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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 …

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 …

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…

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…

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, …

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…

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…

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 …

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.…

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.…

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…

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…

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…

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 …

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…

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.Di Paul Trammell

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Merrill lives on his Tashiba 36 in a Marina in Boston and runs the business Shipshape, which connects marine contractors and boat owners. We talk about the pros and cons of living in a marina, marina pirates, dating while living in a marina, drunks falling off docks, dinghies, through-hiking the Appalachian Trail, making 1000 origami cranes, shoppi…

Olivier Hendrix is a long-time offshore sailor and the develper of iNav4U. We talk about sailing in the Mediterranean and Patagonia, storm training in the North Sea in the Winter, going overboard while tethered to the mast, staying warm in the North Sea, iNav4U, and much more.Di Paul Trammell

Part 2 of my interview with Steve Alexander, who lost his autopilot on the way to the Azores from Bermuda. He also had failing backstays on the way, and a lost swing-keel. We talk about all this, as well as getting weather reports while offshore, Irridium, Starlink, Garmin InReach, approaching islands safely, provisioning, the danger of deferring r…

Steve was recently sailing from Bermuda to the Azores when he had a series of misfortunes, including losing the swing keel, backstay failure, and autopilot failure, leaving him undercanvassed and forced to steer when awake, and hove-to when sleeping, for about three weeks. We also talk about his boat, a Brewer 12.8, his previous boat, a Hallberg Ra…

Bob Bitchin is a sailor, a biker, an author of 11 books, and publisher of Latitudes and Attitudes magazine. We talk about sailing on other people's boats, anchoring on the Pacific side of Panama, fin-keel boats vs full-keel boats, eating rattlesnakes, working as a bodyguard for Evel Knievel, motorcycle clubs, similarities between biking and sailing…

Simon is the sales manager for North America for Victron Energy. We talk about lithium vs AGM batteries, alternator charging, DC/DC chargers, designing a solar array, starter batteries, the value of finding good information and asking questions, questions from Patreon patrons, high-output alternators, remote monitioring of your electrical system, e…

Ambre was training for the 2023 Mini Transat and completing her qualifying 1000nm sail when she ran aground in an inlet in France and had to abandon ship. We talk about sailing a mini, lines and sail trim, safety, foul-weather gear, the wreck, future plans, and much more.Di Paul Trammell

Jon is the founder of PredictWind, and a very accomplished sailor. We talk about sailing foiling boats, sailing in the Olympics, the Americas Cup, losing the mast in the Transpac, PredictWind, the data hub, weather routing, departure planning, and more.Di Paul Trammell

Jerry spent the last two years exploring the Caribbean, visiting many islands in his Bristol 32. We talk about his refit, why he wanted a full-keel boat, stopping leaks, windvanes, weather, Dominica, Puerto Rico, St Croix, Mona Island, san Salvador, storm anchors, anchoring in currents,Di Paul Trammell

Morgan Cole sails a Saltram Saga 36, was a boatbuilder, and was involved in Susie Goodall's refit of her 2018 GGR Boat. We talk about sailing full-keel boats, heavy weather, docking, Susie's refit, sailplans, tacking, downwind sail combinations, and much more.Di Paul Trammell

Alan is a sailor that I met here in Bocas del Toro, Panama. We talk about his catamaran, sailing in the Western Caribbean, catamarans vs monohulls, rock climbing and its similarities to sailing, and much more.Di Paul Trammell

I answer questions from my patrons (those who support through Patreon) including my experiences on different boats, how much money I spend, my tool collection, what gear I would have if I could afford it, calculating a power budget, where I get ideas for fictional stories and books, singlehanding, and reefing.…

Nova Scotia, tying up to a fishing boat, the Atlantic circuit, killer whales, Newfoundland, Panama, lightning, deck details, owning and sailing an aluminum boat, anchoring, fishing in Canada, heaters, books,Di Paul Trammell

Robert Perry talks about design elements, his newest designs - Francis Lee and the Carbon Cutter, sea chests, new Pacific Seacraft designs, the GGR, cutter vs ketch, furling booms, feathering props, Tayana 47, Perry Rendezvous, books, and more.Di Paul Trammell

Dr. Aronson is a Professor and department head of Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences at Florida Institute of Technology. We talk about Bocas del Toro, science, climate change and its effects on marine ecosystems, coral bleaching, coral diseases, sea-level rise, hurricanes, and much more.Di Paul Trammell

I met Owen in St Augustine when I was fitting out Windflower when he and another electrician came by to give me advice. We talk about his Pacific Seacraft 34, how he became a full-time cruising sailor, batcar systems, reefing, solar power, lithium batteries, AIS, radar, wire management, alternators, wiring basics, avoiding wiring disasters, common …

MJ and Amy of Motherload Sailing are exploring the Caribbean with their 5 boys on their Bavaria 50. I met them in Bocas del Toro, Panama. We talk about Starlink, their passage here from the Bahamas, rudder failure, having kids on the boat, homeschooling, parenting strategies, parenting difficulties, safety, the Bahamas, running a YouTube channel, a…

Earl has been sailing all his life, and relates some great stories, We talk about catamarans, losing a boat on a reef, foul weather in the Gulf Stream, powerboats, sailing with a family, different boats for different places, catamarans vs monohulls, crossing shallow water, maintaining a catamaran, common mistakes new sailors make, relationship dyna…