Mini Vendee Globe Race solo in 20' boat

[Wolverine]

Although the other racers were ready to assist Josh last night, he stayed out until sun up and arrived this morning 45 minutes before the safety meeting from the race organizers.

The beginning

This is his arrival in Antigua...

Docking up in Antigua...

[Captain Kidd]

If you are on Facebook, search the Mini Globe page and you'll find lots of info, pics etc. Here are a few from a recent post.

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[Wolverine]

there are huge waves no matter how large the boat is.

[Charles Brennan]

Man!!  Guy builds him a 19-foot boat, drives it 4000 miles across the U.S. and then sails it to Antigua!
Why? 
So he can sail around the WORLD!! 
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Meantime:
I'm trying to finish building a 12-footer, so I can sail 1.25 miles from Cedar Key to Atsena Otie Key!! 
Maybe the FL 120 too, (if I get done in time) and will consider it a major achievement.
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Lessee here . . . . . 24,901 miles for Josh vs 120 miles for me . . .  is about .005% of Josh's distance! 
So, Yeah.

WAY TO MAKE ME FEEL LIKE A PIKER, GUYS!! 

Ah, well.  We all have our own goals.
Charles Brennan

[Captain Kidd]

Yep, a sail around the globe, especially on a 19' boat, is certainly daunting!!!!

My longest sail to date is my ICW trip with Norman. We covered close to 150 miles. I didn't track with a GPS but calculate that figure from the ICW mile markers and charts.

[Doug SC]

I like land too much to spend that much time at sea! However, I do love following exploits like this. This one is impressive. Why I love backpacking, canoeing, and sea kayaking is the exploration of an area and developing the skill sets to be good at it. That is the same way I feel about sailing. I have come to enjoy the racing at the sailing club, but it was developing my skill set that drew me to it. Just turned 74 and realizing that my body isn't in sync with what my mind thinks it should do. If my mind insists my body has been known to punish it. I certainly don't compare myself to extreme athletes. I happen to think adrenaline can be highly overrated. 

[Krusen]

Having been in a minor storm in the North Atlantic, with breaking waves 30+ feet tall, I can assure you that the waves tall enough to hide the hull of that 19 footer are not large.

We were taking them at a 30 degree angle, and reduced speed, 12 knots, and the waves came all the way aft, and cascaded off the stern.  All water tight doors secured, external ones dogged down.   

B deck portholes went black deep in the water, then rolled up, and a great view of the stormy sky.   

Plenty of sea sick guys on that troop ship, the Alexander M. Patch.  Yes, I crossed the Atlantic in a ship called the Patch!

There are going to be some days and nights when Skookum will be similarly dogged tight, and the crashing waves making fearful sounds.  Hopefully, the equipment on deck survives, or he has replacements.

[Norm L.]

Every trip can have its own story.
Japan Sea on a dark midnight approaching Osaka with the area filled with dozens of small Japanese fishing boats with varied lighting.

Thirty days New Orleans to Cape Town with 25 days without a sight of anything but water. Headed southeast in the South Atlantic I saw the first ship headed Southwest probably to somewhere in South America as it was too small to be one that has to round the Cape. One ship in 25 days and it was a collision course, and I had to come to port and cross its stern. So strange it's still a memory.

[Captain Kidd]

Talk about interesting excursions, have you read about "Peter's Voyage"? He's canoeing the great loop "backwards" (clockwise). Moving down the east coast right now. Left Charleston a day or two ago.

[Wolverine]

I read an article some years back about a solo sail from San Diego to Hawaii in an 17' aluminum canoe. If I remember correctly, it took him 63 days. May have been in Small Craft Advisor. I did a quick Google search, but couldn't anything. 

[Wolverine]

The race started this morning.

https://towndock.net/