Fourth McIntyre Alma Globe 5.80 Transat qualifier starts 31 october
At 14:00 UTC tomorrow, Saturday 31 October, six remarkable little ocean racers will start from Marina de Lagos, Portugal, beginning a 3,600-nautical-mile adventure to Antigua via Marina Rubicón, Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands. The fleet comprises seven sailors aboard yachts just 5.80 m (19 ft) long — including the first two-handed entry in the history of the Globe 5.80 Transat.
Built from plywood in garages, backyards and workshops, these miniature ocean racers embody a powerful idea: ocean adventure does not belong exclusively to professionals with multimillion-dollar budgets. Some of the sailors have already raced around the world; others are setting out on their first solo ocean race. All are chasing a dream bigger than their boats.
The fleet first faces an approximately 600-nautical-mile qualifying passage to Marina Rubicón in Lanzarote. The main 3,000-nautical-mile Atlantic race to the National Sailing Academy in Antigua is scheduled to start on 14 November 2026 at 14:00 local time.
FROM BACKYARD DREAMS TO ROUND-THE-WORLD RACING
Australian adventurer and race organiser Don McIntyre founded the ALMA Class Globe 5.80 in 2020 to make serious ocean sailing more accessible. Designed by Polish naval architect Janusz Maderski, the result is a rugged, straightforward 5.80 m one-design yacht that an amateur can build from plywood — yet strong enough to cross oceans and, as history has now proved, race around the world.
The concept has grown into an international community. More than 300 sets of Globe 5.80 plans have been sold across 40 countries and territories, with an estimated 140 active builders and 35 boats already sailing. A class built on modest materials and ambitious dreams has become one of offshore sailing’s most distinctive adventures.
The first McIntyre Globe 5.80 Transat took place in 2021. Its ambitions grew, culminating in the inaugural 2025–2026 McIntyre Mini Globe Race, in which 15 sailors set out from Antigua on the world's first solo round-the-world yacht race for these tiny ocean racers.
After a remarkable adventure spanning around 13 months, 11 skippers completed their circumnavigations. Switzerland's Renaud Stitelmann, racing Capucinette, won every leg and established the inaugural race record of 180 days, 11 hours, 25 minutes and 57 seconds of accumulated racing time. His yacht is now returning to the Atlantic in the hands of a new skipper.
From Shanghai office life to the open ocean — the first Chinese entrant sails the little yacht that started it all.
Yi Qun Liu, known as Yves, is the first Chinese sailor to enter the Globe 5.80 Transat. A lifelong dream of crossing oceans has brought the Shanghai-born skipper to Lagos. He has also entered the 2029 Mini Globe Race, making this Atlantic crossing an important qualifying milestone.
His yacht, Trekka, has a remarkable pedigree. Hull 01 was the first ALMA Class Globe 5.80 built and launched, commissioned by Don McIntyre and constructed in Poland before her 2021 launch. McIntyre sailed her solo across the Atlantic in the inaugural 2021 Transat, winning the seniors division.
The overall winner of that first event was Swiss sailor Etienne Messikommer aboard Numbatou. Messikommer is now racing solo around the world in the 2026 Golden Globe Race, aboard Bernard.
Trekka went on to complete the 2025–2026 Mini Globe Race with Ertan Beskardes, who is also competing in the 2026 Golden Globe Race, aboard Miss Beagle. Few 5.80s have more ocean-racing history. Now Yves writes her next chapter.
KATHERINE URPANI, 58 — CAPUCINETTE (HULL 28)
Seven previous Atlantic crossings — and now the winning yacht of the inaugural Mini Globe Race.
Maltese sailor Katherine Urpani discovered the ALMA Class Globe 5.80 in Antigua while the Mini Globe Race fleet prepared to depart on its circumnavigation. An experienced offshore sailor with seven Atlantic crossings behind her, she was captivated by what these tiny yachts represented and subsequently purchased Capucinette.
In the hands of Swiss sailor Renaud Stitelmann, Capucinette won the 2025 Globe 5.80 Transat, then went on to win every leg of the inaugural Mini Globe Race, taking the overall round-the-world victory. The yacht has already crossed the Atlantic and circumnavigated the globe. Katherine now takes one of the class's most accomplished boats back to sea.
From the Australian SAS to a 19 ft plywood ocean racer — and a yacht with its own documentary.
Tasmanian sailor Bruce Payne spent 25 years in the Australian Army, including service with the Special Air Service Regiment (SAS), before retiring in 2006. His next expedition will demand a very different sort of endurance.
His yacht Meraki, built by Keith Oliver, has already crossed the Atlantic and gained a following of its own. A feature-length documentary charts Oliver’s journey from building the plywood yacht in a makeshift tent to fulfilling his dream of crossing an ocean. In the 2023 Globe 5.80 Transat, Oliver finished third aboard Meraki.
Bruce bought the yacht from Oliver and will give Meraki her 2nd Atlantic crossing. Like Yves, he has entered the 2029 Mini Globe Race and will use this event as his qualifying passage.
She sailed around the world with a crew. Now the 24-year-old Finn will race solo in the 19 ft yacht she built herself.
Finland's Viivi Moisio sailed around the world aboard Tapio Lehtinen's Galiana in the 2023 McIntyre Ocean Globe Race, the fully crewed retro round-the-world race inspired by the original Whitbread.
During preparations for that event, she discovered the ALMA Class Globe 5.80 and bought a set of plans. She went on to build her own beautifully finished yacht, Flow — even making her own sails — and has now brought her creation to Lagos.
An experienced offshore sailor and celestial navigator, Viivi has already faced the world's great oceans. This time, however, the decisions, sail changes, repairs and watches will all be hers: the Transat will be her first solo sailing race.
A backyard-built boat, a crane over a house and one very big Atlantic adventure.
Matthew Freestone purchased IMIMINI from her original builder, who constructed her in a tent in his back garden — then needed a crane to lift the completed boat over the house. Matthew brought her to Lagos after a demanding passage from North Wales, including plenty of upwind sailing in the Bay of Biscay. With more than 16,000 nautical miles of sailing experience, he is focused on the adventure immediately ahead: crossing the Atlantic solo in a 5.80 m yacht.
IMIMINI will be the only yacht in this year’s fleet without Starlink Mini. While the other entrants can share photographs and video from sea, Matthew will enjoy a more traditional style of ocean voyaging.
They have already rowed across the Atlantic together. Now they make history as the race’s first two-handed crew.
Dean Frost and Lee McCarthy will make event history as the first two-handed crew in the Globe 5.80 Transat. They are no strangers to close quarters: in 2021 the British pair rowed across the Atlantic together as part of a four-man team. Lee, a former British Army officer, also brings extensive sailing experience. Their yacht, Origami, is one of the class’s proven round-the-world racers.
With British skipper Keri Harris, Origami finished 2nd in the 2025 Globe 5.80 Transat and 3rd overall in the 2025–2026 Mini Globe Race. She has completed 2 previous transatlantic races; this will be her 3rd.
Sharing a 5.80 m yacht across the Atlantic will be an exercise in close cooperation, with very little room to spare. The pair will have to find their rhythm on a small boat with a big racing history.
FIRST STOP: LANZAROTE — 600 MILES TO QUALIFY
The fleet leaves Marina de Lagos at 14:00 UTC on Saturday, 31 October, bound for Marina Rubicón in Lanzarote, approximately 600 nautical miles away. This opening passage is the qualifier for the main transatlantic race.
After arrival and final preparations, the sailors are scheduled to leave Lanzarote at 14:00 local time on Saturday, 14 November, for the approximately 3,000-nautical-mile crossing to the National Sailing Academy in Antigua.
Marina de Lagos and Marina Rubicón have become familiar names in McIntyre Adventure's small-boat ocean-racing programme. The Antigua finish also links the Transat to the Mini Globe Race and, from 2028, the planned Real Ocean Row, which will run from Lanzarote to Antigua.
WHERE HAS ALL THE WIND GONE?
The immediate challenge may be rather different from the storms these sailors have prepared to face: there may be very little wind.
The organisers’ pre-start forecast suggests unusually light conditions. A passage that would more typically take 5–6 days could extend to 8–10 days if the expected light winds persist. For sailors who have invested years in preparation, drifting slowly towards the Canary Islands could be a test of patience as much as seamanship.
The longer Atlantic crossing may present an entirely different story. Past editions have benefited from favourable trade winds, but conditions are never guaranteed. During the 2023 edition, one skipper reported winds of around 70 knots, knockdowns and very large seas. Previous Atlantic passage times have ranged from approximately 22 to 36 days, depending on the weather.
Entrants have completed medical examinations, survival and medical training, compulsory race briefings and extensive safety preparations. Whether this year's fleet encounters prolonged calms, fast trade-wind sailing or severe weather, the crossing will demand self-reliance, judgement and determination.
FOLLOW THE ADVENTURE — STARLINK, TRACKING AND DAILY BROADCASTS
Five of the six yachts are carrying Starlink Mini, opening a remarkable window into life aboard these tiny boats. The sailors plan to share photographs, video and personal accounts throughout the journey. Matthew Freestone aboard IMIMINI is the only entrant without Starlink Mini.
WATCH THE START LIVE on Saturday, 31 October, on the official Globe 5.80 Transat Facebook page and the ALMA Class Globe 5.80 YouTube channel. The fleet is scheduled to start at 14:00 UTC from Marina de Lagos. Race founder Don McIntyre also plans daily tracker updates at approximately 09:00 UTC on both channels, while the competitors’ own messages will reveal the changing weather, daily routines, repairs and moments of excitement that make ocean voyaging so compelling.
The fleet's progress can also be followed on the official live tracker. See the clickable links below.
THE NEXT BIG DREAM: MINI GLOBE RACE 2029
For some of this year's skippers, the Globe 5.80 Transat is only the beginning. The next McIntyre Mini Globe Race is planned for 2029, building on the success of the inaugural round-the-world event.
