Twenty years ago, I picked up a self-help book by Paul McKenna that would change everything. It contained an exercise designed to help readers uncover their deepest purpose—their true calling, dreams, and desires. One question in particular stopped me in my tracks: “What would you do with your life if you knew you could never fail?” McKenna urged readers to think beyond limitations—money was no object, logic had no place. Dream big, dream wildly.
Without hesitation, I wrote: “BUILD A BOAT AND SAIL AROUND THE WORLD.”
The ClassGlobe 5.80 is a plywood-epoxy yacht designed for adventurous and affordable ocean sailing, particularly for solo transoceanic voyages. It’s a one-design class, meaning all boats adhere to a specific design, and it’s also designed to be easily built, even by amateurs, either from scratch or with a CNC-cut kit. The goal is to make ocean racing accessible to a wider range of sailors with moderate budgets.
This website chronicles the construction of my boat as I work toward achieving Class Globe certification. To earn this prestigious designation, every aspect of the build must strictly adhere to the approved plans, utilizing specified techniques, materials, and construction standards throughout the process.