On The Wind Sailing

#61. Part 2 of the World Cruising Club 'Ocean Sailing Forum,' live from the Annapolis Sailboat Show. Andy moderates a panel including SAIL's Charlie Doane, Paul & Sheryl Shard from 'Distant Shores,' and Jennifer & Scott Brigham of the Valiant 40 'Pendragon.' They discussed all things ocean sailing, from boat selection watch planning, seasickness, fears, joys and more! If you missed Part 1, go to 59-north.com/sailingpodcast.

#60. Part 1 of the World Cruising Club 'Ocean Sailing Forum,' live from the Annapolis Sailboat Show. Andy moderates a panel including SAIL's Charlie Doane, Paul & Sheryl Shard from 'Distant Shores,' and Jennifer & Scott Brigham of the Valiant 40 'Pendragon.' They discussed all things ocean sailing, from boat selection to watch planning, seasickness, fears, joys and more! Check for Part 2 later this week.

#59. NPR's Scott Neuman chats with Andy about their favorite books that they'd bring along to a desert island or on a long offshore passage. They get going discussing some classic sailing books, then venture into fiction and nonfiction. If you're looking for something new to read, take notes! Thanks to Scott for inspiring this podcast!

#58. Andy reads a story called 'High Adventure' he wrote in February 2008. He and a friend, Michael, summited the hightes peak in Ireland. They were traveling together after meeting at a TEFL course in Prague.

#57. Brion's back to chat with Andy about some more technical aspects of yacht rigging, specifically to how it relates to ocean sailing, in Part 2 of yesterday's interview. They discuss proper preventers, rig tune, rig inspections, Dynex Dux and the advent of synthetics, and much more.

#56. Master Rigger Brion Toss is on the show today for Part 1 of a very long and enlightening conversation with one of Andy's heroes. Andy met Brion in 2009 at the Annapolis Sailboat Show, and their conversation was the deciding factor in outfitting Arcturus with synthetic rigging. Brion comes on the podcast to discuss his own history as a rigger and sailor. In Part 2, they discuss the more technical aspects of rigging.

#55. Andy & Ryan Briggs talk with Baxter and Molly Gillispie, serious adventurers. John and Amanda Neal, previous guests on the show, got us in touch with the couple, and we're glad they did! Baxter is a professional BASE jumping and 'squirrel suit' instructor, and he and Molly met skydiving. Their both skiers and mountaineers, having live for a while in Utah. Baxter summited Everest a while back, with Molly trekking into Nepal with some friends to meet him at Everest Base Camp. Now they've sold their house, sold their old Tartan 37 and bought a new-to-them 1982 Valiant 47 they hope to live and cruise on long-term with their dog Kala. This was was of the coolest episodes yet, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed doing it! Thanks to Baxter and Molly!

#54. This week I read an essay I wrote for Broadreach's blog about how sailing brings you back to the world as it was meant to be for humans. It's more philosophical than practical, but hopefully is inspiring! What did you think?

#53. David & Isabelle share their classic story of a ten-year dream-turned-reality to take their kids cruising. A French-Canadian couple from Quebec, David & Isabelle describe how after a bad ATV accident, David had an epiphany in his hospital bed, and their dream began. Ten years, two daughters, and three boats later, and their realizing it, halfway through an Atlantic circuit that took them to the Bahamas, down the Thorny Path to the BVI, across the Atlantic to Morocco and the Saraha desert, and now to Las Palmas where they're staging for the return. Get inspired!

#52. Andy discusses how he and Mia stay fit and healthy onboard. From eating right and paying attention to ingredient labels, to why German beer is better for you, to how to create a workout around a deck of cards, Andy covers his own methods of keeping fit and healthy on Arcturus. Have your own ideas? Share them with us!

#51. Chris Museler is back for another inspiring chat with Andy. Last they talked, Chris had just returned from an Atlantic crossing aboard HUGO BOSS, covering the double-handed race as a media crew for the NY Times. Chris explains what's happening with all the video footage he took (it's very cool). They continued to chat about how he got into sailing journalism, the big-time sailing he's done competitively, and lots more. 

#49. *Rerun from Two Inspired Guys* John and Amanda Neal from Mahina Expedtions have been sailing heros of Andy's for a while now, and it was a real honor to have them on the show. Ryan was away for this one, but Ben Eriksen, creator of the One Simple Question movie (www.simplequestionmovie.com) joined Andy as a special guest co-host. They talked to John and Amanda about their sailing history, about Amanda's participation in the Whitbread Round the World Race as crew on 'Maiden', about John's passion for kayaking, and about running a triathlon in Svalbard in 2016 in Arctic Norway! Check out Mahina Expeditions online at www.mahina.com to sign up for one of John and Amanda's sailing adventures. Thanks guys!

#48. This is the Voice of Experience piece I wrote for SAIL magazine back in 2013 about my experience losing an anchor on my first-ever charter as a 20-year-old in New Zealand. Without further ado, enjoy this weeks (embarassing) Essay Friday. What's some of your stupid mistakes onboard?

#47. Kristen Berry is one of the head trainers at J/World Annapolis sailing school. Andy chatted with him in early August about his racing and cruising career, his transition into professional sailing from managing political campaigns (you'd be surprised at the similarities), his thoughts on what racers can learn from cruisers (and vice versa) and how he creates successful trainig programs at J/World and manages successful ocean racing campaigns. J/World Annapolis is now the Official Training Partner of World Cruising Club USA, and are hosting their first Ocean 'OPS' course on September 22-23. The Ocean Preparedness Seminar will be a hands-on weekend learning safety and emergency management specific to ocean sailing. Check them out at jworldannapolis.com.

#46. Andy spoke with master rigger Brion Toss from Bermuda several years back about the art and science of a proper rope whipping. It was originally for an article in Yachting World, but we've repurposed it into another Essay Friday episode. Brion is set to come on the podcast soon for a full-on interview, but in the meantime, enjoy his philosophy on rope whippings and learn a thing or two this week! briontoss.com

#45. John Franta is the brains behind Colligo Marine and their synthetic rigging products. Andy met John in 2009 at the Annapolis Sailboat Show and has been friends with him since. Arcturus was the first monohull that we know of that crossed an ocean with Colligo Dux synthetic rigging, and John and Andy have been working together on promoting synthetic rigging for cruising boats since their first meeting. They discuss the business behind Colligo and how John transitioned from a corporate job as an engineer at GM, to a start-up founder with Colligo. He's an inventor and a businessperson, and that combination is truly inspiring. Sklp to about minute 22 if you want to get right into the technical aspects of synthetic versus wire rigging. Check out Colligo on colligomarine.com.

#44. Another 'Essay Friday' for you to think about! Andy's ideas on how to outfit the ocean sailing yacht based on the principles found within Nassim Taleb's classic book 'The Black Swan.' Andy talks about not the chances of a piece of gear failing onboard, but rather the consequences of that failure and how that should influence what you decide to fit, or not fit, on an oceangoing boat. What do you think?

#43. Cary St. Onge took an ex-America's Cup training boat - an 80-foot maxi racer called 'Falcon', used for the 'Young America' team leading up to the 2000 AC - and converted it into his ideal notion of a fast cruising boat! Andy chatted with him on Skype from his home in Boulder, Colorado. He's outfitting the boat to sail in the Caribbean 1500 this coming fall, and is offering 10 crew berths onboard for what should be the sail of a lifetime! Check out Falcon in detail on force10sailing.com

#42. This week's essay Friday is an excerpt from the Log of Arcturus, which I keep onboard the boat. Written by hand, as it's happening, the log is a diary of sorts about our travels. This was written in August of 2012, almost exactly two years ago, during the 3-day passage from Malmo on Sweden's southwest coast to Visby, on the island of Gotland. It's good timing, as starting after work today, we'll be on vacation for the next three weeks, heading this time out of the Baltic and essentially retracing our steps from this here trip. It's fun to read what I've written and see what goes on in my head on those late, solo night watches. Hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed reliving it!

#41. Mario Vittone is a Navy vet and retired USCG rescue swimmer with a resume that will blow your mind. Andy got in touch with him via a mutual friend, and had an interesting chat about his experience in helo rescues at sea, cold water immersion, safety offshore and more. They discussed the recent Cheeki Rafiki search, the sinking of the Bounty and how Mario's career has recently transitioned from on-the-scene rescue ops to consultancy work and a successful writing career. Mario writes regularly on gCaptain.com and for various industry magazines and publications. Check out his own website at mariovittone.com. Enjoy episode 41!