Posted by Graham Cox
When 13 ALMA Class Globe 580s left Lagos in Portugal on 28 December 2024, bound for Antigua by way of Lanzarote, then on around the world in the 2025 Mini Globe Race, along with Neils Kamphuis on BIGGEST MONKEY, who was only doing the Transat, Fiji must have seemed a long way away to their intrepid skippers. It seemed a long way away to many observers too, and a few bets were probably laid about just how many of these 19ft plywood sloops, mostly home-built by their amateur shipwright/skippers, would make it the start line of the MGR, let alone to Panama and beyond. Some of the skippers had never crossed an ocean before.
And yet, 15 boats crossed the start line in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua, on 25 February 2025, all of which had completed at least one gruelling passage to get there, and not only did they complete Leg One to Panama, they are all still out there. It is a remarkable achievement.
The first boat to complete Leg Two, from Panama to Fiji, was also the winner of Leg One, CAPUCINETTE, sailed by Renaud Stitelmann, who crossed the finish line on 13 June, taking 79d 17h 19m 47s to make good 6854 NM. Renaud also won the 2024 Globe 580 Transat race, so his performance has been consistent. He was followed into Vuda Point Marina the next day by Dan Turner on IMMORTAL GAME. Dan took a while to get into the swing with this class, but all the way across the Pacific he has been nipping at Renaud’s heels.
They both arrived during the night, picking up a buoy near the finish line, then proceeded into the spectacular Vuda Point Marina the next morning. In turn, they received a rousing welcome from Fijian warriors and a choir singing traditional songs, as well as being applauded by a gathering of cruising sailors. There were even a few grass skirts.
Both Renaud and Dan had a relatively easy trip from Tonga. A few days into the passage, Dan recorded: ‘It has been a pleasant sail so far from Vavau, Tonga, through to Fiji, with winds ranging from 10 to 20 knots, and just a few higher gusts to keep me on my toes. Currently I am making my way through the Oneata Passage in the Lau group of Islands / Atolls in a dying breeze. With moderate currents running through here, and only 3nm between the reefs, I am keeping a close eye on my course until I’m through to safer waters. Hoping to arrive sometime Saturday evening with any luck, or Sunday morning, as the winds are predicted to be quite light moving forward, particularly as I approach the finish.’
Later, he posted: ‘Setting up for a safe finish and lack of sleep,’ as he navigated through the islands and reefs approaching Vuda Point. Later still, he added, ‘Update: safely made it through the Malolo Passage, home to the famous Cloudbreak surfing spot. Entering at night, with a 2.5-3 knot adverse current is not for the faint of heart. Onward to the finish!’
Neither Renaud or Dan stopped moving, as seemed possible when looking at the weather forecast on Windy, which showed a large wind hole in the lee of Viti Levu Island. Renaud, whose more southerly course from Pangai allowed him to sail south of the Lau Group, made it all look too easy as usual, carrying his mainsail and A 3 asymmetric kite much of the way, and averaging 5-6 knots consistently, with a course on the YB Tracker that looked like a straight line almost. But as he said to the MGR’s Race Director, Don McIntyre, on arrival, it wasn’t as easy as it looked. He was feeling very tired when he crossed the finish line.
Beneath a shimmering moon, CAPUCINETTE looked spectacular, ghosting to windward towards the finish line under mainsail and jib, illuminated further by a spotlight from the committee boat. After sailing across the finish line, Renaud furled his sails, started up his electric outboard motor, and puttered across to the mooring buoy. Apart from the Swiss flag on his mainsail looking a little faded, and some sort of electrical malfunction that made charging his devices problematic, the boat looked immaculate.
Not all adventures happen at sea, as Jasmine found out after consuming a meal of fish and chips in Vavau. On 13 June, her Mum reported: ‘Jasmine has had an incredible time in Tonga for the first few days of this pit stop. Since the boot camp day of running, cycling and swimming in caves, the MGR gang have explored the town, taken several 580 boats and a motorboat out to explore other beaches, been snorkelling and found more caves.
‘It was all going well until Jasmine ate some fish and chips and ended up with horrendous food poisoning. Not great when you’re very poorly, your boat is on a mooring buoy, and you have no access to a bathroom. Fortunately, the owner of one of the floating bars has given the sailors access to his washroom, so Jasmine spent the night laid on his dock, having gratefully accepted some bedding brought over by other MGR sailors. She’s pretty wiped out from it but still says Tonga is amazing!’
By 2300, Fijian time, on 15 June, NUMBATOU was back at sea, sailing at 4.1 knots, just astern of Ertan Beskardes on TREKKA, making good 4.1 knots, with 486.6 NM to go to Vuda Point. It would take more than a dose of food poisoning to stop this determined sailor. I remember, way back in the early stages of this voyage, when she’d been whacked on the head by the boom, becalmed for days, and bemused by the finer points of sail trim, Don McIntyre asked if her enthusiasm was dented. She looked at him in amazement and said, “I joined this race to see the Pacific, I am not stopping now!”
This stretch of the south Pacific is known for mixed weather, as the route from Tonga to Fiji skirts the region where lows pressure systems bearing winter westerlies sometimes occur, disrupting the trade winds. Pilar Pasanau, sailing PETER PUNK, just missed one such weather event, arriving off Vuda Point in glorious sunshine on the morning of 16 June, to secure third place for this leg. At one point it looked like she was going to lose the wind on the west coast of Viti Levu but she never quite stopped, crossing the line in a fine breeze, with PETER PUNK looking very colourful under black mainsail, white jib and red A 7, securing third place for Leg 2 with an elapsed time of 82d 5h 47m 26s.
At 1930 on 16 June, Keri Harris had finally found the promised southerly wind change, and ORIGAMI was flying along off the SW coast of Viti Levu, with 38.5 NM to go to the finish line. He has found this leg frustrating from the point of maintaining the pressure, in racing terms, but said weather conditions had been very pleasant much of the time. The wind was dead astern initially and light, with ORIGAMI wafting along with the A 7 poled out to windward and the A 3 set to leeward without a pole. Occasionally the A 7 would backwind when ORIGAMI rolled, but the Aries windvane managed to steer a perfect course.
There was not much that Keri could do to hot things up, so he left the Aries windvane to it, lamenting the lack of a conventional spinnaker, which would have allowed him to set the mainsail as well, and steer by hand to maximise performance. He left the A 3 & A 5 up for two days and nights, even during some mild squalls of 20-25 knots, but eventually gybed to the north is search of better winds. When the wind went ahead, eventually, he says he enjoyed it, despite having to tack all over the ocean while south of Viti Levu. “Doing some proper racing at last,” as he put it.
At the time of his scheduled phone call on Monday, he had been sailing to windward for the previous 18 hours, noting that his tacking angle varied between 90-120° depending on sea-state. At one point, while he was resting, he took a knock and ended up sailing away from Fiji, and at another, a windshift had ORIGAMI sailing directly towards a reef, but since he only slept for 20 minutes at a time in these restricted waters, he was soon able to correct the course.
We talked about going to windward in lighter airs, and he said, quite rightly, that even if the class was permitted to have a genoa, the wide, swept-back spreaders would limit either its overlap or sheeting angle. He also said that he did not have fond memories of racing with 150% genoas on masthead rigs, given that they are a beast to handle in fresh winds. I did notice, after talking to Keri, that some of the skippers, like Pilar, on PETER PUNK were setting their A 7 outside of their working jibs, effectively sailing the boats as a cutter.
The final miles to the finish proved to be tough for Keri, as the SW wind built in force. ORIGAMI surged past Cloudbreak, the famous surf break off Vuda Point (located in the Mamanuca Islands) in the dark, and into the lagoon through the gap in the reef. Satellite navigation makes this sort of thing possible, but it is never easy, requiring vigilance and a clear mind. The wind is howling, the sea crashing onto the nearby coral, and you check and recheck your position on the chartplotter. In the good old days (ha ha), a smart skipper would heave-to in open water until dawn. It is safe enough now, but still takes its toll on energy.
He called Race Management (Don and Jane) on VHF radio once he’d entered the lagoon, as required, but they could not hear him, though he could hear them clearly. They watched him come across the lagoon on the tracker and anchor off Vuda Point Marina, after what appeared to be some confusion in locating the line. Once the anchor was down, he made contact through Starlink.
The anchorage was uncomfortable, though luckily by this time, the wind had swung more into the south and was no longer blowing directly onshore. Exhausted, he overslept, thus missing both his official welcome from staff, and more importantly, his appointment with Customs and Immigration. Eventually he was towed into the marina pontoon, as his outboard motor did not have enough power.
A few days ago, Dan Turk posted a video of himself looking happy and relaxed, as LITTLE BEA wafted along in smooth seas. He did not make his scheduled call this Monday, but the tracker showed LITTLE BEA, currently lying in 4th position, beating slowly to windward, heading NW towards the SE coast of Viti Levu at around 2 knots. Later in the day, as the southerly wind change came through, he was able to bring his course up towards the west, but at 2100 had not yet picked up significant speed, suggesting the wind was lighter than showing on Windy at that time.
At 1400 Fiji Time on 17 June, he had 46.4NM to go, and was skooting along on a broad reach before the SW wind. By the time he turns north, the wind should have swung to the south giving him a dead run as far as Cloudbreak, then a reach across the lagoon. At 2025, Don McIntyre reported that Dan had 17 NM to go and was doing 3.8 knots, crossing the gap between the reef, with an ETA around midnight local time… it’s still very windy here, we have advised Dan to sail straight into Vuda Marina entrance and the marina crew will help him moor onto the custom buoy for the night… and he can clear custom tomorrow around 8am in the morning… will try to do live for both… stay tuned
When Christian Sauer called on 16 June, he had been looking at the same island in the western Lau group for the previous 15 hours. He would tack one way, then tack back, only to find himself in the same place. That may account for why he called this scribe an hour ahead of schedule. It just SEEMED like it was later!
Despite the generally light conditions, he managed to get into a bit of a situation during the night when ARGO rounded up while he was sleeping, causing the A 3 to flog violently. This caused to tack outhaul line to part, and he had to rush on deck in the dark and drag the sail down. No damage was done apart from the broken Dyneema line, and the next morning, is light winds and smooth seas, he went out on the bowsprit without difficulty and rove a new tack outhaul.
He had a very light start to this passage, and used up one of his outboard motor batteries getting clear of Neiafu Harbour into open water. So far, he has not been able to recharge it, so is preserving the second battery in case he needs it to motor through the reef pass and across the lagoon to Vuda Point Marina. With a bit of luck, the SE wind will pick up and allow him to sail most of the way.
At the time of his call, the wind had picked up to 9-10 knots, still from the west. There was little sea, just a long, low swell from the SE, though it seemed to be decreasing. ARGO was sailing under full mainsail and working jib, with the A 7 sheeted in as tight as possible outside of that. With this sail combination, he was able to sail at around 50-55° off the wind. He said that if he tried to sail with just the mainsail and A 7, the boat would not point up that close. Later, as the wind picked up a little from the south, he was once again able to lay the course, sailing at 3.8 knots, with 164 NM to go to the finish.
His skin infections are much improved, to his relief, but the shoulder continues to give him trouble, and while in Fiji he hopes to get a definitive medical opinion as to whether he can wait until after the MGR to have corrective surgery.
He hoped to cross the finish line in around three days. Despite all his challenges, ARGO is still sitting in 6th place. His plan is to hopefully develop a better management plan for his shoulder, slip the boat to repair the silicone sheath on the bottom, and have a bit of a rest. The boat is in good shape, apart from his tiller pilot, which had suffered an ingress of water earlier. He had the electronics repaired, and sealed the unit with Sikaflex when he screwed it all back together. Somehow, the unit was falling apart again, and he hoped to make a better repair in the next day or so.
Further south than Christian at 1400 Fijian time on 17 June, Eric Marsh on SUNBEAR was making 3.8 knots. He had 209 NM to go, having finally escaped from the light headwinds that have been plaguing the middle pack of the MGR fleet. When he called the day before, he was still hanging onto 7th place, but said that SUNBEAR had only gained 50 NM in the previous 24 hours, with light headwinds of around 5 knots maximum. He was sailing under mainsail and jib, trying to point as high as possible while still keeping the boat moving. He was resisting the temptation to dive south towards where the SW change was developing, as he felt that he’d only have to sail back north again, negating any advantage gained from finding the breeze earlier.
After an enjoyable 8 days exploring Pangai Island, including a long hike one day with Keri Harris, during which Keri bumped into one of his old Navy associates (as you do on a remote South Pacific island), SUNBEAR wafted out of the anchorage with a light following breeze, no more than 10 knots, sailed through the lee of Tafua Island, with its smoking volcano, and made good about 90 NM in the first 24 hours. The breeze strengthened a bit the following day, giving Eric a wonderful 24-hour run of over 100 NM, under clear skies, with a beautiful moon that night – glorious sailing, he said – before the wind dropped out and came back from the west.
Since then, it had been beat, beat, beat, mostly under windvane, but occasionally with the autopilot hooked up when the breeze was too light. Eric noted that he was sailing to windward with the full mainsail up for the first time in five months and he wasn’t used to it. “Good practice for going around the Cape of Good Hope,” he joked. He was leery of getting close to the numerous reefs and islands on this leg, noting how easy it would be to drift into danger, and also wanting to save his outboard motor battery power for arrival.
He has been feeling a bit deflated by the light headwinds and lack of progress, but said he expected his spirits to pick up as soon as the breeze did. He was looking forward to a long break in Fiji and spending time with family and friends. All was good aboard, there were no breakages, and the ship’s larders well stocked with food and water.
Adam Waugh and LITTLE WREN were only about 10 miles astern of SUNBEAR at 1400 local time, making good 4.1 knots, having also found the southerly wind. Adam was now sailing WNW, with the wind on or slightly aft of the beam, but at the time of his call the day before, had been bouncing slowly to windward heading south. The trip from Neiafu had started well, being carried out of the sound into the open ocean by the ebb tide, followed by six to eight hours of light winds, then a day and a half of perfect conditions, running downwind before a steady breeze, before the wind faded away, to be replaced by a light westerly.
The wind had then picked up a little, creating a little joggle of a sea. He had just changed from his jib to the A 7, to try and drive LITTLE WREN a bit faster. He was using a barber-haul on the sheet to make it perform more like a code zero, though wasn’t sure how effective it was. The boat was sailing faster though, increasing hull-speed from 2 to 3 knots, even if not as close to the wind as before. However, Adam was not too worried, as he knew the southerly change would come through in the next 24 hours and was predicted to eventually back into the east. Assuming it does, he should arrive at Vuda Point Marina on Thursday.
The repaired South Atlantic windvane continues to do 90% of the steering, and is performing even better since he fitted a larger wind paddle, and replaced the steering lines with 3-4mm Dyneema rope. He says that the unit had previously been chewing up the steering lines at a rate of knots. He only uses the autopilot occasionally in very light airs, or when he is coming into a harbour, etc.
His sails are in good condition still, though the A5, which has done a lot of work, is looking faded and may be a bit stretched, although the head, tack and clew seem fine. Unlike some entrants, he chose to carry a spare jib rather than a spare asymmetric kite (skippers are allowed to carry one spare sail), because he thinks it might be more useful in the long run. He had both jibs on deck this week, in anticipation of the strong easterly winds predicted.
Otherwise, LITTLE WREN in in good condition, apart from blistering of the paint on its mild-steel keel. He plans to slip the boat in Fiji and clean that up, and give the boat a general overhaul and check-up. He is looking forward to moving ashore for a while, sleeping in a good bed and sitting on a ‘real loo’, as he puts it, spending time with family and friends, plus exploring the island. He noted that one downside of the MGR is that that there isn’t enough time to enjoy all the beautiful places they visit. He left Vavau with some reluctance.
Squeezed in between Eric and Adam, Jakub Ziemkiewicz was holding a steady course on BIBI, as least since the wind came back. Like the others, he wasn’t going anywhere there for a while, and at one point was heading SSW. He posted a video on social media of BIBI sailing along very nicely to windward under full mainsail and jib, even though it may not have been on the desired course. A day later, he posted another video as the southerly change came through, with very dark clouds on the horizon, and a reef in the mainsail. He said that he was not sure what the weather had in store for him, although conditions obviously suited him – at 1800 Fijian time, he had taken 7th place from Eric, sailing at 4.3 knots to Eric’s 2.9. There was still only 7 NM between them.
Ertan Beskardes and TREKKA were bringing up the rear of the 580s currently at sea between Tonga and Fiji, (10th overall for this leg) apart from Jasmine Harrison on NUMBATOU, who was 37 NM astern. They have both been struggling with light headwinds, going nowhere in a hurry, for days. The southerly change has come through now for them, but looking at Windy suggests it is still a little forward of the beam, and at 1800 Fiji time on 17 June, Ertan was sailing at 2.5 knots to Jasmine’s 2.1.
Apart from not getting anywhere, Ertan said the weather was beautiful on the day he called, with an easy sea and lots of sunshine. It was so calm that he had a portlight open in the topsides. He always looks so relaxed and well-groomed when he makes a video call, so clean-shaven, with a spotless, white shirt, that you’d think he was just out for a daysail. He was aware that after the predicted southerly change came through, the following few days could bring fresh to strong S-SE winds and boisterous seas, so he wasn’t too impatient with the calm.
Lots of wind wasn’t such a bad thing though, as one of his outboard motor batteries, despite being relatively new, had developed a fault. Not having much reserve power, he was leery of getting too close to the reefs in light winds, especially given the strong tidal streams of this area. He had decided, therefore, to head south of the Lau group in his approaches to Viti Levu, and stay as much as possible in open water.
He was not using much power, anyway. During the day, he leaves everything switched off, just visually scanning the horizon on a regular basis, though noted that he never sees any ships. “It is amazing how empty the Pacific is,” he said. At night he leaves his Echomax and masthead light on, neither of which draws much current.
The previous night, the wind had fallen so light that he dropped the slatting sails for 4-5 hours to save chafe and went to sleep. He husbands his sails carefully, and they are all still in perfect condition, apart perhaps from the A 5, which comes from the boat’s original sail inventory. In fact, there is little work to do on TREKKA overall. He hopes to fly to Instanbul soon after arrival to see his mother, then maybe briefly visit England before returning to Fiji in mid-July. There he will be joined by family and friends for the last weeks before setting off on Leg 3 on 26 July.
Gary Swindail missed his call this week, so we can only imagine how frustrated he is as QUESTION 2 struggles onward. Every passage that Gary has sailed in this MGR has thrown up roadblocks. He is currently making good a course to the NW, near the island of Nuie, with 747.6 NM to go to Vuda Point. Two weeks ago, he was struggling with light winds and lumpy seas after leaving Tahiti, and worrying that he would not reach Fiji in time to catch a pre-booked flight to Sydney, or to be there when his wife, Brenda, flies in. However, the forecast suggests that the wind will swing to the SE within 24 hours and hold, so he may yet arrive in 7-8 days.
Josh Kali is still in Neiafu, and from the little we have heard since his arrival, is having a good time. He was delighted with his reception committee, made up of other entrants still in Neiafu, and rafted up with them at the Kraken Bar, before retreating to a mooring where the nights were a bit quieter. (rowdy bunch, those MGR skippers). In another post, he mentioned that Vavau was another place he never wanted to leave, but will be shortly.
John and Mike Blenkinsop are still ashore in Tahiti, after a difficult sail from Hiva Oa. They chose to sail north of the Tuamotu Atolls, then were becalmed for a few days. This was followed by 20-30 knot headwinds and 3m seas. As usual, though, the wind eventually swung into the SE and they beam-reached into Papeete. Because they don’t communicate much, I have no idea of what they plan to do, assuming they know! Hey, it’s the South Pacific, dummy, they are having fun! Mike has officially retired from the race, but John has yet to declare his intentions.
Even if they both choose to retire, the fact remains that sailing halfway around the world on a 19ft plywood sloop that you built yourself is a magnificent achievement. Very few people have done it – until now that is – when 15 boats just did (more or less, just a few thousand miles to go). That is the magic of the MGR.
