COFFS Harbour yachtsman Eric Marsh, 72, is preparing to embark on the final stage of the solo McIntyre Mini Globe Race (MGR) aboard his Sunbear vessel, an ALMA Globe 5.80 metre yacht.
The MGR began in February 2025 with 18 solo sailors from 12 countries.
Eleven sailors remain in the race and recently arrived at James Bay in the port of Jamestown on St Helena Island in the South Atlantic Ocean.
The St Helena Yacht Club has installed heavy anchor temporary moorings to accommodate the fleet.
“It is a very deep and windy anchorage, and they have to be tendered into shore as it’s too dangerous to row their little tenders,” Eric’s manager and wife Brenda Marsh told News Of The Area.
“Lots of ships wreck there and there’s a risk of getting your anchor stuck between rocks or rubble.
“So once again they all get quite anxious coming into these ports with such small boats.”
Each competitor has a seven-day pit stop, starting from the moment they arrive.
The next stop is Recife in Brazil, where the sailors will regroup before the final run to Antigua in the Caribbean.
The 28,000-mile round-the-world race started in Antigua on 23 February 2025 and is expected to finish between 6 and 12 March 2026.
All sailors arrived in Cape Town in early December and spent Christmas there, with Brenda joining Eric to deliver final supplies and a new mainsail.
“All the sails are very thin and tired now,” she said.
“They have repaired their sails at each pit stop but may not last the entire race.”
To open and install a new sail, competitors must take a 48-hour penalty and will only do so if absolutely necessary.
Brenda said Eric, like all entrants, was very relieved to reach Cape Town.
The journey from Mauritius to Cape Town is considered the most dangerous leg of the race, with rapid weather changes creating challenging sailing conditions around the Cape of Good Hope.
“The break in Cape Town was a wonderful experience and very enjoyable, with beautiful weather.
“The Royal Cape Yacht Club gave the sailors a free membership whilst they were there and put on a very special Christmas dinner which turned into a very entertaining night.”
Speeches and gifts were enjoyed by all sailors.
The participants have become very supportive of one another and now refer to themselves collectively as the “MGR family.”
The fleet departed Cape Town on 28 December 2025 at 2pm, with crowds of spectators waving them off.
Locals performed a farewell dance on the jetty as the sailors headed for Recife in Brazil, departing there on 18 February before the final leg to the finish line.
By Andrea FERRARI
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