Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell

This is my second interview with the sailing couple Erick and Jenny VanMalssen.  We discuss the cruising life, freediving, spearfishing, surfing from a sailboat, lessens learned while living aboard, and various locations in The Bahamas.

My second update from The Bahamas in the Southern Abacos, then Eleuthera. I also discuss encountering five large ships at sea, all at once, using the AIS in this situation, and communicating with ships. I also included a long post about this subject that I took from a Facebook post, as it was full of very useful information.

Bahamas covid requirements for sailors, my passage to The Bahamas and my first two weeks here, anchorages, spearfishing, surfing, and future plans

Brian created Pelagic Autopilots in effort to make a better tiller pilot for his use in solo offshore racing in the San Francisco Bay area, including the Transpac. Many offshore sailors consider the Pelagic to be the best tillerpilot on the market, and it is the only one that incorporates a rate gyro. He has since developed a unit for wheel-steered boats as well. We discuss offshore racing, the Transpac, how autopilots work, what makes Pelagic Autopilots unique, tiller vs wheel steering, love of offshore sailing, and wildlife encounters.

Marco Nannini is the organizer of the Global Solo Challenge, an around-the-world solo sailing event in production sailboats, set to take place in 2023. Unlike the Golden Globe, this is not a "retro" race, and thus will allow the use of any technology. Marco is also a very accomplished offshore racer. He took 1st place in the 2009 OSTAR in the IRC3 class, 2nd in the Round Britain and Ireland 2010, 27th in the Route du Rhum 2010, and 2nd in the Global Ocean Race 2011.

Elliott Smith, whom you might remember from episode 7, is entering the 2022 Golden Globe Race. We talk about dealing with the cold, shopping for a boat, sailing alone, Moitessier's inspiration, preparing for the big race, personal strengths and weaknesses, and love of the ocean. "The right moment is always in front of you to start making steps in the right direction."

This episode is just me, talking about my new book, "Chasing the Nomadic Dream," the six-month refit of Windflower that is just now complete, short discussions of the other four books I've published, and the coming journey to Panama.

Pat Lawless is an Irish Fisherman and Cabinetmaker, and has entered the Golden Globe Race. We discuss his boat, a Saga Saltram, sailing in the North Atlantic, his preparations for the race, love of the ocean, sailing around the other Cape Horn, and north atlantic wildlife.

Guy deBoer hopes to become the first American to win a singlehanded, non-stop, around-the-world sailing race. We discuss his aspirations, his preparations, his training, and his boat, Spirit, a Tashiba 36, which he will sail in the 2022 Golden Globe Race.

Gaurav Shinde is entered in the 2022 Golden Globe Race, a solo, nonstop circumnavigation race that allows only pre-1968 technology in full-keel production cruising boats designed before 1988. Gaurav will be racing in a Baba 35, Good Hope. He is the youngest entrant, and the only person of color in the race. Gaurav was born in India and lives in Canada. He has logged over 20,000 nautical miles of ocean racing, has competed in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, has been awarded the Admiral Ramdas Trophy for offshore sailing, and won many other awards for offshore racing.