On The Wind Sailing

#48. This is the Voice of Experience piece I wrote for SAIL magazine back in 2013 about my experience losing an anchor on my first-ever charter as a 20-year-old in New Zealand. Without further ado, enjoy this weeks (embarassing) Essay Friday. What's some of your stupid mistakes onboard?

#47. Kristen Berry is one of the head trainers at J/World Annapolis sailing school. Andy chatted with him in early August about his racing and cruising career, his transition into professional sailing from managing political campaigns (you'd be surprised at the similarities), his thoughts on what racers can learn from cruisers (and vice versa) and how he creates successful trainig programs at J/World and manages successful ocean racing campaigns. J/World Annapolis is now the Official Training Partner of World Cruising Club USA, and are hosting their first Ocean 'OPS' course on September 22-23. The Ocean Preparedness Seminar will be a hands-on weekend learning safety and emergency management specific to ocean sailing. Check them out at jworldannapolis.com.

#46. Andy spoke with master rigger Brion Toss from Bermuda several years back about the art and science of a proper rope whipping. It was originally for an article in Yachting World, but we've repurposed it into another Essay Friday episode. Brion is set to come on the podcast soon for a full-on interview, but in the meantime, enjoy his philosophy on rope whippings and learn a thing or two this week! briontoss.com

#45. John Franta is the brains behind Colligo Marine and their synthetic rigging products. Andy met John in 2009 at the Annapolis Sailboat Show and has been friends with him since. Arcturus was the first monohull that we know of that crossed an ocean with Colligo Dux synthetic rigging, and John and Andy have been working together on promoting synthetic rigging for cruising boats since their first meeting. They discuss the business behind Colligo and how John transitioned from a corporate job as an engineer at GM, to a start-up founder with Colligo. He's an inventor and a businessperson, and that combination is truly inspiring. Sklp to about minute 22 if you want to get right into the technical aspects of synthetic versus wire rigging. Check out Colligo on colligomarine.com.

#44. Another 'Essay Friday' for you to think about! Andy's ideas on how to outfit the ocean sailing yacht based on the principles found within Nassim Taleb's classic book 'The Black Swan.' Andy talks about not the chances of a piece of gear failing onboard, but rather the consequences of that failure and how that should influence what you decide to fit, or not fit, on an oceangoing boat. What do you think?

#43. Cary St. Onge took an ex-America's Cup training boat - an 80-foot maxi racer called 'Falcon', used for the 'Young America' team leading up to the 2000 AC - and converted it into his ideal notion of a fast cruising boat! Andy chatted with him on Skype from his home in Boulder, Colorado. He's outfitting the boat to sail in the Caribbean 1500 this coming fall, and is offering 10 crew berths onboard for what should be the sail of a lifetime! Check out Falcon in detail on force10sailing.com

#42. This week's essay Friday is an excerpt from the Log of Arcturus, which I keep onboard the boat. Written by hand, as it's happening, the log is a diary of sorts about our travels. This was written in August of 2012, almost exactly two years ago, during the 3-day passage from Malmo on Sweden's southwest coast to Visby, on the island of Gotland. It's good timing, as starting after work today, we'll be on vacation for the next three weeks, heading this time out of the Baltic and essentially retracing our steps from this here trip. It's fun to read what I've written and see what goes on in my head on those late, solo night watches. Hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed reliving it!

#41. Mario Vittone is a Navy vet and retired USCG rescue swimmer with a resume that will blow your mind. Andy got in touch with him via a mutual friend, and had an interesting chat about his experience in helo rescues at sea, cold water immersion, safety offshore and more. They discussed the recent Cheeki Rafiki search, the sinking of the Bounty and how Mario's career has recently transitioned from on-the-scene rescue ops to consultancy work and a successful writing career. Mario writes regularly on gCaptain.com and for various industry magazines and publications. Check out his own website at mariovittone.com. Enjoy episode 41!

#40. Essay Friday - What I learned in two Atlantic crossings. The first, of course was in 2011 aboard Arcturus, which I  discussed at length with Clint Wells in Tuesday's episode. The second, which I haven't written much about, was the following year, on Kinship, a Saga 43 that Mia and I skippered in ARC Europe, crossing the Atlantic via Bermuda-Azores-Portugal. Both were very different experiences and taught me valuable lessons. This is what I wrote following the second crossing in July 2012. Enjoy!

#39. Andy sits down in person with one of his best friends in Oslo, Norway to reminisce about sailing across the North Atlantic. Clint, a non-sailor, joined Andy & Mia in Halifax for the cruise up the Canadian Maritimes and across the pond to Ireland, a 23-day passage, and the first time Clint was at sea. In between jokes and fun memories, Clint comes up with some great pearls of wisdom for anybody looking to cross an ocean, but might not know what to expect. He's honest, funny and sincere about how the experience changed his life for the better.

#37. Regular guest & sailing legend Matt Rutherford is back on the podcast to discuss his recent landfall in Japan, climbing Mt. Fuji, making his own saki, what it's like to complete a 7,000-mile nonstop ocean crossing in a 30-foot daysailor, and why he's so determined to do what he says he's going to do! Matt & Nicole Trenholm were in Japan when they recorded this, their last day there before returning to the USA, and Andy Skyped them from Sweden, so another international interview. Check out Matt & Nicole's latest expedition on oceanresearchproject.org.

#Bonus. This one is a bit more serious than last week, and looks at some of the 'rules' of ocean sailing from the perspective of two events from last fall - the Caribbean 1500 rally, and the Salty Dawgs. You'll recall that six Salty Dawg boats issued distress calls last year, two of which were later rescued by the Coast Guard. The incident made national news, and was a hot button issue among the offshore sailing community. I wrote down my own thoughts immediately afterwards, but didn't publish them until now, after lots of time to think it over and make a fair assessment of what happened. There's a lot of opinions in here, so buckle up! What did you think about the incident and what lessons did you take from it?

#36. To anybody that's been near a sailboat, today's guest needs no introduction. John Rousmaniere is a legendary sailor/writer whose been in the thick of the sport for over 40 years. He's logged over 40,000 sailing miles, mostly offshore, raced at the highest levels of the sport, and written 15 books and counting on the subject. Andy met John at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club following the Newport-Bermuda Race a few weeks ago. John has been in charge of media for the past three editions of the race, and reprised his role in 2014. Then he jumped aboard the McCurdy & Rhodes designed 'Selkie' and sailed back to Newport! John and Andy Skyped, Andy in Sweden, John in NYC, and they chatted for almost an hour about John's career as a writer, what it was like to sail in the '72 Bermuda Race and infamous '79 Fastnet Race, his motivations for writing about sailing and specifically safety at sea, and what he fears offshore. Enjoy!

#35. Welcome! New concept this week borrowed from Tim Ferriss and his podcast, which I'm a huge fan of (check it out). Every Friday I'll be recording an essay of sorts - stories, opinions, ideas, Q&A if we can get some folks involved, that sort of thing. It'll be a nice compliment to the interviews I do with guests, which will be out earlier in the week. So enjoy this story of my first experience being naked in Scandinavian-style with my wife Mia, her best friend Johanna, and my best friend Clint in the sauna in Finland.

#34. Yves Gelinas of Cape Horn Marine Products was on the show last year, coming to us from his office on the Ottawa River in Quebec. Andy was in Sweden and Ryan in Pittsburgh, so it's the first three-country podcast! Yves is a wonderful guy, a solo sailor, artist, inventor and businessman who gave up a successful career in filmmaking to pursue his dreams of sailing. In 1983 he completed production on 'With Jean du Sud Around the World', the film account of his solo circumnavigation via the Roaring Forties. The film won numerous awards following it's release, and is still considered by many as the finest sailing film ever produced. Yves discussed that project with us, his philosophy on art, life and sports, and how he got into the business of designing and producing the Cape Horn windvane self-steering system. Check out www.capehorn.com to learn more about that and to contact Yves. Thanks Yves!

#32. Andreas Hanakamp! For the sailors out there, Andreas is a former Olympic sailor and the skipper of Team Russia in the 09/08 Volvo Ocean Race. And he's awesome! Andy first met him in the 2011 ARC rally, and got a chance to sit down with him this year over a coffee in St. Lucia. Beyond sailing, Andreas is just overall a super inspiring dude - he climbs mountains, runs marathons, skis in the backcountry and just generally takes full advantage of life. It was a privilege for Andy to have had the chance to hang out with him for a couple days in St. Lucia. Thanks Andreas!

#31. This is another lecture from Cruiser's University that Andy gave in April in Annapolis. Sorry for the not-perfect quality (he recorded it on his phone), but hopefully the content makes up for it! Andy discusses six common problems you might encounter offshore, and how to deal with them. Indeed, whether some of them are even worth losing sleep over! Of the six, only two are what Andy calls 'deal-breakers' - meaning they can ruin, sometimes dangerously, an otherwise pleasant experience ocean sailing. If you missed it, check out Episode 29 about 'Mentally Preparing to go Offshore,' the other lecture from Cruiser's U. Enjoy!

#30. Andy and Chris met at the 2011 Caribbean 1500 when Chris was covering the rally. They caught up this morning on Skype and had a PHENOMENAL chat about Chris' experience onboard Hugo Boss in the recent New York - Barcelona IMOCA 60 race. It's the first time in history an outside journalist has been allowed onboard a shorthanded (double- or single-handed) to report objectively on what the crews go through in such a lengthy endurance test. Hugo Boss' normal skipper Alex Thomson is of course famous for his mast walk and keel walk escapades in his Hugo Boss clothing. Thomson couldn't make the race, so American Ryan Breymaier stood in...the won the race! Chris discusses life onboard, if it's possible to accurately document a double-handed race with a third person onboard (and Chris offers an awesome Heisenberg uncertainly analogy), what it feels like to sail a cutting edge rocketship like an IMOCA 60, and more! Towards the end Andy and Chris delve into fears offshore and some more philosophical ideas about sail

#29. Welcome back! This week is a seminar Andy recorded at the Cruiser's University in Annapolis during the Spring Sailboat Show. People talk endlessly about preparing their boats to go offshore, but what about their brains? Andy spends over an hour going through the stages of a voyage, from preparation through to landfall, and discusses the common anxieties, what to expect, and how to keep it all in perspective. Enjoy!

#28. Erik de Jong was one of Andy's favorite guests on the podcast, and spoke at length on Episode 15. This one is a bit shorter. Andy & Erik talked via Skype last Saturday, the day before Erik was set to depart Halifax bound for Greenland in his custom steel 50-footer Bagheera, which Erik designed and built himself (he's a professional ship designer, so he can do that sort of thing!). Andy & Erik discuss how the very cool story of Erik delivering some sculptures to an art Student in Nuuk, Greenland came about after the last podcast episode was released. So as I type, Erik is en route to Nuuk, with a cargo of artwork, on a very cool mission! He'll continue sailing north this summer on his Arctic expeditions (still some crew spots left!). Check out bagheera-sailing.com to follow his progress and book a bunk! Thanks again to Erik for joining the show.