Thirteen men and two women from eight countries today set sail from the small Caribbean Island of Antigua Barbuda, to race solo around the world in Mini 19ft -5.8mtr ALMA Globe 580 yachts, their only home for the next 13 months. WHY? To prove something to themselves no doubt, but they may not know that yet. This gruelling marathon has only just begun. It will not be easy! Leg one is to Panama 1200 miles to the west. Then it is another 24000 miles back to Antigua.
A solo adventure race of this magnitude has never been tried before. No one can say for sure it is even possible. Each of the sailors know and firmly believe it is, or they would not be there and would not have spent years building their boats in backyards and garages around the world. Whatever the outcome, they are about to show the world that dreams are worth chasing and responsible risk taking can be the path to a life well lived. There is one thing for certain, their lives will never be the same again!
The McIntyre Mini Globe Race (MGR) conceived and organised by Australian adventurer and solo sailor Don McIntyre, just reset the rules for solo around the world racing! You don’t need big money, you don’t need to be an elite sportsperson, you certainly don’t need anything high tech. You just need some plywood, passion, perseverance and big dreams to inspire a belief in yourself that it can be done and must be done! Everything about this McIntyre MGR runs against the norm, except for the fun factor that is through the roof and the serious nature of the solo Challenge. That’s just how McIntyre likes it! He also runs the extreme solo Golden Globe Race around the world.
You can track the fleet 24 hours through YB tracker here.
More information at globe580transat.com, classglobe580.com and minigloberace.com.
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