On the Wind Sailing

#11. Andy takes a look at breakages in the ARC this year and how crews coped with them. He spent some time on the docks interviewing sailors as they made their repairs. The story appears on the ARC website as one of this week's feature, and we've decided to turn it into a podcast episode as well. So here it is, with the full audio from the sailors on the docks. Thanks for listening!

#10. Russ & Laurie Owen sat down with me on their catamaran 'Nexus' in Tortola last week. They had just completed the Caribbean 1500, and are on their way to St. Lucia now to sail around the world with World ARC. I warmed to Russ & Laurie straightaway in Portsmouth at the start of the rally - they're just genuine, nice people! Russ is very proud of the refit he's done on the boat - he's an aerospace engineer by trade, and one look at the 'guts' of his boat will tell you that he's thought it all through and then some. We chatted about their plans, how they got into sailing and what motivated them to make the leap and embark on such a long adventure. Thanks Russ & Laurie!

#9. Andre and Marie-Claude sailed in the Caribbean 1500 two years ago aboard their Moody 'Dancing Lizard.' This was a conversation I had with them over good French coffee and scrambled eggs aboard their boat in Hampton, VA before the start of the rally. Andre and Marie-Claude were two of my favorite folks in that event, and I see them popping up here and there on Facebook, cheering on their French-Canadian compatriots in this year's rally! Thanks for breakfast guys, and thanks for chatting!

#8. Joe Elder and his wife Alison own and run Skipjack Nautical in Portsmouth, VA. it's one of the few places like it in the USA - a treasure trove of nautical artifacts and artwork stretched throughout a beautiful gallery overlookin the Elizabeth River in Portsmouth. Joe and I talked about how he got involved starting the business, his career as a professional diver and underwater archaeologist, how he and Alison lost it all at the original Skipjack due to a catastrophic fire and Joe's passion for history and all things nautical. We chatted in the back of Skipjack at a table where Joe was just working on valuing a series of swords from a local collector, some dating as far back as the War of 1812. The place is awesome! Thanks Joe!

#7. The LEGENDARY Donald Street in person! I first met Don at the Annapolis Sailboat Show in 2010 when Mia and I had Arcturus on display with Colligo Marine. Don gave me some pointers on the yawl rig, and we hit it off right from the start. He's been the biggest influence on my sailing life since I started reading his books as a kid. Don and I sat down in the small apartment above the Weems & Plath shop in Eastport last week and chatted for almost an hour and a half about his sailing history, his chartwork, his philosophies and everything else he wanted to talk about. And the man can talk! He's in his mid-eighties, but still has the energy of a 20-year-old and is still out there speaking, writing guidebooks and sailing his Dragon in Ireland. Check him out online at www.street-iolaire.com.

#6. Mia and I met Christian in the Aland Islands this past summer. Christian and his wife Annette run the guest harbor at Rodhamn, a beautiful, small island about 10 miles south of Mariehamn, the capital of Aland. The island has some pretty interesting history, having served as the radio station during the wars. The old station remains as a museum, and in the summertime, Christian and Annette actually like in what was the station-keepers house! They keep their boat there as well, an OE-32, designed by the famous Olle Enderlein (of which we saw countless designs while sailing in Sweden). She's a beautiful double-ended sloop that I couldn't stop admiring. Christian and I chatted in the small cabin by the waterside that doubles as the cafe - the place has no electricity or running water (but it has a wood-fired sauna of course!), and Annette would bake bread daily on the propane stove and deliver it to the boats on the dock in the morning. It's a special place, and was our favorite stop in Aland. Don't miss it as part of ARC Baltic next summer, the newest WCC event on the calendar!

#5. Jim Carrier is a contributing editor for Cruising World magazine, and a fellow Allied Seabreeze owner! His boat, a yawl like Arcturus, is called Ranger. Jim sailed it across the Atlantic with ARC Europe several years back, and his experience with the boat on that long ocean passage convinced Andy & Mia to buy their Seabreeze. Andy and Jim discuss sailing the Seabreeze and Jim's career as a writer. He's done far more than just sailing journalism, writing newspaper columns, advocating for Civil Rights in Alabama and writing about Hurricane Katrina. Check him out on byliner.com - he's among an A-list of writers, including Jon Kraukauer, famous for 'Into the Wild' and 'Into Thin Air.' Thanks Jim!

#4. Lin & Larry Pardey are on the podcast! Two of my sailing heroes, whose voyages, articles, books and advice has spanned at least two generations of sailors. I spoke to them from Sweden - they were half a world away in New Zealand - and we chatted Baltic sailing, what it feels like to stay (more or less) in one place after a lifetime of ocean voyaging and what they think of the modern voyaging sailor. Check out Lin's new edition of 'The Care & Feeding of Sailing Crew' on their website at landlpardey.com, and catch them at the Toronto and Chicago Boat Shows this winter. Thanks Lin & Larry!

#3. Matt Rutherford, the first person ever to sail solo and nonstop around the Americas, recounts the first Ocean Research Project expedition to the North Atlantic Gyre and the inspiration and hard work that got him there in the first place (don't miss Episode 2, released earlier today, when Matt describes the dramatic salvage attempt on the Swan 48 Wolfhound during this trip). Otherwise known as the 'Atlantic Garbage Patch' - the Pacific's ugly cousin - Rutherford and NOAA scientist Nicole Trenholm sailed nearly 7,000 miles to gather and bring back home samples he hopes will help solve at least a little bit of our ocean's problems. The couple spent 80 days at sea, including a short stop in Bermuda for repairs and refueling. This is the story.

#2. This is the riveting story of Matt and the R/V Ault's dramatic five-day salvage attempt on the abandoned Swan 48 Wolfhound, told by the man himself. I caught up with Matt just after his first Ocean Research Project expedition to the Atlantic Gyre. He and scientist Nicole Trenholm were collecting data on the plastics accumulating in the 'Great Atlantic Garbage Patch,' for lack of a better description. They came across the abandoned Swan 48 Wolfhound 700 miles east of Bermuda on their return voyage. The boat had been sighted several times previously, as reported by Charlie Doane on sailfeed.com. Matt knew nothing of this, and went over to investigate, fearing the worst.