Eric Marsh is the oldest skipper to sign up for the 2025 Mini Globe Race.

But, the 71-year-old does not believe this is even an issue, given his experience sailing offshore.

The Australian began sailing as a teenager and since then, has sailed dinghies, catamarans, trailer-sailers and ocean racing boats.

During that time, he has clocked up over 55,000 miles offshore, having taken part in numerous Sydney-Hobart and Melbourne to Hobart races, as well as the Melbourne to Vanuatu Ocean Yacht Race and two-handed Melbourne Osaka Cup.

Before retiring, he worked in the building trade as a carpenter; “that’s probably why I’ve got a passion for timber boats,” says Eric Marsh.

“I’m probably one of the oldest competitors in this race; I am 71, but I’ve done a lot of ocean racing so I have a fair bit of experience offshore.”

Why enter the Mini Globe Race?

Eric Marsh: I was watching on Facebook one of the other Australian entrants build their boat; that was Dan Turner over in South Australia, and I didn’t actually know what the boat was all about; I just knew he was building this timber boat.

I started reading about it, and once I started realising what this Mini Globe Race was all about, it just inspired me; I had to do this.

I have had a dream my whole life to sail around the world single-handed; it has been my passion for a long time.

So, initially, I thought I would build the boat and do the race, but when I started looking at the details, I realised I didn’t have enough time to build one to make it to the start line in time.

I started looking on the internet and, blow me down, I saw this boat, SunBear in Florida. This is the boat Michael Moyer had [and sailed in the Globe 5.80 Transat in 2023] and I decided to go for it.

Where is SunBear now?

Eric Marsh: SunBear is in Florida, Cape Marina, Port Canaveral. We travelled there in June, a month after we bought the boat.

My wife and I prepared the boat and spent nearly a month working in the marina just going over it, having the rig and keel checked, and working out what I needed to do to improve the boat to my liking.

It is an absolute gem of a boat, really well built, and I have been lucky to purchase a boat to this standard.

I will be just doing the Mini Globe Race, rather than the Transat [which starts on 28 December 2024], and I have clearance from McIntyre Adventures to do that;  I would love to go to Portugal with the boat and join the rest of the competitors, but, due to commitments I can’t.

I will be sailing the qualifier from Port Canaveral to Antigua in January, and I’m looking forward to that. I aim to arrive in Antigua by early February.

How have you prepared SunBear for the race?

Eric Marsh: I have not done much [work] because the boat was so well built. I have changed the keel bolts and made a few minor changes to the rig.

We have completed a rig check and had a full survey done while the boat was out of the water, and then just some minor changes, like installed high water bilge switches, carbon monoxide monitor, that kind of thing.

Some of the sails needed replacing and I have added an A7 to the kit, an extra spinnaker pole which is part of the race requirements and other safety equipment, like the Iridium GO! satellite phone docks to make the whole boat workable for me and the race.

I went over the boat from tip to toe to make sure everything was 100%.

How are you preparing yourself for the race?

Eric Marsh: I’m on the older side (71), but am pretty active for my age. I surf most days, and if I am not on the ocean sailing, then I am surfing, which I love, so that keeps me pretty fit.

I do a lot of bike riding, I walk, go to the gym; I am very active, so hopefully, my body will hold together for the next 12 months because that is the challenge.

As you know, when you get to this age, everything starts breaking down, but so far, so good.

With SunBear in the USA, how will you get to know her and her quirks?

Eric Marsh: When we were in Florida in June, we did sea trails and I was really pleased with how the boat handled.

I used to sail an S80, a small 8m race boat and the Globe 5.80 is very similar; I found it good to sail, very easy. The autopilot and windvane steering worked well.

I have not had a lot of time on the boat, but I am pretty sure that by the time I get to Antigua, I will have ironed out any of the issues I might find along the way, and I will just go from there.

Are you looking to win the race or just sail around the world?

Eric Marsh: I am going to give it a good old try. Most people who enter yacht races want to win and I am probably no different, I am pretty competitive.

I will be very happy if I make it around the world; that is my ultimate goal; to complete the event.

First, you have to finish to win. I’ll certainly be trying.

What kind of storm tactics are you planning to use?

Eric Marsh: Hopefully we don’t get any heavy weather, but I’m sure we will over 12 months of sailing.

I’ve used lots of different things in the past. I’ve been caught in storms before so I know what Mother Nature can dish up.

Drogues work well as they slow you down and warps over the stern are quite effective. I have not practiced them on SunBear but I have on other boats and they do work well.

It really comes down to how you want to handle it, and I will make a decision depending on the seas at the time.

Do you prefer drogues or warps?

Eric Marsh: Actually, I prefer the warps because they are easy to pull back in and they are just so good at controlling the boat, especially one off the winch off each side.

Are you confident you’ll make the start?

Eric Marsh: 100%, I will be there for sure.

Preparation-wise, I am on track. Since I came back in August, I have spent nearly every moment working on this race, so I’m very committed to it.

Unless something drastic goes wrong, I’m confident we’ll be there.

What self-steering set-up are you using?

Eric Marsh: Sunbear has the South Atlantic windvane.

I asked Michael how it performed in races and it seems to work really well, although it depends on how you stress them.

They can be your best friend but you really need to look after them. That seems to be the secret.

Are you planning on taking a spare windvane steering with you?

Eric Marsh: No, I don’t think so. I’ve got spare parts; enough to build the main components that are likely to break so that should suffice.

This is a race with stops so there is time to re-group, deal with gear problems, and re-group mentally and physically, and work on the boat if you need to.

What antifouling will you be using?

Eric Marsh: I will be using International, a self-polishing antifoul which is environmentally friendly.

We have already given SunBear a coat so hopefully, I might not need to do that again until we get around the world, or at one of the race stops.

Routing is forbidden in the race. How are you preparing to sail the best route?

Eric Marsh: I’ve been really working on plotting a route to get in the trade winds and focussing on the currents.

When we did the Melbourne to Osaka Race, I learned a lot about currents around the world; I was probably a bit green about it before doing that.

I’ve been working on that and focusing on the best places to go; the shortest route is not necessarily the best route. Hopefully, I have done my homework and it works out.

How will you cope with sailing solo for so long?

Eric Marsh: It’ll be a challenge. I’m pretty good on my own. I don’t mind my own space, so I think I’ll be fine.

I coped alright going to Japan [Melbourne to Osaka Race], although that was a two-handed race.

I play a bit of acoustic guitar, so I’m thinking about throwing a small guitar on board which might keep me amused during the race, if I have time.

How will you prepare for the challenges you’ll face alone at sea?

Eric Marsh: The boats are built to stringent safety requirements. Knowing where all the gear is on the boat is important so when things come up, like bad weather, you can grab things quickly like having food close by, and having dividers to hand to make the job easier.

That is how I will prepare the boat. There is a lot more I would like to do, but because SunBear is in the US, it is a little hard. I have not had the time to finesse it, but I think it will be fine because Michael did such a good job setting up the boat.

I’m fairly handy, and I am fairly mechanically minded, as I used to race cars years ago, so I think I should be able to repair most things en route if need be.

It is amazing all the vibration out there when you’re doing these long-distance races; things come loose.

We put a brand new mast on our boat when racing to Osaka and, by the time we got to the Solomon Islands, 50% of the cars had fallen off; the pins had worked themselves loose and we ended up using Spectra to get us to the race finish.

You have to look at what will put you out of the race and ask yourself ‘Can you fix it?’ That is my motto.

You also need a decent toolbox and spares, although you are trying to keep the boat as light as possible, so there is always a compromise.

It is a fine line how far you go. You know you will need sail repair material as you are guaranteed your sail will rip or develop a hole at some point so you need to compromise and include the things that are important.

The Mini Globe Race is a celebration of John Guzwell and Trekka. What words of wisdom from Guzwell will you be following?

Eric Marsh: I read his book many, many years ago, and it inspired me as a young boy. The message that really inspired me was ‘live the dream, enjoy the adventure and be in touch with nature, just go with the flow’.

I plan to follow that and see if it produces further words of wisdom.

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