World tour of lonely “wanderers,” followers of Guzzwell, starts today

Today a fleet of 15 skippers is lined up to start the first edition of the “McIntyre Mini Globe Race,” round-the-world sailing aboard small “Globe Class 580s” celebrating John Guzzwell’s famous voyage in 1955.

A round-the-world race reminiscent of the great sailings of the past but to be completed in an absolutely minimalist style because it is raced aboard 5.80-meter self-built boats made of marine plywood. A trial that is certainly tough but also exciting involving solo skippers from many countries with oceans in their hearts.

We are talking about the first edition of the “McIntyre Mini Globe Race” (MGR), a 24,300-mile solo round-the-world voyage whose departure is set for today, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, from Falmouth Harbor in Antigua, Caribbean. The competition was conceived by Australian adventurer and explorer Don McIntyre and is intended to pay tribute to the legendary circumnavigation completed by John Guzzwell in 1955, in command of the 6.25-meter self-built yawl “Trekka.” It was a legendary feat that saw the brave Guzzwell set sail from Victoria, Canada, and cross all the oceans for 33,000 miles of sailing before re-landing in the Canadian port of Vancouver.

Mini ocean cabin cruisers and minimalist style

The spirit of the “McIntyre Mini Globe Race” is just that: to enhance the seafaring skills of the participants and in a world increasingly dominated by technological perfection and big budgets, to take a big step back, to go back to basics to really enjoy the adventure. In fact, the new round-the-world race is being run aboard Globe Class 580s, a class of mini ocean-going cabin cruisers with an original design and just 5.80 meters long that can be made of marine plywood with DIY in the backyard.

Fifteen solo sailors, many men but also some women, lined up at the start of the “McIntyre Mini Globe Race.” To prepare for this feat, they completed in recent weeks the “Globe 580 Transat,” a solo transatlantic divided into two legs: the first from Lagos (Portugal) to Lanzarote (Canary Islands) and the other from the Spanish island to Antigua.

Five mandatory ports of call for a total of 24,300 miles

To now complete the round-the-world “McIntyre Mini Globe Race,” the skippers will sail directly to Panama, but instead of transiting the canal they will be transported overland to the Pacific. They will then set course for Fiji, where they arrive in mid-June for a three-week stopover. From there they will continue the race through upper Australia and then south into the Southern Ocean to Cape Town in South Africa. After a long Christmas break next to Table Mountain, they will finally sail up the coast of Africa and cross the Atlantic and south to Recife, Brazil, for their last port of call before returning home to Antigua.

The route includes five legs with mandatory seven-day stops at designated ports. Panama, Tahiti, Darwin, Cape Town and Recife are the main waypoints before returning to the Caribbean, for a total of 24,300 miles. In short, it will be a race to be enjoyed. You can access the fleet traker on the official website https://minigloberace.com/tracker/. We at the Sailing Newspaper will of course follow the “McIntyre Mini Globe Race” with news and updates. Follow us and have a good round the world race!