Undertakings: Thunder Bay’s Dan Turk Around the Globe on Home Built 5.8M
Oct 10, 2024
On the continuum of adventurous sailing journeys, the Mini Globe Race 2025 sits right at the end – either craziest or bravest, take your pick.
On February 23, 2025, the McIntyre Mini Globe Race (MGR) will commence, marking the beginning of a 13-month sailing adventure that challenges both the physical and psychological endurance of its participants. The yachts, known as Class Globe 580, are home-built from plywood on timber frames and coated in glass epoxy. 580 refers to its length in metres which is compact enough to fit in a 20ft container to and from international events.
Dan Turk, from Thunder Bay, discovered his love for sailing at the age of 24 on Lake Superior – the largest freshwater lake in the world. Starting with Wednesday night keelboat races hosted by the Thunder Bay Yacht Club, he honed his skills alongside seasoned sailors from the community. Dan’s passion for sailing extended to offshore races around the lake, where he embraced the challenge of long-distance voyages. Finding joy in solo sailing with his own sailboat, it sparked a keen interest in solo, long distance voyages and races on the open ocean.
A craftsman seeking new challenges, Dan started down the path of constructing his own Globe 5.80, his garage. To test the mettle of both him and his handcrafted vessel, Dan sailed around Lake Superior, preparing for the ultimate challenge – a 3,618 nautical-mile voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Portimao, Portugal concluding in August 2023.
Dan’s boat, named Little Bea, is now sitting patiently at what will be the start line for the Globe 5.80 Transat. He will be the only Canadian in a fleet of 16 men and two women from 11 countries w who ill navigate 28,000 miles solo around the world in identical, cramped plywood mini yachts.
Beyond the thrill of the race, Dan has a deeper purpose. In 2021, he founded Sailing into S.T.E.M., a not-for-profit corporation. This innovative venture seeks to engage underrepresented and at-risk youth in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (S.T.E.M.) subjects. Utilising the proven business model, Dan will connect with youth at the 11 race stopover ports, inspiring the next generation through the lens of sailing and exploration.
This is not your ordinary day on the water! We will follow Dan’s adventure in future issues.
