Interviews with offshore sailors and those in the industry sharing exciting stories and useful information so we can better enjoy and better prepare for our own adventures.
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Dave winkler is a Sea Two captain in Boston. We talk about sailing in Boston, problems sailers face and ask Sea Tow for help with, towing sailboats and using drogues during rudder-failure, mast breakage, the importance of taping over cotterpins in the standing rigging and lifelines, dangerous rescues, lobster bouys, rescuing a leatherback turtle, t…
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Captain James is a former submariner in the US Navy. He's sailed over 70,000 nm on a wide variety of boats. We talk about life on a submarine, catamarans, sailing through the South Pacific, a near-disaster on a catamaran breaking up in a storm, dual rudders, center cockpits, raised deck salons, pointing high, chasing your dreams and doing what you …
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In this bonus mid-week episode, I interview Sea Tow captain Ethan Maass, from Sea Tow Boston. We talk about how Sea Tow serves sailors, how far they go to help, working with the Coast Guard when there's a problem, communications, what membership includes and doesn't, collisions, common safety shortcomings in boaters, emergency anchoring, getting lo…
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The South Pacific in 2 Perspectives, Erick and Jenny VanMalssen
1:31:45
1:31:45
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Erick and Jenny had just arrived in Fiji when I spoke with them, after having spent a year in French Polynesia. I interviewed the sepparately and asked the same questions, then editied it so you can hear their different, or similar, responses. We talk about favorite places, pleasant and difficult passages, favorite diving experiences, wildlife, sha…
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Tom and Chris are two sailors from the UK who developed SailTies, a free app that makes it easy to record all your sailing experience in one place. The app keeps a digital record of all your voyages, certificates, crew, vessels, and clubs. We talk about their sailing experiences, chartering in the Med, sailing around Sicily, the SailTies app, and m…
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Escape from Panama, Captain Ky the Seaglass Guy
1:20:30
1:20:30
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Kyle Davis, aka Captain Ky the Seaglass Guy, was in the San Blas islands in Panama when he came down with dengue fever. He ended up in a bad situation in a prison-like hospital and had to escape. Kyle is a sailor and a sea-glass hunter, and has also been know to catch crocodiles by hand. We also talk about fishing, sailing from Panama to Cartagena,…
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Grant Headifen is the founder and Global Director of Education of NauticEd, a modern sailing education organization that provides online sailing courses, a global network of sailing schools, and virtual-reality sail training. In addition to sailing education, we talk about the force of wind and why it quadruples when wind speed doubles, a different…
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Jack Patton, Sailing an Electric Boat, Powerflow Marine
53:52
53:52
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Jack Patton sails an electric Passport 42, and was sailing to Hawaii when we spoke. He is also the owner of Poerflow Marine, which makes electric-motor systems for sailboats. We talk about sailing an electric boat, the conversion from diesel, the cost comparison between repowering with diesel vs electric, cooling systems, regeneration, the Ecostar …
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Timo and Jo bought NV, a 66' IMOCA ex-Vendee Globe sailboat and converted her into a family cruiser, without sacrificing performance. The draft is still 4.5m and the mast 100'. NV was originally designed, built & raced by famous Hungarian sailor Nándor Fa. He competed in her in the 1992 Vendée Globe finishing 5th, becoming the first non-frenchman t…
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Skip Novak, High-Latitude Expedition Sailing and Expedition Sailboats
1:20:49
1:20:49
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Skip Novak is a lifetime offshore sailor, veteran of four Whitbread Round the World and other races, and owner of Pelagic Expeditions. He recently published the boat "On Sailing." We talk about the book, learning to sail, Kirsten Neuschafer, combining sailing and climbing, design aspects of proper bluewater cruising boats, deck layout on Skip's boa…
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Living Aboard and Sailing a Proper Electric Sailboat with SV Vagari
1:17:45
1:17:45
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Keith and Becca bought a Pearson 424 that needed a refit, and when the time came to repower, they found an inexpensive electric motor and made a quick decision to build an electri-motor system. They eventually sailed off from Texas to the Caribbean, worked their way upwind to the Windward Islands, then to the Azores, where they were when I talked t…
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Tanguy de Lamotte, Vita Power, and Electric Boats
46:11
46:11
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Tanguy de Lamotte is a French sailor and naval architect, and veteran of many offshore races, including the two Vendeé Globes and several Transats. He is also part of Vita Power, a company that makes electric boats. We talk about electric boats and their environmental advantages, the Vita Power boats, sailing IMOCA boats, foiling, cruising, and mor…
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Simon Curwen, Ocean Globe Race aboard Translated 9
1:13:28
1:13:28
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Simon Curwen recently skippered Translated 9, a Swan 65, in the Ocean Globe Race, which was a re-creation of the 1973 Whitbread Round the World Race. The race consisted of 4 legs, from the UK to Cape Town, South Africa; to Aukland, New Zealand; to Punta del Este, Uruguay; and back to the UK. Simon started as the navigator aboard Translated 9, and w…
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Carl Damm is a sailing instructor and owner of Damsel Marine, a yacht managment and maintenance consulting service. We talk about the basics of trimming sails, like using adjustable jib-sheet cars, the boom vang, the outhaul, halyard tension, asymetrical spinnakers, using a spinnaker net, downwind sailing, flying the main or not when on a deep broa…
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Gunnar Christensen, Preparing for the 2026 Golden Globe Race
1:25:03
1:25:03
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Gunnar Christensen is entered in the 2026 Golden Globe Race. We talk about his motivations, what he hopes to gain from the race, his competetiveness, preparing mentally and physically, singlehanding and being alone on the ocean, Tapio's book, The Whitbread, the Royal National Lifeboat Institute, sailing full-keeled vs fin-keeled boats, jacklines an…
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Alan Fishbone, Heavy Weather in the North Atlantic
46:11
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Alan Fishbone lives on his Lord Nelson 35, currently in the British Virgin Islands. He sailed there from New York in December and encountered heavy weather, which we discuss. We also talk about living on a boat, solar power, Lord Nelson sailboats, heavy weather and sailplans, accidental jibes, the Bermuda Triangle, full-keel cutters, boom brakes, t…
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Kirsten Neuschafer, Winner of the 2022 GGR
1:05:20
1:05:20
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Kirsten won the 2022 Golden Globe Race, and became the first woman to win a sailing race around the world by the three great capes, crewed or solo, and the first South African to win an around the world race. Kirsten sailed Minnehaha, a Cape George 36 in the race, which she refit over one year in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Before the race, she w…
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A Conversation with Jerome Rand of Sailing into Oblivion
1:36:35
1:36:35
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1:36:35
Jerome Rand is the host of the podcast Sailing into Oblivion, and author of the book by the same name, describing his solo nonstop sail around the wolrd in Mighty Sparrow, his Westsail 32. This episode is not one of us interviewing the other, but rather a conversation between us. We talk about our boats, reefing, safety, the higher latitudes, cold …
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Heather Thomas, Winner of the 2023 Ocean Globe Race
1:01:57
1:01:57
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Heather Thomas skippered SV Maiden to victory in the 2023 Ocean Globe Race (OGR), and the crew became the first first all-female crew to win an around the world race. Heather was also the youngest skipper in the race, at 27 years old. We talk about how she learned to sail and gain enough experience to be chosen to skipper Maiden in the OGR, prepari…
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Owen Murphy, Panama to the Marquesas
1:12:01
1:12:01
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Owen Murphy recently crossed the Panama Canal, then sailed to the Galapagos islands, and on to the Marquesas, solo, on his Pacific Seacraft 34. We talk about learning French, Polynesian tattoos, provisioning, cyclones, sailing from Panama to The Marquesas, siglehanding, Owen's Pacific Seacraft 34, spinnaker mishaps and lessons, going up the mast, g…
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Lutz Kohne and the Golden Globe Race
1:32:37
1:32:37
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Lutz Kohne is entered in the 2026 Golden Globe Race, and was part of the race organization in the 2022 GGR, taking satellite calls from the sailors and dealing with emergencies. We talk about learning to sail, making mistakes, going offshore for the first time, losing the engine while docking, working with Don McIntyre in the 2022 Golden Globe Race…
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Rob and his family, aka The Cruising Kiwis, bought their 43ft catamaran, Javelot, with minimal sailing experience to retrace the tragic sailing trip of Rob's eldest brother, Kerry, who was captured and executed by the Kmer Rouge in Cambodia in 1978. When we spoke, they were in the Maldives, having just visited Thailand, and making progress on their…
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John Ensley, Cruise-N-Learn Sailing International
49:06
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John spends his summers sailing in Puget Sound, and the winters in La Paz, Mexico. He is the owner, founder, and sailing director of Cruise-n-Learn Sailing International. We talk about learning to sail, La Paz, Mexico, live-aboard sail training, asymmetrical spinnakers, reefing, anchors, electronics, Starlink, heaters, the school-boat fleet in La P…
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Tips for Cruising and Living Aboard
1:02:49
1:02:49
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After making a life for myself cruising, sailing offshore, and living aboard full time, I share tips and lessons I've learned along the way. I talk about ways to prepare for this lifestyle and how to enjoy it once out on the water, living in a sailboat. I also talk about sailing education, safety, getting used to the water, the importance of water …
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Brian Dale, Cruising as a Nomadic Musician
1:42:06
1:42:06
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Brian is a solo sailor on a Hughes 38, currently in Georgetown, The Bahamas. He supports his cruising by playing the guitar and singing, sometimes putting on dinghy concerts from his boat in the anchorage. We talk about anchoring and the new mooring balls in Georgetown, sailing from Lake Huron to The Bahamas, sailing with a tiny fuel tank, losing a…
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Expeditions to Antarctica, Michael Brooks
1:03:55
1:03:55
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Michael Brooks of Expedition Sailing has been taking clients on skiing and climbing expeditions from South America to Antarctica. We talk about sailing to Antarctica, picking the right weather window, steel boats, their maintenance, pros and cons; Michael's dream boat, running expeditions in Antarctica, Antarctica politics, anchoring/mooring in Ant…
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Four Years and 35 Countries with Helen Shrewsbury
1:08:56
1:08:56
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Helen recently completed a four-year journey from the UK to New Zealand and visited 35 countries along the way. We talk about her boat, the journey, some of her favorite countries, The Gambia, sailing under the bridge on The Gambia River with only inches to spare, hippos, the people and culture, anchoring, her electrical and solar systems, and much…
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Tapio Lehtinen, from the Last Stop of the Ocean Globe Race
59:33
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Tapio Lehtinen was in the port of Punta del Este, Uruguay, during the last stop of the Ocean Globe Race, a re-creation of the Whitbread Round the World Race, when we spoke. He was sailing on Galiana With Secure, a 1970 S&S 55 yawl with a young crew of Finnish sailors. We talk about the boat, sailing from the last stop in New Zeland to Uruguay, goin…
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Ronnie Simpson, Dismasting in the Global Solo Challenge
1:45:49
1:45:49
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Ronnie Simpson was racing solo around the world in an Open 50 when he dismasted soon after rounding Cape Horn, and with a storm approaching with forecasted 70-knot wind and 30' seas. We discuss the events leading up to the dismasting, making the decision to call for rescue, as well as the race, details about sailing a thirty-year-old open 50 in an …
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Panama to Mexico with Brendan and Chanell Moore
1:21:18
1:21:18
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Brendan and Chanell recently sailed their Bruce Roberts 36 from Bocas del Toro, Panama, to Isla Mujeres, Mexico, in late December, saw some dificult weather and had to adapt their plans. We also talk about the passage, the boat they bought in Florida, a 1985 Noresman 447 designed by Robert Perry, Panama, Tobobe, the Ngobe Indians, Starlink, pirates…
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Understanding Boat Statistics, Panama Update 2/2024
42:41
42:41
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In this episode, I talk about the Global Solo Challenge and the boats in the race, focusing on sailboat data and how that affects a sailboat's performance. I also talk about what I've been up to, components on my boat that I like or dislike, angry local surfers, theft in Panama, seasickness, my electrical system upgrade to a lithium battery, and mo…
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Extended Cruising with Children, Suzanne Heywood, Author of Wavewalker
49:00
49:00
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When Suzanne was 7 years old, she set sail from Plymouth, England, on the schooner Wavewalker with her parents and brother. Their trip, which was recreating Captain Cook's third voyage around the world, was supposed to last for three years but ended up taking a decade. Along the way they were shipwrecked in the Indian Ocean and, as she grew older, …
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Cruising a Trailerable Trimaran with Tom and Kelsey Bohanon
1:09:26
1:09:26
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Tom and Kelsey live in Colorado and cruise and race in a 28' Corsair trimaran. I met the in the Ragged Islands, The Bahamas. They also raced the trimaran in the Race to Alaska. We talk about The Bahamas, Greenland, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, foul-weather gear, spearfishing, sharks, the Race to Alaska, human propulsion systems, restoring an aluminum…
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Webb Chiles, Going Beyond the Limits of Human Experience
1:12:57
1:12:57
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Webb Chiles is a solo sailor and author. He has circumnavigated six times, was the first American to sail solo around Cape Horn during which he broke Chichester's record, nearly circumnavigated in an open boat - an 18' Drascombe Lugger, and most recently circumnavigated on a Moore 24. His mission in life has been, as he says, "to go beyond the limi…
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Seth Bird sails a steel schooner and has worked on commercial vessels for over 20 years, ranging from the USCG and NOAA to oil field support vessels and tall ships. We talk about tall ships, marlinspike seamanship, lessons we can learn from commercial shipping, communications, talking to commercial ships on the VHF radio, AIS, steel boats, sailing …
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Unfinished Business with Guy deBoer
1:00:34
1:00:34
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Guy deBoer, who crashed on a reef in the 2022 GGR, is planning on sailing around the world in the spirit of the 2022 Golden Globe Race, but on his own, and in 2024. We talk about lessons learned from the 2022 race, repairing his boat, how he has it set up, reefing, downwind sail trim and sailplans, tiller vs wheel, windvanes, and lots more.…
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I spoke with Tapio during his stopover in Auckland, NZ, during the Ocean Globe Race. We talk about the race, his boat (a Swam 55 yawl), sails, the sinking of Asteria in the 2022 GGR, being rescued by Kirsten, Galiana's crew, crossing the equator, looking forward to Cape Horn, the decreasing wildlife in the oceans, and more.…
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Aluminum High-Latitude Boats with Jelle Engel of KM Yachtbuilders
1:12:11
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Jelle Engel works for KM Yachtbuilders in sustainability development and sales and is a design manager. He supported the team to develop the Bestevaer 36 and 42, working closely with Dykstra Naval Architects. We talk abvout sailing to Greenland and Iceland, weather forecasting, ice, lifting keels, freezing into the ice, ballast in lifting-keel boat…
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Sailing in the Pacific Northwest with Tim Whelan
1:41:25
1:41:25
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Tim Whelan sails a Cape George 38 out of Seattle. We talk about sailing in the Pacific Northwest, sailing solo, sleeping while solo, sailing full-keel boats, backing up in marinas, building a wooden dinghy, autopilots, reefing, eliminating friction in raising the main, anchoring, books, Hydrovanes, preventers, circumnavigating Vancouver Island, dea…
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Erick and Jenny VanMalssen in the South Pacific
1:41:54
1:41:54
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Erick and Jenny recently sailed from Panama to the South Pacific. We talk about preparing for the Pacific crossings, their Hydrovane, their Tides Marine sailtrack, new sails, Panama, spearfishing, their Downeast 38, Panama to the Galapagos, boobies (and other birds), The Galapagos, sea lions, Galapagos to Fatu Hiva, rough seas, fishing, dealing wit…
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Guy Waites sailed around the world in the 2022 Golden Globe Race. He had to stop in Cape Town to scrape barnacles, then had to stop at Hobart after losing his liferaft in a knockdown, but he persevered and completed the solo circumnavigation. We talk about preparing for the race, gooseneck barnacles, full-keel boats vs modern designs, his boat - a …
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Jeremy Bagshaw was one of the few finishers of the 2022 Golden Globe Race, taking second in the Chichester class, sailing around the world via the great capes, stopping only once in Hobart to deal with a barnacle infestation, and spending 277 days at sea. We talk about the race, why we love full-keel boats, perseverance, solitude, safety, foul-weat…
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My Opinions on Offshore Sailboats and Sailing Goals
1:16:55
1:16:55
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In this episode, I talk about setting sailing goals, selecting the right kind of boat, my opinions regarding features of a good offshore sailboat, my boat, how I reef, what I love about sailing, and where I've been in the last four years.By Paul Trammell
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I met Kyle at Escudo de Veraguas, an island about 20nm east of Bocas del Toro, Panama. We talk about the island, sailing in the Caribbean, dinghies, learning to sail, his Ta Yang 50 Flying Dutchman, buying the boat, mishaps and chaos, being struck by lightning, losing the propshaft and almost sinking, tacking upwind to Aruba, water in the foam core…
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Josh Axler will be sailing in the 2026 Golden Globe Race. We talk about racing boats both fast and slow, carbon fiber vs fiberglass and steel in boat construction, racing a Gunboat, why he wants to do the Golden Globe Race, books, managing Elliot Smith's 2022 GGR campaign, the NOR, solitude, selecting his boat for the race - an Endurance 35, sailin…
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The Mini Transat with PGN Ocean Racing
1:17:39
1:17:39
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Peter Gibbons-Neff is currently racing in the Mini Transat. We talk about the Canary Islands, Starlink, sailing a Mini, sleep, AIS, camaraderie with other racers, buying the boat, silimarities and differences to cruising, hand steering and autopilot, power generation, the value of an MP3 player, swimming, risk management, wildlife, orcas, casualtie…
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Embracing Fear as if it were Joy with The Dangerz
1:19:13
1:19:13
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Bryan and Jen are chasing their dreams in the South Pacific on their Catana Bali 4.0. We talk about French Polynesia, their catamaran, catamarans vs monohulls, teaching themselves to sail, escaping the drudgery of society, an unforcasted cyclonic even, repairing two saildrive shafts while at a remote atoll, maintaining optimism in trying times, flo…
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Ronnie Simpson, Pre Global Solo Challenge
1:15:45
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Ronnie is preparing for the start of the Global Solo Challenge, and will be sailing around the world in his Open 50 "Shipyard Brewing." We talk about crossing the Atlantic, Nova Scotia, going up the mast, sailing his open 50 on different points of sail, killer whales, rigging, bottom paint, the Global Solo Challenge, communications, foul-weather ge…
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Circumnavigating with Daniel Alfredsson
1:30:19
1:30:19
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Daniel took off from Norway to circumnavigate without any experience and made it happen. He has since signed up for the 2026 Golden Globe Race and bought an OE 32. We talk about his circumnavigation, the Caribbean, spearfishing in the San Blas islands, the South Pacific, Micronesia, the Philipines, Borneo, radar, Madagascar, rounding the Cape of Go…
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Chasing the Dream with Olivia Owens Wyatt
1:19:16
1:19:16
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Olivia fell in love with sailing, learned fast, and took off, sailing solo on her Panda 34, and is currently in the South Pacific. We talk about getting started, courses, books, learning to sail, her first storm, dealing with fear, spirituality, her boat, removing the leaking teak deck, bedding compounds, the GGR, losing the engine, hydrovanes, wri…
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