ALMA Atlantic

Six 5.80-metre plywood yachts are taking on a 3,600-nautical-mile Atlantic challenge in the fourth McIntyre ALMA Globe 5.80 Transat, with Australian sailor Bruce Payne among the seven competitors.

Photography by McIntyre ALMA Globe 5.80 Transat

13 November 2026

The fourth McIntyre ALMA Globe 5.80 Transat began its qualifying stage from Marina de Lagos, Portugal, on 31 October 2026, with the fleet bound for Lanzarote in the Canary Islands before the main Atlantic crossing to Antigua.

The 600-nautical-mile qualifying passage precedes the 3,000-nautical-mile transatlantic race, scheduled to start from Marina Rubicón, Lanzarote, on 14 November.

The event brings together sailors from diverse backgrounds, including a former Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) soldier, a 24-year-old Finnish sailor who built her own yacht, the race’s first Chinese entrant and two British adventurers who have previously rowed across the Atlantic together.

THE TRANSAT ROUTE - PORTUGAL TO ANTIGUA : The 2026 McIntyre ALMA Class Globe 5.80 Transat route: approximately 3,600 nautical miles of ocean adventure in yachts just 5.80 metres (19 feet) long.

FLOW #195 AND IMIMINI #109 - TINY YACHTS, BIG OCEAN: Two ALMA Class Globe 5.80 ocean racers sailing off Lagos, Portugal, ahead of the 31 October Transat qualifier. In the foreground is FLOW (#195), built by 24-year-old Finnish skipper Viivi Moisio, with British sailor Matthew Freestone's colourful IMIMINI (#109) behind. Both yachts are just 5.80 metres (19 feet) long and are preparing for the 3,600-nautical-mile adventure to Antigua. Credit: G580T 2026 / JJ

SPACE INSIDE Hull 109 Inimini : A fascinating look inside the compact cabin of a Class Globe 5.80 during a pre-race boat visit at Marina de Lagos. These tiny 19-foot ocean racers are preparing for approximately 3,600 nautical miles of sailing from Portugal to Antigua via Lanzarote. Space is limited, but the adventures are enormous! Credit: G580T 2026 / JJ

Australian adventurer Don McIntyre founded the ALMA Class Globe 5.80 in 2020 to make offshore sailing more accessible. Designed by Polish naval architect Janusz Maderski, the 5.80-metre one-design yachts can be constructed by amateur builders using plywood.

The class has attracted international interest, with more than 300 sets of plans sold across 40 countries and territories. An estimated 140 boats are under construction, with 35 already sailing.

Among this year’s competitors is Tasmanian Bruce Payne, 62, who spent 25 years in the Australian Army, including service with the SAS.

Payne is sailing Meraki, a yacht built by Keith Oliver that finished third in the 2023 Globe 5.80 Transat. The boat’s construction and first Atlantic crossing were documented in a feature-length film.

Payne has also entered the 2029 Mini Globe Race and is using the Transat as a qualifying passage for the solo circumnavigation.

Finnish sailor Viivi Moisio, 24, is competing aboard Flow, the yacht she built herself after discovering the class while preparing for the 2023 Ocean Globe Race.

Moisio completed that fully crewed circumnavigation aboard Tapio Lehtinen’s Galiana, but the Globe 5.80 Transat marks her first solo ocean race.

Chinese skipper Yi Qun Liu, known as Yves, is sailing Trekka, the first Globe 5.80 built and launched. Originally commissioned by McIntyre, the yacht competed in the inaugural Transat in 2021 and has since completed a circumnavigation.

Maltese sailor Katherine Urpani is racing Capucinette, previously sailed by Swiss skipper Renaud Stitelmann to victory in the 2025 Globe 5.80 Transat and the inaugural Mini Globe Race.

Stitelmann won every leg of the round-the-world event, setting an accumulated racing-time record of 180 days, 11 hours, 25 minutes and 57 seconds.

McIntyre Globe 5.80 Transat 20262027 competitors gather for a group photo at the Marina de Lagos office in Lagos, Portugal, ahead of the 31 October 2026 start. Credit: G580T 2026 / Don McIntyre.

TREKKA #01 New Owner from China and the family: TREKKA (#01), the first Class Globe 5.80 ever built and launched, at Marina de Lagos ahead of another Atlantic adventure. Originally built by race founder Don McIntyre in 2020, this legendary little yacht has already crossed oceans and circumnavigated the globe. Now entered by Yi Qun Liu (Yves), the race's first Chinese entrant, TREKKA is preparing to make history once again. Credit: G580T 2026 / JJ

CAPUCINETTE #28 THE ROUND-THE-WORLD WINNER RETURNS : CAPUCINETTE (#28), the winning yacht of the inaugural 20252026 Mini Globe Race, sails off Lagos, Portugal, ahead of the 2026 Globe 5.80 Transat. Previously raced by Swiss sailor Renaud Stitelmann, who won every leg of the round-the-world race, CAPUCINETTE now returns to the Atlantic with her new skipper, Katherine Urpani of Malta. A proven little champion begins another adventure! Credit: G580T 2026 / JJ

MERAKI #178 FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SAS TO THE ATLANTIC: MERAKI (#178), the Australian entry skippered by Tasmanian adventurer Bruce Payne, prepares for the fourth McIntyre Globe 5.80 Transat. A former Australian Army soldier who served with the Special Air Service Regiment (SAS), Bruce is taking on a very different challenge aboard this tiny plywood ocean racer. The crossing will also count towards his preparations for the 2029 Mini Globe Race. Credit: G580T 2026 / JJ

IMIMINI #109 19 FEET ACROSS THE ATLANTIC : IMIMINI (#109), the colourful Class Globe 5.80 sailed by British adventurer Matthew Freestone, prepares for the 2026 Transat off Lagos, Portugal. Originally built in a backyard in the Netherlands, this remarkable plywood yacht has already completed a challenging passage from North Wales to Portugal. Now Matthew is preparing to sail her across the Atlantic a very big adventure in a very small boat! Credit: G580T 2026 / JJ

ORIGAMI #47 The First Two-Handed Entry: British sailors Dean Frost and Lee McCarthy prepare to make history aboard ORIGAMI (#47), the first two-handed entry in the McIntyre Globe 5.80 Transat. Photographed at Marina de Lagos, Portugal, ahead of the 31 October 2026 start, this remarkable 19-foot plywood yacht previously finished third overall in the inaugural Mini Globe Race. Credit: G580T 2026 / Don McIntyre

SAFETY FIRST - SURVIVAL SUIT TRAINING IN LAGOS: Small boats, serious safety! Globe 5.80 Transat sailors take part in survival-suit preparations at Marina de Lagos, Portugal. Before crossing the Atlantic in their 19-foot plywood yachts, entrants undertake compulsory safety inspections, medical briefings and practical survival exercises. Seven sailors aboard six yachts are preparing for the 31 October start. Credit: G580T 2026 / Don McIntyre

British sailor Matthew Freestone is competing aboard Imimini, a yacht originally constructed in a backyard in the Netherlands.

Fellow British sailors Dean Frost and Lee McCarthy are making event history as the first two-handed crew, sailing Origami. The pair previously rowed across the Atlantic together in 2021 as members of a four-man team.

The Transat follows the inaugural Mini Globe Race, which saw 15 sailors depart Antigua on a circumnavigation in 2025. Eleven completed the challenge after approximately 13 months at sea.

Five of the six yachts in the current Transat fleet are equipped with Starlink Mini, allowing competitors to share photographs, videos and updates during the crossing.

McIntyre is also providing regular race-tracker updates, offering followers an insight into life aboard the miniature ocean racers.

For several competitors, the Atlantic crossing represents an important step towards the next Mini Globe Race in 2029.

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