On The Wind Sailing

#236. Legendary yacht designer Bob Perry is widely considered as the greatest cruising boat designer of his era, creating some of the most iconic boats of the last several decades including the Valiant 40, Tayana 37 & more. Despite growing up in the midwest and far from the ocean, Bob always knew he’d become a designer. He has somewhat of a hippy past, playing in rock bands in the early days while basically talking his way into the industry as an apprentice when he was in his 20s. He’s worked alongside some of the greats, and obviously has carved a niche out for himself. This was a long, wide-ranging and really fun conversation I had with Bob about his career, his favorite designs, life after losing his son, and more. On the Wind is presented by Rutgerson Marin. And also supported by Adlard Coles, and Weems & Plath.

#235. Sara Hastreiter is of course one of the members of Team SCA, the all-female crew in the previous edition of the Volvo Ocean Race. Sara was on the podcast back in 2015, immediately following that Volvo to talk about how she went from horseback riding in Wyoming to sailing in one of the world’s premier ocean races. I got to speak with her again in March about what it felt like to be left off the Volvo race this time, her mountaineering expeditions in the Himalayas and her ‘Seven Seas, Seven Summits’ project, speaking at the Explorer’s Club in New York, continuing to race on multihulls around the world, and her goals to inspire young people to follow their dreams. On the Wind is presented by Rutgerson Marin. And also supported by Adlard Coles, and Weems & Plath.

#234. Maik Brotzmann has been a friend of the podcast now for a few years, having joined Mia & I in Annapolis two years back to attend one of our Celestial workshops. He grew up in East Germany and lived through the fall of the Berlin wall, before later moving to Iceland to pursue his career on the waterfront. Maik is educated as a metrologist, but his interests are wide-ranging, from weather forecasting and routing to yacht design and naval architecture to sustainable marine tourism. We caught up with Maik on his own turf in Isafjordur where we stayed at his humble quarters, as he calls them, before joining Aurora Arktika for the ski & sail adventure we did in March. Find Maik online at haf-strand.com. On the Wind is presented by Rutgerson Marin. And also supported by Adlard Coles, and Weems & Plath.

Hey, we fixed the volume level issue! Here's a quick PSA from Andy on how to get the corrected files in your podcast feed.

#233. Nat Philbrick is the author of ‘In the Heart of the Sea,’ the famous story of the whaling ship Essex, which sunk in the Pacific after being attacked by an angry sperm whale. This true-life story became the inspiration for Herman Melville’s classic ‘Moby Dick’, and at the time, was one of the most well-know sea stories. Of course Nat’s book, which recounted the true story from the perspective of the ship’s cabin boy, went on to become a Hollywood movie of the same name. Nat’s also a sailor, and actually lives on Nantucket, the whaling capital of the world in the 1700’s. I chatted with Nat about his career as a sailor and writer back in February. On the Wind is presented by Forbes Horton Yachts. And also supported by Weems & Plath, and Broadreach.

#232. Paul & Sheryl Shard of course have the popular TV series Distant Shores, and for 25 years have been sailing the world on their boats of the same name and documenting their travels. Mia & I met them again in Toronto in January where they were excitedly awaiting the launch of their latest boat, a new Southerly 48. We sat down with them between seminars to talk about the design process, how Southerly are now owned by Discovery Yachts in the UK, what they wanted in their new design, and about how they’re getting ready and planning for the next phase of their cruising life by sailing trans-Atlantic and getting ready for the Pacific! On the Wind is presented by Forbes Horton Yachts. And also supported by Weems & Plath, and Broadreach.

#9. Andy talks about Isbjorn's big refit and the 70-mile shakedown cruise he and Mia did up the west coast of Sweden. Special thanks to Helly Hansen for inviting us to their event; and to Isbjorn crewmember Karl for composing and performing the music motifs on this week's show. -- Our 2020 Passage Calendar is now live! Go to 59-north.com/2020 to sail with us in the Atlantic.

#231 Tom Cunliffe is one of the great sailor/writers of the past 30 years. His old-school style in both the boats he chooses to sail and the way he tells his story is fascinating.  -- On the Wind is presented by Forbes Horton Yachts. And also supported by Broadreach and Weems & Plath.

#230. Goran Rutgerson is the founder of the eponymous Rutgerson company, who design & fabricate rigging and deck hardward in Marstrand, Sweden. Goran grew up in a sailing family and went on to pursue his passion in the sport, rising all the way to the America's Cup ranks. Back in the day, he was good buddies with Peter Harken, and both Harken & Rutgerson evolved as businesses alongside one another on opposite sides of the Atlantic. I spoke to Goran at his office at the Rutgerson Factory in Marstrand in January. -- On the Wind is presented by Forbes Horton Yachts. And also supported by Broadreach and Weems & Plath.

BONUS. Matt Rutherford has been on the podcast more than anyone else in our 230+ episodes, and his stories are always epic. What follows is a presentation Matt did in Toronto in January at the boat show there about his Around the America’s voyage on the 27’ Albin Vega ‘St Brendan.’ Matt’s told this story before on the podcast, but he’s so damn good at it that I never tire of listening to it, and you can always learn something new from him. I’m also playing this as a bonus episode this week because Matt just launched his own podcast - aptly titled ‘Single-Handed’ - so I encourage you to check that out for more of his incredible adventures. And be sure to check out Matt’s updated oceanresearchproject.org website. -- BONUS episodes of On the Wind are presented by us at 59 North, Ltd. Sign on to sail aboard our Swan 48 Isbjorn, or join us for a workshop in Annapolis on offshore sailing, celestial navigation and more. 

RECYCLED #99. Gary Jobson is one of the few household names in the American sailing world. He’s is a former All-American collegiate sailor and won the America's Cup in 1977 as tactician for Ted Turner. Gary then became a professional broadcaster & producer, working for ESPN and other national media organizations, and more recently has done the TV announcing work for the recent America’s Cups. He’s an Editor at Large for both Sailing World & Cruising World Magazines. He continues to sail out of his homeport in Annapolis and remains one of America’s strongest sailing ambassadors. I had the privilege to sit down with Gary in his home office in Annapolis back in April of 2015 to talk about his career. This episode originally aired as #99. Enjoy! -- Recycled episodes are presented by 59 North, Ltd. - that's Mia & Andy! Join us for a workshop or an offshore passage on our Swan 48 Isbjorn and experience the wisdom of the high seas. 59-north.com/offshore.

HITAS #3. Andy & Mia answer listener questions on things like mono- versus multihulls, swing keels, meals onboard, books, how to be a leader and more! How I Think About Sailing is Andy Schell's new podcast on, well, the title speaks for itself! Subscribe on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts! Music by Storm Weather Shanty Choir. Donate at 59-north.com/thinksailing.

#229: Andreas Heide is captain of the sailing yacht 'Barba', and the motivation behind the expeditions they run in far northern Norway. In winter. I should mention that Barba isn't a beefed up expedition yacht - she's a Jeanneau Sun Fast 37, more likely found in the Caribbean than the Arctic. No matter. After learning to sail in 2009, Andreas and his companions started setting out north and looking for Orcas. Here's his incredible story. --  

#228: Liz Karamavros is 59 North's first-ever apprentice. She came to us at the 2015 Annapolis Sailboat Show, and made such a good impression last we basically made up the apprentice position for her! Since then she's continued to carve out her own path towards her dream of professional ocean racing. Liz has recently signed onto her first big gig and is headed to the Caribbean to race onboard a Volvo 60! -- On the Wind is presented by Forbes Horton Yachts. The podcast is also supported by Weems & Plath and Broadreach.

#36 // RECYCLED. John Rousmaniere is a lifelong sailor & writer whose seen - and done - it all. I first met John in Bermuda following the 2014 Newport-Bermuda Race. John's been involved in the race for years running the media team. John's most well-known for his books - namely the Annapolis Book of Seamanship, and Fastnet Force 10, about that infamous race in 1979.

#227. Chris is a long-time ocean racing sailor, having competed in the Velux 5 Oceans Race, skippered a boat in the Clipper Race and later building his own charter-racing business called Spartan Ocean Racing. Chris & Andy met at the RORC Caribbean 600 in Antigua in 2016, Isbjorn's first attempt at the race, and finally got the chance to record a podcast in January 2018! -- On the Wind is Presented by Forbes Horton Yachts, and also supported by Weems & Plath and by Broadreach.

#226. FULL EPISODE. Lee Chesneau needs no introduction to you weather nerds out there. He’s been the voice of weather education for the past few decades in the US at least, and is as passionate about his chosen career field as anyone I’ve ever met. Lee & I began this conversation talking about his career - like how he KNEW he’d become a meteorologist when he was only 3 years old - but it was quite obvious that he REALLY wanted to talk weather. About a third of the way in, Lee gets going, and we had a wonderful and educational chat about offshore weather and how it impacts us sailors. Get in touch with Lee yourself on marineweatherbylee.com.

Andy Schell's new podcast on, well, the title speaks for itself! Subscribe on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts! Music by Storm Weather Shanty Choir. Donate at 59-north.com/thinksailing.

#225. Henrik Engblom is the bosun on the tall ship Pommern, one of the classic Cape Horn clipper ships that sailed out of the Aland Islands in the early 20th century. Aland is a Swedish-speaking but legally Finnish archipelago in the Baltic Sea, about 40 miles northeast of Stockholm, and home to a rich cultural & maritime history. Only in his 20s, Henrik, a native Alander Islander, is already a Master Rigger and in charge of Pommern’s restoration. Mia & I visited the ship back in 2013 when we sailed to Aland on Arcturus. I was excited to be back last summer aboard Isbjorn, when in August Henrik gave me a tour of the ship and talked to me at length about his career. -- Want to work for the podcast? We're hiring! Email andy@59-north.com.

#224 / #173 Recycled. The Reverend Bob Shepton, now 81, got his start shortly after WWII as a climbing instructor in the British Armed Forces, where he used the outdoors to teach leadership & scripture. He didn’t start sailing until much later in life, but got real serious about it real quickly. I sat down with him at the Southampton Boat Show to talk religion, spirituality, his early days as a climber, losing his boat during an Arctic winter, his 15 Atlantic crossings, meeting the Wild Bunch, and the story behind the film series ‘Vertical Sailing Greenland.’ The music in this episode is courtesy of the Wild Bunch. This episode is sponsored by Forbes Horton Yachts. Visit forbesyachts.com. Bob Shepton might not be a household name in the US, but he certainly is in the UK. He was honored as ‘Yachtsman of the Year' in 2014, which may sound irrelevant until you realize the winners in 2013 & 2015 - that would be Sir Ben Ainslie & Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. Good company indeed. Anyway, Bob is one of the m