Mini round the world race

Round the world sailor Brian Caldwell proposes dramatic new event

This seemed like an April fool when we first heard about it - but the proposer Brian Caldwell informs us that he is not having us on.

Caldwell from Honolulu became the youngest ever circumnavigator when aged 20 he completed a lap of the globe on board a Contessa 32 Mai(Miti)Vavau. He has since become interested in the Mini class and has acquired the 2001 Magnen-design Proto (348) Netcarrier. In this he finished fifth in the two handed Mini Fastnet this year and 11th in the doublehanded Proto class in the Open Demi Cle.

The Race 6.5 will be a double-handed around the world race for Minis to be held over 2006-7.

Caldwell is proposing that the race start and finish in Salvador de Bahia with possible stops at: Panama, Galapagos, Hawaii, Vanuatu, Cocos Keeling, Mauritius, South Africa and St Helena before finishing back in Brazil. Stopovers in some places such as Hawaii and South Africa could be around one month long and the event is expected to be of around one year duration in total. Each leg will score points that will count towards an accumulated overall result.

At present Caldwell is envisaging the race to be a low key affair, with no limit to the number of entries, no entry fee, a 1,000 mile qualifier in Classe Mini races.

"To be honest I don't know if some of the Protos including mine are up to the mileage," he admits. "Pogos would be more endurance oriented, but then again the conditions the Minis sail in the Bay of Biscay etc at this northern latitude are atrocious compared with my tradewind circumnavigation route." He is proposing that Minis taking part in the race should do so without their masthead kites.

Caldwell says he wants to make another circumnavigation without getting a hammering every few days by a Southern Ocean gale. Several other Mini sailors have expressed an interest, most notably Kiwi Craig Cuff who is currently building the third Bakewell-White-designed Mini (sistership to Chris Sayer's).

So is this madness? Probably. It is refreshing to have a new event for the Minis particularly such an ambitious one. The race is two handed adding to the safety but one wonders if a Mini is man enough to pack in the kind of mileage it will have to endure on this race. It will be interesting to see the level of reaction

Those interested can contact Brian directly by email here.