A sailing day on the water with the Wild Oats XI Sydney Hobart crew in their ninth and final consecutive day of on-the-water training, in the lead up to the 72nd edition of the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. This episode captures the anticipation beforehand of Rod Routh and David Hows as they fly to Sydney to join Mark Richards, Iain Murray and the Wild Oats XI team sailing on Sydney Harbour, followed by a debrief on the return trip home after an exciting day of action on and off the water.
Wild Oats XI is the most successful Sydney to Hobart yacht ever with eight line honours victories from 10 starts and is the current holder of the race record in just over 1 day, 18 hours for the 628nm race.
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Disaster struck the first week of Andy’s non-stop westward bound solo circumnavigation and world record sailing attempt in his S&S 34 yacht 'Impulse’. By day 3 he hit challenges he had not expected during a 40-knot storm, while sailing 150nm offshore. From genoa failure to electrical problems, water ingress into his food storage and a bizarre EPIRB activation.
After months of preparation and years of planning Andy Lamont’s first days, created challenges he did not expect. We catch up with Andy after he sailed into the CYCA in Sydney where he has undergone repairs, and upgrades to ensure that when he departs Sydney this month, he is ready for round 2 of ‘Andy Lamont sails around the world’ in the biggest adventure of his life.
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Mike Horn is globally acknowledged as the world’s greatest modern day explorer. From swimming the Amazon River solo and unsupported to an unmotorised circumnavigation of the globe at the equator, Mike’s list of accomplishments as a solo explorer is unparalleled.
In two decades, he has seen more of the Earth than possibly any other human. He walked to the North Pole during darkness and has scaled the world’s 8,000 metre peaks, including a recent attempt to paraglide K2.
In 2008 the yacht “Pangaea” was born so that young adults could experience sailing and explore the natural world. Over 200,000 miles and multiple sailing circumnavigations later, Mike has created a great environmental initiative to educate a global network of youth.
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David Hows shares his story of preparing and sailing to a 45 foot Beneteau yacht named ‘Ocean Gem’ across the Tasman Sea from Auckland, New Zealand, via Norfolk Island to the Gold Coast in Australia in late 2013.
This second of a two-part episode is a step-by-step summary of his extensive preparation and substantial refit and it will help and inspire any blue water cruiser who is preparing to sail across a large ocean. This personal insight into the highs and lows of voyage planning is a great story for every cruising sailor.
Originally published in iTunes as the 200+ page iBook: ‘Sailing the Tasman Sea’, it has been narrated into audio for this podcast.
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David Hows shares his story of preparing and sailing to a 45 foot Beneteau yacht named ‘Ocean Gem’ across the Tasman Sea from Auckland, New Zealand, via Norfolk Island to the Gold Coast in Australia in late 2013.
This first of a two-part episode is a step-by-step summary of his extensive preparation and substantial refit and it will help and inspire any blue water cruiser who is preparing to sail across a large ocean. This personal insight into the highs and lows of voyage planning is a great story for every cruising sailor.
Originally published in iTunes as the 200+ page iBook: ‘Sailing the Tasman Sea’, it has been narrated into audio for this podcast.
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In this episode we chat with Martin Vaughan about his epic sailing adventure and lessons learned from competing in the 5,500nm 2-handed 2013 Melbourne to Osaka Race.
As a long distance South to North Ocean Race, it’s a unique Pacific Ocean journey and it crosses multiple weather systems and seasons. The course starts in Portsea, Melbourne, heads into Bass Strait, up the east coast of Australia, into the southeasterly trade winds then through the Solomon Islands and the doldrums of the equator. It then heads into the southeasterly trade winds and the equatorial current before fighting the Kuroshio (Japan current), which flows up the Pacific Coast of Japan to finish in the port of Osaka on Japan’s Honshu Island. Its a yacht race and sailing adventure like no other.
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In 2015, after three South African sailors went missing after sailing into the vastness of the Southern Ocean and their families desperately tried to trace their final movements. Their determination to uncover the truth, would require going to war with the world’s largest tourism conglomerate, a €20 billion-a-year monolith that had no interest in fielding questions.
In this episode we share a narration of the 10,000+ word story of sailing tragedy and loss, followed by a candid chat with its author, Kevin Bloom about the missing pieces of the puzzle that led to the deaths of three sailors and the eventual relocation of the missing 44 foot Leopard Catamaran several months later.
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After months of preparation and years of planning we check in with Andy Lamont a few days before he leaves the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia for his non-stop westward bound sailing solo circumnavigation and world record attempt in his S&S 34 yacht 'Impulse'.
We find out what's gone to plan, what’s changed, his set backs, his final departure plans and Andy's final thoughts before leaving for the biggest sailing adventure of his life.
Andy: “May the wind always be at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face and rains fall soft upon your sails. And until we all meet you again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.” From all of your friends at the Southport Yacht Club.
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Following the 2015 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race Lisa Blair is taking sailing to the extremes and aims to set the world record for becoming the first female to compete in the Antarctica Cup Ocean Race, circumnavigate Antarctica, circumnavigate below latitude 45° south and break the current speed record of 102 days, 1 hour, 35 minutes and 50 seconds.
Lisa will be the second competitor in history to take on the Antarctica Cup Ocean Race (ACOR) that was founded by Chairman Robert Williams and will be racing the clock sailing around the Antarctica Cup Racetrack, a three-lane racetrack circling Antarctica between 45 South and 60 South. Lisa is both a Clipper round-the-world race winner and solo Tasman competitor, but her next challenge takes sailing to a whole new level.
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Back from competing at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week for the first time, we do a race crew debrief and share the highs and lows of sailing at one of the most spectacular regattas on the planet. From trailer boats to 100-foot super maxi’s, a record fleet of 252 yachts competed across 14 divisions, racing in challenging weather and strong tidal currents while sailing around the Whitsunday Islands.
This candid debrief with some of the team off my Beneteau 445 (Ocean Gem), covers the highs, lows, challenges and set-backs of the week and what we would have to do differently next time round.
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Ian Mackenzie has spent more than 30 years valuing and selling yachts. As a specialist yacht broker he shares his knowledge on how to import, buy, maintain and sell your yacht. His lessons are relevant to both first time and experienced boat owners and sailors and his advice on the critical areas to be diligent, with maintenance and upgrades are insightful.
We also drill down into the benefits and risks of buying offshore, the import process and the costs you need to be aware of when comparing buying locally to importing from abroad. Ian's hands on sailing experience and passion his craft make his advice highly relevant to all aspiring yacht owners.
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Dr. Roger Badham spent 10 years at university to complete a PHD in meteorology. He has devoted the last 40 years to marine meteorology. Known as ‘Clouds’ in the yachting world, he is one of the most respected meteorologists in the sailing business.
Clouds has forecast nine America’s Cups, seven Olympic Games, 30 around the world yacht races and countless yacht races and sailing regattas all around the world, with more than 35 Sydney to Hobart race forecasts and during the past 30 years he has assisted as many as 500 vessels, sailing across the Tasman Sea.
He is also retained by Ferrari’s Formula One racing team. His insights into weather for sailors are fascinating.
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Fresh from completing the 384nm Sydney to Gold Coast Race last week, we join my race crew for a post-race debrief, of what turned out to be the slowest edition of this race in history. Even 100-foot super maxi Wild Oats XI only averaged 8 knots for the course, taking 100% longer than their race record.
This debrief with the crew of my Beneteau 445, covers the highs, lows, challenges and set-backs of ocean racing and we talk about what we need to improve, in the build up to our first ever Sydney to Hobart Race in December 2016.
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Elise Currey heads up a ‘volunteer army’ at the Coffs Harbour Marina, north of Sydney on Australia’s East Coast. With her office smashed to pieces by a storm, that sent 14 metre swells surging through her marina a few weeks ago. Elise as marina manager is literally running her operations out of a shipping container as we speak to her, while the damage repairs that will take a few months, get underway.
When your office backs onto the Tasman Sea, sometimes a breakwater is not enough to keep nature out. In this contrasting story to episode 16, we find out the challenges of being situated in a ringside seat, with a wild ocean as your backdrop.
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Gerry Fitzgerald is your consummate mariner. We dive into a lifetime of sailing on the ocean; from Queensland catamaran racing, to Antarctica expeditions, being boarded by hostile natives in the Solomon Islands, competing in the fatal 98 Sydney to Hobart Race, sailing an 1,800 ton tall ship out of Sydney Harbour and exploring the worlds seven oceans. Gerry has a lifetime of maritime sailing stories to share.
Gerry’s experience, wisdom, advice and observations are second to none and no one is better equipped than he is, to offer marine safety and training courses, a passion he has turned his hand to, in recent years and he starts to spend more time on land, after decades sailing worlds seven oceans.
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We check in with Mark Stephenson, Commodore of the Mersey Yacht Club in Devonport, Tasmania just weeks after the biggest storm they have seen in 50 years, swept away their marina and the vessels berthed at it.
In this candid chat, Mark shares details of the people and vessels rescued and sad stories of those that were lost. This interview provides a graphic insight into the forces of nature and the major impact a 24-hour storm can have on people’s lives. Nestled on the edge of Bass Strait, one of the most treacherous passages of ocean for sailors in the world, Mark tells us first hand what it was like to see his marina swept away.
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In this episode we catch up with Ian Thomson, organiser of the 6,350nm Around Australia Yacht Race. Its set to start in August 2017 with competitors sailing out of Sydney and this will be the first event held, since Sir Peter Blake won it sailing his catamaran around Australia in 1988.
Ian is the current solo sailing mono-hull record holder, after circumnavigating Australia in 2012. From Ian’s live aboard yacht in the marina at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, we delve into what’s driven him to organise the 2017 race and find out more about the Ocean Crusaders; an organisation that Ian founded that has taken its ocean preservation education program into 18,000 schools so far.
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We check in with Kym Fleet from Gold Cast City Marina and David Hanton of Bradford Marine to drill into essential tips for recognising, avoiding and protecting yourself from problems that can result from poor hull maintenance.
Kym discusses the challenges, evolution and opportunities that have come with running the largest marina and shipyard facility in the Southern Hemisphere and talks about the standards yacht owners should expect from a top class shipyard.
David covers the types of anti-foul applications for racing and cruising sailors, advice on how to avoid inheriting someone else’s problems and when its worth stripping an older hull bare and starting all over again. He shares the tips and maintenance advice for keeping your hull ship shape especially if you are sailing offshore.
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In this bonus episode courtesy of Andy Schell from the 59 North Podcast, we join a training workshop with Andy’s sail maker Chuck O’Malley who he has worked with on various projects for more than a decade.
In this episode, recorded at the WCC Ocean Sailing Seminar, Chuck discusses the technical aspects of building and maintaining ocean-going cruising sails. Chuck talks about design and construction characteristics, downwind sail choices, three-reef versus storm trysail setups; storm jibs; gennakers and Code 0 sails; and much more
Chuck is founder and loft manager of Chesapeake Sails, a business he started in 2002 and he has successfully collaborated with numerous racing teams and has guided countless numbers of extended cruisers on how to plan and prepare their sail inventories for offshore sailing.
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We catch up with Rob White from Evolution Sails on sail wardrobe planning and material selection choices for both cruising and racing sailors. Rob shares four decades of sail planning, sailing, design and production experience and the changes and advances he is seeing, including the adoption of exotic materials at club racing level. Rob talks specifically about tips for making your boat go faster regardless of how old your sails or boat are.
Rob covers everything from Dacron to Carbon Fibre and the choices in between and we also spend some time talking about the ideal set up for short handed cruising sailors, so that speed to your next sailing destination does not have to be compromised.
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Andy Lamont updates us on his preparations for his solo sailing world record attempt to sail, non-stop, westward around the world in a ‘vessel less than 40 feet’ in length, departing from the Gold Coast, Australia on October 2nd this year.
In this follow up to episode’s 2 & 3, Andy explains the process of registering for a world record sailing attempt, the ongoing preparations of ‘Impulse’; Andy’s S&S 34, lessons learned so far, the financial challenges, Andy’s growing list of supporters and some of the changes he has made to his original plans, 3 months on from when we last spoke to him.
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We catch up with Jessica Watson, 6 years after completing her sailing voyage as the youngest person ever to sail non-stop, unassisted around the world in her S&S 34 ‘Ella’s Pink Lady’.
We talk with Jessica about her pre-departure fears; how she dealt with the extreme weather she faced on her trip, life on land after her sailing voyage and her new tech venture in the marine industry and where her future passion in sailing lies.
Andy Lamont (from Episodes 2 & 3) joins the interview and gets some first hand advice from Jessica for his upcoming westward bound sailing circumnavigation in an S&S 34, departing Oct 2016.
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We talk with Andrew Randell about a sail boat building project his father started in 1963 that came to a standstill when tragedy struck his family while on holiday in 1966. 36 years later Andrew rescues the partly built sailing yacht that had steadily deteriorated over almost 4 decades and he starts a 7 year mission to complete what his father had started.
For a guy that had never built a boat before, let alone sailed one, its a great story of what can be achieved when you are determined and focused. As a result of Andrews fine craftsmanship he was awarded the Hal Harper Award by the New South Wales Wooden Boat Association in 2011 for his demonstration of wooden boat building skills and the preservation of historical wooden sailing boats.
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In this episode we talk with Ken Thackeray the founder of the Shag Islet Cruising Yacht Club about how the unplanned idea for SICYC came about by sheer chance and how this unique yacht club has grown into a large organisation with no employees, no physical yacht club venue and 4,700+ sailing members in 14 countries.
SICYC is a great resources for cruising sailors and has created friendships is the most unusual of places as you'll find out in this candid chat with Ken at their 7th anniversary party.
Its annual Gloucester Rendezvous at Whitsunday in Queensland sees 200+ boats gather for 4 days of sailing, fun and activities.
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In this 2nd of the 2-part episode we continue to talk to Peter Montgomery, respected internationally as the voice of New Zealand Yachting after personally commentating on 12 Americas Cups, 9 Olympic Games and every Whitbread and Volvo around the world races to date.
If you missed Episode 6, I recommend you listen to it before this episode.
Peter shares personal insights into his 40 year career in broadcasting, how the Americas Cup sailing has changed, thoughts on some of the big personalities that drive the international yachting and why commentating will never be the same again.
Peters reputation for colourful commentary that enhances sailing for the layman, helped develop a nations passion for sailing, through both the Americas Cup and Whitbread/Volvo Round the World Campaigns that New Zealand has been heavily involved in since the early 1980's.
This candid discussion with one of New Zealand's greatest ever sailing broadcasters is a unique opportunity to understand what inspired Peter Montgomery to approach the task with such energy and passion.
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