On the Wind Sailing

Brion Toss, a master rigger renowned for his expertise in offshore yacht rigging, shares valuable insights alongside sailor Andy Schell. They discuss the causes of yacht rigging fatigue and the critical elements needed for safe offshore sailing. Brion emphasizes the importance of routine maintenance and inspections, particularly for older boats. They delve into the complexities of rigging splices, explore innovative safety measures, and recount personal sailing experiences that highlight the need for proactive preparation at sea.

#215. Gary Adams is the new owner of Oban Marina, in Scotland, which we visited on Isbjorn in June. He's also a former Clipper Race crewmember, who sailed with our friend - and podcast #184 guest - Ollie Cotterell. Gary & Andy sat down on the island of Kerrera to talk about Gary's sailing & business background, his Clipper Race experience and what it's like owning a marina. -- On the Wind is presented by Weems & Plath, makers of fine nautical & weather instruments. weems-plath.com.

#214. Brittany Meyers is the author of Windtraveler, the hugely popular blog about her experience transitioning from 'land to sea to the tropics with three.' She's an accomplished sailor, a mom, an adventurer, and now, after sadly losing her beloved boat 'Legato' to Hurricane Irma, a philanthropist. She tells her story to Andy this week on the podcast. -- On the Wind is presented by Weems & Plath, makers of fine nautical & weather instruments since 1928. Check out the brand new Crewwatcher MOB device online at weems-plath.com. Sail offshore on a Swan 48 with Andy & Mia at 59-north.com/offshore.

#213. Andy Jamieson joined the crew of Infinity, a 120-foot hand-built schooner, on a voyage towards Antarctica. The adventures that ensued were filmed and recently released as 'Sea Gypsies: The Far Side of the World,' easily one of the best sailing movies we've seen. Go to seagypsiesmovie.com to watch for yourself. -- On the Wind is presented by Weems & Plath, makers of fine nautical & weather instruments since 1928. Go to weems-plath.com. -- Join Andy & Mia on the ocean sailing adventure of a lifetime and sail offshore on their Swan 48 'Isbjorn.' Head to 59-north.com/offshore to see routes & dates for 2018, 2019 & beyond.

#212. RECYCLED. Sara Hastreiter sailed in the previous Volvo Ocean Race aboard the all-women Team SCA, skippered by Dee Caffari. Sara's off mountaineer for this year's event, set to sail on October 22. But Dee Caffari is heading up the mixed-crew team on 'Turn the Tide on Plastic,' so you know who I'll be rooting for this year! Mia & I met and sailed with Sara in NYC a few years back, and I had a chance to talk to her on Skype immediately following the last Volvo.

#211. Hank & Andy sat down at the Annapolis Sailboat Show to discuss the ongoing relief efforts in the Caribbean due to Hurricane's Irma & Maria. The successive storms destroyed two of Hank's favorite islands - St. Martin & Dominica - also the places he calls home aboard 'Avocation' during the winter sailing season. Hank discusses his focused effort to help the people of those islands rebuild, and how YOU can help. -- On the Wind is presented by Weems & Plath, makers of fine nautical & weather instruments since 1928. Don't miss their newly announced Crew Watcher Man Overboard system for smartphones. Visit weems-plath.com.

#210: Skip Novak is a leader in the expedition sailing world, and his Pelagic expeditions based in Patagonia are world-class, and a huge inspiration to our business at 59 North with Isbjorn. Skip & Andy spoke about his career in the Whitbread Race, growing up in Chicago, building an expedition business, sailing with Magnus Olsson and much more.

#209: SOOO, while we’ve been sailing around Sweden on Isbjorn, I’ve been working behind the scenes to finalize production on the first-ever published book by 59 North, Yves incredible ‘Jean du Sud & the Magic Byrd,’ a beautiful & philosophical book about Yves’ journey to sail solo & nonstop around the world, written in a style I find very similar to the legendary Bernard Moitessier, a sailor I know Yves admired himself. Yves will be joining us at the Annapolis Sailboat Show next week for the duration, and we’ll be selling a limited quantity of his book, signed by Yves himself who will be there for you to meet! Which brings us back to today’s episode, which is the first chapter of Yves’ book, narrated by Yves himself. ‘Jean du Sud & the Magick Byrd’ will officially launch as Season 2 of Sailing Stories next Thursday, October 5, Day 1 of the Sailboat Show, and run weekly as usually through it’s completion. The show is free to listeners, but we’re again asking for donations if you like it - go to sailingstoriespodcast.com and just click the big blue FUND button. Lee, Yves & I put a lot of love & a lot of work into this one and we really think you’ll love it!

#208: As I record this, Isbjorn is stuck in medieval Visby, on the island of Gotland smack in the center of the Baltic. We’ve only made it about 100 miles south of Stockholm, on this our 11th and LAST passage of 2017, due to horrendous weather. Recent guests the Veber family reported gusts over 50 knots in their homeport of Falsterbo, on the Swedish southwest coast about 200 miles from here and on our route. So we’re sitting tight. What follows is a roundtable meeting recorded about 6 weeks ago with Isbjorn’s crew from our PREVIOUS passage, when we were similarly stuck in Marstrand, waiting out a gale. If you want to learn more about offshore weather forecasting, head over to morganscloud.com, where right now there is a series of detailed articles coming out that John Harries & I wrote. -- On the Wind is presented by Weems & Plath, makers of fine nautical & weather instruments since 1928. weems-plath.com. Sail offshore with Andy & Mia on Isbjorn, a Swan 48. Routes & dates at 59-north.com/offshore.

#207. Jake Albano, who’s still in his 20s, is a longtime friend of mine and has been an integral part of sailing Isbjorn and managing the cruising rallies I used to be involved with. I first met Jake at the ARC Europe rally in 2014 when he was sailing aboard Persistent Lady, the dramatic story of which you’ll hear in the episode. Jake then sailed with me as mate on our first ‘test’ trip for our business model on Serenity, a Shannon 43 ketch we were loaned before we bought Isbjorn, and he’s sailed with us since on many occasions. Jake & I recorded this conversation at-sea aboard Isbjorn in the Azores earlier this summer, and we talk about how he got into sailing as a young person, and his tips for other young people on following in his tracks. -- On the Wind is presented by Weems & Plath, makers of fine nautical & weather instruments since 1928. Visit weems-plath.com for their online catalog. -- Sail offshore with Andy & Mia on Isbjorn, their Swan 48. Visit 59-north.com/offshore for the routes & dates.