Remarkable Watercraft: The Mini Globe Race Features Globe 5.80
The Mini Globe Race, an all-new single-handed around the world race, is set to redefine ocean sailing. This unique event is held on the Globe 5.80, a home-built plywood yacht specifically designed for solo ocean racing.
Launched by Don McIntyre around 2020, the Globe 5.80 is an international racing yacht class aimed at serious ocean adventures combined with fun racing. The class emphasizes amateur-built plywood construction, enabling sailors around the world to build their own 5.80-meter yachts and compete in ocean races.
The Globe 5.80 is a one-design yacht, meaning all boats are built to the same specifications to ensure fair competition. It measures 5.80 meters in length and is primarily constructed from plywood, making it affordable and accessible for amateur builders. The design focuses on balancing competitive racing performance with the robustness necessary for solo ocean crossing.
One of the key events for the Globe 5.80 is the Globe 5.80 Transat, where these boats race solo across the Atlantic, covering approximately 3,600 miles from places like Lagos, Portugal to Antigua in the Caribbean. The class has gained international participation, with completed races such as the 2021 and 2023 Globe 5.80 Transat, showcasing the durability and seaworthiness of these small boats in challenging offshore conditions.
The Globe 5.80's design includes features such as a raised coachroof aft for good visibility from below decks, a watertight hatch to the forward compartment, and watertight bulkheads. It can carry a 25.6m2 A3 or a 19.3m2 A5 asymmetric downwind. Builders can choose to add removable foam pieces for increased buoyancy, making the yacht more resistant to collisions.
The Mini Globe Race promises an adventure that connects participants with ocean sailing and simple living. The race's creator, Don McIntyre, emphasizes simplicity and accessibility as the race's core ideas. The yacht has a simple bulbed fin keel, a single, transom-hung rudder, and a standard aluminium rig of modest proportions. Builders can opt to build their own mast and boom, self-steering gear, or purchase ready-built servo pendulum systems.
Component packages for the Mini Globe Race's Globe 5.80 include offerings from Selden for spars, Blue Shark in China for deck hardware (excluding winches), and Quantum for sails. Fifteen skippers are currently bidding to qualify for the race.
Home builder Peter Bumby began building his Globe 5.80 during lockdown and explains that the process has been a journey of discovery into the realities of home boatbuilding. The typical cost for a basic home-built Globe 5.80 boat (plans, hull kit, materials) is £25,000-£30,000. Bumby's Globe 5.80 build is not entered in the 2025 Mini Globe Race, but he has personal goals for his small yacht, including honoring a friend he met on the Clipper Round the World Race.
Many participants have built their 5.80s from a series of licensed plans and kits. The Globe 5.80's hull length is 5.70m, beam is 2.27m, draught is 1.40m, weight is 700kg, ballast is 220kg, sail area (main & jib) is 20.1m2, kit price ranges from £4,145 to £9,115, and the designer is Janusz Maderski. The Globe 5.80 builder's group on Facebook is a source of help and a great sense of community between builders across the world.
The Mini Globe Race and the Globe 5.80 yacht are revolutionising the world of solo ocean racing, offering a unique opportunity for amateur sailors to embark on a challenging and exciting adventure.
Sports enthusiasts looking to challenge themselves in ocean racing can build their own Globe 5.80 yacht, a craft designed for solo ocean racing and available for amateur builders. The Mini Globe Race, an around-the-world race, aims to redefine ocean sailing and is an opportunity for sports participants to connect with ocean sailing and simple living.
