Leg 3 of the McIntyre Mini Globe Challenge Is Underway

On July 26, 12 of the original 15 starters in the McIntyre Mini Globe Race started the 10,000-mile third leg from Vuda Marina in Fiji to South Africa. It is the longest leg of the race for the 19-ft home-built, one-design, singlehanded ocean racers that will take them north of Australia to cross the Indian Ocean bound for Cape Town.

After crossing the Pacific the fleet settled into a five-week stopover in Fiji to rest up, repair, and prepare for the 10,000-mile leg ahead. The fleet is now sailing in close quarters south of the Solomon Islands and bound for Thursday Island before heading into the Timor Sea to pass Darwin ahead of the long Indian Ocean crossing.

After passing between Thursday Island and Papua New Guinea they will head toward Cocos Keeling, Rodrigues Island and Mauritius before making for Durban, South Africa. The sailors will then be battling the Southern Ocean and the Agulhas current, hoping to make it to Cape Town in time for Christmas.

Pacific Northwest sailor Josh Kali is making steady progress in the middle of the fleet, and his well-crafted Skookum continues to be a reliable vessel for this 24,000-mile, 13-month race around the world. Below is a 40-minute video tour with Josh about the building of his Mini Globe racer, Skookum.

You can follow the fleet across the Indian Ocean here.