The first stage has been completed: 14 of the 15 participants in the Mini Globe Race have successfully reached Shelter Bay Marina in Panama and thus completed the first leg of their circumnavigation. One participant, Australian Gary Swindail, only arrived in Antigua after the start and will join the fleet in the next few days as the fifteenth participant. According to the organisers, the 1,200 nautical miles were a demanding challenge for the other self-built Class Globe 580 boats.
Challenging start to the Mini Globe Race
On the one hand, strong currents and trade winds made for difficult conditions with waves up to six metres high. On the other hand, this led to high average speeds of 5.68 knots and a distance of 136 nautical miles. Nevertheless, several boats had to contend with damage and technical problems during this leg of the Mini Globe Race.
Capsizes, collisions and breakage
Australian Dan Turner, who finished fourth with his "Immortal Game", lost his forestay. For the last few days, he only had to make progress with a mainsail and spinnaker sail. The second-placed Briton, Keri Harris, with his "Origami", capsized during the crossing. Water entering the boat damaged parts of the electronic equipment. Canadian Dan Turk, with his "Little Bea", also reported a possible collision with a whale. The high temperatures of up to 33 degrees inside the boats were a challenge for all sailors.
German finishes sixth
The only German participant, Christian Sauer, reached Panama in sixth place. He completed the crossing in 9 days, 20 hours and 40 minutes, almost a day later than the first-placed Renaud Stitelmann. The Swiss sailor had already beaten off the competition in the qualification for the Mini Globe Race, the Globe 580 Transat.
Challenging crossing
In an interview with YACHT, Christian Sauer reports on a successful but challenging crossing. The start was accompanied by numerous escort boats, but then it was out into the Caribbean Sea. "It was a completely different experience to the Atlantic; it was much more extreme," he says. Initially, he had difficulties with the rig trim, which he had adjusted in Antigua. The speed also left a lot to be desired, as he suspected seaweed on the keel. After the first night, however, the situation improved, says Sauer.
Sauer: "Growing together with the boat"
The real challenge was not so much the wind as an unpleasant cross sea with steep waves that had built up north of the Colombian coast. It tossed his "Argo" back and forth so much that he took a lot of water into the cockpit, says Sauer. The weather later calmed down and he made good progress until shortly before his destination.
"I have the feeling that I have now grown together with the boat."
He then ran out of wind shortly before Shelter Bay Marina. That was definitely a problem, says Sauer, as the destination was close to the entrance to the Panama Canal. The volume of traffic was correspondingly high and there was a risk of getting in the way of one of the many ships. He finally reached his destination in the middle of last week.
Some repairs to be done
Sauer announced on his Instagram account that his boat "Argo" had already been taken out of the water at the weekend. It will remain on land for a few days to carry out minor repairs. Sauer reports damage that occurred during the last leg of the journey.
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Among other things, two of its gennaker blocks had disintegrated, a railing wire had untwisted and the bow fitting at the tip of the bowsprit had broken. In addition, repairs could not be completed in Antigua and are now being carried out.
Journey to the Pacific over land
According to Sauer, the "Argo" will probably be one of the last boats to set sail for the Pacific in a few days' time. As the Globe 580s are too small for the Panama Canal, they will be transported the 100 kilometres or so overland to the Pacific on trailers. Special trailers had to be modified for this. Only one boat can be ferried per day, which makes the schedule for the restart in the Pacific very tight.
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Next stop on the Mini Globe Race: Fiji
According to the organisers, the fleet will set off from the west coast of Panama one day later than planned, on 24 March 2025, for the second leg of the race, which will cover 6,700 nautical miles to Fiji. Stopovers are planned in the Marquesas, Tahiti and Tonga, with only 23 days planned for all stops. Crossing the Pacific and passing through the squid zone will present the participants with new challenges.
In the Mini Globe Race, a total of 15 participants from eight nations will sail around 26,000 nautical miles around the world. They are following in the footsteps of John Guzzwell, who was the first person to sail around the world in a mini yacht in 1955.
