Ep. 244, Ronnie Simpson, Class 40 Sailing and the 2027 Global Solo Challenge
Ronnie Simpson is a 40-year-old professional racing sailor from the United States of America who aims to sail in the 2027 Global Solo Challenge race. Recently, Ronnie was the skipper of the Open 50 Shipyard Brewing which competed in the first-ever Global Solo Challenge in 2023-24. Sailing in a strong third place for most of the race, Ronnie unfortunately dismasted off of Argentina in February 2024 and Shipyard Brewing was lost at sea. Having completed 80% of a singlehanded racing circumnavigation and rounding all of the three great capes including Cape Horn, Ronnie’s resolve to race in and complete the Global Solo Challenge is now only stronger. To that effect, Ronnie purchased Class 40 #15 ‘Koloa Maoli’ in early 2025 to mount another campaign for the Global Solo Challenge.
As a combat-wounded and medically retired US Marine and Iraq war veteran who has sailed more than 175,000 miles at sea, Ronnie is proud to use his sailing efforts to raise both funds and awareness for US Patriot Sailing, a 501c3 Veterans’ sailing non-profit organization. Ronnie credits sailing with saving his life and believes in the inspirational and therapeutic benefit of finding purpose through sailing.
We talk about his new Class 40 sailboat Koloa Maoli, preparing the boat for the GSC, sailing the boat, the mast, the keel, comparing Class 40 boats to cruising boats, safety of Class 40 boats, building the GSC campaign, other races, sailing in Maine and Canada, destinations, how to win a long ocean race, the motivation and drive to race sailboats, cruising vs racing, delivering a Hanse with Elliot Smith, sailing a Hobie 18 in Maine, sailing a Gunboat 60, dream boats, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Sustainability Maine, Remoran hydrogenerators, and more.
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Ep. 243, Robert Perry, Old Sailboats, New Sailboats, and How to Choose Them
Robert Perry is one of the most prolific, sucessful, and iconic sailboat designers of the modern age. He is known for designing the Valiant 40, Tayana 37, Tashiba 36, Baba 35, and many many more. His knowledge of sailboats is extensive to the point of making him a national treasure.
We talk about older crusing boats ideal for beginning cruisiers, ie: good boats for beginning offshore sailors, CCA and IOR rules, design elements, the Dufour Arpege, selling my first boat, John Vigor's book "20 Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere," Alberg sailboats, chainplates, Albin Vega 27, small boats vs big boats, Contessa sailboats, Cape Dory sailboats, Pearson Triton, Allied Seawind, Southern Cross sailboats, foam-cored hulls, Westsail 32, the birth of recreational offshore cruising, the Mini Globe Race, sailboat statistics and ratios like sail area to displacement and ballast to displacement, different ballast types, overhangs, interiors, modern production offshore boats, the Carbon Cutter, consulting, the Norseman 447, hard dodgers, andmore.
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Fraser Flight was born and raised in Zimbabwe, where he up on a tobacco farm. He started sailing as a young boy on a lake alongside giraffes and rhinos. He progressed to competetive internationl dinghy racing as a child and offshore racing as an adult. He earned a Master of Yachts license, has logged over 80,000 miles on sailing and motor yachts, and has crossed the Atlantic 15 times. He is now entered in and preparing for the Global Solo Challenge, a solo nonstop circumnavigation race.
We talk about learning to sail in Zimbabwe, sailing on an African lake, elephants, the inspiring story of his grandfather's circumnavigation and settling in Zimbabwe, working on large motoryachts, entering the Global Solo Challenge, the rules of the GSC, shopping for a class 40, training for the OSC, practicing polyphasic sleeeping, meditation and its efficacy in polyphasic sleep training, sailing heros, sailing from Cape Town to Brazil, dealing with a broken boom and continuing under jury rig, sailng back to Africa, dealing with a storm and losing a spinnaker, climbing the mast in rough conditions offshore, working as a chief officer on a luxury motoryact, favorite places, bucket-list destinations, and more.
Ep. 242, Fraser Flight, Preparing for the Global Solo Challenge
Ep. 241, Brian Hathaway, St Helena to Brazil
Brian Hathaway has been sailing around the world, mostly solo, on his Hunter 44. He recently sailed from St Helena to Recife, Brazil.
We talk about Recife, Brazil, St Helena, sailing downwind with twin headsails, customs, anchoring, singlehanding, pirates, self defense, crime, diving on a shipwreck in St Helena, and much more.
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Ep. 240, Building a Wooden Boat, Mike Smith
Mike Smith is a South African living in Australia and is building a wooden Suhali replica (the boat Robin Knox-Johnston sailed in the 1968 Golden Globe Race), in order to compete in the 2026 GGR.
We talk about his sailing history, growing up and sailing on the coast of South Africa, his boat-building history, creating the CNC plan for the boat, building the boat, watertight crash boxes, the cost of building a boat compared to buying one, building the bulkheads, planking the hull, other details about building, making the lead-ballast keel, advice for boatbuilders, and at the end, we spend a few minutes pontificating life.
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Ep. 239, Daniel Turner, Mini Globe Race
Daniel Turner is entered in the Mini Globe Race, sailing Immortal Game, his mini 5.80, which he built. He started racing small boats in Australia when he was six years old. He moved from Holdfast trainers to the 125 and Pacer classes, and raced on his father’s Farr 30 and grandfather’s Adams 12. Daniel spent four years in the Australian Army as a Combat Engineer and Combat Fitness Trainer and represented the Australian Defence Force at regattas in the Tasar class. Daniel also competed in a number of marathons and ultra-marathons including the Marathon Des Sables in 2015 (265 kms across the Sahara desert over 6 days) and is known as the toughest footrace on the planet. In 2018, he competed in the Melbourne to Osaka Yacht race.
We talk about building the boat, crossing the Atlantic in the boat, preparing to sail around the world, difficult moments during the passage and how he dealt with them, rules of the race, sailing the boat, safety, sleeping while solo sailing, the cost of the campaign, and much more.
Ep. 238, The Bay Islands of Honduras with Bill and JoAnne Harris of SV Ultra
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JoAnne and Bill Harris SV ULTRA OCC Port Officers Honduras including The Bay Islands OCC Cruising Station: Roatan Yacht Club Resort & Marina Email: bjharrisultra@gmail.com What's App Honduras: +50432880335 Facebook: Bill N JoAnne Harris Instagram: @yachtultraadventures ULTRA Community Projects - Hondurss including The Bay Islands Giving back to those in need: Paypal for donations: www.paypal.me/svultraharris * First time electricity with solar panels * First time running water * Buiilding houses * Painting houses and schools * Educational scholarships * Building beds * Spayed/Neuter cats and dogs * Provide medicine, hospital care, and physical therapy * Donate medical supplies * Assist in emergencies and natural disasters * Build school and community Playgrounds * Distribute Food Bags * Teach English * Organize Community Wide cleanups of land and sea * Assist the local fire deparments with much needed supplies : fire fighting equipment, paramedic supplies and more Instagram: #ulltracommunityprojects Facebook: ULTRA Community Projects
Bill and JoAnne Harris are the Ocean Cruising Club Port Officers for the Bay Islands of Honduras (Roatan, Guanaja, Utila, Cayos Cochinos, and the Swan Islands. They sail SV Ultra, a trimaran, often spending hurricane season in Rio Dulce, Guatemala, and the rest of the year in the Bay Islands.
We talk about Rio Dulce, crossing the bar on the way in, being an OCC Port Officer, the Bay Islands, spearfishing (or not), moorings and anchoring, Roatan, Guanaja, Utila, diving with whale sharks and manta rays, whales, staying long-term, getting groceries and supplies, hauling out, crime, anchorages in the Bay Islands, copmmunity projects, and more.
Ep. 237, Mark Sinclair aka Captain Coconut, Long Passages and Solo Sailing
Captain Mark Sinclair was born in Manchester, UK, and emigrated to Australia in 1960. He served 20 years in the Royal Australian Navy up to the rank of Commander. During his extensive sea time he served in a tanker, icebreaker, minesweeper, destroyers and numerous hydrographic ships and aircraft. He navigated 4 ships and commanded 3 ships. He has sailed extensively all his life, and in 2018 participated in the Golden Globe Race (GGR) circumnavigating single-handed in Coconut in 332 days with one stop in Adelaide, and participated in the 2022 GGR, retiring in Lanzarote to attend his son’s wedding. He then sailed across the North Atlantic to Trinidad. He skippered Explorer in the 2023 Ocean Globe Race, circumnavigating again.
He holds Yachtmaster Offshore and Yachtmaster Ocean certification and has sailed over 90,000 nautical miles.
We talk about the 2108 GGR, sailing long passages, sailing conservatively, heavy weather, selecting his GGR boat - a Lello 34, the Mini Globe Race, the Ocean Globe Race, beautiful moments, difficult situations, Cape Horn, baking bread, how he has his boat set up for solo passagemaking, favorite places, and more.
Ep. 236, Panama to Florida, Motherload Sailing
MJ and Amy Sizemore from Motherload Sailing sailed in November from Linton Bay, Panama, to Ft. Pierce, Florida, through the Windward Passage, and without stopping. They sail a Bavaria 50 with their five boys, but have sold it and are buying a Lagoon 410 catamaran.
We talk about clearing out of Panama, the Ngäbe indigenous people, their nonstop passage, weather routing, foul weather in the Windward Passage, using a roller-furled mainsail, being hailed by Cuban helicopters, fishing, bird visitations, selling their boat and buying a catamaran, catching rain-water, spearfishing, triggerfish ceviche, pink meenies, raising a family on a boat, swim-through caves, a snake in the chain locker, San Blas, dinghies and dinghy security, air tags, and more.
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Ep. 235, Helga Marie Lovenskiold Kveseth, 2026 GGR
Helga Marie Lovenskiold Kveseth, aka Mara, is a Norwegian woman entered in the 2026 Golden Globe Race, an around-the-world, solo, and nonstop race using only technology from 1968 or before. She holds a Captain's License and has over 30,000 nm sailing experience. She once trained for the olympics in fencing, was a rower competing on the world stage, and even a bobsleder.
We talk about preparing for the Golden Globe Race - mentally and physically, qualifying for the race, different boats she is looking at for the race, learning to sail, books, Sailing Ripple Effect, catamarans vs. monohulls, solo sailing, sleeping, fear, dealing with the loss of a rudder, and much more!
Ep. 234, Lin Pardey, Passages: Cape Horn and Beyond
Lin Pardey is a living legend best known for sailing long offshore passages in small traditional boats witout engines or electronics. Lin and her late husband Larry have sailed over 200,000nm, have circumnavigated in both directions, and have sailed around all the great capes east to west (contrary to prevailing wind). She is the author of 14 sailing nonfiction books, including her latest "Passages: Cape Horn and Beyond."
We talk about boats and design elements she likes, old boats vs modern boats, writing, favorite passages, lessons learned while sailing, modern electronics vs sailing without, the benefits of learning to sail in a small boat, safety drills, making your boat unstoppable, learning to appreciate foul weather, heaving-to, favorite places, questions from podcast patrons, maintaining a safe distance from shore, secrets to staying active and healthy as we age, her book, and more.
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