McIntyre Mini Globe Leg 2 Update - The Mad Bastard may be right!
by McIntyre Mini Globe Race 1 Jul 13:06 UTC
`SECRET COVE` in Vuda Marina is the home of the McIntyre Mini Globe Race fleet. All are welcome to visit. It's causing quite a stir for all other sailors cruising around the world who think.???..you guessed it...THEY ARE ALL CRAZY!! © Don McIntyre / MGR2025
When the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race set off—the first solo, non-stop circumnavigation—many thought it impossible. But one sailor proved them wrong: Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, sailing his beloved Suhaili!
- Racing the world solo in 19ft/5.8mtr yachts? IMPOSSIBLE! - NO! McIntyre Mini Globe Race proves a point!
- So far so good. 12,000 miles done, 16,000 miles and the southern ocean to go.
When Australian adventurer, Don McIntyre announced the 2025 Mini Globe Race in 2020, after years of planning, to be sailed in 19ft/5.8mtr plywood home built identical yachts, he was labeled the "MAD BASTARD" on the Sailing Anarchy Website/Forum. Many thought he was crazy. Virtually every sailor who started building a little ALMA Globe 580 in garages, backyards and tents around the world had family, friends and strangers in disbelief. It would be impossible! YOU are CRAZY!
Even as these mighty 580 mini's are proving themselves right now on the ocean, it is a natural first reaction for any human when you tell one:"Oh yes, I am about to sail solo around the world in a 19ft/5.8mtr plywood box I built myself!" "ARE YOU CRAZY ?!!!" Such is the extreme nature of this challenge, but just to make it harder, it is a serious one design race! The risks are not to be underestimated even after serious mitigation. The human capacity to endure is extreme.
Now the problem for the McIntyre MGR is one of perception. The reality is these boats are conceived so perfectly for the job, built extremely well and matched by real passion and commitment of their skilled sailors, it looks too easy! IT IS NOT! Some think it is a rally or a cruise! IT IS NOT... This incredible race and human story continues...on MGR Facebook, YouTube and Instagram thanks to Starlink Mini. It looks fun and at times fluffy...but at 2am in the morning in a 70kt storm and 5-6mtr seas all alone in your 580 struggling to survive, it is far from fluffy...it is scary!
McIntyre Mini Globe Race 2025 - Leg 2: Panama to Fiji -7400 miles - The Pacific Gauntlet
Fiji, 30 June 2025 - The second leg of the ground breaking McIntyre Mini Globe Race (MGR) 2025 has drawn to a close, with the fleet of rugged ALMA Globe 580s battling squalls, calms, and the whims of the South Pacific to reach the welcoming shores of VUDA MARINA Fiji. From Panama to the paradise of Tahiti then onto the rugged beauty of Tonga, the skippers have endured everything from violent thunderstorms with serious seas and chaotic currents, to idyllic moonlit sails — sometimes in the same 24 hours! All the while, sailing and surviving on their tiny 19ft Minis, for up to 85 days.
Then the final 500 miles from Tonga to Fiji was the toughest, with some skippers sailing under bare poles for nearly four days in the strong 30-40kt winds and demanding 4-5mtr seas. Most think of the Pacific as a sailing paradise and it is, but she can turn on a sailor at any time, delivering a range of emotions, self doubt and fear, every bit as strong as sailing through the Southern Ocean. It's tough!
The McIntyre MGR is far from a walk in the park. At times it's a brutal slog. These solo skippers are changing physically and mentally from the demands of this solo circumnavigation. It started in Portugal 12000 miles and six months ago. Comfort is optional in a Mini, cabins are hot, damp, smelly and busy. Leg muscles shrink while others grow. Sails fade under the sun while the joy of achievement shines bright every day. They are each responsible for their own destiny during this life defining journey with 16,000 miles still to go. The second half will be even more serious as they head down into the Southern Ocean!
We recap the highs, lows, and downright bizarre moments of this 7400-nautical-mile odyssey.
Renaud Stitelmann: The Unstoppable Swiss Machine
Boat: CAPUCINETTE
Position: 1st Place (Leg 2 Winner)
Renaud Stitelmann has done it again. After dominating Leg 1, the Swiss skipper has secured another victory, crossing the finish line in Fiji on 13 June after 79 days, 17 hours, and 19 minutes at sea. Racing hard all the way, checking weather and options every four hours, trimming incessantly as hard as any Vendée Globe Skipper, he has but one objective - To Win! His secret? Consistency, discipline, and an almost supernatural ability to avoid wind holes.
Despite dodging 45-knot squalls and wrestling with unpredictable Windy forecasts, Renaud maintained his lead with surgical precision. His biggest complaint? "I wish the fleet started each stage together—I'm basically racing myself!"
When asked about his strategy, he shrugged: "Keep the boat balanced, don't push too hard, and never trust the weather apps." Sage advice from a man who now holds two leg wins and is the clear favourite for overall victory. His final statement when asked about the comparison to the Golden Globe or Vendée Globe he said: " The GGR you must be HARD in the HEAD! No communication - total isolation - the Vendée Globe you must be a top class athlete and engineer - but the Mini Globe is just amazing, we are on small boats, small budget, you can do everything yourself and when you step off your 580, look back at it, smile, then ask yourself:' are you mad?' That is special!"
Dan Turner: The Relentless Challenger
Boat: IMMORTAL GAME
Position: 2nd Place
Dan Turner has been Renaud's shadow across the Pacific, nipping at his heels but never quite overtaking. He is an accomplished short handed racer. His passage from Tahiti to Tonga was a rollercoaster of adrenaline and exhaustion, featuring:
- 35-knot squalls that forced 20 sail changes in one night
- A broken emergency solar panel (courtesy of a mid-sleep bunk ejection)
- A triumphant tuna catch just before Tonga arrival—which he promptly traded for customs clearance and cold beers - such is the MGR!
Dan's competitive spirit is legendary. "As a kid, I'd cry if my dad's car lost a traffic-light drag race," he admitted. Now, he's channeling that energy into chasing Renaud—and maybe, just maybe, overtaking him in Leg 3. Dan also enjoys the adventure, people and places, but this is his race and he is hungry to see results from four years of backyard boat building - then selling the family home in Australia to balance the accounts!
Pilar Pasanau: The Dark Horse Rises
Boat: PETER PUNK
Position: 3rd Place
Pilar Pasanau (#98 PETER PUNK / ESP), 57 yo, the quiet but deadly Spanish skipper, master mariner of commercial ships, who stepped down from racing CLASS MINI 650's for this ultimate Globe 580 challenge and world first MGR event! She is the surprise package of Leg 2. Too busy sailing for social media updates with a steely focus on performance, she stealthily climbed past No. 3 Keri Harris (#47 Origami / UK) to claim the final podium spot.
Her strategy? "Sail fast, sleep little, and don't let Dan Turk pass me." Mission accomplished.
Keri Harris: The Comeback Kid (With a Broken Back)
Boat: ORIGAMI
Position: 4th Place
Retired British Naval captain, Keri's daring southern detour seeking stronger winds looked like a masterstroke—until it wasn't. Battling 6m swells near the Cook Islands, he injured his back and spent four days bunkridden, popping painkillers and watching ORIGAMI sail herself toward Tonga, not fast sailing! Recovery was not helped when the bunk was a plywood plank. In an effort to save weight and sail fast, he considered bunk cushions unnecessary and pillows not needed. Hmmm?
"Life as a watch-dodging sick bay ranger wasn't in the plan," he joked. Yet, despite the agony, he clawed back to 4th place, proving that sheer British stubbornness is a valid racing tactic.
The Mid-Fleet Madness: Squalls, Spinnakers, and Solar Panels
The battle for 5th to 10th was just as dramatic:
- Dan Turk (#20 LITTLE BEA / CA): Survived a 70-knot knockdown, lost his A7 spinnaker overboard, and still managed to out-cook Pilar with rainwater-collecting sunshade cuisine.
- Christian Sauer (#103 Argo / DE): Sailed halfway around the world with a busted shoulder and skin infections. Doctors told him to quit. He told them to watch him finish the race.
- Adam Waugh (#170 LITTLE WREN / UK): The Zen master of the fleet. While others fought squalls, he slept eight hours a night and arrived looking fresh as a daisy.
- Eric Marsh (#79 SUNBEAR / AU): Nearly drifted onto a reef after his electric outboard failed (again). Still managed to hand-steer like a demon when the wind returned.
- Jakub Ziemkiewicz 's (#185 BIBI / IE): Wore a cowboy hat for his Fiji arrival, flew enough flags to rig a schooner, and proved that Irish luck works at sea.
- Ertan Beskardes (#01 TREKKA / UK): The cleanest sailor alive. Arrived in Fiji spotless, shaved, and in a white shirt—despite 7,000 miles of ocean living the starlink life, running his business, with family.
Jasmine Harrison: The Unbreakable Adventurer
Boat: NUMBATOU
Position: 11th Place
Jasmine's the baby of the fleet at 26, a world record Ocean rower, long distance ocean swimmer and until this MGR, a part time sailor. Her Pacific passage so far was brutal:
- Broaches, black eyes, and face-planting the tiller
- Food poisoning in Tonga (courtesy of suspect fish & chips)
- A near-miss with an active underwater volcano
- Head winds, calms and big winds Big sea, to the tiring finish!
Yet, she never once considered quitting. "I joined this race to see the Pacific," she declared. Mission accomplished and finally, she is a real solo sailor! Always longing to make the stops to join the Globe 580 family onshore adventures and now with a long list of Fixes prepping for leg three to Cape Town!
The Stragglers: Josh, Gary, and the Blenkinsop Bros
- Josh Kali (#157 SKOOKUM / US): From mountains to oceans and doing well come what may! enjoying audiobooks - avoiding squalls and waiting out heavy seas to finish in Fiji!
- Gary Swindial (#111 Question 2 / AU): Stuck in yet another wind hole. The Pacific's favourite punching bag and the last four days under bare poles comfortably down below watching youtube movies but finally made it in.
- Mike & John Blenkinsop - Father and son (DELJA 99 & 100 / AUS): Mike (Popeye) officially retired from racing, but still sailing with John for fun. They have just left Tahiti and are trying to sail to Fiji in time to say goodbye to their MGR Family... 1500 miles to go!
What's Next? Leg 3 - 9700 demanding miles down south to Cape Town - The Indian Ocean Gauntlet!
The fleet will regroup repair and relax in VUDA MARINA Fiji before setting off on 26 July for Cape Town via:
- Torres Strait - Thursday Island Australia (Great Barrier reefs, huge tides, and crocodiles)
- Darwin Option - a diversion.
- Cocos Keeling - Indian Ocean Paradise
- Rodrigues island - Turtles
- Mauritius Port Louis - rum and repairs then serious sailing
- Durban and the OCC - sharks, surfing and preparing for the Southern Ocean, serious weather in the Agulas current!
- Cape of Good Hope - the Cape Horn of west about circumnavigations!
- Cape Town!! - simply unbelievable for these Mighty ALMA Globe 580 Mini's!!
Final thoughts from ALMA Globe 580 and MGR founder Don McIntyre:
The MGR has proven one thing: You don't need a mega-yacht nor mega budget to have a mega-adventure with all the same emotions. These 19ft plywood Mini's with their warrior racing skippers are living a dream every bit as demanding as any solo circumnavigator before them. They struggled to make the start line, they have crossed oceans, survived storms and laughed with respect in the face of adversity. They are not done yet! Not even half way and serious risks remain. But they are all as determined today as the day they cut their first piece of timber to start building their boats. That day others thought they were crazy and told them so!...Today that's all changed. When people see the boats, meet the skippers and look into their eyes...there is often stunned silence and respect with some WOW!.....the Race continues!
As Renaud hoists another well-earned victory rum in Fiji, the rest of the fleet is already plotting their revenge. Leg 3 starts on July 26 2025 from Vuda Marina. Stay tuned...
Follow the race at minigloberace.com/tracker