blood heritage”. In the family, there are other round-the-world sailors besides Hjallis father.
If Harkimo succeeds in his goal, he will become the fifth Finn to have sailed alone around the world specifically in competition.
Hjallis Harkimo succeeded in 1986–1987, and in the same BOC Challenge race he finished Pentti Salmi. Tapio Lehtinen cleared the 2018-2019 Golden Globe Race. Ari Huusela sailed to the finish in the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe.
Hjallis Harkimo watched his son’s performance at the boat fair with a smile on his face. When asked, the father admits that it does scare him, and a lot.
For father Harkimo, who completed the historic Finnish sailing, the situation is also very emotional.
In 1986, Hjallis set sail around the world at the age of 33.
Joel goes on a journey 40 years later. He is 36 years old at the time.
– The boy has a slightly different race and a different boat. The race is more dangerous and longer, and there are no stops. More than 40 have tried, nine have finished. It’s not child’s play, says Hjallis Harkimo.
– After all, one person died in my race then, but now it’s a much more dangerous race. The risks are bigger.
Hjallis believes that his son’s previous sailing experience and diligent preparation guarantee that he will be ready at the h-moment.
– I didn’t have a psychological coach, for example. Joel has good starting points and is committed.
– The risks are tough, but it’s going well. At least that’s what I think.
The dangers of sailing made big headlines in Finland when Tapio Lehtinen’s Asteria boat sank in five minutes in the middle of the previous Golden Globe Race.
Lehtinen’s daughter, sailor Silja Frost told how stressful and horrible the wait between the emergency signal and the first text message was. The worst possible news had already been prepared.
Read more: Tapio Lehtinen, a sailor rescued from the sea, tells about the wild stages of the weekend
Joel Harkimo also admits the elements of danger. But scares him?
– I also talked with Tapsa (Lehtinen) before I made this decision. Of course, there are many things that are scary and exciting.
– I believe that the best possible training and preparation eliminate risks. The fact that the boat and man have been tested as well as possible reduces the risks, but it can always happen.
“The biggest challenge of my life”
Harkimo is an experienced sailor. After all, he has sailed across the Atlantic three times. However, they have occurred as part of the crew. As a junior, he was into dinghy sailing. He has had a boat about the same size as the Golden Globe race boat for ten years.
On the other hand, he is definitely not an experienced solo sailor. Sailing the ocean alone is new to him.
In addition, he has to learn, for example, sextant navigation, when modern aids are worn.
– Here we go with retro boats that were built before the 1990s. We navigate with a sextant and a paper map, and a weather fax is available. It brings its own spice. This is the biggest challenge of my life.
That’s why Joel Harkimo has assembled a large background team of experts from different fields who help with both physical and mental preparation, as well as with the boat and other technology.
Next, Harkimo goes alone to Lapland. He spends two weeks in the cabin without electricity or mobile network. He calls it a mental exercise.
– I bet that the mental aspect is the most important and the hardest in the competition.
The project costs hundreds of thousands of euros. It is estimated that at least 200,000 euros will sink into the boat as well. One of the most significant parts of the preparation is the boat itself.
Harkimo arrived at the Boat Fair directly from France, where he has found an old boat suitable for the race. The first game in question was sailed in the Golden Globe, which started in 2018.
– The purpose would be to get it to Finland as quickly as possible during the early spring, so that I can train and test it before it is renovated to race condition.
Harkimo must have complete control over the boat and its technical features. In the competition, you have to figure out the maintenance and other necessary adjustments on your own.
– Now I want to get as many sailing miles under as possible. You can’t have too many.
At the end of 2024, Harkimo plans to sail alone across the Atlantic. In 2025, he will sail back to Europe. Then there are the final preparations and one more preparatory sailing.
– The fact that I sailed alone across the Atlantic is the first important stage for me mentally. It is the most important preparatory thing for me, so that I can really test the racing boat in the long term and get open sea experience.
You also have to ask why the Golden Globe Race. Harkimo emphasizes the importance of history and respect for sailing traditions.
– I also feel that there is an environmental factor when these boats are used again. They are not built just for the race, they have had a life before and will hopefully continue after the race. Environmental values, especially the well-being of the sea and climate change, are important to me. That’s also why it’s easy to start here.