Mini Globe Race: Around the World in 19′ Yachts
Small Boat. Huge Adventure – it’s an alluring concept. But can it be done? As Leg One gets underway Georgie Corlett-Pitt takes a closer look at the Mini Globe Race…
On 23 February, under a hot Caribbean sun, 14 tiny yachts bobbed their way out daintily through the harbour in front of Antigua’s National Sailing Academy, slipping past superyachts and cutting edge race boats.
Cute by contrast, the fleet of robustly designed, largely self-built Globe 580s was destined for a far tougher challenge than their petite 5.8m LOA might suggest: the startline of the inaugural Mini Globe Race – a solo westabout circumnavigation following the trade winds. The race features stopovers first in Panama, then (after over-landing to the Pacific) Fiji, Cape Town (via a pitstop in Darwin, in northern Australia) and finally, Recife, Brazil, before finishing in Antigua in spring 2026, the first round-the-world race to do so. There are also plentiful pitstops mandated in largely tropical destinations, the likes of Tahiti and the Cocos Islands.
Mcintyre’s Dream
The Mini Globe Race is a new event conjured from the boundless imagination of Don McIntyre, the doughty Aussie adventurer behind the Golden Globe Race revival and retro-inspired Ocean Globe Race; he’s also self-appointed Admiral of the Globe Yacht Club, an organisation he has created to support adventures of this sort.
But while his GGR and OGR events are rooted in the confines of the past, this debut Mini Golden Globe permits modern tech and encourages skipper communications.
The focus this time is on enabling aspiring round-the-world racers to achieve their ambition in a simple, accessible and affordable manner.
That’s not to say the race is entirely without ties to the past; Don’s initial inspiration was the early OSTAR and Mini Transat races, and the vision grew from there, as he envisaged a race in the footsteps of solo circumnavigation pioneer, John Guzzwell, who, in 1959, completed a lap of the planet onboard Trekka, a 20ft yawl designed by Jack Laurent Giles, later publishing tales of his adventures.
Now, the Mini Globe Race will, Don predicts, be very much a “human story” as he says, “It’s all about giving ordinary people, real humans, opportunity”.
The skippers themselves represent an intrepid bunch, variously motivated by personal challenge; a thirst for adventure/camaraderie/wanderlust; the call of the ocean; and the pursuit of long-held dreams – several point to the unfinished business of previously thwarted ocean-crossings. While some skippers have purchased boats already constructed by other sailors, many have invested years in their own build, making many sacrifices along the way.
Adventurous Entrants
Among the 15* entrants are four Brits, including Ertan Beskarde (Trekka) who has twice taken part in the Golden Globe race but retired due to personal reasons; the affable Keri Harris (Origami), a retired naval captain with plentiful sailing experience; Adam Waugh (Little Wren), who came to sailing later in life but who has shown much talent and determination; and ocean rower and distance swimmer, Jasmine Harrison (Numbatou) a 25 year old who is keen for her next adventure.
These sailors – plus others from Australia, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, and USA – are embarking on an unprecedented first. No round the world race has been run before in boats of this size; transatlantics, yes, but never a 28,000nm marathon, a single-handed one at that!
Capturing the pioneering spirit of the race, Don himself declared ahead of the start: “I have complete faith in the boats and their crews, and everything associated with this event, but it is still a race of attrition; they’ve got to go a long way these little boats.”
While we’re far more used to seeing foil-borne IMOCA 60s and 100ft Ultims tris blasting off over the horizon, the sight of the little boats departing Antigua made for a very stark reminder of the magnitude of the challenge ahead in a race that will be shaped by the battles waged and connections formed of individuals against the elements. Keen to capture this, the organisers are outputting plentiful race commentary and signposting skipper comms via the event website, fuelling the race’s growing fan base.
As such, the raw emotion of the leg one departure from Antigua was laid bare as Don livestreamed his pre-departure dockwalk, chatting with his characteristic frankness to the skippers preparing to cast off. There’s no doubt there’s a part of him wishing he could set sail too, given the race was his creation and he’d initially commissioned a boat to take part (he has since selflessly stepped aside to focus on race management; his boat, Trekka, purchased by Ertan Beskardes).
Nervous excitement abounded, with more than one skipper making frank admittances about their state of preparedness; but as Christian Sauer (Argo) pointed out, his jobs list more closely resembles a wish list and is rarely complete! Meanwhile, Eric Marsh on Sunbear had barely been in Antigua for 72 hours following a tough 25 day delivery from Florida, USA, and Adam Waugh had only just recovered from breaking two ribs on the qualifying Transat, while Keri Harris was setting off without a working windvane… competitors clearly lacking the budgets and support that buffer offshore pro teams in other round the world races.
Nonetheless, after years of build-up, all were eager to get going, the spirit of adventure tugging hard at their sleeves. Golden Globe Race veteran Mark Sinclair’s Coconut acted as the committee boat amidst a buzzing spectator fleet; Don in his support RIB fervently dispensing advice, shoo-ing stragglers towards the line, and rushing to check on the safety of 71-year old Eric Marsh on Sunbear, who despite 55,000nm under his belt, temporarily lost his bearings while fixing a headsail and hit a reef. When the long-awaited start signal fired moments later, it was Keri Harris on Origami who set the standard in hoisting his A5, though several opted for a less hurried approach, and ultimately it was a clean start that set the tightly bunched fleet on its way, heading west towards Panama into a freshening 15kt northeasterly.
Short but Sweet First Leg
The leg made for a short but sweet opener. Just over a week later, the fleet trickled into Shelter Bay, Panama, dodging increasingly heavy shipping traffic, sargassum and breaking waves en route.
Taking the top spot was Renaud Stitlemann (Capucinette) in 8d, 18h, 40m.
It was the second such success for the Swiss sailor, who had also enjoyed a convincing win in the Globe 580 Transat that had taken (12 of) the fleet from Marina Rubicon, Lanzarote, to Antigua in preparation for the MGR itself. Then, he had shown an early indication of his prowess, overtaking early leader Keri Harris (Origami) with some solid strategic choices to complete the 3,000nm race in a winning time of 22d, 5h, 26m, after averaging 5.6kts and 135nm per day. And all while reportedly baking cakes on board, despite encountering 5m seas and 50kt squalls at times and at one point discovering his spreader to be cracked.
Renaud and Keri’s tussle for the top was duplicated on this opening leg of the MGR; at the halfway point to Panama they were just a handful of miles apart, with Keri pushing hard, himself pushed in turn by Canadian Dan Turk (Little Bea), but with either unable to topple the leader and finishing second and third respectively a few hours behind Renaud.
Adam Waugh meanwhile attempted a maverick route to the north, hoping to take advantage of favourable currents; while it wasn’t enough to get him in the top results (he finished fifth in 9d, 16h, 9m), the Briton did set a new class 24 hour distance record of 163nm.
Jasmine Harrison, who had been last in the Transat warm-up, was pleased to have gotten to grips with sailing the boat and found herself rather more in the mix, leaving fellow Brit Ertan to bring home the rear of the fleet on this occasion.
With skippers logging a catalogue of mostly minor breakages, achieving the right balance between windvane and hand-steering seemed to be number one concern – showing that, much like the skippers of the far larger and faster round-the-world classes, these skippers still face much the same conundrum: pushing for race-pace vs taking vital time to rest. Given the confines of their plywood living quarters – with just 1.6m headroom – that in itself would be a challenge for many, before even contemplating tens of thousands of miles of solo ocean sailing…
For now, kudos to all the skippers as they can all at least tick off leg one.
With the Mini Globe Race already proving to be a most intrepid and intriguing challenge, it’s little surprise then that Don is already making plans for a second edition.
*Entered, but departed Antigua several days after the main fleet – Gary Swindail (AUS) Question 2
About the Globe 580
Described as a ‘micro cruiser’ the Globe 580 is designed to be small yet ocean-worthy and with the MGR principally in mind. It fits the definition of a Mini (a yacht between 5.5 and 7m LOA) but is also established as a class in its own right. Established in 2020, more recently, the class has attracted support from philanthropic support organisation ALMA, officially becoming the ‘ALMA Globe 580’.
With Globe 580 plans costing just 350 Euros and suitable for amateur construction, already some 250 boats are in build in 37 countries around the world.
Simplicity rules! The lines were drawn by hand by Polish yacht designer, Janusz Maderski, an expert in designing boats of similar proportions, including the 5m Setka used in the Setka Atlantic Challenge. The hull features a strong plywood-epoxy construction over traditional frames and stringers; it includes a bow crash box, watertight bulkheads and hatches. One-design Dacron sails (Quantum) are set on a one-design mast (Selden), keeping a lid on costs.
LOA: 5.80m
Beam: 2.27m
Draft: 1.40m
Light ship weight: 920kgs
Steel keel lead ballast: 244kg
Mini Globe Safety
The organisers are adamant that safety lies at the heart of this race. The number of competitor places was limited. Each skipper had to submit and application and have sailed a qualifying 3,000nm, and each boat 750nm; 11 took part in the 3,000nm 2025 Mini Globe Transat from the Canaries to Antigua (the third edition of that race).
Once the race is underway, compulsory pitstops will bring the fleet together at regular intervals. Skippers are also permitted additional stops and can receive outside assistance while anchored or alongside, albeit the clock is kept running.
While routing isn’t allowed, competitors have access to GRIB files. Full safety equipment is mandated on a par with World Sailing Cat 0. Sailors undergo strict medical checks as well as medical training, and the yachts themselves have all undergone stringent safety checks, including pull down tests, prior to racing.
Interestingly, protests are prohibited – testament to the unique spirit of the race.
Entrants
Show Me More:
- The WORLDSTAR 2026 Race: Circumnavigate in your Own Boat
- What Does RORC’s Centenary Year Have in Store?
- South Atlantic Cruising: Sailing Cape Town to Brazil
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