In just a few weeks, on 28 December 2024, a fleet of ALMA Class Globe 5.80 yachts, 19ft plywood sloops that are largely home-built, will set off from Lagos, Portugal, for the third Class Globe 5.80 Transatlantic Race. After their ‘warm-up’ leg to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, the fleet will depart for Antigua on 11 January. This transatlantic race serves as a qualifier for one of the most audacious around-the-world races yet conceived, the Mini Globe Race, sailing in the footsteps of John Guzzwell and Trekka, a west-about circumnavigation via Panama, Tahiti, Fiji, the Torres Strait, and the Cape of Good Hope, including a number of other ports along the way. The MGR starts from Antigua on 23 February 2025 and finishes there in March 2026.
Like all of Don McIntyre’s events, the race will be well-documented, with weekly reports appearing on the MGR Facebook Page and on the MGR website, plus, progress of the fleet can be followed on the MGR website YB tracker page. It is going to be a spectacular event for those following the race. But what about the entrants?
I expect that at some point in their voyage, perhaps more than once, they will all ask themselves the question, “What the hell am I doing here?” It has certainly occurred to me on more than one occasion. To help them answer that question, I can suggest taking along a copy of the book, Sailing – Philosophy For Everyone: Catching the Drift of Why We Sail, edited by Patrick Gould, which provides thoughtful answers to this question and others. It is available on Amazon and elsewhere, as both a print and ebook.
So, good luck to all the skippers. I look forward to watching your progress, and maybe I’ll be able to answer that question if you ask when you call during the race!
