Guest Host; Dr Linus Wilson interviews a family living, traveling, learning and enjoying the world aboard the 38-foot catamaran Fata Morgana. Their names are Ivo, Mira and Maya. For them it’s a voyage into a new and unknown way of life. They left behind work, school, home and all those things that give us a false sense of security and comfort, in order to find alternative ways of learning and experiencing the world.
They are traveling and living aboard and produce their own solar power and fresh water and they sail as much as possible and also catch and eat a lot of fish.
In November 2012, Ivo, Mira and Maya piled up a bunch of clothes, books, and tools on a 1988 motor home and left their house in Canada in search of a boat. After five months on the road, they found their version of the "perfect boat". ‘Fata Morgana’ became their new home and school for an unknown number of years. Ivo, Mira and Maya are traveling around the world and living full-time aboard Fata Morgana, a 2001 Robertson & Caine Leopard 38.
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Guest host Andy Lamont talks to Paul Ridley - rower turned sailor. He took up rowing in 2005 and within 4 years rowed 3,000nm across the Atlantic Ocean. Facing the worst nature had to offer, he was blown backwards 200 miles after a bad storm. Next came the Arctic Ocean, the only ocean that had never been rowed across. In August 2012, a team of four young explorers completed an unsupported, non-stop, record-setting voyage in one of the exploration world’s last great firsts. After 40 days and 1,000 miles, Collin West, Neal Mueller, Paul Ridley & Scott Mortensen powered their way along a dangerous section of the fabled Northwest Passage.
Paul then purchased a Lagoon 38 and took up cruising with his wife, sailing from the UK to Spain, Porto, Lisbon, the Canary Islands, Antigua, the Caribbean and the Panama Canal with plans to head to the Galapagos, Marquesas’, Tahiti and then Australia next.
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In this episode my guest host Andy Lamont talks with Chris Barnes on his Panama stopover about his 17 years of cruising adventures at sea. Chris's story is riveting from start to finish with tales of meteorites, bushfires, hurricanes and an adventure filled life on the ocean
Chris started dinghy sailing when he was young on the Portsmouth Harbour in England and then crossed the Atlantic in 34 days from England to Barbados in the yacht 'Robert Spray' modelled on Josua Slocum's original design. Chris spent several years skippering yachts for various owners, including sailing the 110 foot Schooner 'America'. 'America' was built in 1851 and is the yacht The Americas Cup is named after.
Chris shares insights into the rise, demise and rise again of 'America' including a period where she was left to rot in a shed 50 years ago, before a full rebuild was commissioned to restore her to the full glory we know today. Chris tells a great story of Atlantic crossings, boat yard mishaps and doing up to 9 knots boat speed in 15 knots of wind in a yacht more than 150 years old. Chris's adventures continued to Africa and eventually Australia where tragedy struck his family, as summer temperatures hit 46 degrees celsius (115 F) as Australias "Black Saturday" bushfires swept through his new hometown taking his home and more than 200 lives that day.
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Cruising Pittwater (15nm north of Sydney) has got to be one of the top 10 cruising spots in Australia. With deepwater anchorages right up to the shoreline, free moorings, white sand beaches, private secluded bays and the 150 square kilometre Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park littered with hiking tracks, cruising the Pittwater, Cowan Creek and lower Hawkesbury River area is simply spectacular.
This episode is about our 2-week family sailing holiday on our Beneteau 445 yacht 'Ocean Gem' that included our 700nm return delivery trips sailing from the Gold Coast in Queensland, to Pittwater, New South Wales earlier this year and 8 days of fantastic cruising we enjoyed. We share the highs and lows of the the delivery trips and lots of sailing tips and recommendations about its magical cruising spots.
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In this episode my guest host Andy Lamont talks with Stuart Morton about his sailing adventures on his Panama stopover. After leaving England 11 years ago on his 39 foot sailing yacht Matador, Stuart and his wife Steph have cruised the Mediterranean, Lebanon, the Black Sea, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Gibraltar, USA, Cuba, Bahamas and the Caribbean.
Then while sitting in his cockpit anchored in Shelter Bay in Panama a storm came through punching out 30-40 knot squalls. A loud crack followed by a puff of black smoke cloud off top of mast and the smell of frying semi-conductors and circuits downstairs led to Stuarts initial fear that his yacht was on fire. Stuart accounts what happened next after realising Matador had been struck by lightning.
This episode is packed with the highs and lows of cruising internationally and the many sailing challenges faced along the way.
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Its just 36 hours out from the start of the 35th Americas Cup and Oracle Team USA and Emirates Team New Zealand pick up where they left off 4 years ago in San Francisco. In this episode we explore what ETNZ has to do to upset a very dominant and confident defender in Jimmy Spithill's Oracle Team USA.
Will Oracles comeback from 8-1 down in 2013 come back to haunt ETNZ again or have they closed the door and moved on? We drill into the key differences between the boats and skippers, the battle of the press conference, the impact of the cyclists on sailing and exactly where Jimmy Spithill is likely to focus, to exploit weaknesses and gain advantage.
With inspiration from Al Pacino and Jimmy Spithill himself, its winner takes all time in Bermuda. As Queen Victoria was told by her attendant in 1851: ”Your Majesty, there is no second place”.
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On the eve of day one of the challenger semi-finals, we talk again with Cup Experience Founder; Jack Griffin on location in Bermuda about his take on the racing so far in the challenger qualifiers and 'all things' Americas Cup 2017.
We dive into the sailing differences between the teams to date, the surprises we have seen and what we have learned about the importance of 'the start' and the quality of your 'boards' (foils). This 35th edition of the Cup is unfolding into one of the most competitive events ever with close racing, multiple lead changes, collisions, penalties and of course the sailing personalities.
With speeds in excess of 40 knots and teams now foiling up and down wind for 100% of the race, simple mistakes cost you hundreds of metres. This cup is not just about pure boat speed, its also about consistency in execution, winning the start, foil and rudder selection and how you mode your boat for the conditions each day.
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On the eve of the 35th edition, we talk with Cup Experience Founder and Americas cup sailing commentator; Jack Griffin from his home in Geneva, Switzerland about 'all things' Americas Cup. From the venue differences between San Francisco and Bermuda, to which teams are most likely to make the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals, to Jack's pick for the Americas Cup 2017 winner. This episode recaps the final moments of each of the last 30 years of Americas Cup finals and then Jack drills into who the form teams are for this years event, who is most likely to surprise us and whether Emirates Team New Zealand's cycle powered sailing innovation will be the difference.
With major changes in the course format and weather in Bermuda, we could see the return of the upwind tacking duels of old - but this time in high speed catamarans, doing almost 50 knots and up on foils for 100% of the race.
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Nick Williams is an unassuming, but naturally talented 14 year old sailor who sets out from New Zealand and heads to California to compete in the William Koch International Sea Scout Cup and achieves a result he and his sailing partner Nick Gardiner could only have dreamed of.
Bill Koch’s relationship with the Sea Scout program pre-dates his career as a successful international businessman and winning America’s Cup skipper. It began more than 50 years ago when the Wichita, Kansas native enrolled in a summer sailing program at Culver Military Academy in Indiana. Modelled after the Sea Scout Program, Koch cites his early sailing experience as one that would alter the course of his life. “I learned then that the true art of sailing required teamwork, discipline and leadership,” he said. “If I could fine tune those skills, then I would be better able to manage the surprises that the sea constantly throws at you.”
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We track Andy Lamont down in St. Lucia in the Caribbean during his unplanned stopover for repairs to his self-steering and electrical systems. Andy left the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia in October 2016 for his non-stop westward bound solo circumnavigation and world record attempt sailing his S&S 34 yacht 'Impulse'.
We find out all about his sailing voyage so far, the set backs and forced change of plans, during his stopover prior to heading north to the Panama Canal before crossing the Pacific Ocean on his final leg home. Andy candidly shares his thoughts about solo sailing, his adventure so far and the roller coaster of highs and lows he has experienced.
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We catch-up with Lisa Blair 65 days into her world record attempt to circumnavigate Antarctica solo as the first female and fastest sailor ever. Lisa shares the challenges and set backs to date, talks about weather, icebergs, repairs and leaks. A few days after the interview by Sat Phone, disaster strikes and Lisa’s mast comes crashing down. Working in the dark sailing into 9m seas, we share a narration of Lisa's blow-by-blow account of her courageous efforts to save her hull from sinking, and her epic battle to cut her rig free. This is an episode about seamanship and the determination of one hell of a sailor, as she battles fatigue and hypothermia to overcome her biggest challenge yet sailing her Open 50, named Climate Action Now.
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We check in with Lisa Blair a few days prior to her departure to find out how her shake down trip form Sydney, NSW to Albany, WA went. Lisa tells us how "Climate Action Now" stood up to 60 knots of wind and a sizeable storm. We find out whats left to complete on her endless task prior to her departure, as she sets off to become the first female to complete a sailing circumnavigation of Antartica solo.
Lisa will be the second competitor in history to take on the Antarctica Cup Ocean Race (ACOR). Originally based on the Open 50 racing design, Climate Action Now (AKA Funnel-Web) was purpose built to race in the Double Handed Melbourne to Osaka Yacht Race. Lisa Blair began sailing professionally in 2006 after completing a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Visual Arts at university and has since clocked up more than 50 000 nautical miles of ocean sailing.
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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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