Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell

Matt is refitting the classic Open 60 formerly known as Duracell and turning it into a cruising home for he and his wife. We talk about learning to sail, racing in Puget Sound, living aboard in the Pacific Northwest, why he took on this project, his inspirations, Mike Plant, designing the interior, diesel/electric hybrids, Steve Dashew, Coyote the movie, the Duracell Project, designing a new keel, the Sea of Cortez, advice for buying an old boat, and much more.

Simon Curwen will be sailing around the world solo and nonstop in his Biscay 36 in the 2022 Golden Globe Race. We talk about racing, his boat, tiller vs wheel, full keel vs modern designs, headsail configurations, roller furling vs hank-on, dual mainsheets, Hydrovane vs Aries, selecting lines, antifouling, reefing, safety, solo sailing vs sailing with crew, what he is looking forward to and what he fears about the GGR, sail trim for cruisers, and much more.

An interview with Donna, the Marina Manager at the Errol Flynn Marina in Port Antonio, Jamaica.

I discuss my singlehand passage of 8 days and 900nm from Bocas del Toro, Panama, to Port Antonio, Jamaica.

John and his wife took their first sailing class in March of 2020 and later that year bought a Tartan 37. His story is a good example of how to move quickly from landlubber to cruising sailor. We talk about sailing education, buying a boat, the survey and haul-out, Tartan 37's, dealing with bad weather, insurance, hurdles that stop people from leaving the dock, making mistakes as a beginner, dinghies, fuel and avoiding diesel bug, climbing the mast, autopilots, steering, anchoring, and much more.

This is my second interview with Guy deBoer, an entrant in the 2022 Golden Globe Race. We discuss the refit of his boat, Spirit, a Tashiba 36, including details like bottom paint, bilge pumps, the mast, solar panels, and reefing. We also discuss sail training, communication, fin keel vs full keel, the other competitors, killer whales, and sextant navigation.

John, Jennifer, and their son Wilson Stark live on a Tartan 41. I interviewed them in Bocas del Toro, Panama. We talk about their boat, safety, sailing through a 2-day gale in the Gulf of Mexico, sailing from Jacksonville, Florida, to Panama, whales, swimming offshore, Panamanian residency, working while living aboard, homeschooling, boat kids, mooring screws, and much more.

This is my second interview with 2022 Golden Globe Race competitor Gaurav Shinde. We talk all about his preparations for the around-the-world singlehand race, including his own mental and physical preparations, as well as the ongoing refit of his boat Good Hope, a Baba 35. We also talk about his relationships with other competitors, meditation, and how he has already altered his sleep schedule.

In part 2, we go deeper into Ricardo's experience surviving the sinking of his mini-transat boat, what went through his mind while floating 26 hours in a lifejacket, how he contacted the cruise ship that rescued him and talked them to his location, how he was received on the ship, and how this turned into his career as an inspirational speaker. Other stories we get into include almost hitting a whale and a UFO encounter. We also discuss the coast of Portugal, anchorages and surfing locations, future plans, and more.

Ricardo Diniz is a Portuguese singlehand sailor, author, coach, actor, businessman, and inspirational speaker. We talk about growing up in Portugal, learning to sail, building a mini-transat boat, running into a container and sinking in this boat, surviving 26 hours at sea in a lifejacket, being rescued by a cruise ship, hitting a second container a year later, sleeping when singlehanding, safety at sea, reefing, seasickness, and more.

I met Maikel in Bocas del Toro when he sold me a dinghy that he built. He invited me into his shop, where he had built an aluminum dinghy from scratch. Also in the shop was a dismantled 34' aluminum sailboat, which he was rebuilding. In this episode, we discuss this project, which includes building a lifting keel, as well as how he finances his nomadic life working on other boats.

In this second interview with Carin, we discuss sailing from Bocas del Toro to shelter Bay, preparing to transit the Panama Canal, going through the canal, the Pacific side, and preparing for the coming passage to French Polynesia.

Carl Schultz, a former bicycle messenger in New York City, is a solo sailor exploring the tropics on his Shipman 28. We talk about his adventures sailing through the Bahamas, to Turks and Caicos, and the Dominican Republic.

Simon and Sally recently sailed from Greenland to Labrador to Newfoundland to Nova Scotia. We talk about high-latitude sailing, staying warm, anchoring, radar, icebergs, bugs, clearing customs, Vikings, polar bears, williwas, hiking, favorite places in Newfoindland, Bras d'Or Lake, and much more.

I spoke with Peter as he was anchored in Portugal fixing a steering breakdown. He is on his way around the world in a solo, nonstop, unassisted circumnavigation via the five capes in his Rival 41, Waxwing.

Brian Russell and his wife Helen, who you might remember from season 2, recently sailed Helacious, the boat the Brian built, from the USVI to the Azores and then to Ireland and Scotland. We talk about sailing from the USVI to the Azores, swimming in the open ocean, downwind sailing, arriving in the Azores, the Portuguese language, his wind generator, sailing from the Azores to Ireland, cruising Scotland, weather routing, charts, bugs, hiking in Scotland, hurricanes, and much more.

Dr. Rikki Grober Eriksen is a PhD Marine Biologist and the Director of Marine Programs for the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation. She lives on a sailboat in the Caribbean and is a wealth of information on coral reef ecology. We talk about her boat, spotted eagle rays, a magical dolphin encounter, coral reef decline, overfishing, where to and not to anchor, spearfishing, ocean acidification and its repercussions, microplastics, and much more.

Pat is preparing his boat, a Saltram Saga, for the 2022 Golden Globe Race, a singlehand, non-stop circumnavigation that allows only pre-1968 technology and old-fashioned boats. He recently sailed from Ireland to Iceland for a shakedown. We discuss his list of tasks, the cruise, and the upcoming race.

This one is just me talking about my time here in Bocas del Toro, Panama. I talk about the anchorages, the town, my new dinghy, spearfishing, surfing, some of the other islands, rip currents, my plans of going to Cartagena next and The Bahamas after that.

This is the second half of my interview with spearfisherman, freediver, kiteboarder, and sailor, Adventureman Dan. If you haven't already listened to Part 1, it is the episode directly before this one.

Adventureman Dan is a spearfisherman, freediver, and solo sailor, currently in the Bahamas. As a nice coincidence, Dan ran into Stephanie Shuldt, from the previous episode, right after I invited him to be on the podcast. As I interviewed him, he was rafted up with Sail La Vie and two other boats in her entourage. Dan and I talk about spearfishing, the Bahamas, surviving a 70-knot storm on a paddleboard, meeting other cruisers, acquiring freshwater, sharks, sobriety, future plans, and much more.

Stephanie left a corporate job just a few years ago to chase her dream of living a nomadic life on a catamaran, sailing, freediving, and spearfishing. We talk about the obstacles she overcame, her boat (a 46' Fountaine Pajot Bahia), The Bahamas, freediving, spearfishing, freedive training, sharks, ciguatera, coral reefs, and more.

Robert Perry has been designing boats since he was 14, and is one of the most well-respected and prolific sailboat designers of all time. We discuss his career, feedback from sailors, boats in the GGR, double-enders, different keel shapes, balanced rudders, draft, his new Carbon Cutter, Sail Drive, the Valiant 40, roller furling, staysails, his book, books he loves, and a final word to his supporters and boat owners.

Margie Woods sailed her Catalina 34, Haunani, in the 2016 Singlehanded Transpac, from San Francisco to Hawaii, and she did it with minimal offshore sailing experience. We discuss preparing herself and her boat for the race, the good days and the hard days, the worst weather and the best weather, dealing with difficulties, being present and sailing in the moment, the mental challenges of singlehanding, tethering and safety gear, getting back onboard from the water, women in sailing, sailing education, the importance of reading, the Hydrovane, and much more.

Expedition Glacialis is a team of scientists aboard a 43' custom steel Koopmans sailboat. Virginie Wyss, Matthew Ryle, Arnaud Conne, and Richard Mardens are collecting data on wildlife, plastics, and the chemistry of the ocean. Their project has taken them to Greenland, where they were when we spoke. We talk about the magic of Greenland, the difficulties and rewards of sailing in the arctic, their boat Atlas, dressing for the cold, heaters, safety gear, heavy weather strategies, wildlife, the marriage of art and science, preparing for the journey, sailing with a purpose, citizen science, micro and macro plastics, listening to whales, and the crew's favorite species.

Katie is currently trying, at 14 years old, to become the youngest person to sail singlehanded around Great Britain. She is doing so on a beautiful wooden 26' Morgan Giles built in 1950. We talk about her inspirations, her preparations, her boat, the route, the journey so far, and much more.

Pete recently bought a Formosa 51 in Grenada, worked on her enough to make the passage home, and took off for Ireland. Along the way, he had a few mechanical difficulties, including loosing use of his engine, but made the trip regardless. Upon arrival, he accepted a tow into the harbor at Kinsale, which prompted two newspaper articles about his being "rescued at sea," an over-dramification to say the least.

Avoiding the lockdown by sailing north around Scotland to the Azores on a Rival 32, the 1988 OSTAR, capsizing a catamaran in the North Sea, the rescue, cruising around Scotland, provisioning, avoiding old age, and more.

Losing a mast in the Sydney Hobart; setting up his boat, a Thomas Gilmer Aries 32, for the Golden Globe Race; safety protocols; the selection and refit of Harmony; bottom paint; training for the big race; and much more

Kirsten is an extremely accomplished blue-water sailor, with extensive experience in the high latitudes. She is an entrant in the 2022 Golden Globe Race, and a skipper of Skip Novak's expedition sailboat Pelagic. We discuss her sailing history, working for Skip Novak, South Georgia Island, anchoring, heavy weather, heaving-to, dressing for the Southern Ocean, the Golden Globe Race, safety, her Cape George 36 Minnehaha, catching rainwater, dual mainsheets vs a traveler, and singlehand sailing.

Surfing and spearfishing in The Bahamas, sharks, deciding as a couple to sail to Panama from The Bahamas, preparing for the crossing and dealing with anxiety, selecting a weather window, clearing out at Matthew Town, the Windward Passage, crossing the Caribbean, almost getting run over by a Navy ship, trouble clearing in at Bimini, the beginning of Covid in The Bahamas, clearing in at Shelter Bay, surf spots in Bocas del Toro, trees in the water, Escudo de Veraguas

This is the second half of my interview with Joe Richardson onboard his Jason Kerr 63. We talk about his sailing and racing history, sailing in the Mediterranean, safety precautions for singlehanders, smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, liferafts, AIS, radar, sleeping while singlehanding, sharks, setting up a high-performance sailboat for singlehanding, climbing the mast alone, reefing, self-tacking jibs, spinnakers, and the banana boat.

Joe's boat, Dark Horse of England, is a Jason Kerr designed 63' ocean racer with a luxury cruising interior. In addition to talking about his magnificent boat, we discuss sailing from Barcelona to the Caribbean, breaking the carbon fiber boom and rebuilding the engine due to saltwater intrusion along the way, various destinations in the Caribbean, his Williams jet tender, the hydrogenerator, seeking safe harbor in St Kitts during a storm, and clearing in at Bocas del Toro.

Sailing from the Bahamas to San Andres, and San Andres to Bocas del Toro, Panama, clearing customs in Panama and the fees, Bocas Town, Bastimentos, surfing, freediving, ciguatera, Red Frog Beach

I love when episodes are full of laughter, and this one is the fullest! While we are not laughing, we talk about sailing in The Netherlands, crashing into the Queen's boat, sailing in the Mediterranean, choosing a steel boat, falling in love with a heavy steel boat, losing the headstay while under sail, Isla Mujeres, using an ATN Mastclimber, siglehanding and why we love it, making decisions when alone, sailing intuitively, safety, San Andres and the Armada National, running from hurricane Iota, the South Pacific, leaking water tanks, solar panels, sewing, air conditioning vs fans and open windows, sailing in strong wind, noises, and living close to nature.

I met Rick at Isla San Andres, Colombia, while on my way to Panama. We talk about his sailing background, his previous boats, how he made the decision to sail away from terrestrial life, how he chose and negotiated for Sophisticated Lady, how he made her self-sufficient and comfortable, air conditioning, lithium batteries, solar power, his electric galley, surviving Hurricane Iota while at anchor, his YouTube channel, and more.

Sailing in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, crime and piracy hotspots in the Caribbean, sailing upwind in 75 knots, losing steering offshore, Haitian pirates, heaving-to, trailing warps, paying bribes, Caribbean culture, the San Blas Islands, Kuna culture, a swimming thief in Cartagena

I met Andreas at San Andres, Colombia. He is a very knowledgeable sailor with many stories and a fine catamaran - a Lagoon 45. we talk about sailing in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, his boat and its electronics, anchoring, heavy weather, and much more.

Peter is an Irish sailor who has been, for the last five years, preparing his boat, Waxwing, a Rival 41, for a solo nonstop circumnavigation via the Southern Ocean and the five great capes. We talk about his preparations, foul weather gear, his heavy weather strategy, safety gear, provisioning, wildlife, and sailing in general.

Landrail Point, Crooked Island, sailing to Great Inagua, sleeping as a singlehander, some recent lessons learned, another shark, Man O War Bay, Great Inagua, clearing out at Matthew Town, future plans

Sailing to Eleuthera from the Berry Islands, Hatchet Bay, surfing, capsizing the dinghy, sailing out of Hatchet Bay, Sailing from Eleuthera to Cat Island, spearing a big mutton snapper, a tiger shark comes to the boat, sailing from Cat Island to Long Cay, surfing again, spearing a tiger grouper, future sailing plans

This episode is a second interview with Dr. Vonderheide, during which he describes a gale in the Gulf Stream and his first offshore passage, at the beginning of which he had no sailing experience.

Carl is a bike messenger from New York City, sailing, now on his fourth sailboat, in The Bahamas. He has many interesting and unique stories from a perspective that many of us are unfamiliar with, such as living in New York on a sailboat in the winter, losing the mast at the beginning of a passage, being "rescued" when rescue was not desired, seeing a missile launch from the water at night, and saving enough money to go cruising in The Bahamas on a bike messenger's budget. This was recorded at the dinghy dock in Hatchet Bay, Eleuthera, The Bahamas, with plenty of authentic background sounds (hopefully not too much!). Enjoy!

crossing the Gulf Stream in 25 knots North, nearly drowning while clearing a net off the rudder, petting wild dolphin while underway, electronics, communicating with ships, running aground in The Bahamas and nearly sinking, whale strike, Bermuda Triangle incident, remora attack, sailing alone offshore, letting go of fear and just being, spritualism, meditation, abandoning dualistic thinking

I met this friendly couple in Great Harbor Cay, The Bahamas, where we were both waiting out some weather. I anchored in front of their grey steel Bruce Roberts 53 and was pleased to meet such a fun couple. Andy, like myself, is an ex-performing musician turned sober sailor. We discuss building a steel boat, sailing in the north, dressing for the cold, tenacity, lessons learned, safety, escaping covid, hank-on sails, sailing a big boat without working too hard, communications, using a lead-line, sailing sober, and much more.

Surfing Egg Reef, sailing to Harbor Island, spearfishing at Man Island, sailing back to Egg Island, rowing through Current Cut, sailing to Great Harbor Cay

This is my second interview with the sailing couple Erick and Jenny VanMalssen. We discuss the cruising life, freediving, spearfishing, surfing from a sailboat, lessens learned while living aboard, and various locations in The Bahamas.

My second update from The Bahamas in the Southern Abacos, then Eleuthera. I also discuss encountering five large ships at sea, all at once, using the AIS in this situation, and communicating with ships. I also included a long post about this subject that I took from a Facebook post, as it was full of very useful information.

Bahamas covid requirements for sailors, my passage to The Bahamas and my first two weeks here, anchorages, spearfishing, surfing, and future plans

Brian created Pelagic Autopilots in effort to make a better tiller pilot for his use in solo offshore racing in the San Francisco Bay area, including the Transpac. Many offshore sailors consider the Pelagic to be the best tillerpilot on the market, and it is the only one that incorporates a rate gyro. He has since developed a unit for wheel-steered boats as well. We discuss offshore racing, the Transpac, how autopilots work, what makes Pelagic Autopilots unique, tiller vs wheel steering, love of offshore sailing, and wildlife encounters.