The second leg of the Mini Globe Race is a tough test for both sailors and equipment. The majority of the fleet has already mastered two thirds of the longest and most demanding section of the race. Nevertheless, many still have 2,000 challenging nautical miles ahead of them before they reach the finish line. Several stopovers offer the opportunity to take a deep breath and rectify technical problems.
The German participant in the Mini Globe Race, Christian Sauer, is currently on his way from the Marquesas to Tahiti. After an eight-day stopover, he continued his journey westwards on Friday. He is expected to have completed the 700 nautical miles and reached Tahiti by the end of this week. According to its own information, it is currently around 50 nautical miles from the Tuamotus.
Significant problems on the second section
The first leg of the race, from Panama to the Marquesas, was characterised by numerous technical problems for the German, as several system failures occurred at the same time. "The last few weeks have made it clear that there is considerable wear and tear in the Mini Globe Race," explains Thomas Kindermann in an interview with YACHT. As Sauer's team manager and safety officer, Kindermann is in regular contact with him.
The solar panels and batteries were a particular headache because, according to Sauer, they were no longer accepting a charge. This forced the sailor to use his energy supply extremely sparingly and temporarily switch off systems such as the Starlink. In addition, the wind pilot's clamp slipped, which made it difficult to steer his "Argo" autonomously. The challenges with the jib's stanchions, that burdened him during the transatlantic passageseem to have been solved in the meantime, as Sauer has switched to soft shackles.
Put to the test by the Pacific
However, the skin problems reappeared from time to time. They were the reason for this recently, that Sauer unexpectedly had to make a medical stopover on the Galapagos Islands.
"Some days, the Pacific feels like it's testing me personally." Christian Sauer
Despite these challenges, the German sailor shows perseverance and develops creative solutions to his difficulties. He also consistently maintains his position in the front midfield (6th place), directly behind the Canadian Dan Turk.
On the Mini Globe Race tracker you can track the position of Sauer.
South Seas feeling for the Mini Globe Race fleet
In the Marquesas, Sauer finally managed to solve most of his technical problems. The race organisers stipulate an eight-day stopover in the Marquesas. It is up to the sailors to decide which island they choose. Christian Sauer and some other race participants preferred the southern part of the archipelago.
In an Instagram post, he reports on his experiences on site:
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Growing distances within the field
In recent weeks, the field of participants in the Mini Globe Race in the Pacific has spread out considerably. The distance between the sailors is sometimes hundreds of nautical miles. Some have only just left the Marquesas Islands behind them, while others have already reached the next stopover on Tahiti, around 700 nautical miles away. According to the race organisers, the participants have to stay there for seven days before they can tackle the next leg of the race.
According to team manager Kindermann, the "Argo" will be lifted out of the water in Tahiti if possible. At the start of the leg, the boat collided with an unknown object, causing slight damage to the steel keel. The damaged area is to be repaired to prevent rust from forming.
The most challenging section of the Mini Globe Race
The second leg from Panama to Fiji covers a total of around 7,300 nautical miles and is considered one of the longest and most challenging sections of the race. After the stop in Tahiti, there will be another stop in Tonga before the journey continues to Fiji. The fleet is expected to arrive there in late June to early July.
Switzerland's Renaud Stitelmann with his "Capucinette", Australia's Daniel Turner with his "Immortal Game" and Britain's Keri Harris with "Origami" are still in the lead. Mike and John Blenkinsop, a father-son duo, are far behind. They started much later from Panama as they had to wait for spare parts and are now almost 2,000 nautical miles behind.
More about the Globe 580 and the Mini Globe Race:
- Interview with McIntyre: "The aim is to inspire people"
- German at the start of the self-build Transat race
- Boatbuilding adventure: the first self-build minis are created
- More information about the start of the Mini Globe Race: minigloberace.com/race-start/
