On the Wind Sailing – Details, episodes & analysis

Matt Rutherford is back again, this time to talk about perhaps his most audacious plans yet - to sail solo and nonstop around the Arctic. That's back-to-back through the Northwest Passage and NorthEAST passage (above Russia). I caught up with Matt in person to talk about his plans (and lots more, like we always do), back in October in Annapolis. Matt continues to inspire and push me as a sailor. He makes his adventures look easy, does them on a shoestring and is always very humble about the whole thing. Enjoy our chat and follow/support Matt through oceanresearchproject.org.

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Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there!

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This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Offshore Passage Opportunities and Rutgerson Marin. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!

James Evenson, aka Sailing Zingaro on YouTube, has sailed tens of thousands of miles on a variety of boats and had countless adventures. Several of those adventures have ended either in disaster or heroics, depending on your perspective, and it got me wondering - what is true seam'nship? James and I sat down face to face in Annapolis and had a ranging and thoughtful conversation on his life before sailing, what he learned in the Navy, how to make a living on YouTube and how to define the line between bravery and stupidity.

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Check out James' new book at www.bethecaptain.com!

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Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there!

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This episode is sponsored by Orca. Visit getorca.com to modernize your onboard navigation with the Orca Display and Orca Core. We've got them on SPICA & ISBJØRN and so far are LOVING the experience of proper tablet navigation, waterproof wireless charging, logged passages and slick charts and instruments.

AUDIO ISSUE FIXED :) Max Campbell returns to the podcast, talking to Andy from New Zealand where he's been in refit-mode on his Swan 37 ELIXIR. Since Max was last on the show in 2019, following his solo Atlantic Circle, he's rebuilt and sailed the ELIXIR halfway around the world, taking friends and strangers across oceans as part of his "Untide" project. Max is truly living the dream, funding his cruising through clever partnerships and occasional charter yacht jobs. We talked about how far he's come since 2019 and what's next for him and ELIXIR.

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Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there!

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This episode is sponsored by Orca. Visit getorca.com to modernize your onboard navigation with the Orca Display and Orca Core. We've got them on SPICA & ISBJØRN and so far are LOVING the experience of proper tablet navigation, waterproof wireless charging, logged passages and slick charts and instruments. 

#387. Elliott Smith was competing as the youngest sailor in the 2022 Golden Globe Race when his bowsprit broke off the coast of Cape Town. He made a repair that got him across the Southern Ocean to Australia where he ended up retiring from the race. Elliott is a Sailor, Surfer, Artist, Deep Thinker and Big Dreamer.

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If you liked this conversation you'll LOVE The QUARTERDECK, 59 North's 'deep dives on the art of seamanship.' Join our interactive community and get involved in the conversation at quarterdeck.59-north.com. First two weeks FREE, then multiple pricing options thereafter. 

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ON THE WIND is presented by Athletic Greens. Podcast listeners can redeem their special discount at athleticgreens.com/onthewind. The show is also presented by Broadreach, worldwide adventure travel programs for teenagers. Sign up at gobroadreach.com/onthewind.

#386. Tania Aebi sailed around the world alone on her Contessa 26, Varuna. She cast off from New York in May 1985 when she was 18 years old, and returned in November 1987, having visited 23 countries along the way. After returning from her circumnavigation, Tania wrote her bestselling book, Maiden Voyage.

Emma visited Tania at her home in Vermont, where Tania spends her time writing, caring for the house, and being near family. Tania also runs sailing charters and works as a hired skipper. Keep up with Tania's projects at http://www.taniaaebi.com/

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If you liked this conversation you'll LOVE The QUARTERDECK, 59 North's 'deep dives on the art of seamanship.' Join our interactive community and get involved in the conversation at quarterdeck.59-north.com. First two weeks FREE, then multiple pricing options thereafter. 

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ON THE WIND is presented by Athletic Greens. Podcast listeners can redeem their special discount at athleticgreens.com/onthewind. The show is also presented by Broadreach, worldwide adventure travel programs for teenagers. Sign up at gobroadreach.com/onthewind.

#385. FALKEN, our newly refit Farr 65, is finally sailing. August Sandberg hosts a 59 North 'Admiralty' roundtable, recapping the first sea trial on the new boat, which we did last week here in the English Channel. With gusts up to 55 knots, hail squalls, sunshine, big waves, fast reaching and breaking the things that 'needed' to break, the sea trial was a massive success and a hell of a lot of fun sailing with 9 of our friends and 59 North sailing staff! Andy, Nikki & Mia were all onboard and relive the sea trial on today's episode, the first of 2023!

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If you liked this conversation you'll LOVE The QUARTERDECK, 59 North's 'deep dives on the art of seamanship.' Join our interactive community and get involved in the conversation at quarterdeck.59-north.com. First two weeks FREE, then multiple pricing options thereafter. 

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ON THE WIND is presented by Athletic Greens. Podcast listeners can redeem their special discount at athleticgreens.com/onthewind. The show is also presented by Broadreach, worldwide adventure travel programs for teenagers. Sign up at gobroadreach.com/onthewind.

#384. Andy & Mia spend an extended intro recapping the ups and downs of 2022 at 59 North, highlighting the sale of ICEBEAR, the launch of FALKEN, Andy's scare with melanoma skin cancer, Mia's first trans-Atlantic since Axel was born, and more. Then we replay one of our favorite all-time episodes, a roundtable chat with John Kretschmer in Bermuda in 2021, with Andy, Emma & August co-hosting. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and see you in 2023!

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If you liked this conversation you'll LOVE The QUARTERDECK, 59 North's 'deep dives on the art of seamanship.' Join our interactive community and get involved in the conversation at quarterdeck.59-north.com. First two weeks FREE, then multiple pricing options thereafter. 

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ON THE WIND is presented by Forbes Horton Yachts and supported by Weems & Plath. Learn more about both sponsors & friends on the show, or follow the links above.

#383. Young Cruisers' Association exists to connect like-minded folks through sailing and cruising. They define themselves as "a collection of young, salty vagabonds forming a community of the sea". Emma talked with three of the five people behind YCA: Caroline, Logan, and Brian.

Logan and Caroline Rowell brought the Young Cruisers Association to life back in 2012, while they were out cruising on their boat. Brian Currier joined soon after, and recently, Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu of La Vagabonde came aboard too. The original YCA started in the 1970's among liveaboard sailors, and its legacy is now being carried by new generations. The YCA is now over 6,000 members strong. 

Learn more at youngcruisers.org

#382. Matty Duncan is bound solo around Cape Horn on ICE WARRIOR, his 1987 Moody 346. He left from the UK this summer to head for Chile, the 'Wrong Way Round'. He is now undergoing repairs in Brazil, after a rigging failure offshore. His project aims to raise awareness about mental health issues by Matty telling his life story while on this solo adventure.

Emma called Matty to discuss the thousands of miles he has covered thus far. Matty talked about the rigging failure and subsequent seamanship scenario that brought him to Brazil. We also took a deep-dive into Matty's life story and the mental health struggles that inspired this journey. There are mentions of suicide and other sensitive topics in this episode. Matty is now readying ICE WARRIOR for the next big passage, from Brazil to Chile via Cape Horn.

Learn more about Matty's project and track his sailing progress via his website. https://www.wrongwayround.org/

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If you liked this conversation you'll LOVE The QUARTERDECK, 59 North's 'deep dives on the art of seamanship.' Join our interactive community and get involved in the conversation at quarterdeck.59-north.com. First two weeks FREE, then multiple pricing options thereafter. 

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ON THE WIND is presented by Forbes Horton Yachts and supported by Weems & Plath. Learn more about both sponsors & friends on the show, or follow the links above.

Lyall & Katie Burgess have a shore base 2000' up the volcano in Hawaii, but have spent the past year living aboard and cruising their Dufour 38 BLAKE with their two young daughters. They bought the boat new as part of a charter fleet, then after taking ownership in September, sailed across the Atlantic with the ARC rally, where Lyall & Katie actually met working on the staff years ago. I caught up with them in Mexico to hear about their adventures.

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If you liked this conversation you'll LOVE The QUARTERDECK, 59 North's 'deep dives on the art of seamanship.' Join our interactive community and get involved in the conversation at quarterdeck.59-north.com. First two weeks FREE, then multiple pricing options thereafter. 

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ON THE WIND is presented by Forbes Horton Yachts and supported by Weems & Plath. Learn more about both sponsors & friends on the show, or follow the links above.