On the Wind Sailing

#168 is Matt Rutherford, recycled. We’re trying something new today. Or rather, something old. This week’s show is a rerun. A few episodes ago I hinted at publishing new episodes three times per month. I decided recently to fill that extra week with an old show, the idea being that some of our new listeners may not yet have ‘binged’ through the back catalog and caught up! So I’m going to recycle some of my old favorites and some of the ‘classics’, record a new intro, put them in the ‘On the Wind’ format and publish them in the ‘off’ weeks. So in effect, we’re now publishing weekly, save for a few holiday breaks here and there. It’ll be very obvious in your podcast feed when it’s a recycled episode. Our first recycled episode features the very first conversation I ever recorded with Matt Rutherford, from way back in 2011. Makes me realize how long I’ve been doing this! This is cool because it was recorded before Matt was ‘Matt Rutherford,’ the famous explorer who became the first and only person to sail solo and non-stop around the Americas, and it’s an interesting insight into his motivations, having seen now the remarkable voyages he’s completed since. It’s also appropriate timing because Matt just recently returned to Annapolis from Greenland. I’d like to know what you think of my recycled episodes concept. Good idea or bad idea? Send your comments and suggestion to andy@59-north.com.

#167 is Ryan Breymaier, solo sailor, family man and absolute badass! Ryan is one of the few American sailors into short-handed ocean racing & won the double-handed New York to Barcelona race as co-skipper of Hugo Boss (a story Chris Museler told way back on episode #30). Ryan was in France when I spoke to him, working with Team Safran on preparing for the next Vendee Globe. We talked about his early years racing at St. Mary’s, how he got to France, what sailing on a 100-foot trimaran is like, and how to manages to balance his lifestyle with his young family. Want to go ocean sailing yourself? Join Andy & Mia on an offshore passage expedition aboard 'Isbjorn', their Swan 48. Full calendar on 59-north.com/offshore.

#166: Annie Dike is a reformed lawyer-turned-sailor - that is, she left the profession in her early 30s to pursue a more passionate life. Her and her partner Philip sail a Niagara 35 on the west coast of Florida, and they recently crossed the Atlantic to France on a high-tech Catamaran. Annie & I discussed how she left the lawyer world behind, what the Atlantic crossing was like for a first-time ocean sailor, her various movie projects, her friendship with Pam Wall & her passion for helping others pursue the cruising lifestyle. — Annie Dike is a truly interesting & inspiring character, and what follows was one of the more fun-loving and honest interviews I’ve done in a while. Annie has an infectious personality, and has been using her lawyer-like work ethic to offer cruising opportunities to other aspiring sailors. Mia & I recently teamed up with Annie to offer one of our offshore passages aboard Isbjorn to one of her fans - check out Annie’s Patreon page on patreon.com/havewindwilltravel for details.

#165. Weather Routing Inc. provides all of the forecasting for the passages Mia & I run aboard Isbjorn. I consult with them to plan the best departure window before a passage, and once offshore can get updates on-demand when I feel I need them. Jeremy Davis & Amanda Delaney, meteorologists for WRI, came by Isbjorn during last week’s Annapolis Boat Show to talk weather, namely, Hurricane Matthew, which we spent the majority of the episode discussing. — Hurricane Matthew is the subject of most of today’s episode. It’s with a heavy heart that I report that one of our best friends lost their boat in the storm literally only hours after we recorded this, on the Friday of Annapolis Boat Show. It’s a long story, but they were forced to leave the boat, an Ericsson 35, in Daytona after having to replace their engine following a winter cruising in the Bahamas. It was a chain of events that started all the way back in April, culminating in the worst news you’d ever want to hear as a boat owner. They’d owned the boat for nearly 30 years. — I’m in Connecticut as I record this, at my producer Liz’ apartment. Big thanks to Liz for setting up our first university lecture at her school at UConn Avery Point, definitely one of the more beautiful campus’ I’ve visited. And thanks to all of you who came out to hear us talk ocean sailing! We had a blast! And if there’s anyone out there listening who wants to set up a talk at their school, please reach out! Mia & I would love to come and chat and hang out on campus!

#164 is Kari Finstad, a 30-something Norwegian sailor and yoga instructor. Kari recently purchased and refit a 32-foot Wauquiez Centurion - one of my favorite boats, and comparable to the legendary Contessa 32 - and spends most of her time above the Arctic Circle. We talked about her yoga travels to India & the east, her winter on Bjornoya in the Arctic working at the meteorology station, refitting the Wauquiez, her cat companion, baking bread, making kombucha & much more. -- Want to go ocean sailing? Join Andy & Mia on their Swan 48 at 59-north.com/offshore.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo and nonstop around the world, shares riveting tales from his legendary sailing career. He reflects on the challenges of the Golden Globe Race and the emotional highs of ocean racing. Sir Robin discusses the evolution of navigation tools, the spirit of competition in sailing, and his journey from racing to building marinas. He emphasizes teamwork in extreme conditions and the transformative power of youth sailing programs, inspiring a new generation to embrace the adventure of the sea.

#162. Moxie Marlinspike is a legend in tech. As a programmer, he literally wrote the code that enables everyday encryption. He’s friendly with Edward Snowden and was recently feature in WIRED magazine. Moxie, though, is a sailor at heart. I worked together with him at Broadreach way back in 2008. We caught up to talk about his unique sailing philosophy, his movie ‘HOLD FAST’ & his rise in the tech world. If you’ve followed the news even tangentially, you’ll have heard about encryption. Remember Edward Snowden? His revelations about the FBI’s mass collection of data from everyday Americans set off a wave of stories centered around personal privacy & national security. Today’s guest is at the center of that debate - Moxie Marlinspike, almost single-handedly invented everyday encryption, and his code was recently implemented in WhatsApp and Facebook’s new ‘secret’ Messenger service. If you’re interested in this sort of thing at all, I highly recommend watching the documentary about Snowden called Citizen Four, and reading the recent WIRED Magazine profile on Moxie, which you can easily find on Google, or I’ll link it in the show notes. -- This episode is sponsored by Forbes Horton Yachts. Visit his online inventory and get in touch to buy or sell your next boat at forbesyachts.com.

#161 is John & Amanda Neal for a third time, who have run adventure sailing expeditions on their Hallberg-Rassy 46 Mahina Tiare for over 20 years. They’ve sailed 220,000 miles on the boat, taking her quite literally to the ends of the earth. We chatted in-person at the Hallberg-Rassy boatyard in Sweden about their recent summer in the Arctic. In case you missed it, in last week’s newsletter Mia and I officially published our 2018 offshore passage calendar. Isbjorn is headed north! That’s right, we’re Arctic bound in summer 2018, with passages to Scotland, Norway, Spitsbergen & Iceland. Visit 59-north.com/arctic for details & to register. As a nod to our podcast fans, we’ve not ‘linked’ this page online yet - so you guys get first dibs before the big launch at the boat show. You can come visit us on Dock H at the Annapolis Sailboat Show to tour Isbjorn and talk about ocean sailing.

#160. Brian Porter was on the build team for the record-breaking, 100-foot supermaxi ‘Comanche,’ and continues to work on owner’s Jim & Kristy Clark’s shore crew. He came on the podcast to talk about his boat-building beginnings, getting a dream job building Comanche, working alongside pro sailors Ken Red, Stan Honey & Jimmy Spithill, Comanche’s recent trans-Atlantic record, the America’s Cup and much more. Want to try your hand at ocean sailing? Sign on as crew on Andy & Mia's Swan 48 'Isbjorn' and learn what it takes to cross an ocean in safety, comfort and style. See the full passage calendar, including trans-Atlantic voyages, a North Sea crossing and a trip into the Baltic at 59-north.com/offshore.

#159. Pam Wall, the film version. When we changed the name of the show to ON THE WIND, I hinted about new projects in the works. Today I can finally announce one of them. The episode that follows is the audio version of this week’s ON THE WIND, which in its original form is actually a film, directed by Thierry Humeau and shot in Pam Wall’s backyard in Ft. Lauderdale back in April. This is the first of what will become a sort of special addition to the podcast when Thierry and I have time to film & produce it. The film version will release simultaneously with the podcast, so make sure to visit 59-north.com/onthewindtv to watch it, or subscribe to our new YouTube channel at youtube.com/59northsailing. There’s also some special bonus footage, including a film tour with Pam and I or her iconic Freya 39 KANDARIK. Thanks to Pam for participating! And big thanks also to Liz Karamavros for helping to brainstorm the name; to Cameron Deyell, for composing and recording the music especially for the show; to Mia Karlsson; and to Thierry for coming up with the idea in the first place! I truly hope you enjoy it. Follow along with Pam Wall at pamwall.com.