Iain and Brioni are two Scottish sailors casually circumnavigating on a Leopard 47 Catamaran. As we spoke, they were in the South Pacific. We talk about dealing with a broken steering cable, using an emergency tiller, repairing the steel cable with dyneema, their route across the South Pacific, hurricanes, staying warm, whales, cameras and drones a…

Brett and Tess were in the Solomon Islands when I spoke to them. They sail a Corbin 39, surf, spearfish, explore, and interact with the local cultures. We talk all about the Solomon Islands, their boat, colliding with a floating tree and dealing with a damaged skeg and a pernicious leak, hauling out and and fixing the skeg, living on a boat vs livi…

Jaz races in the Hanse 303 and RS Venture Connect SCS classes, and sails an Albin Vega 27, in which she recently became the first wheelchair user to sail solo and unassisted around Great Britain and Ireland, and doing so confronted and overcame great difficulties. She lives with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which means her connective tissue does not fun…

Tapio Lehtinen sailed his boat Galiana, a 1972 Swan 55 yawl, in the 2023 Ocean Globe Race. He is now taking paying crew on ocean training passages and offshore races. If interested, send an email to [email protected] and put "Sailing" in the subject line. In this episode, we talk about sailing in the Finnish Archipelago, Galiana and her lat…

Adam Desrosiers lives in the Alaska panhandle and sails a Cape George 36. We talk about sailing in the Alaska panhandle (the south), fjords and inlets, weather, currents, storms, dealing with the cold, katabatic winds, Patagonia, anchoring in Alaska, 25' tides, using two anchors, his boat, making the boat more cruiser-friendly, bears on the beach, …

Brian and Helen Russell sail an aluminum Dudley Dix 43 that Brian built. This past summer, they sailed the Viking Route from London to Halifax, Nova Scotia via the Scilly Isles, Scotland, The Faroes, Iceland, Greenland, Labrador, and Newfoundland. We talk about all the places they visited, the pasages in between, the wildlife, difficult situations,…

Norbert Sedlecek Koch is the founder of Innovation Yachts. In July 2026, he will attempt to sail nonstop unassisted solo around the world passing through all the world's oceans, and becoming the first person to do so. He has already circumnavigated in a boat he built and in the Vendee Globe, and he has circumnavigated Antarctica. Innovation Yachts …

Etienne Messikommer is an entrant in the 2026 Golden Globe Race. He also won the 2021 Globe 5.80 Transtat. We talk about his first boat (which was steel), selecting his GGR boat (a Tradewinds 35), refitting and preparing the boat for the GGR, converting from wheel to tiller, reefing and furling, reinforcing the chainplates, antifouling, getting adv…

Mark Sinclair is following the Mini Globe Race in his Lello 34, Coconut (the boat he raced in the 2018 GGR). He was in Antigua last time we spoke (in February 2024) and he was in Darwin, Australia when we spoke this time. We talk about the Mini Globe Race, Darwin Australia, his sail from Antigua to Australia, sailing every other leg with his girlfr…

Gunnar Christensen is an entrant in the 2026 Golden Globe Race. He owns a Hans Christen 34 and is also a professional sailor and skipper of racing sailboats. We talk about his Baltic 42, a Southerly 42, The Bahamas, the value of a swing-keel, RORC races Gunnar has been competing in, racing a Farr 60, how seamanship differs between racers and cruise…

Kevin Le Poidevin sails an Open 40, Roaring 40 and a Sigma 36 Rogue Wave. He sailed in the 2014 and 2018 Solo Trans Tasman Challenge New Plymouth to Southport, the 2021 and 2024 Sydney Hobart, the 2023 Global Solo Challenge, and the 2025 Melbourne to Osaka Race. He has also solo sailed around Australia and Malaysia, as well as from Osaka back to Au…

Guy deBoer is a professional sailor active in offshore racing. He was in the 2022 Golden Globe Race, but went aground in the Canary Islands and had to retire from the race. He eventually saved and rebuilt the boat, Spirit, a Tashiba 36. We talk about his new (to him) Cheoy Lee and how old full-keel boats are sometimes free or nearly free, racing in…

Tom Cunliffe is a living legend among offshore sailors. He has lived his life at sea, mostly sailing traditional boats. He learned to sail on a 22 ft gaff sloop when a teenager on the Norfolk Broads. He studied law in university, but then ran off to sea. He has worked as mate on a coasting merchant vessel and skippered private yachts as well as hav…

Jolly Holly sails a 72' carbon fiber trimaran now, and has a history of restoring old boats and solo sailing. She is also the owner of ShowMeYourDinghy dinghy navigation lights, which I use and approve of. We talk about sailing in the Caribbean, getting knocked down, sailing solo vs with crew, observing fishing regulations, Sunfish, Tritium - her 7…

Daniel Turner is currently in second place in the Mini Globe Race, another Don McIntyre circumnavigation race. He was in Fiji when I interviewed him, right befrore the start of Leg three, Fiji to Cape Town. We talk about sailing from Antigua to Panama, dealing with a roller-furler malfunction, sailing to Fiji, a storm in the Tuomotus, using a drogu…

This is part two of my conversation with marine electrical engineer Owen Murphy. We talk about meeting John Kretschmer, the influence of electrical systems and electronics on sailboat value, wiring diagrams, the risks of modern high-output systems, fuses, what electricity is, amps, electrical fields, panconsciousness, sailing in the South Pacific, …

Owen Murphy is an ABYC certified marine electrical engineer and technician who offers both onsite and remote electrical system consulting, maintenance and installation. He sails a Pacific Seacraft 34 and is currently in Fiji. Owen answers questions from Patrons about their electrical systems. These include charging an AGM starter battery with LiFeP…

Deborah Hammett began sailing later in life and is the author of the book "Young Salt at Sixty." She sails a Jenneau Sun Odyssey 36 out of Martha's Vineyard, Mass. We talk about Martha's Vineyard, seeing your hometown from the water, scaling down, what inspired her to become a sailor, The Bahamas, riding out a storm in Georgetown at anchor, anchors…

Chris and Shona have been sailing around the world on a Leopard 46 catamaran with their four children. They started in Australia on a monohull and sailed up to the islands in the South Pacific. They then bought a catamaran in Mexico, went through the Panama Canal, up to Nova Scotia, and around the Caribbean, back through the canal, across the Pacif…

Saare Yachts is a German company that builds quality, semi-custom yachts which are made in Estonia in the yard that formerly built Finngulf Yachts. In the intro, I discuss the new 5X-more expensive Bahamas cruising permits and new fees, as well as the strikes in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Niels and I talk about sailing in the Baltic Sea, sailing angle…

Filip Kotodziej is the skipper of SV Selma of SailCamp Expeditions, running high-latitued charters. He recently visited Isla de los Estados - an island off the souther tip of Argentina few people have visited. We talk about isla de los Estados, anchoring and anchorages, katabatic winds, currents and tides, charts and navigating, the boat Selma - a …

Richard and Jude sold everything and bought a Jenneau Sun Odyssey 410 in 2022. Unable to get the boat delivered to Australia in a timely manner, they decided to take the boat in France and start their sailing lives by cruising the Mediterranean. We talk about crusing the Mediterranean, the boat, dual helms, anchoring, lights and a collision while a…

Matt Woodside is entered in the 2026 Golden Globe Race (GGR). His boat is a Cape George 36 and he lives in Portland, Oregon. We talk about getting into sailing, the Sea of Cortez, Mexico, the GGR, simplifying the boat, refitting her, replacing the mast, reefing, heavy-weather strategies, heaving-to, towing drogues, using a storm trysail, his unique…

Diana Vega grew up on the Isle of Wight sailing in the Solent. She will be the First Mate with Guy Waites on Team Unicef UK in the 2025-2026 Clipper Round the World Race. We talk about crew dynamics, a transatlantic on an Outremer catamaran, refitting a steel boat, installing a synthetic teak deck, heaving-to in the Bay of Biscay, the Clipper Race,…

Barry Perrins recently crossed his wake completing a 9-year circumnavigation aboard steel Van de Stadt. We talk about his boat, the pros and cons of steel boats, his route, New Zealand, crocodiles in Australia, friendly people, Vanuatu, whale sharks, dancing with manta rays, anchors, lessons learned, nature, profound revelations, and more. Links an…

Mike Price sails and races in Hawaii and owns Hyde Sails Hawaii. We talk about sailing in Hawaii, sailmaking, things sailors need to know about sails, when you need new sails, how to choose between different cruising and racing sails, triradial vs cross-cut sails, different materials, spinnakers, asym. vs. sym., top-down furlers, sail trim, interpr…

Brent bought Stargazer, an Endurance 35 six years ago in Vancouver and has since been restoring and rebuilding her. She has been almost completely rebuilt and now looks like a work of art. She can be seen on Instagram @storyofstargazer. We talk about the restoration process and get into the details of wood, joints, fiberglass, sanding, varnish, pai…

Melanie Neale grew up on sailboats and has always lived the sailing and cruising life. She's been a yachtbroker for ten years and now owns Sunshine Cruising Yachts based in St. Augustine, Florida. I met Melanie years ago when I was looking for my first boat, and we've stayed in touch. We talk about boats Melanie likes, the Caliber 40 LRC, Island Pa…

Istvan Kopar took 4th place in the 2018 Golden Globe Race - and was one of only five finishers. Next year on the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, he will be attempting to be the first person to sail from the USA solo nonstop westbound around the world via the three great capes and he will be doing it at the same time as the GGR 20…

Mark Synnott is a New York Times bestselling author, a pioneering big wall first ascensionist and one of the most prolific exploratory climbers of his generation. Always seeking new adventures, in 2022 he sailed through the Northwest Passage while searching for the grave of and attempting to solve the mystery of what happened to legendary nineteent…

Ulrika retired, sold her house, and bought a 1995 Island Packet 40. She has just started what she plans to be a long and casual circumnavigation. She was in Guyamas Mexico when I interviewed her. We talk about her boat, sailing from BC to Mexico, The Sea of Cortez, sailing singlehanded and with crew, Mexico, water, how the Island Packet performs, w…

The Last Voyage of Asteria is Tapio Lehtinen's latest book, co-written by Paul Trammell, and documents Tapio's 2022 Golden Globe Race, during which his boat, Asteria, sank while 460 nm SE of South Africa. In this episode, I read from the book, including the beginning and also the chapter titled "Lessons Learned," which disusses what Tapio learned f…

Ronnie Simpson is a 40-year-old professional racing sailor from the United States of America who aims to sail in the 2027 Global Solo Challenge race. Recently, Ronnie was the skipper of the Open 50 Shipyard Brewing which competed in the first-ever Global Solo Challenge in 2023-24. Sailing in a strong third place for most of the race, Ronnie unfortu…

Robert Perry is one of the most prolific, sucessful, and iconic sailboat designers of the modern age. He is known for designing the Valiant 40, Tayana 37, Tashiba 36, Baba 35, and many many more. His knowledge of sailboats is extensive to the point of making him a national treasure. We talk about older crusing boats ideal for beginning cruisiers, i…

Fraser Flight was born and raised in Zimbabwe, where he up on a tobacco farm. He started sailing as a young boy on a lake alongside giraffes and rhinos. He progressed to competetive internationl dinghy racing as a child and offshore racing as an adult. He earned a Master of Yachts license, has logged over 80,000 miles on sailing and motor yachts, a…

Brian Hathaway has been sailing around the world, mostly solo, on his Hunter 44. He recently sailed from St Helena to Recife, Brazil. We talk about Recife, Brazil, St Helena, sailing downwind with twin headsails, customs, anchoring, singlehanding, pirates, self defense, crime, diving on a shipwreck in St Helena, and much more. Shownotes are here Su…

Mike Smith is a South African living in Australia and is building a wooden Suhali replica (the boat Robin Knox-Johnston sailed in the 1968 Golden Globe Race), in order to compete in the 2026 GGR. We talk about his sailing history, growing up and sailing on the coast of South Africa, his boat-building history, creating the CNC plan for the boat, bui…

Daniel Turner is entered in the Mini Globe Race, sailing Immortal Game, his mini 5.80, which he built. He started racing small boats in Australia when he was six years old. He moved from Holdfast trainers to the 125 and Pacer classes, and raced on his father's Farr 30 and grandfather's Adams 12. Daniel spent four years in the Australian Army as a C…

Bill and JoAnne Harris are the Ocean Cruising Club Port Officers for the Bay Islands of Honduras (Roatan, Guanaja, Utila, Cayos Cochinos, and the Swan Islands. They sail SV Ultra, a trimaran, often spending hurricane season in Rio Dulce, Guatemala, and the rest of the year in the Bay Islands. We talk about Rio Dulce, crossing the bar on the way in,…

Captain Mark Sinclair was born in Manchester, UK, and emigrated to Australia in 1960. He served 20 years in the Royal Australian Navy up to the rank of Commander. During his extensive sea time he served in a tanker, icebreaker, minesweeper, destroyers and numerous hydrographic ships and aircraft. He navigated 4 ships and commanded 3 ships. He has s…

MJ and Amy Sizemore from Motherload Sailing sailed in November from Linton Bay, Panama, to Ft. Pierce, Florida, through the Windward Passage, and without stopping. They sail a Bavaria 50 with their five boys, but have sold it and are buying a Lagoon 410 catamaran. We talk about clearing out of Panama, the Ngäbe indigenous people, their nonstop pass…

Helga Marie Lovenskiold Kveseth, aka Mara, is a Norwegian entered in the 2026 Golden Globe Race, an around-the-world, solo, and nonstop race using only technology from 1968 or before. She holds a Captain's License and has over 25,000 nm sailing experience. She once trained for the olympics in fencing, was a rower competing on the world stage, and e…

Lin Pardey is a living legend best known for sailing long offshore passages in small traditional boats witout engines or electronics. Lin and her late husband Larry have sailed over 200,000nm, have circumnavigated in both directions, and have sailed around all the great capes east to west (contrary to prevailing wind). She is the author of 14 saili…

Bert Terhart is a Canadian adventurer who has cicumnavigated solo, nonstop, navigating only with a sextant. He also crossed Canada from west coast to east coast in a canoe in one season, which we talk about on my other podcast "Dream Chasers and Eccentrics." In this episode, we talk about his circumnavigation and why he did it, sharks, preparing fo…

Dealtry Pickford is a South African sailor entered in the 2027 Global Solo Challenge, an around-the-world nonstop solo race. HIs background is dinghy racing, and his boat is a class 40. We talk about sailing a class 40, speed, different points of sail, difficult situations, sailing around South Africa, training for the Global Solo Challenge, the de…

Pat Lawless is an entrant in the 2026 Golden Globe Race. He also sailed in the 2022 GGR, but had a failure of his windvane and retired in Cape Town, South Africa. We talk about the Canary Islands, his passage from Ireland, his Saltram Saga 36, sextant navigation, AIS, lightning, lessons learned in the 2022 GGR, finishing teak, waterproofing deck ha…

Ambre was born in Paris, but moved to the US when she was 10. She went to school and graduated with a degree in economics. After a brief career in New York City, she gave it all up to become a sailor, and now races Class Mini with her eyes on the Ocean Race and the Vendée Globe. She tells us about her new boat, #618, On the Road Again II, and train…

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…

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 …

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…