Salcombe Sailor Set for Homecoming After Epic Solo Voyage Around the World

Published 11:55 on 19 Jun 2026

Salcombe sailor Keri Harris is expected to sail back into his home waters tomorrow afternoon or early evening, bringing to a close one of the most remarkable sailing achievements ever completed by a local mariner.

Harris has just secured an extraordinary third-place finish in the inaugural McIntyre Mini Globe Race the world's first solo round-the-world yacht race sailed in identical 19-foot "mini" yachts. The gruelling challenge saw competitors cover more than 24,000 nautical miles across the world's oceans, navigating alone through some of the planet's most demanding conditions.

Sailing his plywood yacht Origami, Harris completed the circumnavigation in an impressive 190 days, 21 hours, 4 minutes and 45 seconds of racing time, finishing third overall behind Switzerland's Renaud Stitelmann and Australia's Dan Turner. The race itself lasted 13 months and included visits to 15 ports across 13 countries.

The achievement places Harris among a select group of sailors who have successfully circumnavigated the globe solo, and in one of the smallest vessels ever used for such an undertaking.

Race statistics underline the scale of the challenge. Competitors faced Southern Ocean storms and waves reaching six to seven metres, relying primarily on windvane self-steering systems or hand steering. Harris recorded some of the fleet's standout performances, including the race's best 24-hour run of 219 nautical miles aboard Origami and a top speed of 17 knots.

The final leg from Recife, Brazil, to Antigua proved particularly testing. After departing on 19 February 2026, Harris battled illness, including a high fever and severe fatigue, but persevered to reach the finish and secure his place on the podium.

A retired Royal Navy Captain who now lives in France and works as an artist, Harris has spent a lifetime on the water. His sailing experience stretches from family day boats and square-riggers to offshore racing yachts and high-performance dinghies. He has competed extensively in National 12s, RS200s, Larks and 4000s alongside his children, and completed his first transatlantic race with the Royal Navy Sailing Team in the 1993 Cape to Rio Race.

For the Mini Globe Race, Harris campaigned Origami, a boat originally built in the UK by Peter Kenyon from a CNC kit and subsequently modified by Harris to suit his racing style and ambitions. Throughout the race, his combination of meticulous preparation, strategic decision-making and vast sailing experience proved a formidable combination.

The inaugural Mini Globe Race has already secured its place in sailing history. Conceived by Australian adventurer Don McIntyre in 2020, the event challenged sailors to circumnavigate the globe in identical ALMA Globe 580 yachts measuring just 19 feet in length. Despite enduring extreme conditions and thousands of miles at sea, the fleet demonstrated the remarkable seaworthiness of these compact vessels, with no major structural failures reported.

Now, after more than a year away and an adventure spanning the globe, Salcombe can look forward to welcoming home one of its own. Keri Harris's return marks not only the end of an epic voyage, but also the culmination of a historic achievement that has earned him a place in offshore sailing history.