The Class Globe 5.80 would not be described by some sailors as the ideal boat to race around the world. At just 5.8m (19ft) long and 2.27m (7ft 5in) wide, the boat is a far cry from the 40ft-plus multihulls and monohulls that most skippers would gravitate towards for offshore adventures.
But the idea of ocean sailing in small boats is nothing new. In the 1950s, John Guzzwell proved that sub-21ft boats were capable of circumnavigating the world. Inspired by the likes of Harry Pidgeons and Joshua Slocum, Guzzwell spent £50 on a set of Jack Laurent Giles plans for a 6.27m (20ft 6in) yawl.
A carpenter, he built , using only hand tools, launching the boat in August 1954. His first long solo voyage on was to Hawaii, via San Francisco, in September 1955; he continued sailing for another four years, covering 33,000 miles.
