Christian Sauer: Mini Globe Race 2025 skipper

Katy Stickland

Christian Sauer has sailed and raced in European waters but never around the world, and never in a 19ft boat he has built himself. He shares how he has prepared for the 2025 Mini Globe Race

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Christian Sauer was the last of the Mini Globe Race skippers to finish building his boat, but he is now determined to make up for lost time and is busy preparing Argo to sail around the world.

The German sailor began sailing as a child with his father and uncle, as well as in Lasers “very late at the age of 12”.

Soon he was racing Lasers, but studying meant he had to stop for a while. Instead, he discovered keel boats, sailing with friends and racing in the Mediterranean.

While taking part in a regatta in France, he decided he would become a sailing instructor. He is also a carpenter and civil engineer.

“The skipper announced he was leaving the boat and someone else had to be the skipper, so I decided to do that, and got all of the qualifications. I then worked at a sailing school at Lake Constance in Germany and in the military.”

His Globe 5.80, Argo is the first boat he has ever built.

Christian Sauer at the helm of his boat

Christian Sauer began sailing as a child before becoming a sailing instructor. Credit: Christian Sauer

Why enter the Mini Globe Race?

Christian Sauer: I don’t know if it’s the same for all sailors, but I’ve always wanted to do a circumnavigation but I never thought about doing it on a boat like the 5.80 because the usual comfort criteria for me is that I can stand upright in the boat. And that’s not the case with the Class 5.80.

In 2018, I started focussing on finding a boat, but I had no real budget. I was dreaming of circumnavigating in a Class 40 or something around 32ft-40ft.

Then, just by chance, I read an article in a German sailing magazine about the 5.80 and the Mini Globe Race and I was hooked with the idea of the many stops and the whole concept of the class. And I was fascinated.

So I finally found a way to realise my dream and that was the beginning of the 5.80 adventure.

I always said that I wanted to test the boat extensively first before I entered the Mini Globe Race.

I am the last of the 18 participants to finish the boat, so I won’t have the chance to do that [as much as I would like] but I have taken the decision to trust the boat and trust what I did in the build and I think this boat is going to take me around the world.

You mention there is a height issue. How tall are you?

Christian Sauer: I am 1.86m/6ft 1in so I’m building the boat with a bubble and not the observation pod.

A boat being built

Christian hopes the bubble will allow him to stretch every so often on his 19ft boat. Credit: Christian Sauer

Do you plan to win the race or just get round?

Christian Sauer: To win the race, first you have to complete it. So I hope that all of the sailors [in the Globe 5.80 Transat] will arrive safely in Antigua to go on to do the Mini Globe Race but I do not think that will be the case.

I do not think anyone will be hurt, because these boats are so safe but things break all the time on boats, so I think there will be some material issues.

How are you preparing yourself for the race?

Christian Sauer: I’m preparing with a bit of physical training. A physiotherapist has been teaching me how to workout on board, how to stretch if I get back pain, and what I can do in this limited space with limited equipment.

Is Argo the first boat you have ever built?

Christian Sauer: Yes. I’ve had serious issues with deliveries, as where I live is nowhere near the shops which carry the parts I need so I have had to order everything and the reliability of some companies is not that good, so this has set me back months.

A man with a beard and sunglasses on a boat

Christian Sauer has sailed extensively in the Med. Credit: Christian Sauer

What storm tactics do you plan to use? Drogues or warps?

Christian Sauer: I am going to use a series drogue, but I will have warps behind the boat when necessary, just to reduce speed.

If this doesn’t help to slow the boat down, then I have got the series drogue.

I have already practised with warps trailing behind the boat while I was working as a sailing instructor.

I have never used a drogue or a series drogue.

Which windvane self-steering set-up are you planning to use?

Christian Sauer: I will be using the Wind Pilot as it was recommended to me.

I was in Portugal in 20201 for the first Class 5.80 Transat and I saw the issues they had with the South Atlantic wind vane, so I decided then that I wanted to go with the Wind Pilot; I will be taking spare parts with me.

Christian Sauer sanding a boat

Christian is a carpenter and a civil engineer, and left his job to build Argo. Credit: Christian Sauer

What antifouling will you be using?

Christian Sauer: I plan to use LIFE paint but I am having trouble finding someone in Germany who has it and will apply it.

I found one company but it wants to charge €15,000 which is half of the budget for the boat which I can’t do.

So, if I can’t use LIFE I will go with Silic One. I wanted to go for silicone antifouling rather than the traditional paint because of the environment.

I did not want to be responsible for adding toxic material to the ocean.

Routing is forbidden in the race. So how are you preparing to sail the best route?

Christian Sauer: The general routes that you take on this kind of journey, and because our boats are so slow means that we will have to deal with the weather we get, and we have to try to make the best of it.

I think if I stay on the shortest track and use the weather I get, it will be the best thing.

As we have no routing, I will initially be heading south and then west if we get the trade winds.

I have not thought too much yet about finding the best route while in the Pacific as my priorities have been finishing the boat, but I will during the race. It is really tough to get to the start line.

How will you cope with sailing alone?

Christian Sauer: I have never done solo sailing.

When I was on vacation, I always gave the crew plenty of rest so I can handle the boat myself; that is no problem.

But, I don’t know yet what it will do to my mind, being alone for such a long period of time,

I’m pretty confident that I handle myself in normal life. I’m not afraid of being alone at all. I kind of like being alone and working alone, but there may be incidents on the boat and the tricky part is I will have no-one to ask; it will not be like Apollo 13 where you can ask people what you can do with your limited equipment.

I will have to make every decision myself and if a decision has to be made quickly, I am not sure how this will be, but I am confident that I will make it.

A man painting the boat

Christian has found the build difficult, due to supply issues. Credit: Christian Sauer

How will you approach problems at sea?

Christian Sauer: If there’s a stressful situation, like something breaking, I am not sure how I will react, so I will try to avoid these problems for sure, and to maintain the boat regularly, to check everything, to have a daily routine, and to replace worn parts and check to make sure nothing gets overloaded.

I will try not to overthink everything; I tend to like to think about every problem first but sometimes during the build of the boat, that has slowed me down.

If I do have a problem, I will be prepared with spare parts; I am using the same hatches for the front hatch and the main hatch so I can exchange them. If needed, I have spare parts to cover every hole, from a hatch or from the observation bubble.

I will try to prepare for most things.

With the windvane, I have studied previous races where the Wind Pilot was used to see what might go wrong, so I have plenty of spares and have thought about how I can use what I have on board if there are problems.

I will have a spare rudder for the Wind Pilot. I have really focussed on the windvane as it is so important.

The Mini Globe Race is a celebration of John Guswell and Trekka. So what words of wisdom from John Guswell will you be following during the race?

Christian Sauer: I must admit that I did not know much about him before I entered this race and I have been busy building the boat, but I have just got a copy of his book shipped from America so I will read that and decide.

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