Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell

Marco Nannini is the organizer of the Global Solo Challenge, an around-the-world solo sailing event in production sailboats, set to take place in 2023. Unlike the Golden Globe, this is not a "retro" race, and thus will allow the use of any technology. Marco is also a very accomplished offshore racer. He took 1st place in the 2009 OSTAR in the IRC3 class, 2nd in the Round Britain and Ireland 2010, 27th in the Route du Rhum 2010, and 2nd in the Global Ocean Race 2011.

Elliott Smith, whom you might remember from episode 7, is entering the 2022 Golden Globe Race. We talk about dealing with the cold, shopping for a boat, sailing alone, Moitessier's inspiration, preparing for the big race, personal strengths and weaknesses, and love of the ocean. "The right moment is always in front of you to start making steps in the right direction."

This episode is just me, talking about my new book, "Chasing the Nomadic Dream," the six-month refit of Windflower that is just now complete, short discussions of the other four books I've published, and the coming journey to Panama.

Pat Lawless is an Irish Fisherman and Cabinetmaker, and has entered the Golden Globe Race. We discuss his boat, a Saga Saltram, sailing in the North Atlantic, his preparations for the race, love of the ocean, sailing around the other Cape Horn, and north atlantic wildlife.

Guy deBoer hopes to become the first American to win a singlehanded, non-stop, around-the-world sailing race. We discuss his aspirations, his preparations, his training, and his boat, Spirit, a Tashiba 36, which he will sail in the 2022 Golden Globe Race.

Gaurav Shinde is entered in the 2022 Golden Globe Race, a solo, nonstop circumnavigation race that allows only pre-1968 technology in full-keel production cruising boats designed before 1988. Gaurav will be racing in a Baba 35, Good Hope. He is the youngest entrant, and the only person of color in the race. Gaurav was born in India and lives in Canada. He has logged over 20,000 nautical miles of ocean racing, has competed in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, has been awarded the Admiral Ramdas Trophy for offshore sailing, and won many other awards for offshore racing.

Jaye tells us about sailing as crew on El Galeon, a replica of a Spanish Galeon. She and her husband Dan sailed on El Galeon twice from Florida north to Nova Scotia, into the St Lawrence River, and into the great lakes. We also talk a bit about their liveaboard sailboat, Cinderella, a CSY 33.

While in The Bahamas this year, I was on a mission to meet other sailors. My strategy was to row over to boats I liked and say hello. SV Hellacious stood out and called my name. She is an aluminum Dudley Dix 43 with red trim, a hard dodger, and a cutter rig. It turns out that Brian built her, and she is a beauty. We talk about Hellacious, as well as the learning process that building such a boat entails, as well as sailing, electronics, soft shackles, safety gear and lots more.

In this self-indulgent episode, I discuss my journey into the world of sailing, writing books, buying a bigger boat, and my sailing adventure in The Bahamas in 2020.

I talked to Alex and Lisa Tarlecky about their experience repowering their Cabo Rico 38. They replaced and old Westerbeke 46 with a Beta. Since I was considering doing the same to Windflower, who had an old Westerbeke 40, I wanted to talk to Alex and Lisa anyway. After recording the podcast, I found a leak in my engine's rear main seal, which was the last straw, and I ordered a Beta. We also discuss some of their experiences sailing the Cabo Rico, The Bahamas, and their new boat, a Manta catamaran.

Jasna and I discuss her books "A Drop in the Ocean," "Get Real Get Gone," and "All the Colours of Polynesia," as well as steel boats vs fiberglass boats, the Cap Horn windvane autopilot, lessons learned at sea, managing emotions, swimming with whales and sharks, French Polynesia, atolls, solo sailing vs sailing with passengers, the extra responsibilities of being the captain, keeping eggs fresh, books, and more.

Ralph and Leslie have been cruising The Bahamas for many years and share their favorite places to go and things to do. We discuss gear, monohulls vs catamarans, crossing the Gulf Stream, sheltering in the Ragged Islands during the lockdown, ordering groceries from the mailboats, spearfishing, watermakers, lots of islands and anchorages, and places to snorkel and spearfish.

Elliot is a young man who is chasing his dream and making it happen on a shoestring budget. We talk about his first time sailing to The Bahamas, which was also his first time offshore, singlehand sailing, spearfishing, surfing in The Bahamas, and lots more. He shares his mistakes and successes in this laughter-filled interview. Elliot is full of fun stories and was a pleasure to talk to.

I recorded this in March of 2018 while sailing alone in The Bahamas, crossing the Crooked Island Passage between the Ragged Islands and Long Island. It was this trip that I wrote about in the book "Journey to the Ragged Islands." I tell of events including a squall at night in the Gulf Stream, an encounter with an enormous oceanic whitetip shark, surfing an offshore reef, nearly drowning in a blue hole, and beautiful sailing.

Jim Abernethy has spent nearly 40 years diving with sharks, without a cage. He has learned to befriend them, has removed hundreds of fish hooks from their mouths, and even pets them like dogs. In this interview, I set out to learn all that a sailor, snorkeler, surfer, and spearfisher needs to know about sharks so we can all overcome our fears and enjoy their habitat safely.

Tapio was one of only 5 finishers out of 18 boats that started in the 2018 Golden Globe Race, a singlehand, nonstop race around the world in old production cruisers limited to using 1968 technology. We talk about his boat, his experiences at sea for 322 days, whales, albatross, books, navigation, and the upcoming Ocean Globe Race. Tapio is a legend of ocean sailing, and has much to pass on to all of us.

Andrew Evans is a singlehanded sailor and author of THE book on the subject. All serious singlehanders have either read the book, or they will. We discuss how he has his Olson 30 set up, foul-weather gear, tethers and harnesses, sheet-to-tiller steering, tying off the tiller, autopilots, tacking and gybing singlehanded, sleeping while sialing alone, meal planning for singlehanders, handling spinnakers alone, the mental challenges of solo sailing, and the rewards of solo sailing. This is a must-hear podcast not only for singlehanders, but for anyone who sails offshore, since even sailors with crews might find themselves in a situation where they have to handle the boat alone.

Erick and Jen are living the dream of exploring and looking for surf and good spearfinshing on a beautiful Downeaster 38. We talk about how he chose his boat, the ten-year refit, male/female dynamics on a boat, instruments, solar power, developing the dream to live aboard and sail, budgeting and spending, meeting people while cruising, and much more.

I interviewed Pete Goss in November, 2019, when I met him in the Chesapeake Bay. We discuss his rescue of a fellow racer in the 1996 Vendee Globe race, in which he turned around in hurricane-force winds in the Southern Ocean and sailed upwind for three days and miraculously found Raphael Dinelli in his life raft. We also discuss his new boat, a Garcia 45, various issues facing singlehanders, like sleep and foul-weather gear, writing, and future plans.