Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell

Eli Westervelt and his friend Hayden Childs sailed Eli's Outboud 46 through Tierra del Fuego via South America's west coast, stopping in Lima, Iquique, Viña del Mar, and on to the canals of Chile.  We talk about learning to sail, buying an Outbound 46, losing sail battens, coming up with the idea to sail through Tierra del Fuego, choosing the right boat, going through the Panama Canal, crew dynamics, stopping in Peru, clearing customs at a soccer game, sailing upwind and up-current, avoiding longlines offshore, the Chilean scallop divers, clearing customs in Chile, getting lucky with the people you meet, loaning the dinghy to the Dominican Republic Armada, Viña del Mar, high winds, anchoring and tying ashore in Tierra del Fuego, engine trouble, sailing into anchorages, favorite moments in Tierra del Fuego, hiking, staying cold and wet, the natives, not having a heater, sailing around Cape Horn, bucket-list destinations, more anchoring, sharks, and more. Photos and links are on the podcast shownotes page Support the show through Patreon Shop for or sell sailboats at SailboatsForSale.com Get marine electrical help from Meridian Marine Electrial Shop LED navigation lights at Signal Mate 

Duarte Champalimaud lives in Cascais Portugal and sails a 1972 Swan 40. He recently sailed solo for the first time across the Atlantic Ocean.  We talk about Portugal, learning to sail on small boats, sailing in the Mediterranean, his boat, fuel tanks, osmosis, refitting the boat, adding an inner forestay, adding running backstays, having a teak deck, fear, arriving in the Canary Islands, hitchhikers, feeling like you have to prove yourself, solo sailing and if it is running away from something or selfish, solitude, discovering new places, Kirsten Neuschafer's book "All Good, K," sailing from the Canary Islands to Martinique, bananas, sailing downwind, hitting 16 knots, the windvane autopilot, pursuing our dreams, spearfishing, preventers, and more. Links and photos are on the podcast website Support the show through Patreon Sail with Sail Libra Sail with Tapio Lehtinen Shop tankless dive systems at Blu3

After many years of preparation, Dave and Beth Mortell bought a catamaran and took off with their daughter Landon and their two dogs. But tragedy struck early and they lost their boat to a fire in The Bahamas. Instead of giving up the dream, they bounced back, bought a Leopard 45 and took off from Florida again, sailing the Caribbean, Panama, and the South Pacific. They were in New Caledonia when I interviewed them. We talk about New Caledonia, clearing in to the Loyalty Islands, Sail Time and learing to sail, starting a boat fund with $200, kids on a boats, homeschooling, international travel, getting rid of stuff in order to leave land for good, monohulls and catamarans, comfort vs speed, if boats have souls, sailing with a schedule, working with a weather router, heaving-to in a catamaran, heavy weather, a boat that hit a whale and sank, life rafts, loosing their first catamaran to a fire, deciding to buy another boat and try again, bouncing back, confidence, kid boats, finding your people, making friends while cruising, loneliness and community, favorite passages, finding growth outside our comfort zones, and more. Photos and links are on the podcast shownotes page Support the show through Patreon Shop for or sell sailboats at SailboatsForSale.com Get marine electrical help from Meridian Marine Electrial Shop LED navigation lights at Signal Mate 

Colm Walker was signed up to race in the Golden Globe Race (GGR), but was not able to make the start. He was in Mexico the last time he was on the show, then sailed to Panama, through the canal, and all the way to France, solo and nonstop, in his Tayana 37. We talk about the GGR competitors, Matthew Wright's Galicia a Galicia circumnavigation, the mental strain of being stuck in light air, sailing through squalls, suffering from the desire to be somewhere else, his decision not to do the GGR (this year), sailing into the Sitran fleet on his way in to Les Sables d'Olonne, leaks in his boat, plans to do the 2030 GGR, the Golden Globe Race family, solitude, solo sailing - who enjoys it and who does not, GGR history, the point at which we feel the exhale, the passage from Mexico to Panama, sailing with an incomplete sail wardrobe, building confidence offshore, the Panama Canal, using an agent to transit the canal, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, Guy Waites, the pass/fail mental aspect of the GGR, his passage from Panama through the Caribbean and on to France, the Windward Passage, Cuba, rough weather, sailing downwind, slowing down and dealing with difficult situations, lightning, navigation, celestial navigation, sailing without modern instruments, different reasons people enjoy sailing, a solar eclpise, listening to the boat, letting the boat swing, the zen of sailing offshore, meditation, letting go of attachment and suffering, preparing mentally for long offshore passanges like the GGR, having an external dialogue with yourself, the importance of not rushing, Spain and Portugal, a dream boat, the Mini Globe Race, and more. 

The Golden Globe Race (GGR) is underway again. Many of the skippers from past and present races have been on the podcast. In this episode, I have made a compilation of past GGR racers talking about the mental strain of the race, storms, and other difficult situations. Included are Ertan Beskardes, Guy Waites, Simon Curwen, Kirsten Neuschafer, Elliot Smith, and Pat Lawless.  Photos and links are on the podcast shownotes page Support the show through Patreon Shop for or sell sailboats at SailboatsForSale.com Get marine electrical help from Meridian Marine Electrial Shop LED navigation lights at Signal Mate