sailor on very small boat - this is Class Globe 580 boat set to take part in round the world race

In six months time, 18 sailors in 5.8 meter home-built plywood yachts are set to embark on a solo race around the world. They’ll navigate 28,000 miles in cramped plywood mini yachts. Why? Because they can. Looking at their profiles some are career sailors, some career record breakers, and others appear to be having a jolly time combing a bit of boatbuilding and a bit of sailing.

The yachts, known as Class Globe 580, are home-built from plywood on timber frames and coated in glass epoxy. 580 refers to its length – compact enough to fit in a 20ft container to and from international events. MIN first reported on these in 2020 when McIntyre Adventure announced its vision and released the plans for €300 (builders could also opt for a CNC pre-cut plywood kit).

When this scheme was launched Don McIntyre (who heads up McIntyre Adventure) said: “I have no idea if sailors will get excited about this new development, but I certainly am. We hope to see boats building all over the world and if that happens, we will support national associations and local races. It’s not foiling, nor carbon and we’re ok with that.”

As it turns out, currently, over 80 yachts are in various stages of completion, with about 20 in the water and another 140 builders with plans.

And now, five years on, sixteen men and two women from 12 countries will set off on 23 February 2025 in the McIntyre Mini Globe Race (MGR). It’s set to be a 13-month sailing adventure that challenges both the physical and psychological endurance of its participants.

‘In an age where technology and €20 million can send a solo sailor around the world in 40 days, a fleet of courageous mini sailors is about to show it can be done for less that €50,000 over many days,’ says the organiser’s upbeat statement.

Sailor stands on mini boat which she will sail solo around world

Competitors include Brit Jasmine Harrison (pictured left courtesy of her FaceBook page). She achieved worldwide recognition in 2021 when at aged 21 she became the youngest solo female to row the Atlantic Ocean. In 2022 she was the first female to swim the full length of the British Isles from Lands End to John O’ Groats. Her boat was built by Etienne Messikommer who won the transat in 2021. She says: “Basically it’s an amazing thing to be part of in every way.” And the reason she’s doing it? “Why not?”

“The MGR, like the Golden Globe Race, will be a voyage of attrition,” says McIntyre. “I have great faith in the sailors, the boats, and the meticulous planning that has gone into this event over the past five years.

“The Globe 580 yachts are robust, safe and fun to sail, offering an affordable challenge. The McIntyre MGR is an exciting companion to our two other unique around the world races, closing the loop and now offering true adventures to all sections of sailing. Ten years ago, I set out to bring back affordable, human around the world racing that was truly sustainable for all sailors, where money and speed at all costs is not the driving force. All three events GGR, OGR and now MGR are epic human stories.”

Before the main event, participants must complete a 3,600-mile qualifying race, solo across the Atlantic. That starts on 28 December 2024 and goes from Marina de Lagos in Portugal,via Lanzarote, Canary Islands, to the National Sailing Academy, Antigua.

McIntyre says the idea emerged during his 2010 adventure sailing 4000-mile across the Pacific in an open timber whale boat with very little food, water and no charts, recreating William Bligh’s Mutiny on the Bounty journey.

Mini boat being built in workshop to take part in round the world race

Australian father and son, Mike and John Blenkinsop, have built two identical CG580s to take part in McIntyre Mini Globe Race. Image courtesy of John Blenkinsop

McIntyre Mini Globe Race course overview

The race begins and ends at the National Sailing Academy, Antigua. The first leg takes sailors to Shelter Bay Marina, Panama, where yachts will be transported overland to the Pacific Ocean. The second leg, starting on 23 March 2025, covers 6,500 miles to VUDA Marina in Fiji, with mandatory pit stops in the Marquesas, Tahiti, and Tonga. Each pit stop requires an eight-day minimum stay, allowing sailors to rest and make repairs.

The third leg spans 10,000 miles to Cape Town, South Africa, with stops in Darwin, Mauritius, and Durban. Given the challenging weather conditions and the notorious Agulhas current, an additional ten days of pit stops are allowed. The fourth and final leg of 7,000 miles begins on 22 December 2025, with stops in St. Helena and Recife, Brazil, before the final sprint back to Antigua, expected by late March 2026.

Entry requirements to McIntyre Mini Globe Race

Aside from the boat, sailors must undergo survival and medical training, comprehensive medical checks, and stress tests. Safety equipment must adhere to world-class standards, detailed in the official Notice of Race.

Restrictions include the prohibition of electronic wind instruments and logs, limited 200-amp battery and 200-watt solar panel capacity, and only electric outboard motors. Hydro generators and desalinators are not allowed. Sailors can make unpenalised stops, but the race clock continues to run, and YB3 satellite trackers provide 24-hour monitoring for everyone on the MGR website.

Unlike other solo races, MGR entrants sail as independent voyagers, with each sailor responsible for their voyage plan, logistics and safety management, overseen by individually appointed safety managers. These managers’ report to MGR event management but maintain primary responsibility for their sailors around the clock.

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