Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell

I spoke with Tapio during his stopover in Auckland, NZ, during the Ocean Globe Race. We talk about the race, his boat (a Swam 55 yawl), sails,  the sinking of Asteria in the 2022 GGR, being rescued by Kirsten, Galiana's crew, crossing the equator, looking forward to Cape Horn, the decreasing wildlife in the oceans, and more.

Jelle Engel works for KM Yachtbuilders in sustainability development and sales and is a  design manager. He supported the team to develop the Bestevaer 36 and 42, working closely with Dykstra Naval Architects. We talk abvout sailing to Greenland and Iceland, weather forecasting, ice, lifting keels, freezing into the ice, ballast in lifting-keel boats, aluminum boat advantages and disadvantages, owning and maintaining an aluminum boat, features of high-latitude boats, protecting rudders from ice, icebergs, polar bears, sailing in uninhabited places, and much more!

Tim Whelan sails a Cape George 38 out of Seattle. We talk about sailing in the Pacific Northwest, sailing solo, sleeping while solo, sailing full-keel boats, backing up in marinas, building a wooden dinghy, autopilots, reefing, eliminating friction in raising the main, anchoring, books, Hydrovanes, preventers, circumnavigating Vancouver Island, dealing with fear, destinations, wildlife, and more!

Erick and Jenny recently sailed from Panama to the South Pacific. We talk about preparing for the Pacific crossings, their Hydrovane, their Tides Marine sailtrack, new sails, Panama, spearfishing, their Downeast 38, Panama to the Galapagos, boobies (and other birds), The Galapagos, sea lions, Galapagos to Fatu Hiva, rough seas, fishing, dealing with fear and anxiety, safety, watch schedules, tethers and jacklines, rules, clearing in in the Marquesas, anchoring, floating the chain, diving, sharks, surfing, power, water, Starlink, and more!

Guy Waites sailed around the world in the 2022 Golden Globe Race. He had to stop in Cape Town to scrape barnacles, then had to stop at Hobart after losing his liferaft in a knockdown, but he persevered and completed the solo circumnavigation. We talk about preparing for the race, gooseneck barnacles, full-keel boats vs modern designs, his boat - a Tradewind 35, sails, downwind sailplans, 2-line reefing, safety, being knocked down, keeping a clear head in storm conditions, rounding Cape Horn, enjoying solitude, mental challenges, towing warps, albatross, future sailing plans, sailing a class 40, and more!

Jeremy Bagshaw was one of the few finishers of the 2022 Golden Globe Race, taking second in the Chichester class, sailing around the world via the great capes, stopping only once in Hobart to deal with a barnacle infestation, and spending 277 days at sea. We talk about the race, why we love full-keel boats, perseverance, solitude, safety, foul-weather gear, reefing, downwind sail configurations, his Windpilot, dual mainsheets, bottompaint (coppercoat), communications, books, southern right whale dolphins, using math to control emotions, beautiful moments, difficulties, and much more!

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!