On the Wind Sailing

#13. I had some fun with this one. We recorded this at the Caribbean 1500 start in Portsmouth, VA back in November (and frankly, I'd forgotten I had the file, or I'd have posted it sooner!). It's my seminar on crossing the Gulf Stream, as told to the 2013 Carib1500 skippers. Yes, we're missing some of the visual aids I used (though you can see some of them online at 59-north.com), and at times it's hard to hear the questions that come up, but overall I think it works. If you've never been offshore, the Gulf Stream is one of those major challenges that everyone coming or going to the American continent is going to eventually have to face. Hopefully this chat eases the tension a bit, and sheds some light on that challenge.  Read on for some of the slides that accompanied the talk, which will hopefully shed some more light on the subject and clear up some of the stuff I mentioned in the podcast. And here is the link to the Ocean Navigator article I reference, and the rest of my archive. Enjoy!  

#12. Andy talked to Tom & Susie from the ARC yacht Adina about just what makes the ARC rally so special. For 27 years now, the event has attracted upwards of 200 boats. And 2013 marks the first-ever ARC+, that saw 43 boats head to the Cape Verdes before continuing across the Atlantic. Tom & Susie offered some excellent insight into just what it takes to complete such an audacious undertaking, and why they felt doing it with the ARC was a perfect fit for them. Thanks guys!

#11. Andy takes a look at breakages in the ARC this year and how crews coped with them. He spent some time on the docks interviewing sailors as they made their repairs. The story appears on the ARC website as one of this week's feature, and we've decided to turn it into a podcast episode as well. So here it is, with the full audio from the sailors on the docks. Thanks for listening!

#10. Russ & Laurie Owen sat down with me on their catamaran 'Nexus' in Tortola last week. They had just completed the Caribbean 1500, and are on their way to St. Lucia now to sail around the world with World ARC. I warmed to Russ & Laurie straightaway in Portsmouth at the start of the rally - they're just genuine, nice people! Russ is very proud of the refit he's done on the boat - he's an aerospace engineer by trade, and one look at the 'guts' of his boat will tell you that he's thought it all through and then some. We chatted about their plans, how they got into sailing and what motivated them to make the leap and embark on such a long adventure. Thanks Russ & Laurie!

#9. Andre and Marie-Claude sailed in the Caribbean 1500 two years ago aboard their Moody 'Dancing Lizard.' This was a conversation I had with them over good French coffee and scrambled eggs aboard their boat in Hampton, VA before the start of the rally. Andre and Marie-Claude were two of my favorite folks in that event, and I see them popping up here and there on Facebook, cheering on their French-Canadian compatriots in this year's rally! Thanks for breakfast guys, and thanks for chatting!

#8. Joe Elder and his wife Alison own and run Skipjack Nautical in Portsmouth, VA. it's one of the few places like it in the USA - a treasure trove of nautical artifacts and artwork stretched throughout a beautiful gallery overlookin the Elizabeth River in Portsmouth. Joe and I talked about how he got involved starting the business, his career as a professional diver and underwater archaeologist, how he and Alison lost it all at the original Skipjack due to a catastrophic fire and Joe's passion for history and all things nautical. We chatted in the back of Skipjack at a table where Joe was just working on valuing a series of swords from a local collector, some dating as far back as the War of 1812. The place is awesome! Thanks Joe!

#7. The LEGENDARY Donald Street in person! I first met Don at the Annapolis Sailboat Show in 2010 when Mia and I had Arcturus on display with Colligo Marine. Don gave me some pointers on the yawl rig, and we hit it off right from the start. He's been the biggest influence on my sailing life since I started reading his books as a kid. Don and I sat down in the small apartment above the Weems & Plath shop in Eastport last week and chatted for almost an hour and a half about his sailing history, his chartwork, his philosophies and everything else he wanted to talk about. And the man can talk! He's in his mid-eighties, but still has the energy of a 20-year-old and is still out there speaking, writing guidebooks and sailing his Dragon in Ireland. Check him out online at www.street-iolaire.com.

#6. Mia and I met Christian in the Aland Islands this past summer. Christian and his wife Annette run the guest harbor at Rodhamn, a beautiful, small island about 10 miles south of Mariehamn, the capital of Aland. The island has some pretty interesting history, having served as the radio station during the wars. The old station remains as a museum, and in the summertime, Christian and Annette actually like in what was the station-keepers house! They keep their boat there as well, an OE-32, designed by the famous Olle Enderlein (of which we saw countless designs while sailing in Sweden). She's a beautiful double-ended sloop that I couldn't stop admiring. Christian and I chatted in the small cabin by the waterside that doubles as the cafe - the place has no electricity or running water (but it has a wood-fired sauna of course!), and Annette would bake bread daily on the propane stove and deliver it to the boats on the dock in the morning. It's a special place, and was our favorite stop in Aland. Don't miss it as part of ARC Baltic next summer, the newest WCC event on the calendar!

#5. Jim Carrier is a contributing editor for Cruising World magazine, and a fellow Allied Seabreeze owner! His boat, a yawl like Arcturus, is called Ranger. Jim sailed it across the Atlantic with ARC Europe several years back, and his experience with the boat on that long ocean passage convinced Andy & Mia to buy their Seabreeze. Andy and Jim discuss sailing the Seabreeze and Jim's career as a writer. He's done far more than just sailing journalism, writing newspaper columns, advocating for Civil Rights in Alabama and writing about Hurricane Katrina. Check him out on byliner.com - he's among an A-list of writers, including Jon Kraukauer, famous for 'Into the Wild' and 'Into Thin Air.' Thanks Jim!

#4. Lin & Larry Pardey are on the podcast! Two of my sailing heroes, whose voyages, articles, books and advice has spanned at least two generations of sailors. I spoke to them from Sweden - they were half a world away in New Zealand - and we chatted Baltic sailing, what it feels like to stay (more or less) in one place after a lifetime of ocean voyaging and what they think of the modern voyaging sailor. Check out Lin's new edition of 'The Care & Feeding of Sailing Crew' on their website at landlpardey.com, and catch them at the Toronto and Chicago Boat Shows this winter. Thanks Lin & Larry!