Mini Globe Race: German participant Christian Sauer crosses the finish line after circumnavigating the globe

YACHT

· 16.03.2026

Christian Sauer on his 5.80 metre long "Argo", which he built from plywood.

The sailor has been at sea since 23 February.

There were several stops during the Mini Globe Race.

The German sailor was accompanied by shoulder pain during the circumnavigation.

10 Images

Photo: Rob Havill; MGR

After 13 months and 24,000 nautical miles, Christian Sauer reached the finish line. YACHT spoke to the only German participant in the Mini Globe Race immediately after his arrival in Antigua. Next Friday, 20 March, the detailed interview about sailing around the world in his self-built 5.80 metre plywood boat will be published in a podcast. Here on YACHT-online is an excerpt in advance.

Add bookmark

YACHT: How are you? Have you arrived safely or are you still at sea?

Christian Sauer: I haven't really arrived yet. It's hard to say whether I'm still "at sea", but I haven't processed the journey yet.

There were four legs in total: Antigua-Panama, Panama-Fiji, Fiji-Cape Town and Cape Town-Antigua. You built the boat yourself. Is it still usable after the route?

The boat is doing very well. It has a few signs of wear and tear, but that was to be expected. I was told before I left that I shouldn't get too bogged down in details. You'll see the journey anyway. Overall, it's in very good condition and I'm proud that it has taken me around the world so reliably.

And how are you doing yourself?

Mentally, I'm fine. Physically, I'm a bit battered, I probably need an operation on both shoulders. It's probably an older, protracted injury that has been with me for the entire journey. [...]

Eleven out of 15 boats finished the first Mini Globe Race of its kind. You came seventh. What happened to the others?

Fortunately, there was no major damage. The cancellations were due to personal reasons - such as a lack of funds or homesickness, especially for participants from Australia. Overall, the regatta went very smoothly. [...]

I would like to go through the four stages with you. So first of all Panama. What was it like for you on this route?

That was a relatively short stage and still without Starlink, so with little contact with the outside world. I really enjoyed sailing. In contrast to the Atlantic before, I was able to relax a bit here for the first time and start thinking about my life.

How do you like this article?

We then had strong winds off Barranquilla. That was the first moment when I wondered whether the boat was safe. The movements were so violent that I was literally thrown back and forth in the cockpit. That's when I decided to retreat inside and close the hatch. I wasn't surprised by such conditions later on. [...]

After stops in Tahiti and Tonga, you arrived in Fiji. How did you experience this time?

I often had the feeling that I hadn't really arrived and was still travelling mentally. At the same time, I was busy working on the boat. These were things that I might have realised earlier if I had been more prepared. Towards the end of the trip, I had more time to get to know the country and its people. The stay in Tonga in particular was very relaxed, and I also enjoyed the longer stop in Fiji. [...]

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.

Home