Salty Dips | Sailing and Racing Stories

Max Shaw : yacht broker, ocean racer, and world cruiser who spent seven years and 36,000 miles in the South Pacific with his family : joins Salty Dips to explain what racing gives cruisers and what cruising gives racers. He covers distance racing, offshore preparation, crewing on other boats, safety standards, and the Force 12 North Atlantic passage that taught him never to be in the wrong part of the ocean at the wrong time of year.

Ben Mumford, 2012 Martin 242 North American champion and 2017 Six Metre Worlds runner-up, joins Christopher Maier to discuss sailing, racing, high-performance programmes, and racing preparation. Ben recounts his team’s collision, boat change, and resilience at the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational—and looks ahead to distance racing, offshore racing, and the 2027 Transpac.

"Preparation is not a spring project—it starts in November." 50th PNW Offshore winner Peter Salusbury joins us to break down the technical discipline of the Riptide 35 Longboard, the human element of safety at sea, and why the human element still beats the machine when the weather turns. In this episode, Chris Maier sits down with ocean racer Peter Salusbury, fresh off his overall victory in the 50th Pacific Northwest Offshore. As the skipper of the Riptide 35 Longboard and the Event Chair for the Southern Straits, Peter brings a masterclass in what it actually takes to manage a high-performance offshore program. We dive into: The Second Lesson of Racing: Why Peter starts his refit and preparation process six months before the start line. Safety as a Culture: Reflections on the 2010 Southern Straits storm and how it redefined safety standards in British Columbia. Technology vs. the human element: Using Expedition software to find trends while relying on human judgment to make the final call in big sea states. The Salty Dip: A harrowing account of a Brooks Peninsula storm that saw a 40-foot yacht lose its mast and the Coast Guard intervene. The Feeder System: How the Melges 24 fleet is bridging the gap for the next generation of offshore talent. Whether you're an aspiring offshore sailor or a seasoned veteran, Peter’s "no fluff" approach to preparation and leadership is essential listening. Stay Salty. riptide 35 safety at sea southern straits van isle 360 salty dips offshore racing yacht racing bc sailboat preparation

More people have walked on the moon than have done what Bert ter Hart achieved: a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the globe using only a sextant and paper charts. No GPS. No chart plotter. Just 265 days of raw discipline and mental architecture. Also, we try to look into what makes a racer in sailing. In this episode, host Chris Maier sits down with Bert to dive deep into the philosophy of "Doing Hard Things." From his background as a platoon commander in Canada’s Special Service Force to facing the chaotic wave trains of the Southern Ocean, Bert explains why he never plays "what if" games and why he views maintenance as a "Black Box" of safety deposits. We also talk about his next "beast" of a voyage—sneaking around the world in a faster hull to outrun storms— and his upcoming paddle from the Alberta border to the Arctic

What does it take to manage a race on the world’s biggest stage? In this episode, we sit down with four-time Olympic Race Officer Paul Ulibarri to go behind the scenes of elite-level regatta management. From his humble (and accidental) beginnings as a Hobie Cat dealer to overseeing the most prestigious starting lines in the world, Paul shares the tactical precision and cool-headedness required for international race officiating. He has overseen racing at all levels from the Pacific Northwest around the world. We dive into the "Art of the Regatta" and hear some harrowing dips (Sea Stories) from some truly epic races.Olympic Race Management, Regatta Strategy, Professional Race Officiating, High-Performance Sailing Logistics, International Sailing Standards, Olympic Yacht Racing, Race Officer Insights, Grand Prix Regatta Organization.