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Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell

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Ep. 1, Pete Goss, Vendée Globe Southern Ocean Rescue

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The Rescue of Raphael Dinelli
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Pete Goss SO.jpg
The Southern Ocean, on the way to the rescue
Pete Goss and RD.jpg
Racing around Britain and Ireland
Pete and Raphael

Ep. 2, Eric and Jennifer VanMalssen

Ep. 3, Andrew Evans

Ep. 4, Tapio Lehtinen

books Tapio mentioned: Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad, The Long Way by Bernard Moitessier, A World of My Own by Robert Knox-Johnston
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Tapio sailing Asteria by the Canary Islands in the 2018 Golden Globe Race

Ep. 5, Sailing Solo Through The Bahamas

Ep. 6, Jim Abernethy, The Man Who Loves Sharks

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I learned a lot from this episode, and I will summarize here. I asked what to do, when diving or snorkeling, if a shark approaches. First, put your hand out before the shark gets to you, then gently push it away with your hand on the top of its head. Do not run away. Maintain eye contact. Slowly swim away when the shark has lost interest. Never allow yourself to smell like fish. Maintain a vertical position in the water. If spearfishing and you get a fish, never touch the fish, lift the fish out of the water as soon as possible, keep your eyes in the water while swimming to your boat, put the fish in the boat, move to a different area. Never wear white, wear black, or a dark color instead. Dead fish are white. Black gloves are a good idea. Never spear a shark, but use your spear or anything else to push the shark away, but do not pick a fight with the shark, you will lose. Never swim around people who are fishing, as their bait attracts sharks and makes them look for food. If you are surfing and get investigated by a shark, pull up your feet and try to get all appendages out of the water. If this is happening to your buddy, paddle over to him/her. Moving toward a shark scares it.

Movies and films Jim mentioned: Captain Ron, The Secret World of Rays and Skates, Game Changers, Forks Over Knives, Dairy is Scary, "Tales by Light" Misunderstood Predators

Ep. 7, Elliot Smith, Letting Go of Fear and Simply Going for it

When Elliot was 22 years old, he decided to learn how to sail. A year later he was sailing in The Bahamas on his own Pearson Triton. Now, at 25, he is a capable offshore singlehand sailor. He is a great example of someone who did not let not having an expensive boat, or expensive equipment, or lack of experience, get in the way of chasing his dream of exploring the world on a sailboat.

Books Elliot mentioned: "Dove" by Robin L. Graham and Derek L. T. Gill; "Across Islands and Oceans," "Bound for Distant Seas," and "The Next Distant Sea" by James Baldwin; "The Long Way" by Bernard Moitessier

Ep. 8, Crusing the Southern Bahamas

Ralph and Leslie have been cruising The Bahamas for many years and share their favorite places to go and things to do. We discuss gear, monohulls vs catamarans, crossing the Gulf Stream, sheltering in the Ragged Islands during the lockdown, ordering groceries from the mailboats, spearfishing, watermakers, lots of islands and anchorages, and places to snorkel and spearfish.
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Ralph and Leslie in the Berry Islands
Cookput with locals at Lisbon Creek, And
Cookout with locals at Lisbon Creek, Andros
Flamingos, Long Cay, bahamas
Flamingos at Long Cay
Hog fish, South Andros, Leslie
Leslie with a Hogfish, South Andros
Prescott Smith, bonefish, Andros
Prescott Smith searching for bonefish Andros

Ep. 9, Jasna Tuta, Author of "A Drop in the Ocean" and "All the Colours of Polynesia"

Jasna and I discuss her books "A Drop in the Ocean," "Get Real Get Gone," and "All the Colours of Polynesia," as well as steel boats vs fiberglass boats, the Cap Horn windvane autopilot, lessons learned at sea, managing emotions, swimming with whales and sharks, French Polynesia, atolls, solo sailing vs sailing with passengers, the extra responsibilities of being the captain, keeping eggs fresh, books, and more.
JasnaTuta, palm tree, beach
Links:
Recommended by Jasna:
​
the film Sharkwater
Jasna Tuta, sailing
Books:
Storm Tactics, Sailing the Farm, Voyaging on a Small Income, Dove
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Authors:
Bernard Moitessier, Joshua Slocum, Nigel Calder

Ep. 10, Repowering, Alex and Lisa Tarlecky

blue hole, bahamas, Alex Tarlecky, Lisa Tarlecky
I talked to Alex and Lisa Tarlecky about their experience repowering their Cabo Rico 38. They replaced and old Westerbeke 46 with a Beta. Since I was considering doing the same to Windflower, who had an old Westerbeke 40, I wanted to talk to Alex and Lisa anyway. After recording the podcast, I found a leak in my engine's rear main seal, which was the last straw, and I ordered a Beta. We also discuss some of their experiences sailing the Cabo Rico, The Bahamas, and their new boat, a Manta catamaran.

Ep 11, Paul Trammell, Buying a Bigger Boat, Sailing The Bahamas

sailing, sailboat, Paul Trammell
sailing to Eleuthera from Beaufort, NC
In this self-indulgent episode, I discuss my journey into the world of sailing, writing books, buying a bigger boat, and my sailing adventure in The Bahamas in 2020.
surfer, surfing, Hatchet Bay, Paul Trammell
Compass Cay, Bahamas
Surfing a fun right pointbreak somewhere off Eleuthera. Read my next book to find out where!
Compass Cay, in The Exumas
dinghy, Cape Cod MK10, Paul Trammell
spiney lobster, Paul Trammell
two of my favorite things to eat!
Little Flower, my Cape Cod MK10
Hatchet Bay, sunset, Bahamas
sunset at Hatchet Bay
Oasis Boatyard, Cartwright 40, Windflower
Cartwright 40, Windflower, Bahamas
Windflower at Fowl Cay
Widflower's haulout at the Oasis Boatyard in St Augustine, FL

Ep. 12, Brian Russell, SV Helacious

Brian spent 12,000 hours building an aluminum Dix 43 cutter. I met him in The Bahamas. We discuss all the things he has learned in his long journey of building and sailing his beautiful boat.

sailor, Brian Russel
Brian at the mast, not in The Bahamas
Dix 43, sailboat, Bahamas, Hatchet Bay, Brian Russel
SV Helacious in Hatchet Bay, The Bahamas, a Dudley Dix 43, custom built by Brian Russel,

Ep 13, Jaye Lunsford, Sailing on the Tall Ship El Galeon

Jaye Lunsford tells us about sailing as crew on El Galeon, a replica of a Spanish galeon, from Florida to Nova Scotia, into the St Lawrence River, and on to the Great Lakes.
tall ship crew, Dan and Jaye Lunsford
El Galeon, Spanish Galeon
El Galeon

Ep. 14, Failure is Not an Option, Gaurav Shinde, GGR 2022 Entrant

Gaurav Shinde is entered in the 2022 Golden Globe Race, a solo, nonstop circumnavigation race that allows only pre-1968 technology in full-keel production cruising boats designed before 1988. Gaurav will be racing in a Baba 35, Good Hope. He is the youngest entrant, and the only person of color in the race. Gaurav was born in India and lives in Canada. He has logged over 20,000 nautical miles of ocean racing, has competed in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, has been awarded the Admiral Ramdas Trophy for offshore sailing, and won many other awards for offshore racing.

Ep. 15, Looking Forward to the Fear, Guy deBoer, GGR 2022 Entrant

Guy deBoer hopes to become the first American to win a singlehanded, non-stop, around-the-world sailing race. We discuss his aspirations, his preparations, his training, and his boat, Spirit, a Tashiba 36, which he will sail in the 2022 Golden Globe Race.

Ep. 16, Irish Fisherman Enters the Race, Pat Lawless,GGR Entrant

Pat Lawless is an Irish Fisherman and Cabinetmaker, and has entered the Golden Globe Race. We discuss his boat, a Saga Saltram, sailing in the North Atlantic, his preparations for the race, love of the ocean, sailing around the other Cape Horn, and north atlantic wildlife.

Saltram Saga, Pat Lawless

Ep 17, Chasing the Nomadic Dream and the Refit of Windflower

This episode is just me, talking about my new book, "Chasing the Nomadic Dream," the six-month refit of Windflower that is just now complete, short discussions of the other four books I've published, and the coming journey to Panama.

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book, Chasing the Nomadic Dream, Paul Trammell
Windflower at Little Galliot Cay

Ep. 18, Elliott Smith 2: The Right Moment is Always in Front of You

Elliott Smith, whom you might remember from episode 7, is entering the 2022 Golden Globe Race. We talk about dealing with the cold, shopping for a boat, sailing alone, Moitessier's inspiration, preparing for the big race, personal strengths and weaknesses, and love of the ocean. "The right moment is always in front of you to start making steps in the right direction."

Elliott Smith, sailboat
Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith, sail
Elliott Smith, fish

Ep 19: Marco Nannini, the Global Solo Challenge

Marco Nannini is the organizer of the Global Solo Challenge, an around-the-world solo sailing event in production sailboats, set to take place in 2023. Unlike the Golden Globe, this is not a "retro" race, and thus will allow the use of any technology. Marco is also a very accomplished offshore racer. He took 1st place in the 2009 OSTAR in the IRC3 class, 2nd in the Round Britain and Ireland 2010, 27th in the Route du Rhum 2010, and 2nd in the Global Ocean Race 2011.

OSTAR 2009, Marco Nannini, British Beagle
Global Solo Challenge, Marco Nannini
Route du Rhum 2010, Marco Nannini,
Marco Nannini, Capo Horn, Cape Horn

Ep 20: Brian Boschma, Pelagic Autopilots

Brian created Pelagic Autopilots in effort to make a better tiller pilot for his use in solo offshore racing in the San Francisco Bay area, including the Transpac. Many offshore sailors consider the Pelagic to be the best tillerpilot on the market, and it is the only one that incorporates a rate gyro. He has since developed a unit for wheel-steered boats as well. We discuss offshore racing, the Transpac, how autopilots work, what makes Pelagic Autopilots unique, tiller vs wheel steering, love of offshore sailing, and wildlife encounters.

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