The Little Aussie Lap is almost half way!

Gold Coast based youth sailor Xavier Doerr is attempting one of the most challenging solo sailing campaigns, a non-stop, unassisted, solo circumnavigation of Australia in GCCM his 21-foot Mini Transat Carbon Fibre Race Yacht called GCCM: Gold Coast City marina.

Xavier Doerr has just clocked 20 days into the campaign and is in great shape with one third of the little lap completed (over 2700 nm) and he is currently heading down the Western Australian coastline – currently off Broome. It has been far from smooth sailing with him finding an outrigger ripped and tearing a hole in the hull, a tear in the mainsail needing repair, a close call with an illegal fishing boat on the Great Barrier Reef, navigating the reef in a storm with zero viability, a recent autopilot issue and bunch of Albatross birds hitching a ride and leaving their mark all over everything on his boat. He is currently experiencing think floating seaweed and light winds which is causing him to work around the clock clearing the weed from rudder, keel and every rope it comes close to.

There have been some amazing sunsets and sunrises, contact via radio and a low flyover from WA Border Force plane, whales and a lot of flying fish and dinners of Heinz Spaghetti and Meatballs cold and in the can. Xavier left April 29 from Southport Yacht Club and he will attempt to complete his counter clockwise circumnavigation in under 50 days.

Abord his 750kg blue yacht, GCCM; Gold Coast City Marina, the circumnavigation of the enormous Australian continent feat is equivalent to 1/3 of a lab of the Globe or 12 Sydney Hobart Races.

The Support Team have been posting regularly to Facebook and Instagram and Xavier has also been going LIVE.

Shore Manager Lee Randall has been checking in daily and recording their zoom calls here https://www.dropbox.com/sh/v07pg13i5nrm7qd/AABoI- n5GHCkYbBAdcENRaAxa?dl=0

https://www.facebook.com/ThelittleAussieLap2.0