Josh Kali’s Journey: Racing Solo Around the World in a Self-Built Sailboat
In February 2025, Josh Kali will set sail on a daring solo adventure, racing around the world in the 2025 Mini Globe Race. Armed with a self-built Class Globe 5.80 sailboat named ‘Skookum’, Josh will navigate some of the most remote and challenging waters on Earth. There are 15 entrants to the race, all of whom have either built their own boat or purchased one from a previous owner/builder. Over the course of roughly 14 months, they’ll race westbound around the world via Panama, Tahiti, Tonga, Fiji, Darwin Australia, Cocos Keeling, Mauritius, Cape Town, St. Helena, Recife, and finally back to Antigua, stopping briefly to enjoy each of these places along the way.
In this interview, we dive into Josh’s journey from a lifelong love of boating to the moment he decided to tackle the ultimate offshore challenge. Join us as we follow Josh’s preparations, his goals, and the passion driving him to race around the world. You’ll be able to follow Josh’s North Carolina sea trials in addition to his full journey as ‘Featured’ trips on Wayward, where he’ll be live-tracking his routes and posting photos along the way! In the meantime, you can get involved by supporting Josh Kali on GoFundMe.
Read on below for our full interview with Josh Kali.
Backstory
Why on earth would you want to sail around the earth?
To me the ocean is the last free place on Earth. As a sailor on the Puget Sound, the main problem is that there’s so much land around! I just always wanted to keep sailing on and on and circumnavigating is the best way to do just that! I heard about the MGR from the Sail Magazine Podcast and felt that not only could I achieve the goal of entering, but it would be the opportunity for the ultimate adventure!
How long have you been sailing?
I have been boating for my entire life, but came late to sailing. I bought my first sailboat in 2020 (a C&C 24’), taught myself to sail it, and proceeded to sail it several thousand miles in circles around the Puget Sound. I also sailed from Honolulu to Victoria, BC as a crew member on a 72’ sloop.
What do you like most about sailing?
My favorite thing about sailing is the moment when the sails are up and drawing, you turn off the motor, and off she goes with nothing more than the wind and the sound of the water against the hull.
In your opinion, what does it take to be a good sailor?
In my opinion, a good sailor is patient, adaptive, ingenious, and tenacious. Also, having a deeper than average connection with nature helps the sailor live in better harmony with their environment and makes coping with the challenges at sea more tenable.
What was it like building the boat yourself and how long did it take you?
Building the boat was very similar to climbing a big mountain. If I looked at the project as a whole it would have been easy to be overwhelmed, but by breaking it down into individual parts and tackling them one at a time, I was able to get through it without losing motivation. Doing everything myself took a bit longer, but I can have confidence in how everything was done. It took a little less than three years to build the boat between May 2022 and October 2024.
Does your boat have a name?
My boat’s name is Skookum. Skookum is a Chinook Jargon slang word from the Salish peoples of the Pacific Northwest of North America which means Ultimate, Greatest, Strong, or Brave.
Life on the Boat
How many oranges and how much rum is in your cargo?
Haha, I will bring as many oranges as I can carry and a little bottle of rum for toasting special occasions but not too much for drinking.
What’s one thing you’ve packed that most people would be surprised by?
I think most people would be surprised that I packed a ukulele. Not many people know that I can play and sing, and fortunately, since it’s a solo race, I won’t have to worry about hurting anyone’s ears!
What are you going to eat while living on the boat for over a year?
I plan to eat as much actual food as possible. Rice, pasta, beans, oatmeal, granola with powdered milk, tuna, chicken, spam, that sort of thing. I love the instant pre-cooked rice packets with a can of tuna. I will likely bring around 100 freeze dried meals for the convenience, but I don’t prefer them for long term eating.
I once heard about a goat that was stowed away on somebody’s boat as a prank. If you could sail around the world with an animal on your boat, which animal would you pick?
Oh no! A goat would eat all of the food and then the sails! As my friends tell me I am essentially Moana at heart, I’d have to choose a chicken and a pig!
Goals
Do you have any goals for the race?
I truly believe I can win the race – but simply finishing the race would be an unbelievable accomplishment.
What are you hoping to take away from this experience?
I hope this experience will give me the credibility to land a ride on a bigger race boat one day, such as a Figaro 40.
How has your life changed since you began preparing for the race?
Since I’ve started building the boat, I’ve moved all of my possessions into storage, lived in my van for three years, quit my job as a Marine Electrician, towed the boat 4000 miles across the country, and put myself out there for better or worse. I hope I get the chance to compete!
What do you want your life to look like after you complete the race in 2026?
After the race in 2026 I hope to be able to continue on with a career in offshore racing and offshore sailing media marketing while being internationally based.
Why is it important to you to bring sailing to more people in the US?
I would really love to bring sailing to more people in the US as I believe it is a great, environmentally friendly way to connect with nature while nurturing challenging problem-solving skills. I wish that US sailors could find more support from the public and the media, as there are some amazing athletes out there that are doing incredible things that go unnoticed due to the lack of visibility.
