Josh Kali Reports From McIntyre Mini Globe Race

Josh Kali is closing in on his dream of finishing the McIntyre Mini Globe race on his homebuilt 19-ft boat, Skookum, built over several years in Seattle. He wrote in with this report from Recife, Brazil. 

In February 2025, 15 intrepid sailors set off from English Harbour, Antigua, intent on completing the first-ever McIntyre Mini Globe Race around the world. The race, a world-first solo circumnavigation featuring mostly homebuilt 5.8m (19-ft) plywood boats skippered by amateur sailors, held the promise of adventure on the high seas, unlike anything before. Brainchild of world sailor and adventurer Don McIntyre, also known for the revival of the retro Golden Globe and Ocean Globe races, the Mini Globe Race attracted an eclectic bunch of individuals from around the world.

For me, the only American skipper in the fleet, the experience has been truly amazing. I spent the better part of five years building and preparing the boat before finally departing from Oriental, North Carolina, bound for the start line in Antigua. The race has definitely had its ups and downs, as well as many pleasant surprises along the way. The most amazing part for me, as many solo sailors who have done long ocean passages can attest, has been the tranquility and solitude of the open ocean.

Finding a deeper connection with this incredible planet we inhabit by learning to live in harmony with the ever-changing sea, making friends (and sometimes enemies) with innumerable clouds, waves, and every gust of wind, has borne in me an insight into the dynamic, often capricious nature of our environment. Seemingly countless days of immaculate azure skies, breathtaking tangerine sunsets, and a blanket of nearly infinite stars, glittering on the indigo sea like a king’s ransom of diamonds, [have] helped me to understand how truly lucky we are to be here.

Following the traditional trade-wind route across the South Pacific, through the Great Barrier Reef, over the top of Australia, across the Indian Ocean, around the southern tip of the African continent, and across the South Atlantic has finally brought me to Recife, Brazil, where the fleet is preparing to sail into history by completing the final leg back to Antigua.

With stops in the Marquesas, Tahiti, Tonga, Fiji, Thursday Island, Australia, Cocos Keeling, Rodrigues, Mauritius, the South African coast, St. Helena, and now Recife, we have gotten to experience an interesting and varied cross section of cultures and lifestyles. There definitely seems to be a correlation between living somewhere that the sun shines often, and is near the sea, and a general kindness and well-being. It would be difficult to elect one place as my favorite destination, with each stop offering something unique and intrinsically valuable to the experience.

Whether it was the delicious French-inspired cuisine of Tahiti, the rustic beauty of the Tonga islands, the infectious good cheer felt in every “Bula” heard in Fiji, the kind nature of the Australians on Thursday Island, the sheer, heart-stopping beauty of remote Cocos Keeling, the feeling of stepping back in time on Rodrigues Island, the melting pot of African, Indian, and European cultures on Mauritius, the amazingly good food and accommodating peoples of South Africa, the stunningly rugged coastline of St. Helena, or the boisterous enthusiasm of the Brazilians at Carnival time, the people and places we visited never failed to leave a lasting impression.

Listen to Josh Kali before departure on our Good Jibes podcast.