On the Wind Sailing

#126 & 127 are parts one and two of World Cruising Club's 2015 Ocean Sailing Forum. It’s a panel discussion of all things ocean sailing. I moderated it, and our guests included Lee & Rachel Cumberland of Satori, their Tayana 37; Rick & Julie Palm of Archer, their Outremer 51 catamaran; and Sheryl & Paul Shard of Distant Shores, their Southerly 49. Paul & Sheryl also have been making the popular TV series of the same name now for over 25 years. Thanks to Sailrite for sponsoring this week's episode. Join Andy & Mia offshore on Isbjorn, our classic Swan 48. 59-north.com/offshore.

#125. is Janne Larsson, Swedish electrician cum-circumnavigator. This is another episode I recorded at Hallberg-Rassy’s Oppna Varv in August. Big thanks to podcast fan – and now guest of the show! – Nuno Antunes for introducing me to Janne. Janne is another dreamer, and another example of how to make dreams turn into reality. An electrician living in Helsingborg on Sweden’s southwest coast, Janne and a friend Karl made a handshake agreement one day after a wine-filled evening the night before, and agreed they’d set off together and sail around the world. Nevermind that neither of them had ever sailed before. That was just a detail. The book 'Brave or Stupid' was  born. Thanks to Sailrite for sponsoring this episode! Come ocean sailing with Andy & Mia on their Swan 48 'Isbjorn'. To view the passage calendar, visit 59-north.com/offshore.

#124 is Matt Rutherford (again). Matt and Nicole recently returned from another lengthy expedition, this one to the far northern reaches of Greenland in pursuit of scientific research. Matt & Nicole made it all the way to 78º North, further even than Nasa this summer, and helped chart one of the last areas on earth that’s never been surveyed before. We talked about the expedition, the logistics of navigating 24/7 in thick ice, how they anchored and what anchoring hardware they used, the locals, wildlife, carrying rifles ashore and polar bears! Check out his blog on oceanresearchproject.org. Thanks to Sailrite for sponsoring this episode! Want to go ocean sailing? Join us on Isbjorn, our classic Swan 48. Click here!

#123 starts out with a short story about the refit on Isbjorn. Andy reflects on the past three weeks and what he, Mia and a whole host of friends, old and new accomplished on the boat. There’s still lots to do, but boy have we come a long way! The guest this week is Nuno Antunes. Nuno’s from Portugal, but has lived in Sweden for over 20 years and has a fascinating personal story, including growing up in rural Portugal, becoming a Navy diver and being involed in the Balkans War. All the while, Nuno had a dream to sail over the horizon. His relentless pursuit of that dream and his unconventional means of making it come true are precisely why I wanted to have him on the show. This episode is one for the dreamers out there, a real-life example of one family who made their dreams come true and a practical lesson in how to actually do it. You can follow Nuno and Jenny’s adventures on dreamalive.se, where he’ll be keeping an ongoing blog of their trip. Nuno is also the Swedish distributor for the Air Head composting marine toilet (why he was at the show), so if you’re in Sweden and you’re interested in one, visit his sit at airheadtoilet.se.

#122 is Ben & Teresa Carey (again!). Mia and Andy had a chance to watch their movie, 'One Simple Question' and Andy spoke to them about it for a bit (spolier alert - it's awesome!). We also talked a lot about their 'Hello Ocean' citizen-science research projects, what motivates them to work so hard in sailing, and what they're up to at the upcoming Annapolis Boat Show! Hello Ocean can be found at helloocean.org, where there is also a link to their Indie Gogo page. Ben & Teresa's sail-training is at morsealpha.com. Get details on DVD orders for 'One Simple Question' at simplequestionmovie.com Want to go ocean sailing with Andy? Book a berth on Isbjorn, a classic Swan 48, at isbjornsailing.com.

#121. Cameron Deyell is a musician based in Brooklyn by way of Auckland, New Zealand. Note the new intro music this week, a song called 'Hey Rose' by his band 'Streets of Laredo.' The full song plays at the conclusion of the episode. Cameron's also a sailor and traveler, and much of his solo music is informed by his sailing experience and sailing dreams. Cameron invited Andy to his Brooklyn studio to record this interview, where they discuss his music career and his sailing background. Cameron also wrote and performed the new ad music for the podcast. Look for a bonus episode this week with a look behind-the-scenes at how that came together. Check out Cameron's band at 'Streets of Laredo' at streets-of-laredo.com. Cameron's solo project is at totarajack.com.  Want to go ocean sailing with Andy? Book a berth on Isbjorn, a classic Swan 48, at isbjornsailing.com. And to find Franz Amussen and his podcasts and sailing tutorials, visit medsailor.com.

#120 is Magnus Rassy. If the name sounds familiar, it should – Magnus is CEO of Hallberg-Rassy, builder of some of the finest cruising yachts in the world.  Orust island is legendary for producing sailing yachts, and in fact Magnus has an almost unbelieveable story to share about the history of this place.  Go to the show's website page at 59northpodcast.com to see some photos from the HR yard in Sweden! Want to go ocean sailing with Andy? Book a berth on Isbjorn, a classic Swan 48, at isbjornsailing.com.

#119. Going to the way-back machine for this week’s show, re-releasing episode #10 of my old Two Inspired Guys show. This is Joe Reed, multi-time Caribbean 1500 sailor and NASA scientist, recorded in Tortola after the rally in 2012. For those of you who have listened to 59º North for a while now, you’ll notice a BIG difference in this episode! I’m slightly embarrassed to even release this again, but it is fun to go back and hear how far the podcast has come in terms of both my hosting and the production quality. Plus, Joe’s a super guy, and has a super story. He’s sailed in the 1500 every year since this was recorded, and is indeed signed up again for 2015. If you want to come ocean sailing with Mia and I on our Swan 48 'Isbjorn,' check out the passage calendar on 59-north.com/offshore.  

#118 is Matt Grant of Sailrite, makers of the Ultrafeed sewing machine and inspiration to thousands of DIY sailors around the world. Matt’s father Jim started the company back in the 1960s, and he’s followed in the family footsteps, taking the reigns after college and moving the business into the future. Want to go ocean sailing with Andy? Book a berth on Isbjorn, a classic Swan 48, at isbjornsailing.com.

#117 is Simon Borjeson, a twenty-something Swedish sailor and athlete living in Norway and working as an engineer in the oil industry. I met Simon at the start of the ARC Europe rally in Portsmouth, VA. He, along with three of his friends, were crewing onboard Euphoria, a brand-new Xc-42 that Simon’s dad Len had recently bought. Simon discusses growing up and sailing with his family, what it’s like on a long ocean passage, how Swedish sailing and boating culture works, why Swedes don’t drink and drive and how his sailing actually helped his preparation for the Stockholm Swimrun in June. Simon & his competition partner Rasmus are gunning for the world championships in Swimrun on September 7, racing in 'O till O', a 75km jaunt through the outer Stockholm archipelago. Follow them on ostersjosimmet.com. As an aside, you might hear that I talk a bit different in this episode. I know Simon in Swedish, and we rarely talk English to each other. So it’s a bit strange for both of us to be speaking English together on the show. Big thanks to Simon for going out of his comfort zone and recording this episode in English. Want to go ocean sailing with Andy? Book a berth on Isbjorn, a classic Swan 48, at isbjornsailing.com.