First test for Class Globe 5.80

The first event of the Class Globe 5.80 One Design Ocean Racing yacht is the Globe 5.80 Transat which sets off from Portugal to the Canary Islands for the first stage of 600 miles, followed by the 3000 mile second stage to Antigua.

For the new class which seeks to be an affordable option for those that want the challenge of offshore competition, the first stage was to start October 31 but has been delayed one day to provide Irish entrant Jim Schofield additional time to prepare. Six solo skippers will be now be on the start line November 1 for the leg from Lagos to Lanzarote.

The new amateur build plywood class, which released building plans 18 months ago, has attracted strong interest with 165 builders in 27 countries. The first six launched from five countries are all entered in this inaugural race.

Conceived by Don McIntyre, (Founder of the Golden Globe and Ocean Globe Races) as a way to bring Mini Ocean Racing back to it’s roots for amateur sailors, young or old and those with a spirit of Adventure who have enthusiastically embraced this New Class. Over the next 12 months up to 40 more should be sailing.

“The beauty of the 5.80 lies in its simplicity,” said McIntyre. “Easy to build and sail, even under windvane. It is not meant to be the fastest 5.80mtr yacht, but she sails well, can be driven hard and being a One-Design, we are all in the same boat, with the exact same Quantum sails which are very cool.”

McIntyre will be racing his own TREKKA-01 in the Globe Transat. “We have worlds best practice for all safety and security issues and have restricted some equipment to keep it affordable. We allow satellite phones for media interviews and up to four daily tweets from entrants, so with the live tracker and regular social media updates followers will have fun!”

Event details: https://globe580transat.com/