In Guzzwell’s Wake
Don McIntyre’s Mini Globe Race gets underway.
By Graham Cox
Niels Kamphuis mid-Atlantic on BIGGEST MONKEY.
23 February 2025 was a perfect tropical day in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua. As the Mini Globe Race fleet left the docks of the National Sailing Academy, where they had enjoyed tremendous hospitality, puffy tradewind clouds scudded across a bright blue sky, and the harbour sparkled, with its surface brushed by a 15-knot NE breeze.
As Don McIntyre commented, the spectacle of the MGR fleet sailing out through the heads of Falmouth Harbour and heading south was reminiscent of a Sydney to Hobart yacht race start (apart from the well-behaved spectator fleet). 14 Class Globe 580 yachts crossed the start line, bound for Panama, on Leg One of this extraordinary circumnavigation race in 19ft plywood sloops.
There were four Australians on the start line, Dan Turner from Adelaide, aboard IMMORTAL GAME, Mike and John Blenkinsop from Noosa, Queensland, on DELJA 99 and DELJA 100, and Eric Marsh on SUNBEAR.
Sydney boatbuilder, Gary Swindail, sailing QUESTION 2, is due to join them in a week or so, when he has finished his qualifying passage. Dan, Mike, John and Gary all built their boats in Australia and shipped them to the start in containers, though John was largely responsible for building both DELJAs.
11 of the 14 MGR entrants had just completed the 2025 Globe Transat race from Lanzarote in the Canary Islands to Antigua, and another, Ertan Beskardes, on TREKKA, had done so in the previous edition of the event in 2023. The North Atlantic tradewinds can be boisterous in January -mid-winter in the northern hemisphere - and so it proved in this event, with persistently fresh NE tradewinds, often 25-30 knots, with a number of squalls estimated at almost double that strength.
As a result, the boats all made fast passages, with the winner, Swiss entrant, Renaud Stitelmann, on CAPUCINETTE, taking 22 days and five hours to complete the passage. He is an experienced racing sailor on the Swiss Lakes, though this is his first trans-ocean passage. Not only was he the fastest, but he seemed to have the easiest passage of them all, with the YB tracker showing a consistently straight course and high average speeds. Added to this, he cooked gourmet meals every day, and even baked cakes regularly, which he took great delight in posting pictures of on social media. In his sat-phone calls, and in images posted online, he appeared totally relaxed and well-rested. He is the Zen master of the MGR!
Renaud Stitelmann crosses the finish line off English Harbour, Antigua, aboard CAPUCINETTE, to win the 2025 Globe Transat in 22 days.
Renaud knew that many of his rivals were making much harder work of it. Keri Harris, who came second on ORIGAMI, crossing the finish line four hours after Renaud, had difficulty with his wind-driven self-steering unit, and resorted to long hours of hand-steering to keep up his speed. This class is only permitted to carry the smallest model of electric autopilot, and it is not adequate when the boats are being pushed hard downwind. This was a deliberate decision by Don McIntyre, race founder, to keep the boats simple and affordable. Keri is a retired British Royal Navy officer who once commanded an aircraft carrier, a champion dinghy sailor, and a veteran ocean racer. He is determined to win the MGR, and the friendly rivalry between these two frontrunners has added considerable interest to the event.
The only Globe Transat skipper not using this event to qualify for the MGR was Niels Kamphuis, sailing BIGGEST MONKEY. He pushed his boat very hard, but faced with such stiff opposition, had to settle for 3rd place. During the crossing he crossed paths with the support boat for The World’s Toughest Row, an Atlantic rowing race, which took some spectacular photos of BIGGEST MONKEY riding the boisterous seas of the well-developed winter tradewinds.
Niels Kamphuis mid-Atlantic, surfing down a wave at 16 knots.
There were a number of knockdowns in the fleet, and some minor damage to boats and crew, but all 12 entrants who left Lanzarote arrived in Antigua safely, and have continued on with the MGR. Renaud and Keri both found cracks in their spreaders, while Dan Turner lost both of IMMORTAL GAME’s daggerboards in a knockdown shortly after the start in Lanzarote, and 20L of water, leaving him on strict rations for the rest of the crossing He was also forced to hand-steer much of the way and this affected his performance, despite being a veteran of the Melbourne Osaka race, and having a reputation as a no-holds-barred endurance athlete (he once ran across the Sahara Desert).
Adelaide entrant, Dan Turner, aboard IMMORTAL GAME departing Lanzarote, Portugal, at the start of the 2025 Globe 580 Transat.
Fellow Australian, John Blenkinsop, on DELJA 100, lost a headsail halyard which slowed him down for a few days, until he fished it back ingeniously with a line tied to a boathook. There are many advantages to sailing a micro-yacht. His performance noticably improved as the race went on, and since then he has consistently placed in the first half of the fleet. He spent much of the crossing experimenting with sail combinations and trim.
His father, Mike, known throughout the fleet as Popeye, was thrown across the cabin and landed heavily on his head during one knockdown, lucky to escape without injury. DELJA 99 was at the back of the fleet most of the way across, finally coming 11th, just ahead of UK entrant, Jasmine Harrison, on NUMBATOU. Popeye’s only lament was that he didn’t have enough food variety on board and lost intertest in eating. Tuna is now a dirty word on board DELJA 99. Both Mike and John fitted Hydrovane self-steering gears to their boats, placing them amidships after removing the original rudder. They report that the vanes are the best thing they have fitted to their boats, and almost never hand steer. Race leader, Renaud Stitelmann also uses a Hydrovane, though his is offset alongside the designed rudder.
Australian entrant, Mike Blenkinsop, sails into Falmouth Harbour, Antigua, at the end of the 2025 Globe Transat aboard DELJA 99.
Mike Blenkinsop, aka Popeye, ashore at last in Antigua.
Jasmine Harrison is a veteran of the previous World’s Toughest Row, and also holds a world record for swimming the length of the British Isles. She did not know how to sail competitively at the start, and felt it was harder than rowing across the ocean, but had changed her mind by the time she wafted into Falmouth Harbour Antigua, looking suntanned and very relaxed, 28 days after leaving Lanzarote. She is at home on the ocean, though did admit to missing fried chicken and her dogs. Luckily, she did not run out of chocolate, though said she was going to look for a chocolate factory in Antigua and stack the boat to the deck beams.
Aboard Jasmine Harrison’s NUMBATOU.
Another UK entrant, Adam Waugh, aboard LITTLE WREN, slipped in the cockpit one night while returning from the foredeck and broke two ribs. The pain and discomfort kept him from being competitive for the rest of the race, but he managed to stay in the middle of the fleet, a remarkable achievement.
LITTLE WREN, entering Falmouth Harbour, Antigua, at the end of the 2025 Globe Transat.
Equally remarkable was the performance of Canadian, Dan Turk, on LITTLE BEA, who damaged the sciatic nerve in his right leg, by falling backwards onto an unforgiving cockpit cleat. He was unable to sit down for the rest of the passage. When he was not sail-handling, he lay on his bunk. Thankfully, he managed to keep his Sailormat windvane working, and still crossed the finish line in 4th place.
Christian Sauer, aboard the unmistakable ARGO, with its mind-bending stripes and green sails, developed painful shoulder joints, bursitis in his knees, and swollen ankles. Christian is a large man, and he found the cramped cabin, combined with the quick motion of these little boats, made stretching exercises difficult. There were times when he wondered why he was doing the trip, but pushed on, arriving in a respectable position in the middle of the fleet, then set off for the world trip with renewed enthusiasm.
ARGO and Christian Sauer leave Falmouth Harbour, Antigua at the start of the MGR.
Jakub Ziemkiewicz, the Irish/Polish entrant aboard BIBI, also found the lack of physical movement difficult. He has spent his life working on his feet, and was unaccustomed to sitting for long periods. Because his clothes were often wet, he developed a painful skin condition on his bottom. Just before he set out to cross the Atlantic, one of his helpers gave him a bag of disposable nappies, which he thought odd at the time, but they proved perfect for keeping his skin dry until it healed. He then went naked as much as possible. All the MGR skippers are great characters, as you’d expect, though Jakub stands out. He arrived in Antigua dressed as a pirate, right down to black bandana and arm guard, brandishing a plastic cutlass and emitting lusty growls. When he left at the start of the MGR, he was wearing a bright green leprechaun’s hat.
Irish-Polish entrant, Jakub Ziemkiewicz, makes his jubilant arrival in Antigua aboard BIBI. Pirates of the Caribbean!
The fleet were based at the National Sailing Academy in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua, where they have found a warm home. The Academy is the perfect base for the MGR – its programs for youth and disabled sailors reflect the accessibility of the ALMA Class Globe 580s - and an open day, where MGR skippers took kids and disabled Antiguans for a sail around Falmouth Harbour, was a huge success. To add to the lustre of the stopover, the Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda, Sir Rodney Williams, presented the 2025 Globe Transat awards at the National Sailing Academy, after which local parliamentarian and Foreign Minister, Paul Greene, gave a rousing speech.
The people of Antigua have taken the Mini Globe Race to heart, a fine reflection of the world-wide attention this event is now garnering, and as the fleet paraded through Falmouth Harbour Marina, they were greeted by cheers, foghorns and well wishes. One vessel even had a bagpiper on the foredeck, giving the old haggis a squeeze. Superyachts, cruising yachts, and even a square-rigged sailing ship framed the spectacle, while spectators thronged the foreshore at Pigeon Point Beach, adjacent to the start line.
A fleet of small craft, including about 30 tenders from visiting cruising yachts, hovered near the windward side of the start line, as 14 MGR entrants manoeuvred around the bay, counting down the minutes to the start signal. The official start boat, COCONUT, was anchored at the leeward end of the line. Orange-hulled COCONUT, skippered by Mark Sinclair, aka Captain Coconut, is a veteran of the Golden Globe Race (GGR), and will be accompanying the MGR fleet around the world.
Eric Marsh, on SUNBEAR, briefly lost his bearings while sorting out headsail problems and ran aground, while the rest of the fleet made a clean start, with Adam Waugh, on LITTLE WREN, first over the line. SUNBEAR didn’t lose too much time, crossing the line 8 minutes after the others. Amazingly, SUNBEAR only arrived in Antigua three days before the start, after a gruelling 25-day passage from the east coast of the USA, beating painfully to windward the whole way. Another entrant, SKOOKUM, sailed by the only American in the race, Joshua Kali, had arrived a week earlier, after a 20 day passage from Florida.
Australian entrant, Eric Marsh, on SUNBEAR, trucking along at the start of the MGR from Falmouth Harbour, Antigua.
Adam Waugh soon had LITTLE WREN’s A5 flying, though took it down later, as the breeze in open waters quickly freshened to 20-25 knots. A number of boats chose to set sail with working jibs and mainsails, including Josh Kali on SKOOKUM (who was moving well and looking delighted to be sailing downwind at last), and Ertan Beskardes on TREKKA. The more cautious had a reef in the mainsail, and it wasn’t long before they all did. Jasmine Harrison, on NUMBATOU, started with working sails, but soon switched to her bright pink A5 and was hooting along. It seems unlikely that she will be trailing the fleet from now on.
John Blinky Blenkinsop, on DELJA 100, had his A5 flying and was also hooting along, as was Christian Sauer on ARGO, and Dan Turk on LITTLE BEA. They all looked very much in the groove, and in high spirits. Popeye rolled out DELJA 99’s A7 briefly, but quickly rolled it up again in the rising wind, and set his jib. The breeze had built to a stiff 20 knots by then, with a 2m swell rolling through. Popeye later managed to reset the A5 and cut close in under the south coast of the island, where he found smooth seas and light winds, catching up a little with the rest of the fleet, who had gone wide to miss the wind shadow sometimes experienced in places like this.
Australian entrant, John Blenkinsop, departing Antigua aboard DELJA 100.
He was tired from all the preparations before the start (let’s not mention the partying), so sailed under just the jib on the first night. He spent the morning of the first full day at sea setting up his furlers, to make it easier to swap between the A7 and A5 asymmetric spinnakers, during which time he lost 20 miles to the pack, but by mid-morning was sailing well again.
Keri Harris on ORIGAMI crossed the line with his favourite sail, the rose-coloured A3, flying, looking like it was a bit of a handful, at least for anyone other than this seasoned ocean racer. He was soon at the front of the fleet, but further offshore than Renaud Stitelmann on CAPUCINETTE. Renaud quickly offered the rest of the fleet a masterclass once again, by cutting close in to the southern headland of Falmouth Harbour and peeling off to the south. He had his A5 set wing and wing with the mainsail, and was making good time dead downwind, looking very relaxed. He briefly put up his A3 for a while, to keep up with Keri, but soon swapped back again, as he finds that sailing wing and wing with the A3 is less desirable that doing so with the A5.
Most of the fleet were sailing east of the course, in an attempt to keep the wind on the port quarter, no doubt still settling in, and conscious of the need to gybe over onto the starboard tack at the southern end of the island and head west. Once in open water, no doubt, they would soon rig their boats more permanently for the long downwind haul.
Adam Waugh posted photos in the last afternoon light of the first day, showing LITTLE WREN sailing nicely down the rhumb line to Panama, with his A7 poled out opposite the working jib. He had John Blenkinsop in sight ahead, the wind was blowing 10-12 knots from the NE, the seas were about one metre, and the boat was sailing effortlessly at 5 knots.
Adam Waugh on LITTLE WREN, enroute Panama, with DELJA 100 ahead
As Renaud commented when making a midnight sat-phone call to the MGR team, CAPUCINETTE was still in the lee of Monserrat Island, and he was expecting the wind and seas to pick up a little in coming hours, though the long-term forecast at this stage was for settled weather for several days ahead. He had Keri on ORIGAMI just a mile or so to the south, and Pilar on PETER PUNK was not far behind. He could see their navigation lights, and found it pleasant to be sailing in company.
Because of their proximity, he was planning to only sleep for 20 minutes at a time, but as usual sounded very relaxed. CAPUCINETTE is well-stocked with fresh vegetables and fruit, so he is looking forward to several days of good eating. He had one reef in the mainsail, with the A5 poled out to windward, and was sailing at about 5 knots, with occasional bursts of 8 knots on the crest of waves. The wind was around 15-20 knots, though the sea was slight. He was contemplating putting in another mainsail reef before going to sleep, and maybe changing down to the working jib, but had not made up his mind, as conditions were so settled.
He was staying a bit north of the rhumb line to avoid the wind shadow of Guadaloupe Island, as well as anticipating an easterly wind later, that would allow him to reach back down to the direct course. The night was cloudless, and CAPUCINETTE was sailing under a blazing canopy of stars, with the occasional cruise ship, lit up like a Christmas tree or miniature city, passing by.
By dawn, he had pulled ahead of Keri by about three miles, sailing at 5.4 knots to Keri’s 4.9, though it was possible that Keri was sleeping. Keri had attempted unsuccessfully to get his windvane repaired in Antigua, so was once again hand-steering, with just one autopilot as back up when he needed to rest. That necessitates reducing sail when relinquishing the helm. Renaud also reduced sail at dawn, going down to double-reefed main and working jib, before catching up on his sleep.
Dan Turner, on IMMORTAL GAME, came charging through at 5.3 knots, and was lying in 2nd place on the evening of the 24th, his highest placing since the boats left Lanzarote. Despite his high speed, he was getting plenty of rest, so it looks as if he may have resolved his steering and rig issues, but perhaps it will take fresher weather conditions to be sure. He has a Starlink unit aboard now for communications, but was restricting its use to conserve power. Unfortunately, along with several other skippers, he failed to make contact with the MGR team as scheduled on Monday. In a social media post, he mentioned that a whale had come up right alongside the boat during the night. He also posted a photo of himself looking very relaxed and happy.
24 hours after the start, there was less than 10 miles between the leading five boats, and only 25 between the first and last vessel. Jasmine on NUMBATOU was doing well, in 8th place, just behind John on DELJA 100. Before the start, Renaud said he thought it might be a close race, with all skippers arriving in Panama within a day or two of each other, and it may prove to be so. Jasmine had already sailed 130nm. She reported that the weather had been a bit messy, which meant a lot of hand-steering.
Jasmine Harrison on NUMBATOU departing Antigua.
In the early hours of the morning, she noticed that her speed had dropped, but wasn’t sure why. When she needed to furl her spinnaker because of a squall, she found that the furling line had dropped into the water either side of the boat and was stuck. She had to go to the bow, being thrown around all over the place, and after trying to free it for ages, and contemplating cutting the line, it came slightly free in the trough of a wave. Eventually, she managed to pull the line in, shredding her hands, discovering that a huge weight of sargassum seaweed had wrapped around it, which had been acting as a sea anchor.
It all got sorted, but meant that she missed her fortnightly update call to the MGR team. Throughout the night, she could see about 10 other boats, including a number of MGR sailors (Pilar, Jakob, Ertan, Christian, and John, who all chatted on the radio.) She’s planning to head on a course which will take her 150nm clear of the most northerly point of Columbia, to stay safe from pirates.
Dan Turk, on LITTLE BEA, posted that he was happy with his start. He posted, ‘it could always be better, but the race is 1150nm, so 30 seconds behind the horn is fine. I have been seeing gusts up to 25 + knots, but it is manageable. The seas here are much different than on the Atlantic - shorter fetch but still powerful 6 to 8 ft waves. (The waves) are little bit confused but still ok. I had the largest spinnaker up till now but it was a bit too much to handle for the wind vane with those seas. That sail doesn't have a furler, but I was able to douse it and didn't get it wet, so it was a success! Now running (under) my A5 and a poled-out jib. The boat has settled down now and I need some sleep. I am seeing more marine traffic including smaller cruise ships.
After 20 hours of sailing and 100nm made good, Adam reported that he had no issues with his ribs, and was managing to get plenty of sleep (between watches) throughout the night. With no squalls overnight, LITTLE WREN was able to sail with the jib and A5 poled out wing and wing.
American entrant, Josh Kali, on SKOOKUM, was in 13th position, just ahead of Popeye on DELJA 99, and admitted he was facing a new learning curve now that he was sailing downwind. He had been struggling to get the windvane to work and ended up hand-steering for 12 hours. He was learning that it paid to reef the main early, or dump it altogether. In the fresh winds of the first day at sea, he ended up sailing with the A7 poled out opposite the jib, but later, when the wind dropped to 10-15 knots, he reverted to main held out by a preventer opposite the poled-out jib. He admitted he was feeling pretty beat up after his stint on the helm, and was having an easy day to recover.
Joshua Kali departs Antigua aboard SKOOKUM.
Jakub Ziemkiewicz reported that there wasn’t much to say after only 24 hours underway. He had thoroughly enjoyed the 580 parade before the start, with all the cheering crowds, etc. He added to the spectacle in true Jakub fashion, by wearing a bright-green, Irish leprechaun hat. Passing Monserrat Island, he ran into a strong counter-current that took 1.5 knots of hull speed from BIBI. There was also a lot of sargassum seaweed around, and he had to clear it from the servo-pendulum blade of his self-steering gear numerous times.
He was singing the praises of A&S Sailmakers in Antigua, who repaired his damaged A5, doing a superb job for a reasonable price. He also repaired the bowsprit fitting that broke during the Transat race, and streamlined his running rigging, to make depowering the sail quicker and safer. At the time of his report, on the evening of 24 January, he was sailing in lighter winds, with only the double-reefed mainsail and working jib. He had deliberately slowed down to keep station with one of the other MGR skippers who was not feeling well.
When John Blinky Blenkinsop called, late evening on the 24th, Caribbean time, he admitted that he was having a lazy day after the hectic start. He had not touched the helm all day. He’d had the jib poled out opposite the A5 all day, but the wind had just shifted a little, and he was then sailing under just the A5 with a tiny bit of jib rolled out. DELJA 100 was still sitting at somewhere between 4.5 and 6 knots.
During the first night, DELJA 100 was surrounded by other MGR boats, not to mention a steady stream of cruise ships, which did not make for restful sailing, to which could be added the challenge of settling down again for another long passage. He had difficulty getting a phone signal to make his scheduled sat-phone call, and felt too hassled to try and sort the antenna out. Another job for Panama, though there is not much left on the list now.
The wind had been fairly steady, blowing around 20 knots, with a few stronger gusts, and a sea state of around 1.5m. Conditions seemed likely to stay like that for some time, possibly building up a little as the boats approached the coast of Columbia. John, like many skippers, intended to keep a good offing of more than 100 miles, to reduce the risk of interactions with opportunistic pirate vessels.
This led to a hilarious conversation that anyone who has sailed offshore, either alone or short-handed, can appreciate. John said that he didn’t like to think about pirates, as it worried him, then recounted how two pigeons had visited Delja 100 earlier in the day. They circled around for a while, went away for 15 minutes, then came back and landed on deck. He was astonished to see these friendly land-birds way out on the ocean, seemingly heading for Central America, and noted that they had bands on their legs. Then he began to wonder if they were scouting on behalf of nearby pirates, and that perhaps their leg bands were tracking devices. Even while he was laughing at himself, he started looking around uneasily!
Eric Marsh, at 71 the oldest MGR skipper, and sitting in 13th position just ahead of Popeye, also checked in via sat-phone, though he was scheduled to call the following Monday, when all the 580s should be closing in on Panama. He just wanted to make a test call, but mentioned that all was well on board SUNBEAR, apart from ripping the track for his spinnaker pole off the mast.
He was also on something of a learning curve when it came to sailing downwind on these particular boats (he has sailed a lot of offshore miles on other boats) and was taking it a bit easy. He had sailed most of the day with just his A3 up, but at the time of the call, as the second night of the passage drew close, he had a double-reefed main up opposite the poled-out jib, averaging about 4.5 knots. He’d just had a long phone call with his wife, Brenda, and was feeling in good spirits, relaxed and fit.
As dawn broke on 25 February in the eastern Caribbean Sea, there was only five miles between the leading three boats, with CAPUCINETTE leading ORIGAMI and IMMORTAL GAME. Wily Renaud had a slight edge on the other two, sailing 0.2 knots faster, but it is anyone’s game, theoretically. The MGR is shaping up to be the first circumnavigation race that is truly a match race for the entire 24,000 miles.
Keri Harris aboard ORIGAMI, one of the frontrunners in the MGR, sets his large A3 kite, big pink, as he leaves Antigua.
The MGR can be followed on the Mini Globe Race Facebook page, or on the Mini Globe Race website where there are various interesting portals, including a live tracker.
Graham Cox is the MGR’s official reporter, and author of the acclaimed two-volume memoir,
Last Days of the Slocum Era.