Team members: Mike Tolsma, Martin Monsma, Eric Hansen
Hometown: Hawthorne, NJ, USA
Race vessel: Corsair 24 MK2
LOA: 24′
Human propulsion: Pedal (Prop)
The merger of Team Mike and Marty’s Big Day Out and Eric’s Team Bonesaw is a union of two different ways to be wet and tired on a trimaran.
First, the record: Mike Tolsma and Marty Monsma took 10th in 2023 on their Corsair 24. They credit their success to a decades-long partnership that includes at least one 25-day stretch of plain oatmeal while climbing Denali.
Eric Hansen brings the “Bonesaw” energy. After his Stiletto 27 bowed out early in 2023, he returned in 2024 with a longer team name and a clearer understanding of what he was signing up for: a race that oscillates between “boring as hell” and genuine shit-your-pants moments, sometimes in the same afternoon. This new trio isn’t a random pairing; it’s a reunion of people who watched each other deal with the 2023 “Proving Ground” and decided that doing it together on Mike’s Corsair was the only logical next mistake.
The plan is clear:
- Mike points at the map and manages the meat stick inventory.
- Marty provides the “we’ll figure it out in the parking lot” philosophy.
- Eric ensures the “Bonesaw” legacy continues.
The Corsair 24 is currently staged in New Jersey, a state known for many things, few of which involve the specific geometry of a BC whirlpool. The plan involves hauling it three thousand miles west, trusting that the trailer bearings and the team’s patience both hold out until they hit the Pacific.
The Race to Alaska Podcast
Episode 10: Team Mike Marty and The Bonesaw, Team Triple Threat, Team Salmon Hat
→ Listen on Spotify
→ Listen on YouTube
→ Listen on Apple Podcasts
What’s the one piece of advice you’re absolutely going to ignore?
“Follow your bliss.” If we were doing that, we would be at home eating microwaved
Totino’s pizza rolls by the TV, not pedaling our silly butts to AK.
What’s the biggest unknown for you right now?
One thing looming in our minds is how our diminutive 24’ trimaran is going to fare with three full grown dudes on it. The Corsair is rated to carry less than 900 pounds. Back of the envelope figuring has us at 600 pounds easy — with just the crew, and just in our tighty whities. We will have to edit down our equipment and provisions like AT through hikers. Forget
sawing the handles off our toothbrushes — we will likely dispense with health and beauty aids entirely. You will see us on the dock in Ketchikan grinning through green and fuzzy teeth. We won’t even think about the aforementioned tighty-whities.
Duct Tape Fixes (Linear Feet)
0
Night-Before Sleep (hh:mm)
00:43