A year ago, Christian Sauer was standing in front of an unfinished boat in Lagos, Portugal. He had never sailed solo, never crossed an ocean, never operated a wind steering system. Today he is in sixth place in the Mini Globe Race in Cape Town - with 21,000 nautical miles in the wake of his self-built Class Globe 580 "Argo". Before the start of the fourth and final leg of the race, we reviewed the past year with him and looked ahead to what's to come.
YACHT: Christian, would you have thought a year ago that you would be in Cape Town today?
Christian SauerI hoped for it, but I didn't believe it. The start was tight and the most stressful time. Thanks to support, I made it to the start line and sailed off. Of course I could have disembarked in Lanzarote. But it worked - so I continued across the Atlantic and from there onwards. I learnt step by step and achieved higher sailing goals. But the hardest part was the first leg from Lagos to Lanzarote.
Were you ever at the point where the boatbuilding project was complete?
No, I'm still working on it. That's probably the case for most sailors - there's always something to do. The important thing is to let it go and enjoy the place you're in.
Looking back on the past year: what went well, what didn't?
That's difficult to say. In terms of the boat, I can say that, on the whole, it's fine. I feel safe and I haven't yet experienced a situation that the boat couldn't handle. There was one situation on the Atlantic where I couldn't recognise a crack, but confidence grows with the nautical miles - so it fits.
Are there things you would do differently?
Yes, but you would have to clarify this with the designer and the class association. For example, I would build the berths differently, as well as the chart table and galley. What has worked well is the geometry of my companionway - it's flatter than on other boats. I would like to move it 20 centimetres forwards so that I have a bit more space in the cockpit.
When building the "Argo", you attached great importance to safety and, for example, added reinforcements beyond the construction plan. Looking back, was that the right thing to do?
For me personally, that was the right decision because it makes me feel safe. Of course, the "Argo" weighs 600 kilos without fittings. I know a boat in the fleet that weighs 470 kilos - that's 130 kilos less, almost ten per cent of the total weight. From a regatta point of view, that's an enormous amount.
Nevertheless, I can sail fast with the Argo. This was particularly evident on the last leg to Cape Town. But my primary goal is still a different one: to arrive safely in Antigua and sail my self-built boat home. A good position is nice, but secondary.
You are currently in sixth place and are holding steady in midfield. How do you rate the ranking - and is there still something to be gained?
Those in front are now far ahead. This has mainly developed between Christmas Island and Cocos Keeling - they caught the right high, while we had to counter-cross for three days. That tore a big gap.
The Mini Globe Race ranking after stage 3:
Experienced regatta sailors like Renaud Stitelmann are sailing at the front. I have the greatest respect for Dan Turner - he's at the front and built his boat himself. Adam Waugh is right in front of me and also built his boat himself. It would be nice to catch up with him - then we would be the first in fifth and sixth place without much regatta experience.
Where do you still see sailing potential?
I could certainly concentrate more on regatta sailing. I have the feeling that the "Argo" can do even more - if you stay awake.
What do you mean?
I find the 24-hour waking rhythm difficult. At some point, the body gets its sleep - but because of the endless movement in the boat and my shoulder pain, it's not particularly restful. That makes it difficult, especially close to land. You can sometimes see it on my courses when I've overslept another alarm. There would certainly be more to be gained in terms of regatta performance.
Now only the fourth stage lies ahead of you. How do you feel about it?
I have mixed feelings - it's the last leg and I don't really want it to be over. Others are already selling their boats, but not me. I could imagine continuing to sail with the "Argo", maybe more regattas in the Atlantic. I'm not yet familiar with the South Atlantic itself, so I can't judge it. I found the North Atlantic on the trade wind route much more pleasant compared to the Indian Ocean.
What was so problematic about the Indian Ocean?
I experienced an incredibly chaotic wave pattern in the Indian Ocean. Most of the time we had waves coming from different directions. That made it difficult for the wind steering system, for example. It wasn't really comfortable - although it's not comfortable on a Globe 580 anyway. The movements are far too extreme. In addition, there are strong currents and high waves.
You have to compliment the organiser on that: We had 16 days of stopover time on the route between Durban and Cape Town, which we could use flexibly to wait for good wind conditions. The concept worked really well and gave me a safe passage to Cape Town. Now comes the South Atlantic. People who sail here say that it's all downhill from here.
You've been in Cape Town for two and a half weeks. Why is this a special stopover for you?
All the big regattas pass by here. What's more, my father also called at this harbour on his circumnavigation. That makes it special for me.
You also met some of the greats of sailing here, such as Tony Kolb and Kirsten Neuschäfer. How did that come about?
I got to know Tony Kolb through a friend. That was great.
What do people talk about from circumnavigator to circumnavigator?
Listening to the stories, reminiscing - it was exciting. The word "crazy" came up several times, in both directions: sailing around the world in such a small boat or in an extreme aluminium racer. It was a good mix.
How did you meet Kirsten Neuschäfer?
It was nice to meet her again. We met for the first time a year and a half ago at Lake Constance. I was able to exchange a few words with her after one of her lectures. When I was finally in Cape Town, I noticed that the "Minnehaha" was moored in the harbour. I walked past and the hatch was open - and sure enough, she was on board. Very exciting to see her again.
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The next stage starts on Sunday, 28 December. What do you still have to do before then?
There's still a lot to do. I'm waiting for new sails. I also need to get the "Argo" out of the water so that I can repair the antifouling. The liquid repair agent for the silicone film has arrived from Germany. Apart from that, there are still a few small things to do.
The Entry list for the Mini Globe Race 2029 has recently gone online. Would you do it again with your experience from this year?
I like sailing. However, the stopover times are too short - I need too much time for repairs and see too little of the places. What I do know is that there will be another circumnavigation. But then perhaps with a bigger boat and more time to get to know the country and its people.
More about the Mini Globe Race:
The Mini Globe Race is the first of its kind: the first race around the world for the world's smallest standardised class.
- In a total of four further stages with numerous possible stopovers, the barefoot route takes you around the world. The start in Antigua was the 23 February 2025.
- The participants sail on boats from the Class Globe 5.80 - a 5.80 metre long, self-built small cruiser made of plywood and coated with fibreglass and epoxy. Read more here.
- The inventor of the boats and the race is the Australian circumnavigator Don McIntyre. In addition to the Mini Globe Race, he also created the Golden Globe and Ocean Globe Race. You can find an interview here.
- More info for the Mini Globe Race here.
