Mini Globe Race headling home and into history!
by McIntyre Mini Globe Race 19 Dec 04:44 GMT
The little fleet that could: Mini Globe Race fleet conquers the Indian Ocean, safely in Cape Town after the epic 10,000-mile leg © JJ / MGR2025
Five years spent wondering about this Southern Ocean challenge. 1000 miles of unpredictable fast changing weather swirling around the Cape of Good Hope, mixing with the ship breaking Agulhas current. Would they survive? Could they even get through?
That has been the reality for all McIntyre MGR entrants as they spent years building their little plywood ALMA Globe 580 minis. Why were they concerned? Because no one has ever done this race before. It is a world first. It's not the Vendée Globe, Golden Globe or even the solo Ultim 100ft Trimarans. Here is the surprise. Take away the money - bring it back to human stories - and this race is just as big, just as intense and just as challenging for the sailor.
Today, 11 of the original 15 starters sit happy and proud in the Cape Town V&A Waterfront. The dramatic Table Mountain backdrop is a sobering reminder of where they are, where they came from and what they have achieved. It's Xmas again and it all started last Xmas at the LAGOS Yacht Club and Marina in Portugal. All have faced incredible challenges and demands on their life and their own reality. None of it has been easy. That's what dreams are about and they should all feel rightfully Proud!
This human story is long and hard. It is all documented here by MGR's official scribe and author Graham Cox's weekly reports if you want the whole story.
Leg 3: Fiji to Cape TownDurban Departure to V&A Waterfront Arrival
Cape Town, South Africa — The longest and most daunting stage of the 2025 Mini Globe Race has come to a triumphant—and wildly dramatic—close as all eleven ALMA Class Globe 580 skippers completed their 10,000-mile odyssey from Fiji to Cape Town.
What followed was a masterclass in seamanship, courage, improvisation, sleep deprivation, and sheer stubborn joy.
This is the story of a fleet of 19-foot plywood sloops, most home-built in sheds and backyards, surfing down the Agulhas Current like they were born for it—then battling katabatic mountain winds that turned the last five miles into the hardest miles of the entire Indian Ocean.
Durban: A Welcome for the History Books
When the McIntyre MGR fleet glided into Durban Marina, they sailed straight into one of the warmest receptions any modern ocean race has received. The Royal Natal Yacht Club and Point Yacht Club revived a century of tradition as they welcomed today's voyagers much as they once welcomed legends: Slocum, Pidgeon, Moitessier, Guzzwell.
"The locals have treated us like celebrities," laughed Dan Turner of IMMORTAL GAME, summing up the collective disbelief of skippers who suddenly found themselves signing flags, giving talks, and being adopted into Durban's proud ocean-sailing heritage.
From safari invites to last-minute sail repairs, Durban sailors went above and beyond. When Adam Waugh on LITTLE WREN unfurled his famously patched mainsail—still bearing the Ella Dawson Foundation logo—the crowd cheered. When Jakub Ziemkiewicz posted his 5 a.m. video of BIBI ghosting out of the harbour, Durban was already awake to watch.
Even Keri Harris on ORIGAMI, who stayed behind to honour his mother's funeral and coach a local Laser sailor, felt Durban's embrace. It would later give him the perfect launching point for a record-breaking offshore mad non-stop dash to Cape Town.
The Sprint South: A Fleet in Full Flight
At 00:45 on 17 November, Eric Marsh on SUNBEAR slipped lines and became the first of the fleet to nose into the Agulhas Current. Behind him a few hours later, in a staggered sequence of navigation lights and cheers, left: Renaud Stitelmann on CAPUCINETTE, Dan Turner on IMMORTAL GAME, Pilar Pasanau on PETER PUNK, Ertan Beskardes on TREKKA, Adam Waugh on LITTLE WREN and Jakub Ziemkiewicz on BIBI
The Race on this leg Durban to Cape Town only counts time on the water. Port time is voluntary and allowed for bad weather. Each skipper stops and starts at any time and the clock is running. The object in the race is to leave when you can make a fast passage and stop before clams. heavy weather or head winds.
By midday, Christian Sauer on ARGO, Jasmine Harrison on NUMBATOU, and Josh Kali on SKOOKUM also blasted out of Durban, riding a fresh NE breeze toward East London. The race was to get there before fresh to strong headwinds hit!
And then—classic MGR—chaos and brilliance erupted. Within hours, Renaud was clocking an outrageous 8.6 knots, Dan at 8.2, and the rest not far behind. Jasmine smashed yet another 24-hour record with 181 miles, reclaiming the title after Renaud briefly stole it with 180 the day before. "Fast, furious, cold, uncomfortable—and incredible," said her mum, Susan, in a now-famous post.
East London rolled out the red carpet. Buffalo River Yacht Club fed them, fixed them, rehydrated them, and probably would have adopted them all if they stayed another day.
Mossel Bay: A Surprise Favourite
The next window sent the fleet toward Mossel Bay. Spirits soared, winds dropped, AIS alarms screamed, and more than one skipper forgot what day it was. Pilar admitted, "Sometimes I don't know how many nights I've been sailing. Things disappear..."
Josh, stuck briefly in Port Elizabeth after being headed by the breeze, received the ultimate South African welcome: craft beer, a hot meal, and new friends named Shane, Gordon, and Marcel. "Classy, genuine people well met," he wrote.
Meanwhile Christian, nursing torn sails and a sore shoulder, ducked into Cape St Francis and was adopted by National Search and Rescue Institute (NSRI) Station 21 supporters who "needed a calendar to organise all the invitations."
By the time everyone reached Mossel Bay, the verdict was unanimous: "Best stop of the entire race so far." Clean streets, good food, seals escorting boats out of the harbour—Mossel Bay became an unexpected MGR legend.
Then came Keri and the Ocean held its breath!
Departing Durban about 8 days after the others who were now trapped on Mossell bay, Keri Harris on ORIGAMI went offshore—way offshore—straight into the spine of the Agulhas Current and on a bet with the forecast, bound directly for Cape Town.
His reward? A mind-bending 217-mile 24-hour run, the fastest ever recorded by an ALMA Globe 580. Surfing under a poled-out jib in 35-40 knots and 3-5mtr seas, ORIGAMI tore down the coast like a mythical creature. "There was no point trying to slow the boat," Keri said. "She just wanted to go."
He blasted past East London, past Cape St Francis, past worried entrants in Mossel Bay —until a SW gale clawed him sideways. Yet even that couldn't stop him. He popped out of the current, wriggled around a calm patch for the fastest time of 146 hrs at sea Durban to CT. He crossed the finish line on 1 December at 08:59 local time first 580 into port. He beat Renaud's time by 14hrs but overall was still 13hrs behind Renaud for Leg 3 Mauritius to Cape Town!
The Final Test: Table Mountain's Fury
If you ask the fleet what the hardest part of the entire Indian Ocean crossing was, most will point to the final 10 miles into Cape Town. Table Mountain had one last trick up its sleeve.
Ertan Beskardes (#01 Trekka / UK): After a graceful night sail toward Table Bay, TREKKA crossed the line—only to be hammered by 40- 50-knot katabatic blasts. His mainsail split. He dragged the anchor. At one point he feared for TREKKA so he called NSRI for help in a difficult situation. They responded immediately, towing him 4 miles to safety. This is the first rescue for the fleet and the MGR was very grateful to all involved including Cape Town radio.
Jasmine Harrison (#88 Numbatou / UK): Her arrival became an epic. Dead calms. Then 50 knots. Then 30 knots head-on. She fought for hours, was nearly hit by a cargo ship, ran out of battery power, and was blown back out to sea until sunrise. She was very close to retiring from the race and calling for outside assistance. She was beyond frustrated and angry with the weather. She struggled to make the shore to anchor and wait. Just about to anchor when everything changed. She finally crossed the line at 10:31, exhausted but victorious. "Hot chocolate never tasted so good," said her mum.
Eric Marsh (#79 Sunbear / AUS): One moment SUNBEAR was surfing the Cape of Good Hope. The next—zero wind. Then 30 knots on the nose at the harbour entrance. "I needed to launch my kites again just to get in."
Renaud Stitelmann (#28 Capucinette / CH) and Dan Turner (#05 Immortal Game / AUS): crossed the finish line two minutes apart—then immediately disappeared back into the bay. Tracker Spectators waiting at the Marina were baffled. Answer: both had been blasted back out to sea by a 35k the southeaster and needed to reset before beating into harbour.
Dan shed a tear rounding Cape Agulhas. "Hard to believe the adventure this little boat has taken me on."
Christian Sauer (#103 Argo / DE): He arrived fatigued, bruised, grateful, and philosophical. His A5 was tangled around him when he nearly fell overboard, saved only by the middle safety rail. "It was very scary and shook me up remembering Eric overboard..Life will be completely different after the MGR," he said.
Pilar Pasanau (#98 Peter Punk / ES): Arrived smiling despite multiple failed attempts in 35kt to enter the harbour. She followed Jakub and Adam to refuge entering the next day. "I am finished with the Indian Ocean. It is not an easy ocean." She now talks to Peter Punk every day. "We are a couple."
Jakub Ziemkiewicz (#185 Bibi / IE): Blasted flat by a sudden gust and 35k headwind at the harbour entrance, he ducked into a private marina for the night with Adam and Pilar. The next morning he clawed off a lee shore breakwater entering the harbour with just enough mainsail to save BIBI. He arrived in Cape Town still shaking—but wearing a Snoopy aviator hat.
Adam Waugh (#170 Little Wren / UK): Rounded Cape Agulhas whispering to himself, "I never thought I'd make it this far." Supporting the Ella Dawson Foundation—and now an ambassador—helped push him through the hardest days! There were plenty, but those last 10 miles..AGGH!..no way to enter the harbour, wife waiting and watching from shore and nothing he could do. They met the next morning!
Josh Kali (#157 Skookum / US): Arrived last, but in immaculate condition—as always. "Two of the best days of the entire circumnavigation were Cape Agulhas and the Cape of Good Hope," he said. "It felt like Florida sunshine... except it wasn't."
An ALMA Globe 580 Fleet United — A Family & Victorious
Eleven 580's. Eleven skippers from 15 starters. Records are being set. History is being made.
A complete fleet now resting in Cape Town for Xmas— patched, bruised, barnacle-kissed, sleep-starved, but triumphant. Servicing and bottom paint took a few days. Some have nothing to do with boats, but body and soul is another matter. The 580's are proving to be simple, reliable and tough, a bit like their skippers! The elephant in the room is the sails! They are degrading from UV attacks and miles. To take a new sail onboard is a 48hr penalty. When the lead is held for just a few days that spells disaster! The final 6000 miles will be very interesting indeed!
As one skipper said: "We may be small, but we are mighty." This final race up the Atlantic is no milk run. Anything can happen. First 1800 miles to Saint Helina and then 1800 miles to Recife in Brazil. The final 2500 miles to the National Sailing Academy in Antigua will be nail biting. Only a few days separate the first three boats! They truly are homeward bound!
Small boat - Huge adventure... can you believe it!
The Mini Globe Race 2025 continues.
To find our more, visit the Mini Globe Race's website or find them on various social media platforms.