It is still pitch dark when Christian Sauer arrives in the harbour of the National Sailing Academy on the Caribbean island of Antigua with his "Argo". But he is already expected. Don McIntyre, the founder of the Globe 5.80 class and organiser of the race, and other skippers are already waiting for the German on the jetty. It takes a few moments before the boat is safely moored. Then comes the official part: the first step onto Caribbean soil.
He has done it. Christian Sauer crossed the Atlantic in 24 days, eleven hours and 32 minutes. Three and a half weeks after the Start in front of the Marina Rubicon on Lanzarote he finished eighth out of a total of twelve participants in the Globe 5.80 Transat Race off Antigua. His successful crossing of the Atlantic also qualifies him for the next adventure, the Mini Globe Race.
Hard and good times
There were hard times, but also good times, says Sauer in an interview with the organiser Don McIntyre. A lot of things didn't run smoothly yet, says Sauer. "There were moments when I heard noises on my boat that I'd never heard before. I asked myself: Have I done everything right? Is the boat really stable enough?" In other situations, however, he felt very safe; the solid construction proved its worth. "It was as if the boat was looking after me," says Sauer.
Globe 5.80: A special kind of boat
- Instead of series production, almost all Class Globe 5.80 boats are built in-house. The frames are made of solid wood, while the outer skin is planked with plywood and coated with several layers of glass fibre epoxy.
- With a length of just 19 feet - comparable to the length of a luxury saloon - the hull fits easily into a standard 20-foot container without the mast, rudder blade and keel. Carbon fibre, foils or twin rudders, which are standard on many offshore racing yachts today, are nowhere to be found on the Globe 5.80.
- Particularly striking: the bent bulkhead, the flush deck, the two watertight bulkheads and the skeg in front of the attached rudder.
- Together with Polish designer Janusz Maderski, who has already designed the Setka A, Don McIntyre has developed the offshore small cruiser.
- In just 550 hours, the main structure can be built by one or two people with little experience and simple tools. This is according to the class website.
- More information: www.minigloberace.com
"Capucinette" wins with two days to spare
Switzerland's Renaud Stitelmann was the first of the field to sail his "Capucinette" across the finish line off Antigua. He took the lead of the field early on together with the Brit, Keri Harris ("Origami"). In the end, the Swiss rider came out on top. Stitelmann says the key was that he kept as far south as possible, as the trade winds were stronger there. At 22 days and five hours, he finished two days ahead of the German and set a new record for the Globe 5.80 Transat with his result.
Problems with the sails
Proper weather routing was not possible with Christian Sauer on board due to technical problems, said the 44-year-old after his arrival. The radio connection was one of the biggest problems he had to contend with. Sauer: "I had virtually no reception. (...) We urgently need to fix that."
Another problem child turned out to be his sails. After just a few days at sea, his A3 gennaker tore, which he tried to repair with on-board equipment. The jib was also unable to withstand the strain and also tore. However, it was not the strong wind that was the problem. Rather, flapping sails in calm conditions caused the staysails to rub against the sails and eventually tear. A replacement jib was eventually used. "I'm really unsure whether the sails will survive a circumnavigation," he says.
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Mini Globe Race: Around the world in the Globe 5.80
Christian Sauer now has until 23 February to regenerate, repair the defects on board his "Argo" and stock up on supplies. Then the next stage of his adventure begins. Off Antigua will be the start of the Mini Globe Race - a Globe 5.80 class race around the world. It comprises a total of five stages and takes participants around the globe on the barefoot route. The fleet of participants is expected to reach the finish line (again off Antigua) in March 2026.
