Ocean Sailing Podcast

James & Kimmi have sailed and free dived together since shortly after James purchased the 38 catamaran; SV Zingaro in 2016 before they met in Mexico. They share the story of their Catamaran's structural failure 60nm off the coast of Hawaii and their desperate efforts to stay afloat for several long hours while awaiting the US Coastguard's arrival. They also highlight their earlier adventures from more than 3 years of sailing the coastline and islands of South America and the Pacific and the amazing communities their travels have taken them to. On the technical front they dive into para-anchors and drogues and recount their personal experience of what works and what doesn't in strong winds and big seas. Visit Ocean Sailing Podcast for offshore sailing opportunities and podcast extras and follow us on Facebook.

David Hows shares his race experience from the inaugural 530nm yacht race from Brisbane to Hamilton Island up Australia's east coast. This unlikely tale of a 27 year old Beneteau 45 foot yacht named Ocean Gem and a rookie crew is an example of preparation, determination and seat of the pants sailing to take out the 1st place on both IRC and PHS in Division 2 and finish 7th overall in a fleet of 16, behind grand prix yachts; Wild Oats X and five TP 52's. This episode provides insights into the highs and lows of ocean racing and whats possible if you do the basics well, even when you are racing against superior yachts. Visit Ocean Sailing Podcast for offshore sailing opportunities and podcast extras and follow us on Facebook.

Andy Lamont interviews Matt Andrews who started sailing on Moreton Bay with his dad as an 8 year old in the 1970’s on a Mirror dinghy followed by a 125, before moving to Balmain in Sydney and buying a Sabot before making the jump, as a 15 year old, to 16 foot skiffs. He then left school and started sail making in Sydney before moving to Denmark and talking his way into a job with North Sails and eventually making sails for 100 foot yachts. Norths moved Matt to Spain, which opened up the opportunity to make sails for the Telefonica Volvo 70 campaign, before moving to the Americas Cup sail loft in Valencia in 2007. A chance introduction with an Emirates Team NZ (ETNZ) member, led to Matt being employed by ETNZ a year later. Matt shares first hand lessons about kiwi creativity, resourcefulness and leadership he learned from his time at ETNZ. This led to his next campaign as sail maker with Ken Read’s Puma Volvo Campaign in 2008/9 and then Telefonica Team in 2011/12. Matt reflects on his time, incredible career,

I catch up with David Hanton from Bradford Marine and get deep and technical about protecting whats under your waterline. We dive into the typical issues with hull maintenance, osmosis in fibreglass and what causes it, how to know if it’s a big vs small problem, how to prevent and repair it and we talk about how significant the damage and repair bill can be.  David shares examples of shortsighted shortcuts boat owners and tradesmen take and the extra problems they cause. We talk about the product choices for owners when it comes to anti-foul paint and the differences between budget and premium and how the life expectancies differ, the paint thats better suited to warm and cold climates and racing versus cruising application options. We discuss some of the ugly things that can happen to poorly maintained hulls and the construction materials to avoid when buying a second hand yacht. We finish up on rudders and keels and the warning signs you should pay attention to. Visit Ocean Sailing Podcast for offshore sail

With a father who went to 5 olympics as Flying Dutchman competitor initially and then as coach, Jon Bilger spent his early years around sailing. He bought is first boat after saving $250 and asking his dad to build him an optimist. In a P Class he then won New Zealand’s Tauranga Cup twice amongst a fleet of 120 dinghies that included young sailors such as Craig Monk. Then the move to the 470 and the Olympics followed along with competing in various European sailing regattas before the days of professional coaches.  Jon was thrust into the Tag Heuer 1995 Americas Cup Team as navigator and it opened the door to his newly found passion for weather analysis. From there a decade with the Swiss based, Russell Coutts led, Alinghi Americas Cup syndicate, Jon was responsible for weather modelling for the 2003 and 2007 winning Americas Cup team before the loss in 2010 to Oracle. The weather technology developed for this team led to the model that Predict Wind is based upon today and is now used all over the world by e

We join Troy and Pascale who are cruising remote Australia in their 30’ Clansman yacht called Mirrool. They left Perth in March 2017 and so far, have made it halfway around the continent traveling through the Kimberley, Arnhem Land, Torres Straits and Far North Queensland documenting their adventures along the way on their YouTube channel "Free Range Sailing" to over 59,000 subscribers.   They share their love for sailing and adventure including how they deal with the challenges of long term remote travel in their tiny floating home on a modest budget. It's a great YouTube blog for sailors who love camping, fishing, foraging, bushcraft and remote wilderness adventures. Troy and Pascale are a great example of buying a yacht to fit your budget and then setting off sailing and worrying about working out the detail along the way. They are an inspiring couple on the adventure of a lifetime.   Visit Ocean Sailing Podcast for offshore sailing opportunities and podcast extras and follow us on Facebook.

A unique and personal insight into the reasons some of us are drawn to the sea. Taylor Grieger is a Navy Veteran that returned from 6.5 years of active service and resigned from the military, only to suffer the tragedy of his fellow veterans and buddies dying from suicide. Research shows military veterans commit suicide at a frequency of 20 per day in the USA. Taylor is a young veteran who decided to use his own painful journey to help create a smoother path for those who come after him. Taylor Grieger and writer Stephen O’Shea set out on the sailing adventure of a lifetime, sailing around Cape Horn to raise awareness of and spark solutions for veterans' suicide. They never anticipated that their voyage would take them through 3 hurricanes and 2 tropical storms or the extreme cold and personal hardship they would suffer. Their soon to be released documentary 'Hell or High Seas' captures the highs and lows of a personal path too often travelled.  Visit Ocean Sailing Podcast for offshore sailing opportunities a

Paul Willison spent his early days as an outdoor education teacher and quickly migrated to working on a square rig sailing ship teaching high school kids to sail. He then set off to travel around the world and sailed on lots of different boats in unusual locations. On his return to Australia he bought the hull and decks for an Imp 33 catamaran and spent the next 3 years fitting it out in his spare time. Next came a maritime training centre with feet of six 15 foot boats, then offshore again doing coastal and blue water deliveries. Paul tells of his 20-year love affair with his Wharram Cat, modelled on a Polynesian voyaging canoe, which he sailed the West and East coast of Australia, through Papua New Guinea and to Indonesia. His tall ship adventures saw sail as Mate on the STS Leeuwin II, a 55m long, 500-ton steel 3-masted sail training ship, voyaging from the South Australian border to Darwin and across to Indonesia, hitting speeds of 16 knots in 35 knots of breeze. Next came the role of Mate on the Batavia,

Jana and Mick are not your typical semi-retired Australian offshore sailors. Surviving a head on crash in the outback at 100 km/hr at a young age, made them think differently about turning their sailing dreams into reality sooner. They worked and saved hard for the next 2 years and I catch up with them onboard their dream yacht in Florida, waiting to sail to the Bahamas. Their yacht search led to a surgeon selling his 1986 Morgan 43 for $80k. They offered $58k and it was theirs. After lots of maintenance, upgrades, groundings, engine headaches and weeks of toil they are on the eve of departure. With a plan to sail the Bahamas for a few months, then fly home to Australia to save more money for next legs to the Caribbean and onto the Pacific, it's a great story of whats possible with determination. We also discuss boat systems and handling and share some handy tips. Visit Ocean Sailing Podcast for offshore sailing opportunities and podcast extras and follow us on Facebook.  

From the moment Glenn Ashby won his first A-Class Cat World Title in Spain at age 18, he demonstrated an innate ability to understand the physics in play on the water and interpret them better than anyone else in his chosen class. As the winning 2017 Americas Cup skipper and wing trimmer for Emirates Team New Zealand and now Cup Defender for the next edition on Auckland Harbour, Glenn shares insights on the design evolution to the new 75-foot foiling monohull and how the return to some of the traditional elements of Americas Cup match racing such as; upwind starts, larger sailing teams and tacking duels have driven the monohull design and created this hybrid of both ‘tradition’ and ‘futuristic’ design that even a ‘catamaran purist’ could love. Glenn gets technical on the physics that drive the performance of this exciting new monohull and candidly shares his thoughts on potential speeds, likelihood of capsizes, the potential for 100% fly time and the changes to crew selection strategy with the new design. Vis

James and Patti Hunt are Australians who truly have the traveller’s spirit, having extensively backpacked as young Australians throughout Europe in the early 1980’s. They were introduced to sailing in the chilly conditions off the south coast of England and purchased their first yacht ‘Wanderlust’ a Hurley 24 in 1987. By 1995 they made the decision to find the ideal cruising yacht to become their travelling home and subsequently purchased ‘La Aventura’ (Spanish for ‘The Adventurer’) from Jimmy Cornell. Over the next 25 years they sailed two-handed to 73 countries and covered approximately 50,000 miles, including a circumnavigation of the UK, two seasons in the Baltic, sailing to Eastern Europe, St Petersburg, Russia, on to the Mediterranean in 2000, where they spent the next 11 summers, then Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon and Israel. By 2012 they crossed the Atlantic to the Eastern Caribbean, before spending 6 years exploring the Eastern and Western Caribbean, Panama, Cuba and east coast USA. ‘La Aventura’ is

Andy Schell produces the sailing podcast: 'On the Wind'. With more than 250 episodes under his belt, along with a sailing calendar that sees him tick off more than 10,000 sea miles each year, Andy eats, sleeps and breathes 'all things sailing'. Andy shares his love of sailing and podcasting in a rare and candid interview, where he's on the other end of the microphone for a change. Andy and his wife Mia, are renowned for their generosity in sharing sailing content, knowledge and hands on adventures. I was inspired by Andy's work to launch the Ocean Sailing Podcast in 2016, so its a privilege to spend an hour with Andy, drilling into what drives him and the things that keep him awake at night. Visit Ocean Sailing Podcast for offshore sailing opportunities and podcast extras and follow us on Facebook.

Deborah Dalziel is both sailor and sailing technology entrepreneur. We explore the story behind the business idea, to find out what drove Deborah, as the Founder of www.MySail.Team to create a Web and App platform, designed to make race crew management easier for boat owners and skippers, while making it simpler for race crew to access and find crew positions on new yachts for races and regattas. With more than 500 yachts and 2,500 crew using My Sail, it's really gaining traction and proving that sailors love technology, that saves time and simplifies life. As a Canadian immigrant to Australia, who has bootstrapped her start-up with a ton of grit and determination, Deborah shares her vision, the challenges, set backs and future growth plans for My Sail and what she hopes to achieve with the product enhancements that lie ahead.  Visit Ocean Sailing Podcast for offshore sailing opportunities and podcast extras and follow us on Facebook.  

Vernon Deck is a great example of jumping head first into sailing and just figuring it out as you go along. He learned by watching sailing videos and doing local racing as crew, then purchased a yacht, spent 3 weeks on preparation, then untied and departed. His first 3 seasons were spent sailing the 780nm passage between Brisbane and Cairn on the Australian East Coast on a S&S 34 before buying a much faster Sayer 37 yacht and heading offshore to Solomon Islands, then onto Papua New Guinea and then Indonesia. After a lifetime of adventure and earning a living as a sports photographer, Vernon now spends half of each year in Austria earning a living and the other half onboard his yacht, cruising his way north through the Pacific.  Visit Ocean Sailing Podcast for offshore sailing opportunities and podcast extras and follow us on Facebook.

Paul Trammel has a passion for surfing, sailing and free-diving. Paul shares his plans to sell up and head off for a life of solo sailing adventure, funded in part by his solo-sailing book writing. With plans to live on the ocean permanently, Paul talks about how has made his dreams a reality, along with tips on the content distribution platforms that budding new sailing writers can now use to monetise digital and printed content.  Paul lives by the mantra: "Fear is here for us to face and adventure waits on the other side" and he talks about the solo adventures that inspired his new book: 'Journey to the Ragged Islands: Sailing Solo Through The Bahamas', which includes stories of his adventures, 67 photographs, visits to dozens of uninhabited islands, several shark encounters, six blue holes and three point breaks. Visit Ocean Sailing Podcast for offshore sailing opportunities and podcast extras and follow us on Facebook.

Dennis Webster built his 37-foot plywood catamaran ‘Catalyst’ for just $27,000 and then set off with his family to sail from New Zealand to the Pacific Islands, Guam, Japan and Alaska before sailing down the west coast of Canada and the USA and westward across the Pacific on a 3 year journey packed full of adventures and crazy stories. From frozen fuel, to working on fishing trawlers out of Dutch Harbour, to being hit by 60 knots at anchor, being arrested, a whale collision that almost caused a capsize, this family of five had the adventure of a lifetime on a tiny budget. Visit Ocean Sailing Podcast for offshore sailing opportunities and podcast extras and follow us on Facebook.

The inside passage to Alaska has been paddled by native canoes since time immemorial. It’s in the spirit of tradition, exploration, and the lawless self-reliance of the gold rush that the Race to Alaska was born. R2AK is the first of its kind and North America’s longest human and wind powered race, and currently the largest cash prize for a race of its kind. It’s like the Iditarod, on a boat, with a chance of drowning, being run down by a freighter, or eaten by a grizzly bear. There are squalls, killer whales, tidal currents that run upwards of 20 miles an hour, and some of the most beautiful scenery on earth. You, a boat, a starting gun. $10,000 if you finish first, a set of steak knives if you’re second. Cathartic elation if you can simply complete the course. R2AK is a self-supported race with no supply drops and no safety net. Any boat without an engine can enter. Last year 37 teams were accepted and 21 finished. Graham Shaw was 1 of the 21 and he shares his story. Visit Ocean Sailing Podcast for offshore

An episode with the Ocean Gem crew, who recount their epic 1,000nm trip from Southport to Pittwater via Middleton Reef, Elizabeth Reef, Lord Howe Island and Balls Pyramid. These unique reefs and islands are 300nm off Australia's Coast and are steeped in a history of untouched reefs, shipwrecks, incredible sea and bird life and the chance to stand knee deep in water, in the southern most coral reef in the world, surrounded by a 5,000m deep ocean in every direction.  This 9-day ocean passage initially took us 300nm upwind to Middleton Reef, a stopover at Elizabeth Reef and 2 days ashore at Lord Howe Island before sailing around the 'jurassic like' Balls Pyramid, en-route to Pittwater, NSW on a 10-25 knot, 3-day, downwind sleigh ride, in preparation for the Pittwater to Southport race in January.  Visit Ocean Sailing Podcast for offshore sailing opportunities and podcast extras and follow us on Facebook.

A fascinating interview with New Zealand scientist and sailor; Josh Scarrow, who has spent time on the ice in Antartica on three different occasions, taking him to 85 degrees south, 2,800 metres high and temperatures below -20 degrees C. Josh is with the Antarctica NZ organisation and shares his sailing experience from Hobart to Antarctica on the 95m icebreaker Aurora Australis and his flying adventures both to and across Antartica. Josh is also a sailor at heart and his Pacific adventures have taken him from Auckland to Port Vila on a 60 foot catamaran. Josh shares his perspective on the melting ice caps and what it would take to raise the sea levels as much as 60 metres globally.  Visit Ocean Sailing Podcast for offshore sailing opportunities and podcast extras and follow us on Facebook.

Nick has packed a lot into his 30-year sailing career including an around-the-globe non-stop world sailing speed record in 2002, where he and his team captured the Trophée Jules Verne. That same year, he also achieved a 1st place in the largest solo transatlantic yacht race, La Route du Rhum. With 2 Americas Cups, 15 world sailing speed records and Volvo Ocean Races under his belt, Nick possesses a passion and drive to win thats seldom seen. A sailor, windsurfer and free diver, Nick is still the first and only person to ever windsurf 125nm, across the notorious Bass Strait to Tasmania in 22h 11m. In this episode Nick provides advice about focus, passion and managing energy levels to maximise performance.  Visit Ocean Sailing Podcast for offshore sailing opportunities and podcast extras and follow us on Facebook.