Scott Johnston runs Yachting Scotland, an adventure-sailing and sailing tourism operation located in the Firth of Clyde on the west coast of Scotland. Our discussion begins with us talking about our boats and comparing the pros and cons of my full-keel cruiser and his modern performance cruiser. We also talk about the weather and sailing conditions…

Published 8 December 2024 Another week, another great chat. This week Rebecca 'Boo' Coles. A young women who is all in on the sport of sailing. Currently campaigning on RC44's, Cape 31's and Swan 50's, she now has the Mini Transat in her sights. There is plenty going on in her World and we discuss it all. It is a lot of fun. @teamaquarc44 #rebecole…

Heather Richard is a skilled sailor, an exceptional teacher, a great storyteller, and a kick-ass mother! As a high school graduation present for her son, they double-handed in the Pacific Cup Race to Hawaii, aboard the boat on which she raised him! Heather and I talk about prepping for this race, the crossing, and the long sail back. We discuss why…

Doug Jackson spent fifteen years building a 75' steel junk-rigged sailboat in Tulsa Oklahoma. Aron Erwin introduced me to Doug, and I interviewed them both in episode 221 in the before and after Hurricane Milton episode. Doug had such an interesting boat that I had to do this episode. We talk about St Augustine Florida, a boat that went aground in …

Published 1 December 2024 We elected to not have a guest for this Ep. as there is so much we needed to catch up on. We touch on METS, take you behind the scenes at SailGP, focus in on the Vendee and talk about a heap more. A lot of fun as usual. Tell your friends. #sailgp #vendeeglobe #metstrade #vaikobi #vaikobisail #radixnutrition #barkarate #sai…

Adam lives off-grid in southeast Alaska and sails a Cape George 36. He was also a small-boat commercial fisherman and a merchant marine. We talk about Alaska, his history of commercial fishing, why we love untying the lines ashore, working as a merchant marine, finding the right boat, the Cape George 36, the Golden Globe Race and Kirsten Neuschafer…

Erden Eruc is an entrant in the 2026 Golden Globe Race, and has purchased Simon Curwen's Biscay 36, Clara. Erden is also one of only two people to have circumnavigated under human power, and Erden is the only to have done it solo, and he did it by rowing, cycling, kayaking, and hiking. He holds an amazing 18 Guiness World Records. We talk about his…

Published 17 November 2024 Its another big Ep. This time we focus on SailGP, looking at the new teams, new foils, new events and all the trades that happened in the off season. There is plenty to share ahead of event number 1 next week in Dubai. We also follow up on the Vendee. #sailgp #vendeeglobe #vaikobi #vaikobisail #radixnutrition #barkarate #…

When I spoke with Sam the previous week (ep. 224) he was en route to Dakar. In this episode, he is in Dakar. I also talk about my recent passage from San Blas to Linton Bay and then on to Escudo de Veraguas. Sam and I talk about the passage and trouble encountered on the way including damaging a spreader, reefing, using a modified climbing harness,…

Published 10 November 2024 We are publishing early so you can get a listen before the race starts and because I have stuff to do on my Sunday. A great breakdown of what is coming up for the participants in the Vendee Globe. Easily the best and most enjoyable listen for all the detail you will want for the Vendee including weather analysis. Plus, we…

Sam was sailing in his Cape Dory 28 between the Canary Islands and Dakkar when I spoke to him. Before the interview, I talk about the San Blas Islands. Sam and I talk about the conditions, his Cape Dory 28, his windvane and electronic autopilots, sailing a full-keel boat, replacing the bronze chainplates, fixing a leaking hull-deck joint, Morocco, …

Published 3 November 2024 We discuss all that is happening in the World of sailing. Including reviewing the IOM Worlds, discussing the Vendee, SailGP, Match Racing and some local events. It is very much a banter session, ahead of some big weeks coming. Enjoy! #iomworlds24 #sailgp #vendeeglobe #vaikobi #vaikobisail #radixnutrition #barkarate #sailin…

Olivia Owens Wyatt is a solo sailor, a filmaker, and a USCG 50-Ton Master certified captain. She is on her way around the world, currently in SE Asia, on a Panda 34. She is also entered in the 2026 Golden Globe Race We talk about Papua New Guinea, piracy, self-defense, Wayag, dealing with squalls, going without sleep, sailing through Indonesia, the…

Published 27 October 2024 This week we chat to Catflap - Matt Cornwall. 4 America's Cups, 8 years in TP52 Super Series including winning the World Championships this year. World Match Racing Champion 2010 with and 2014. Other wins include the Sydney-Hobart Race, the Copa Del Rey, the Maxi Worlds, the Fastnet Race and Key West Race Week. Another gre…

Andrew recently completed a three-year journey around the Americas including the Faroe Islands, Greenland, through the Northwest Passage, Alaska, Costa Rica, Patagonia, Brazil, and Svalbard, in a JFA 45, an aluminum expedition yacht. We talk about highlights of the trip, as well as difficulties, favorite places, sailing in heavy weather, anchoring …

Published 20 October 2024 This is an interview we have wanted to do for a while. Watching the Paris Olympic Windsurfing, we saw a dominant performance from Emma Wilson, but then come the final where one race decides all, we saw heartbreak. Emma is such a cool person, so much fun to hang out with, so when she was ready to chat we were ready and wait…

Aaron and Doug were anchored in the Intracoastal Waterway just north of St Augustine, Florida, during hurricane Milton (and Helene). I interviewed them before and then after Hurricane Milton. We talk about anchoring; setting a tandem anchor; using multiple anchors; selecting a spot to sit out a hurricane; we get interuppted by a food delivery to my…

Published 13 October 2024 Here is an early present for you. I have to catch a plane. A great chat with the Australians Womens AC team. We know we have been Aussie centric for this cup, but we really want to see and Australian Cup team, and these ladies have been awesome over the last 18 months. They share some great insight. You will enjoy it. #ame…

Published 8 October 2024 This is a cracker of an episode. A great chat with Cole and Max that takes you right onboard the AC40 talking in detail about sailing the boat, the racing and the lessons. The boys were a great interview and shared a lot. Enjoy. And for our post interview segment, that banter there may be some of the funniest ever, except f…

Raffi Patatian is one of the most conscientious, careful, and knowledgeable sailors I know. He set off for Mexico aboard his Hallberg Rassy 43, Wind River, in the fall of 2023. Since then, he has sailed many miles down the West Coast and across the Pacific Ocean, mostly singlehanded. He’s an entrepreneur who ran his own IT business in the Bay Area …

Jacqueline Evers set off from The Netherlands in July 2023 and is now in New Zealand. She sails a 1977 Grinde 27 called Loveworkx, designed by Peter Bruun and built in Denmark. We talk about New Zealand, clearing into various countries and expenses, sailing solo with family visiting, her boat, the inner forestay, why she is sailing solo around the …

Recorded at Esnasdup island in San Blas, aka Guna Yala, I discuss my year and a half in Panama. I talk about navigating here, places I've been, anchorages, marinas, the weather, wildlife, crime, clearing in and out, surfing, spearfishing, tropical disaeses, getting proper exercise when living on a boat, and much more. Shownotes are here https://www…

Published 29 September 2024 This week we throw two topics into the mix. We get our guest to discuss the cup from an outsider looking in. But also take the time to discuss life as a sailmaker when you are running an independent loft. Dave has been making sails under the name Alexander Sails for 35+ years. He lives in the skiff, VX One, dinghy, small…

Gunnar Christensen is an entrant in the 2026 Golden Globe Race, and he recently bought a Hans Christian 34 in Trinidad and sailed it, solo, home to the UK. We talk about the boat, the voyage, his self-steering, Hydrovanes, Watt&Sea, trailing warps in heavy weather, sailing with hank-on headsails, jacklines and tethers, emergency ways to climb back …

Published 22 September 2024 The IOM World Championships in Gladstone Australia are 1 month away. So we took a look at this high intensity, remote control racing class. The International One Metre is the most contested RC class in the World and you have to qualify to make the World Championships. Over the last 12 months, Croatia's Zvonko Jelacic has…

Tom Fisher sails a Biscay 36. He was inspired to go to Newfoundland after readingthe book "Sailing to Newfoundland," and visited many of the places I went in 2022. We talk about growing up sailing in the UK, sailing barges, folkboats, comparing traditional full-keel boats to modern charter boats, his Biscay 36, radar, Starlink, AIS, St. Martin to B…

Nathan and his wife Vivian run Ocean Passages, offering training passages aboard their Compass 47. We also talk about Tahiti and the Society Islands, dealing with cyclone season, Nova Scotia, dealing with heavy weather, electronics, anchoring, his association with John Kretschmer, training passages, heaving-to, different boats, different rigs, usin…

Published 8 September 2024 Whilst the Cup is on, running at the same time has been the E series, where competitors are racing each other in AC40's at home using the SIM modelling created for the Cup. The top 6 competitors plus 2 wildcards will be flown to Barcelona for the finals at the end of September. They will race for prize money and the top 2…

Porter Fox grew up on the coast of Maine sailing small boats. His father designed and built Whistler sailboats and founded Able Marine. Porter has written three books and also writes stories for The New York Times and other journals. His latest book is Category Five, which we talk about. We also talk about sailing around New York City, sailing a Wh…

Published 1 September 2024 This week we start the first of what we are calling the peoples panel. We are getting people to analyse the cup. Lots of different people with different perspective. This week we start with two of our favourites Rob and Nick Deussen, father and son on fathers day. Nick was Australian president of the Moth class and Rob is…

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…

Published 25 August 2024 We talk the Ryan Gerrish, NSW President of the B14 Skiff class ahead of the World Championships on Sydney Harbour in January 2025. The B14 is a 2 person skiff with wings that you hike from. Designed by Julian Bethwaite, designer of the 49er, 29er and 18' skiffs, in the mid 80s, the B14 is powered up fun for all. The Worlds …

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 …

Published 18 August 2024 The Americas Cup is about to start so we chat to Tom Morris from the Mozzy Sails Youtube channel and run though everything about the cup. This Ep will make you an expert on all things Americas Cup. It is a great combination of analysis and fun. We also pitch Vaikobi with a new idea. Pretty sure you will really enjoy this ep…

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…

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…

Published 11 August 2024 So much in this episode. First a fantastic chat with Bernardo Freitas, the busiest man in sailing. A very popular pro sailor, Bernardo joined the Spanish SailGP team this season and was part of the the teams development, moving from last, last season to the winners this season. He gives us plenty of insight to that improvem…

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…

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,…

Published 4 August 2024 We are halfway through the Olympics and ready to throw out some observations. As stated previously, once a month we will release an Ep on video where the three of us discuss the important topics. This is that episode. As we know though, BP is in Canada and when BP travels he can go missing. Will he make it, or has he gone fu…

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…

Published 28 July 2024 This week we chat to Dan Turner. Dan has been around sailing his whole life including competing in the Melbourne Osaka. He also loves an adventure, including taking up endurance running and competing in ultra-marathons such as the Marathon Des Sables in 2015 (265kms across the Sahara Desert over 6 days). Now he is set to comp…

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 …

Published 21 July 2024 This week we continue our focus on Olympic Classes. We chat to Grae Morris. We spoke to Grae about his journey in Ep181, so this was very Olympic focussed. The IQ Foil starts the sailing program. So racing will start in a weeks time. It was a lot of fun as per usual. We really love Grae's typical Aussie approach. I am certain…

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…

Published 14 July 2024 We chat to Lisa Darmanin, about the Womens AC, the SailGP final and the Olympics. Lisa is involved in all three either in media or sailing roles, so her insight is detailed. She is also one of the nicest people to hang around with as well. So enjoy! #teamaustraliachallenge #lisadarmanin #australiansailingteam #volvocorkweek #…

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…

Published 7 July 2024 This week we chat to Evie Haseldine, 49erFX sailor who has just been selected for her first Olympics. Evie has been focussed on competing at the Olympics since sailing became her passion. Again it was a really enjoyable discussion about the pathway and the process to success. Enjoy! #eviehaseldine #australiansailingteam #49ers…

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…

Published 30 June 2024 We chat to Great Pilkington. She has just been selected to represent New Zealand at the Paris Olympics in the ILCA class. She is young, it is her first Olympics, so we wanted you to get to know her, because she is a great person. The interview is a lot of fun. We also have plenty of SailGP gossip and plenty more.... Enjoy! #s…