Mini Globe Race: German participant Christian Sauer crosses the finish line after circumnavigating the globe
YACHT-Redaktion
· 16.03.2026
YACHT: How are you? Have you slowly arrived or are you still at sea?
Christian Sauer: It's still like that. I can't say for sure whether I'm still at sea, but I haven't really come to terms with this journey yet.
That may take months because it was so extreme. So there were 4 legs in total. That was Antigua-Panama, then Panama-Fiji, Fiji-Cape Town and Cape Town-Antigua. And now you're in Antigua too. Firstly, before we talk about you, how is the boat doing? I mean, you built it yourself in, I think, two and a half years. Can it still be used after the journey?
Yes, the boat is doing very well. It's got a few scars, of course, but that's what my friends told me before we left. Don't put too much effort into the details, because it will show after sailing around the world that you've sailed it for so long. And that's the case, but it's in very good condition overall and I'm really proud that this boat has taken me around the world so well.
Are you in good condition?
Yeah, overall mentally I'm fine, physically I'm a bit sore. I probably need an operation on both shoulders, which is probably an old injury of some kind or something that's dragged on, but my shoulders are in top condition. And that's been with me the whole journey. [...]
So it was the first time that the Mini Globe Race had ever been sailed around the world in the form of a regatta, even on such small boats. There were originally 15 boats on the way. 11 arrived, you came 7th, a nice midfield. What happened to the four that didn't finish? Is there anything to worry about?
No, fortunately, contrary to all the statistics that might exist for races around the world, we didn't have any major damage, but it was personal looting, the financial resources ran out when the Australians were so close to home and perhaps got a bit homesick. Those were the reasons. Fortunately, we didn't suffer any major damage. [...]
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I would like to go through the 4 stages with you. So first of all Panama. How was this route for you?
A relatively short leg to the start, without Starlink at the time, so I was relatively disconnected from the outside world. I really enjoyed sailing and, as we discussed in the last interview, I didn't really get to wind down on the Atlantic. I was busy all the time, it was all new to me.
The first stage to Panama was the first time I was able to relax a little and start thinking about life. What do I want? What is happening here right now? That was really nice. Moments that weren't so good. We got a bit of a strong wind off Barranquilla, which is also known as Little Capron. And that was the first time I asked myself in the boat, okay, is this safe? Because it was just moving so incredibly fast in the waves that I somehow had my feet on the bottom side and then the boat tipped over to the other side and I couldn't get my feet to the other side fast enough.
In other words, I did more of a handstand in the cockpit and then back again. Then I said, okay, maybe this is the moment where I go in and close the hatch. Those were the beginnings. That was the first time I had these conditions and we had difficult conditions afterwards and that wouldn't shock me now. [...]
My God, what have you been through? Unbelievable. Then, after the stopovers in Tahiti and Tonga, you arrived in Fiji, where you had a bit of time to yourselves. How did you feel about your time there?
That I haven't really arrived or that I'm too preoccupied at the moment. And I had that from time to time. But then you do get busy. So that was more the case in the Marquesas and then also in Tahiti. And I always had to do a lot on the boat, which perhaps, if the boat had been tested beforehand, it would have happened beforehand, then I might not have had it. Towards the end of the trip, I really had more time to get to know the country and its people. The stop we had on Tonga was really nice and very relaxing, and we did a lot together. And the long stopover in Fiji was great fun to be there. [...]
The interview was conducted by Timm Kruse.
Note: The full interview will be held on Friday, 20 March, at the YACHT Podcast to be heard.
