In an emotional and historic departure, 12 intrepid solo sailors set sail from Fiji on Saturday 26th July, embarking on the most perilous leg of the McIntyre Mini Globe Race (MGR)—a 10,000-nautical-mile journey across the Southern Ocean to Cape Town, South Africa.
The fleet of identical 5.8-meter (19-foot) ALMA Globe 580 plywood yachts, each built by hand in garages and backyards, left VUDA MARINA to the stirring sounds of Fijian farewell songs and a Fijian warrior with Traditional “DAVUI” conch shell horn and the sight of the traditional Dura “I Vola Sigavou” sailing canoe escorting them to sea. The heartfelt send-off, marked by hugs and tears, underscored the deep bonds formed during their five-week stopover in Fiji—a haven of rest, repairs, and typical warm Fijian hospitality.
Under light winds, the 12 mighty Mini’s clustered tightly at the start line in prestart maneuvers listening for the Conch Shell start signal from Fijian traditional navigator and captain Seta Ledua on the Drua. Witnessing the fleet round the first mark before beating to windward, searching for the sea breeze, it was hard to comprehend what may lay ahead for these intrepid, bold and beautiful sailors. Once clear of the lagoon and Fiji’s reefs four hours later, they faced a messy, short sea, in a 20-30kts easterly testing the sailors on their first night out after experiencing so much Fijian luxury. With bouts of lethargy and fatigue and little sleep , settling in was not easy. Yet, the fleet maintained an impressive 5-knot average speed, charging toward their first major obstacle: navigating the Great Barrier Reef 1800 miles to the northwest.
This leg 3 has 6 sections with fixed pit-stops varying in length from 5 to 9 days. Fiji to Thursday Island or Darwin ( but not both), Cocos Keeling, Rodriguez island, Mauritius, Durban and finally Cape Town. Sailing from Mauritius to Capetown is by far the most challenging section of the entire circumnavigation where survival will take precedence over racing on many occasions.
Early Race Drama
Jakub Ziemkiewicz ‘s (#185 BIBI / IE) set sail with an infected ear from pre-race shark snorkeling, leaving him feeling slow and ‘OFF” but unsure if that was seasick or just sick even with antibiotics , but very determined to keep racing.
Christian Sauer (#103 Argo / DE ) is still sailing with his shoulder ligament problems and now struggling with sluggish performance, suspecting improper weight distribution of his food and water—”it’s like driving with the handbrake on.”
Jasmine Harrison (#88 NUMBATOU / UK) overcame critical wind vane issues from an incorrect Hydrovane change of installation, where the lower mounts were tightened too far, jamming the rudder. After two sleepless nights of hand-steering and hanging over the side trying to solve this under electric tiller pilot, she finally succeeded…mid-ocean.
Adam Waugh (#170 LITTLE WREN / UK) also fought self-steering problems but has since found his rhythm and is enjoying the ride.
The Road Ahead: Danger & Strategy
The sailors now face a minefield of decisions, but for now:
Great Barrier Reef Transit – choosing the best pass through the outer reef for a 100 – mile zigzag through coral, relying on GPS at night, or maybe a longer safer entry further north? .
Australia Arrival – Strict biosecurity laws demand advance notice to customs, immigration and Borderforce with penalties for invasive species and breeches of the many processes and procedures.
Route Choices – Sailors must decide between Thursday Island (crocodile country) if paddling their tiny tenders ashore or Darwin, adding tactical complexity and possible wind shadows,
The Southern Ocean Awaits
Beyond Australia, the real test begins:
Cocos Keeling Islands: A brief tropical paradise respite before the Indian Ocean crossing.
Mauritius to Durban: Where the Southern ocean lows start to make themselves felt, any winds, at any time, at any strength, in any direction!! Goodbye Tradewinds!
Durban to Cape Town , where the south setting Agulhas current collides head on with South West to Southerly, Southern Ocean storms, where even super tankers and cruise ships have foundered in the dangerous seas.
“This is where reputations will be made, or lost and stories will be created ,” said Don McIntyre, MGR founder. “These boats are tiny but they are strong and their skippers are responsible risk takers and they are ready for the challenge. ”
Fierce Competition
Dan Turner ( #05 IMMORTAL GAME / AU) leads the pack by a slim margin. .
Renaud Stitelmann (#28 Capucinette / CH) remains the overall leader after Legs 1 & 2 with a 1 day 14 hours lead over Dan Turner starting leg 3.
Keri Harris ( #47 ORIGAMI / UK) gambled on a northern route, hoping to skirt a windless zone—a move that could pay off in the days ahead.
Quotes from the Race
Don McIntyre, MGR Founder:
“This is the big one—the unknown. Finally it is not just a tradewind “speed” boat race. There are decisions to be made and opportunities to be discovered and leg three may define the winner of the whole race. These sailors have already conquered the Pacific, but the Southern Ocean is over the horizon and a different beast. They’re living their dream, but now it gets serious.”
Adam Wade, General Manager & Chief Executive Officer , Vuda Marina Fiji:
“Fiji has embraced these sailors like family. We will miss them . Their courage inspires us all and we can’t wait to welcome them back in 2029!”
Follow the Adventure
The fleet’s progress is being tracked LIVE on MGR’s Facebook and YouTube channels, with an ETA in Cape Town by early December. After a brief Christmas break, the final leg to Antigua begins December 28.
This is sailing history in the making—a human-powered circumnavigation in the smallest boats ever to attempt such a feat. The Southern Ocean awaits.
12 of the original 15 Solo Sailors take on the toughest leg of the entire 24,000 mile circumnavigation. 12 skippers from 7 countries – Australia: 3, United Kingdom: 4, Germany: 1, Ireland: 1, Spain: 1, Switzerland: 1, USA :1.
Sandbox
India won the 1983 World Cup and won their first ever Test at Lord’s three years later in 1986. India won their second World Cup 28 years later in 2011 and remarkably won their second ever Test at Lord’s three years later in 2014.
Gas Man
A score of 100 runs by a batsman is called a “century”. It is one of the most sought-after levels of achievements in the sport. The first century ever scored was made by Australia’s Charlie Bannerman.