The QUARTERDECK Sailing Podcast

The water system possibly works harder than anything else onboard - every day, every crew member will use it multiple times. And it keeps us alive too! So it's arguably the most important system to understand. We discuss how to properly maintain your water system (that's piping, tanks, filling hoses, filters, pumps and taps), how to trouble shoot common problems and then how to solve them. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

We're back! Nikki and August are kicking off a new round of Quarterdeck Podcast episodes with a discussion on fuel line issues.. Inspired by resent events aboard our Swan 48 Isbjørn. Fuel is toxic, flammable and expensive, and can cause some real headaches (hah) when it gets loose. How can you fix fuel line problems, or better yet, prevent them from happening in the first place? -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Last episode of 2023! Nikki & Andy discuss ways to make sail handling and your sail inventory optimal for short-handed crews (think 2-4 sailors on a passage). We discuss which sails you should consider having in your wardrobe and how to handle them at sea. This is the final episode of 2022 - we're back in late January or early February with more new shows about seam'nship! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Chef de cuisine (and 59 North Bosun!) Adam Browne joins the gang this week to talk galley optimization. Adam, in a prior life, worked for 15 years as a chef at chalets in the Alps, on superyachts, and indeed as 59 North mate. He, Nikki, Andy, Mia & Emma talk about how to best design a new galley, how to make the one you have work better, favorite tools in the boat's kitchen & more! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Happy Holidays! Nikki, Mia & Emma sit down by the fire to talk about Christmas. Specifically, what they're favorite Christmas presents for sailors are, to give, and to get! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Andy & Nikki dive deep on electrical systems and calculating electrical consumption. Specifically we are looking for answers to the following: How to calculate the draw of your domestic circuit onboard? How that relates to the required size of the domestic battery bank? How to then decide what your charging regime should be? -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Nikke Henderson & Andy Schell take a deep dive on anchors & anchoring systems (aka 'ground tackle'). Which anchor should I choose? How long should the chain be? What weight should I be looking for? What material should it be made of? Is bigger always better? These are just some of the questions we discuss, with the aim of taking some of the mystery out of this selection process. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Nikki, Andy & Adam are live and in-person from Gosport, England, where Nikki leads a discussion on safety briefings. How to think about them, inshore versus offshore thoughts, how to make people take safety seriously (but not too seriously) and how we've done it onboard the 59 North boats, and how Nikki has leds them on racing boats, including the Clipper Round the World Race. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Andy & Emma continue on last week's rig topic by discussing how to inspect your mast and rigging. We talk about timing of rig inspections - preparation, pre-departure, and at-sea - and what to look for at each stage of the inspection process. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

59 North Skipper Nikki Henderson is joined by Chief Mate Emma Garschagen to go deep on rig climbing for sailors. They discuss all the details you want to know about safely going aloft ashore and at sea, including proper equipment and techniques, what tools to carry aloft, how not to fall, how to overcome the fear of mast climbing, how to communicate with the deck crew, proper line handling and much more. Don't miss next week's episode on Rig Inspections, as a followup to this week. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Emma talks to 59 North Bosun Adam Browne & his wife Laura (one of our graphic designers!) about their electrified Hallberg-Rassy 312 YELLOW MATILDA. Adam & Laura repowered with a fully-electric system from Finnish-made Ocean Volt, and Emma gets the full story on why they did it and how it's working out. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Andy, Lee & Adam talk props on this week's episode. We discuss how to decide what to optimize for - sailing performance, motoring performance or efficiency - and then how the decisions kind of make themselves once you know the mission. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Andy, Adam & Lee chat about the boat designs in the 2022 Golden Globe round-the-world race, which set off from France last week on Sept. 4. Though the rules are very strict in what boats qualify for the historic re-enactment type event, there remains quite a bit of variablity between them. We examine that variability, then talk about our favorite designs in the race, our favorite skippers, and who we think will win! Make sure to listen to ON THE WIND next week - Andy interviews Don McIntyre, founder of the race, to get an update on the fleet as they approach the Canary Islands. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Andy Schell & Nikki Henderson spend an hour talking about anchoring! This episode was prompted by a Quarterdeck article asking "Are Anchor Alarms Seamanlike?", which of course led us down the rabbit hole on seamanlike anchoring in general. We touch on all aspects of anchoring from gear selection to finding the best spots and share some of our best - and sketchiest - anchoring stories and what we learned from them. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Nikki Henderson and 59 North's Bosun Adam Browne discuss the challenges of time management during an extensive refit, highlighting how we're handling it on FALKEN. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Andy & Nikki talk about how they got to know each other and what Nikki's new full-time role will be with 59 North! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! -- This podcast is recorded LIVE on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Nikki, Andy, Mia and August are all together under the same roof in Bergen! And doing a LIVE podcast on ship's electronics and navigation systems! We are currently discussing how to set up the electronics on our new flagship FALKEN from scratch, and have many exciting things to figure out. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! -- This podcast is recorded Thursdays at 1900 UTC on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show live, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Our boats have many crucial and complex systems that needs to be inspected and maintained regularly, lest they rust or rot away. But our most important systems by far are made of meat and bone. What are the best ways to take care of your precious crew? -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! -- This podcast is recorded Thursdays at 1900 UTC on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show live, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Andy & Emma discuss the current happenings onboard FALKEN during her refit in the UK. Andy traveled to Gosport, England last week to check in on the progress and make some key decisions in the FALKEN project. He recaps with Emma what's happened since the boat went into the shed, and spends a fair bit of time discussing the propane versus induction/electric cooking option that will be the foundation of the electrical system. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! -- This podcast is recorded Thursdays at 1900 UTC on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show live, ask questions and suggest future topics.

This week, we will tackle an excellent question that we received from Quarterdeck member and Isbjørn crewmember Knut Nesheim: "What is the best way to build the skills needed for cruising?" Like many others, Knut is planning to sail off over the horizon in the near future, and is wondering how he should prepare himself. How much do you need to know before you set off on an ocean sabbatical, and what is the best way to acquire these skills? Should you just buy a boat and learn by doing? Study books? Do an RYA Yachtmaster, or other licensing? Do you really need an STCW safety course? And is it possible to prepare too much? Being professional sailing teachers, Andy and August should really have some good answers to this one. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! -- This podcast is recorded Thursdays at 1900 UTC on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show live, ask questions and suggest future topics.

This week, August is joined by Jon Amtrup, who is going to skipper ISBJØRN along with him to the Arctic this summer! They discuss the route, the destinations, and challenges. Jon is a great guy, a very accomplished sailor, and if you don't already know him, we recommend listening to Episode 195 of the "On the Wind" podcast, where Andy Interviewed Jon about his life and sailing career back in 2017. Jon also has a sailing podcast called "Explore North", that we highly recommend. In fact, the following conversation was a collaboration between Explore North and this podcast, so you could head over there afterwards and listen to us all over again! As well as many other great interviews. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! -- This podcast is recorded Thursdays at 1900 UTC on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show live, ask questions and suggest future topics.

These days, Andy and the 59 North team is pondering the sail plan and sail inventory for our new Farr 65 FALKEN, and is very excited to talk about it. Sails, balance, redundancy.. Let's all get together for a huge, virtual group hug and tumble down this rabbit hole together. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! -- This podcast is recorded Thursdays at 1900 UTC on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show live, ask questions and suggest future topics.

August and this week's special guest Ben Doerr are both big fans of the high latitudes and of winter sailing. Too many sailors wrap up and mothball their boats in the wintertime, missing out on fantastic cold weather sailing experiences. But it is not without its unique challenges. How different is cold weather sailing from a Caribbean charter, and how can we make the most of it? Learn how to stay warm, and how to stretch out your sailing season! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! -- This podcast is recorded Thursdays at 1900 UTC on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show live, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Andy & Lee take over the helm this week to talk about battery technology. Last year Andy made the switch to Dakota Lithium on SPICA, his Norlin 34 in Sweden, and Lee just did the same on their VW Westphalia. FALKEN is about to get a MAJOR lithium upgrade with 2,000-aH of Lithionics batteries and two massive charging alternators putting out 900-amps of charging from the Beta 85T engine. Lee & Andy will discuss how battery tech has evolved over the past fifteen years and look at some of the myths surrounding lithium, why there is such a big difference in price between something like Lithionics (with an external BMS) and "drop-in" batteries like Dakota & others (with internal BMS's), why we went one way on SPICA and another on FALKEN and more. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! -- This podcast is recorded Thursdays at 1900 UTC on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show live, ask questions and suggest future topics.

August is singlehanding for this episode, telling the story of when he experienced a forestay failure offshore on his Swan 48 Isbjørn. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! -- This podcast is recorded Thursdays at 1900 UTC on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show live, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Andy Schell and August Sandberg are joined by their good friend Ben Doerr from Sail Bainbridge for a discussion on old boat charms and ails! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! -- This podcast is recorded Thursdays at 1900 UTC on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show live, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Emma Garschagen and August Sandberg discuss running backstays. What are they, and what do they do? How do they work, and why does some boats have them and some don't? Tips, tricks and sea stories included! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! -- This podcast is recorded Thursdays at 1900 UTC on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show live, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Professional sailing skippers Andy Schell and August Sandberg discuss sailing and seamanship, picking a new topic every week. This week, we're talking deck layout! Our favourite deck sailing gear, how you should position it, and how to balance comfort and efficiency. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! -- This podcast is recorded Thursdays at 1900 UTC on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show live, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Professional sailing skippers Andy Schell and August Sandberg discuss sailing and seamanship, picking a new topic every week. This episode is all about helmsmanship. How do you keep your boat fast, trimmed and on course? -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! -- This podcast is recorded Thursdays at 1900 UTC on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show live, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Professional sailing skippers Andy Schell and August Sandberg discuss sailing and seamanship, picking a new topic every week. This week, we're talking winches! How to use them, how to size them and how to keep them happy. Haul away! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! -- This podcast is recorded Thursdays at 1900 UTC on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show live, ask questions and suggest future topics.

First episode of this new podcast format as we launch Season 6! Professional sailing skippers Andy Schell and August Sandberg discuss sailing and seamanship, picking a new topic every week. And the first topic is: Charts! ..or are they called Maps? What are they and how do you use one? Paper? Digital? Mercator? Raster? We will set you straight. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! -- This podcast is recorded Thursdays at 1900 UTC on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show live, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Emma Garschagen and ICEBEAR crew John B. debrief their recent celestial navigation passage from Annapolis to Bermuda. -- Join the discussion on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. Open now, first two weeks free!

Andy & Mia explain how SPICA's new alternator caught on fire a few days ago during her electrical system refit. Oops. To watch the video and see Andy's beautiful whiteboard drawings, join us on The QUARTERDECK! -- Join the discussion on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. Open now, first two weeks free!

Andy checks in with skipper August Sandberg halfway across the Atlantic and looks at the weather they've encountered thus far on their route towards the Azores, and the weather challenges that lie ahead! To see the weather files referenced and watch ISBJORN's route in real-time, join us on The QUARTERDECK! -- Join the discussion on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. Open now, first two weeks free!

Andy & ICEBEAR First Mate Emma Garschagen debrief the first passage of the 2021 season from Antigua to Bermuda! We recorded this from Bermuda the day after crew departed, so it was fresh in our minds. To see the outline we used for this and make your own template, join us on The QUARTERDECK! -- Join the discussion on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. Open now, first two weeks free!

Nikki Henderson joins the Quarterdeck membership for a brief discussion on seamanship, followed by a Q&A. Members on the QDeck submitted their questions, which Nikki answered here! If you missed Nikki's interview with Andy for ON THE WIND, catch that here! -- Join the discussion on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. Open now, first two weeks free!

Locally recorded audio from our Quarterdeck Seamanship Debrief with Bill Hutton and his harrowing rig failure & yacht abandonment story from episode #4. -- Join the discussion on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. Open now, first two weeks free!

Andy answers questions from The QUARTERDECK. Hydraulic rigging failures, where to buy paper charts, learning curves & luck, when to know if you're "ready" to go offshore & more! -- Join the discussion on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. Open now, first two weeks free!

Andy dips into the archives this week to read an essay titled AFTER 11,000 MILES that he wrote in 2016, but which was never published, about the changes he and Mia made and what they learned on ISBJORN after their first full season at sea. The essay is prophetic in some of its points! -- Join the discussion on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. Open now, first two weeks free!

"But give me this glorious ocean life, this salt-sea life, this briny, foamy life, when the sea neighs and snorts and you breathe the very breathe that the great whales respire. Let me roll around the globe, let me rock upon the sea, let me race and pant out my life with an eternal breeze astern and an endless sea before me." -Richard Henry Dana, TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. -- Join the discussion on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. Open now, first two weeks free!

August Sandberg interviews Bill Hutton about a terrifying offshore rig failure that ended in abandoning ship and a harrowing rescue by a cargo vessel. -- Join the discussion on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. Open now, first two weeks free!

Ben Doerr of Sail Bainbridge out in the Pacific Northwest, prompts us on a discussion about leadership, framed through gut instincts & fear. How do you recognize fear versus gut instincts? How do you convert that into actionable leadership? This was recorded LIVE on the QUARTERDECK. -- Join the discussion on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. Open now, first two weeks free!

Andy Schell & August Sandberg answer QUARTERDECK member Olwen's call for an in-depth look at self-steering systems. We discuss what makes a boat steer herself, from the purity of balancing sails and rudder, to electronic & hydraulic systems, to the classic, mechanical windvane self-steerers. We've got the technical details covered for sure, but don't worry, we've sprinkled plenty of our philosophy in there too of course! -- Join the discussion on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. Open now, first two weeks free!

Bob Perry, legendary cruising & racing yacht designer, joins Andy Schell to discuss the concept of 'seaworthiness' and how it affects yacht design. Plus, what makes a boat seaworthy - the design, or the skipper? The QUARTERDECK Podcast is the evolution of HOW I THINK ABOUT SAILING. -- Join the discussion on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. Open now, first two weeks free!

Season 3, #11. Andy & Mia announce some life-changing news at the top, then reflect on a tumultuous 2019 leading up to the uncertainty of the present in 2020. Two boats, big challenges, lots of setbacks…but also, opportunities.

Season 3, #10. Andy & Mia reflect on their life-and-business-changing summer in the High Arctic in Svalbard from 2018. -- 59º North's 1st LIVE online session Tuesday April 14, 2020. Join us for a 'shakedown' test of new live software we're testing out in order to host more live events in the coming weeks during the COVID-19 lockdown. Register on 59-north.com/events. -- HOW I THINK ABOUT SAILING is presented by Offshore Passage Opportunities. Visit sailopo.com to learn more about crewing offshore.

Season 3, #9. In the time of the coronavirus, doing ANYTHING on a schedule right now feels rather quaint. Ironically, today's episode is a conversation with cruiser Doug Weibel about how we at 59 North plan to sail on a schedule. One day we'll get back to that! Wash your hands & HOLD FAST! -- Join Andy & Mia and friends in Annapolis this October for a weekend workshop on all things SEAMANSHIP. Signup now at 59-north.com/seamanship. -- HOW I THINK ABOUT SAILING is presented by Offshore Passage Opportunities. Visit sailopo.com to learn more about crewing offshore.

Season 3, #8. New intro to an old recording. Andy & Mia start the show and reflect on what it's like ocean racing in the Caribbean 600. Then we play the audio documentary that Andy put together after ISBJORN's first crack at the race in 2016. We didn't finish, due to rudder problems, but we were hooked on racing! -- Join Andy & Mia and friends in Annapolis this October for a weekend workshop on all things SEAMANSHIP. Signup now at 59-north.com/seamanship. -- HOW I THINK ABOUT SAILING is presented by Offshore Passage Opportunities. Visit sailopo.com to learn more about crewing offshore.

Season 3, #7. Almost exactly five years has passed since we bought ISBJORN, our beloved S&S Swan 48, which remains to this day as the foundation of 59 North. We go back in time today and hear Andy describe the story behind buying the boat and how it all came together. -- Join Andy & Mia and friends in Annapolis this October for a weekend workshop on all things SEAMANSHIP. Signup now at 59-north.com/seamanship. -- HOW I THINK ABOUT SAILING is presented by Offshore Passage Opportunities. Visit sailopo.com to learn more about crewing offshore.

Season 3, #6. Andy & Mia reflect on the 2014 Newport to Bermuda Race, which they competed in a J/37. They discuss what they've learned from ocean RACERS that they've applied to their ocean CRUISING passages since 2014. -- Join us in October 2020 for a weekend workshop on SEAMANSHIP. Limited to 20 people. Sign-up now on 59-north.com/seamanship. HOW I THINK ABOUT SAILING is presented by Offshore Passage Opportunities. Crew offshore or find crew for your boat at sailopo.com.