Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell

In this episode, I talk about setting sailing goals, selecting the right kind of boat, my opinions regarding features of a good offshore sailboat, my boat, how I reef, what I love about sailing, and where I've been in the last four years.

I met Kyle at Escudo de Veraguas, an island about 20nm east of Bocas del Toro, Panama. We talk about the island, sailing in the Caribbean, dinghies, learning to sail, his Ta Yang 50 Flying Dutchman, buying the boat, mishaps and chaos, being struck by lightning, losing the propshaft and almost sinking, tacking upwind to Aruba, water in the foam core, near-death experiences, books, teak decks, and much more! The interview continues with us talking about his sea glass business on my other podcast "Dream Chasers and Eccentrics."

Josh Axler will be sailing in the 2026 Golden Globe Race. We talk about racing boats both fast and slow, carbon fiber vs fiberglass and steel in boat construction, racing a Gunboat, why he wants to do the Golden Globe Race, books, managing Elliot Smith's 2022 GGR campaign, the NOR, solitude, selecting his boat for the race - an Endurance 35, sailing a ketch, getting the boat ready for the race, setting the boat up for singlehanding, long passages, instant coffee, writing, a favorite sailing memory, a scary sailing memory, sailing alone in fog, and much more!

  Peter Gibbons-Neff is currently racing in the Mini Transat. We talk about the Canary Islands, Starlink, sailing a Mini, sleep, AIS, camaraderie with other racers, buying the boat, silimarities and differences to cruising, hand steering and autopilot, power generation, the value of an MP3 player, swimming, risk management, wildlife, orcas, casualties, fixing things, difficult moments, favorite moments, US Patriot Sailing, future cruising and racing, dragging anchor in Panama, cruising the Caribbean in a mini, and much more!

Bryan and Jen are chasing their dreams in the South Pacific on their Catana Bali 4.0. We talk about French Polynesia, their catamaran, catamarans vs monohulls, teaching themselves to sail, escaping the drudgery of society, an unforcasted cyclonic even, repairing two saildrive shafts while at a remote atoll, maintaining optimism in trying times, floating the anchor in an atoll, other anchoring issues, happiness, fear, freedom, making decisions as a couple, favorite places, and much more!

Ronnie is preparing for the start of the Global Solo Challenge, and will be sailing around the world in his Open 50 "Shipyard Brewing." We talk about crossing the Atlantic, Nova Scotia, going up the mast, sailing his open 50 on different points of sail, killer whales, rigging, bottom paint, the Global Solo Challenge, communications, foul-weather gear, heavy weather, future plans, his new girlfriend, and much more!

Daniel took off from Norway to circumnavigate without any experience and made it happen. He has since signed up for the 2026 Golden Globe Race and bought an OE 32. We talk about his circumnavigation, the Caribbean, spearfishing in the San Blas islands, the South Pacific, Micronesia, the Philipines, Borneo, radar, Madagascar, rounding the Cape of Good Hope, anchors, the Golden Globe Race, books, Hydrovanes, downwind sailing, heavy weather, safety, reefing, and much more.

Olivia fell in love with sailing, learned fast, and took off, sailing solo on her Panda 34, and is currently in the South Pacific. We talk about getting started, courses, books, learning to sail, her first storm, dealing with fear, spirituality, her boat, removing the leaking teak deck, bedding compounds, the GGR, losing the engine, hydrovanes, writing, meeting people, solo sailing, self-reliance, safety, lines and reefing, making deals with God, and much more!

Merrill lives on his Tashiba 36 in a Marina in Boston and runs the business Shipshape, which connects marine contractors and boat owners. We talk about the pros and cons of living in a marina, marina pirates, dating while living in a marina, drunks falling off docks, dinghies, through-hiking the Appalachian Trail, making 1000 origami cranes, shopping for a boat, Shipshape, sailing destinations in New England and Boston, Nova Scotia, Panama, hunting for lost planes in The Bahamas, treasure hunting, writing, running over a red nun buoy in a catamaran, and more!

Olivier Hendrix is a long-time offshore sailor and the develper of iNav4U. We talk about sailing in the Mediterranean and Patagonia, storm training in the North Sea in the Winter, going overboard while tethered to the mast, staying warm in the North Sea, iNav4U, and much more.