Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell

Ralph and Leslie have been cruising The Bahamas for many years and share their favorite places to go and things to do. We discuss gear, monohulls vs catamarans, crossing the Gulf Stream, sheltering in the Ragged Islands during the lockdown, ordering groceries from the mailboats, spearfishing, watermakers, lots of islands and anchorages, and places to snorkel and spearfish.

Elliot is a young man who is chasing his dream and making it happen on a shoestring budget. We talk about his first time sailing to The Bahamas, which was also his first time offshore, singlehand sailing, spearfishing, surfing in The Bahamas, and lots more. He shares his mistakes and successes in this laughter-filled interview. Elliot is full of fun stories and was a pleasure to talk to.

I recorded this in March of 2018 while sailing alone in The Bahamas, crossing the Crooked Island Passage between the Ragged Islands and Long Island. It was this trip that I wrote about in the book "Journey to the Ragged Islands." I tell of events including a squall at night in the Gulf Stream, an encounter with an enormous oceanic whitetip shark, surfing an offshore reef, nearly drowning in a blue hole, and beautiful sailing.

Jim Abernethy has spent nearly 40 years diving with sharks, without a cage. He has learned to befriend them, has removed hundreds of fish hooks from their mouths, and even pets them like dogs. In this interview, I set out to learn all that a sailor, snorkeler, surfer, and spearfisher needs to know about sharks so we can all overcome our fears and enjoy their habitat safely.

Tapio was one of only 5 finishers out of 18 boats that started in the 2018 Golden Globe Race, a singlehand, nonstop race around the world in old production cruisers limited to using 1968 technology. We talk about his boat, his experiences at sea for 322 days, whales, albatross, books, navigation, and the upcoming Ocean Globe Race. Tapio is a legend of ocean sailing, and has much to pass on to all of us.

Andrew Evans is a singlehanded sailor and author of THE book on the subject. All serious singlehanders have either read the book, or they will. We discuss how he has his Olson 30 set up, foul-weather gear, tethers and harnesses, sheet-to-tiller steering, tying off the tiller, autopilots, tacking and gybing singlehanded, sleeping while sialing alone, meal planning for singlehanders, handling spinnakers alone, the mental challenges of solo sailing, and the rewards of solo sailing. This is a must-hear podcast not only for singlehanders, but for anyone who sails offshore, since even sailors with crews might find themselves in a situation where they have to handle the boat alone.

Erick and Jen are living the dream of exploring and looking for surf and good spearfinshing on a beautiful Downeaster 38. We talk about how he chose his boat, the ten-year refit, male/female dynamics on a boat, instruments, solar power, developing the dream to live aboard and sail, budgeting and spending, meeting people while cruising, and much more.

I interviewed Pete Goss in November, 2019, when I met him in the Chesapeake Bay. We discuss his rescue of a fellow racer in the 1996 Vendee Globe race, in which he turned around in hurricane-force winds in the Southern Ocean and sailed upwind for three days and miraculously found Raphael Dinelli in his life raft. We also discuss his new boat, a Garcia 45, various issues facing singlehanders, like sleep and foul-weather gear, writing, and future plans.