A fleet of home-built 19-foot plywood Globe 5.80 Mini Class boats will set off December 28 for the 2024 Globe 5.80 Transat Race. The third edition has attracted 12 solo skippers for the 3000 nm competition across the Atlantic Ocean.

The two-part course begins from Marina de Lagos, Portugal to Lanzarote, Canary Islands, with the second stage on January 11 extending to Antigua. The race serves as a qualifier for the 2025-26 Mini Globe Race, a solo, west about round the world race.

“When I first explain to people what is about to happen with the MGR, most shake their head and say impossible, or simply stare in disbelief, so I know this adventure is going to create waves and big stories on and off the water,” reports event organizer Don McIntyre.

“This is not a Vendee Globe sprint that is certain, but it is an achievable and affordable adventure for special sailors that is set to inspire and amaze many. The entire fleet is worth less than one foil of an IMOCA! Yet, these Globe 5.80 yachts are truly capable and proven safe ocean voyagers, specially conceived and designed to race solo around the world just like an IMOCA.

“All entrants must meet strict entry qualifications, and the safety equipment specifications are exhaustive with world’s best practice and each boat assigned its own individual 24 hour-a-day safety manager to monitor daily progress and manage international logistics.”

The 2025-26 Mini Globe Race has 15 entrants from eight nations, starting February 23 from Antigua and extending via Panama to Tahiti, Fiji, the Torres Strait, the Cape of Good Hope, and Recife, including a number of other ports along the way. The longest legs may take up to 60 days at sea and expects to finish by March 2026.

Details: https://minigloberace.com/