Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell

I met Harry because we are both sober sailors. Harry was an alcoholic and a Biker in California, and is now 29 years sober and an accomplished sailor. We talk about his Malo 39, B&G instruments, watermakers, Puerto Vallarta, the Sea of Cortez, learning to sail in California, getting sober, hitting the bottom, being a sober sailor and navigating the social scene, advice for anyone who wants to get sober, Buddhism for those in recovery, meditation, and much more.

Roan and Carrie Poulter, aka The Wayward Travelers, spoke to me from Key West after completing the Great Loop in their 1988 Gemeni 3000 catamaran. We talk about their route, storms, friendly locals, the Erie Canal, selecting a boat for the loop, budgeting for the loop, their 5 great adventures, shade, showering, surfing, the Great Dismal Swamp, and much more.

Gary French was sailing his brand new Amel 50 off the coast of Spain in 2020 when his boat was attacked by Orcas. We talk about the boat, the orca attack, repairing the boat, the ARC 2020, safety, and more.

Matt is refitting the classic Open 60 formerly known as Duracell and turning it into a cruising home for he and his wife. We talk about learning to sail, racing in Puget Sound, living aboard in the Pacific Northwest, why he took on this project, his inspirations, Mike Plant, designing the interior, diesel/electric hybrids, Steve Dashew, Coyote the movie, the Duracell Project, designing a new keel, the Sea of Cortez, advice for buying an old boat, and much more.

Simon Curwen will be sailing around the world solo and nonstop in his Biscay 36 in the 2022 Golden Globe Race. We talk about racing, his boat, tiller vs wheel, full keel vs modern designs, headsail configurations, roller furling vs hank-on, dual mainsheets, Hydrovane vs Aries, selecting lines, antifouling, reefing, safety, solo sailing vs sailing with crew, what he is looking forward to and what he fears about the GGR, sail trim for cruisers, and much more.

An interview with Donna, the Marina Manager at the Errol Flynn Marina in Port Antonio, Jamaica.

I discuss my singlehand passage of 8 days and 900nm from Bocas del Toro, Panama, to Port Antonio, Jamaica.

John and his wife took their first sailing class in March of 2020 and later that year bought a Tartan 37. His story is a good example of how to move quickly from landlubber to cruising sailor. We talk about sailing education, buying a boat, the survey and haul-out, Tartan 37's, dealing with bad weather, insurance, hurdles that stop people from leaving the dock, making mistakes as a beginner, dinghies, fuel and avoiding diesel bug, climbing the mast, autopilots, steering, anchoring, and much more.

This is my second interview with Guy deBoer, an entrant in the 2022 Golden Globe Race. We discuss the refit of his boat, Spirit, a Tashiba 36, including details like bottom paint, bilge pumps, the mast, solar panels, and reefing. We also discuss sail training, communication, fin keel vs full keel, the other competitors, killer whales, and sextant navigation.