The Mariner: Recent Episodes
Christopher Stanmore-Major
Light hearted & filled with personal anecdotes and amusing tangents, the Mariner Podcast shares the wealth of knowledge and experience accumulated by a sailor who has covered more miles on the world‘s oceans than the distance from the Earth to the Moon.
Each episode, solo circumnavigator Chris Stanmore-Major, talks about all things sailing from how to flake a line and prepare a meal on a family cruising voyage to how to race through the Southern Ocean on an Open 60.
Tune in today and escape back to where you really want to be- on the water.
Join me 250 Nm west of Madeira as I negotiate my way through the Azores high on my qualifying passage on board the 80 ft yacht Osprey for the 2027 Global solo challenge round the world yacht race
If you would like to join me for many more deep dives on topic's like: MOB recovery, heavy weather tactics and offshore seamanship, check out:
Patreon & Youtube Membership
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon where for $5 a month you can get access to all the extra content, including the narrated version of this video (concentrating on the seamanship, safety aspects & stories surrounding what is going on in this video), livestream Q&A's, free consultancy PLUS merch, and exclusive sponsor sailing trips with CSM.
Find it all at: https://www.patreon.com/themariner You can also join this channel on Youtube to get access to the same perks as on Patreon: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq6ye2Qd2WVPoun_Iks0qVg/joinA
ocean #sailing #yacht #themariner
It’s been a while since I last recorded an episode. A friend put it perfectly the other night — I’ve been “down below, sheltering.” There’s been a lot to deal with, but I’ve come through it.
Right now I’m lying alongside in Cherbourg, France, aboard Osprey — our 85-foot maxi — with a brand-new mainsail, surrounded by some of the best sailors and sailing service providers in the world. Ahead of us is a single, clear task over the next month: to sail solo to the Caribbean and, in doing so, qualify for the Global Solo Challenge.
This episode is about getting caught up — where I’ve been, what’s happened — and setting the stage for what comes next. Because the story that’s unfolding now is, without question, the most interesting sailing story I’ve ever told.
In this episode you join me on deck as we enter the Needles Channel, en route to Southampton, to pick up the crew for the Fastnet Expedition 2025.
This comes at the end of a 3500Nm solo transatlantic voyage, on the 80 foot maxi, Osprey.
94 days before, in Nova Scotia, sick and stuck on the mooring, I set myself the challenge to get Osprey into the Centenary edition of the world's most famous offshore race - in this episode you join me as that Dream starts to take on a shade of reality.
You can own a piece of the mainsail that wouldn’t die as your own talisman of Tenacity, a reminder to you in the straits of your passion, that perseverance, persistence and sheer bloody-mindedness are the currency of personal growth and will bring your goals within your grasp.
For a pledge of $100, you’ll get one of the hand-cut and signed sections from this legendary, 100,000Nm mainsail, with all the funds going directly to the new sail wardrobe and the Osprey Westabout campaign.
If you believe in what I'm doing — the story, the struggle, the adventure —then this is your chance to own a piece of the mainsail of the mainsail that would not die and allow it to fuel all that comes after it's work is done.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/own-piece-of-not-134326761?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
If you like joining me for these deep dives on topic's like: MOB recovery, heavy weather tactics & offshore seamanship please consider supporting the production of this material over on Patreon where for $5 a month you can get access to extra content, including: livestream Q&A's, free project consultancy and exclusive sailing trips on Osprey.
Get a better deal on your next boat insurance policy connect with our partner Edward William Insurance, to make marine insurance simple and straight forward; whatever your style of sailing.
FOR A 10% DISCOUNT ON YOUR NEXT POLICY Quote the code MARINER10 to receive 10% off at checkout, or better still follow this link: https://www.edwardwilliam.com/boat-insurance/proposal-form?pid=ORT
To hear my personal research regarding this insurance broker who I also have a policy with, and the Q & A I had with their COO before making the decision to creating to partner with them; check out
The Mariner Podcast #118: https://themariner.podbean.com/e/120-marine-insurance-who-i-use-why
navy #shipping #ships #ocean #sailing #yacht #themariner
This episode tells the full story of the sail that’s been with me through it all — my old Open 60 mainsail, which, although it has impossibly high mileage (100,000nm!), has proven indefatigable, indestructable and faithful right through to the end.
But, it’s about more than gear. It’s about the kind of grit and grace it takes to keep going when the world says you shouldn’t, whatever your passion may be.
The first half of the episode dives into how this sail came to me, how I bent it on in the middle of the Atlantic alone over 20 hours, how it carried me through the Newport Bermuda Race in 2024 (when it was already over 20 years old!) and how it feels now to look up at it as it drives me one last time solo across the Atlantic to meet up with its successor .
This episode is about our connection to supposedly inanimate objects — to the people for whom I make these podcasts, to the sea, and to the idea that life doesn't need to be easy to be good.
Here is the Youtube playlist of my solo transatlantic voyage on the Open 60 'Falcon':
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNEtiOvex8NBvt_ai1Megepf2zcPSPSHY&si=jFDPmyFtOvqiqx1R
In the second half of the show, I walk through the details of the new mainsail — five reefs, batten choices, batten closures, reinforced reefing pointa, luff handles, hybrid Maxi/ Open 60 design — everything I’ve learned from decades of sailing distilled into one sail.
This isn’t a luxury project. It’s a mission. It’s the very machinery I need to sail west, non-stop around the world and tell the real story of solo sailing — not “rich boy goes yachting,” but something raw, real, and meaningful, that everyone can benefit from.
You can own a piece of the mainsail that wouldn’t die as your own talisman of Tenacity, a reminder to you in the straits of your passion, that perseverance, persistence and sheer bloody-mindedness are the currency of personal growth and will bring your goals within your grasp.
For a pledge of $100, you’ll get one of the hand-cut and signed sections from this legendary, 100,000Nm mainsail, with all the funds going directly to the new sail wardrobe and the Osprey Westabout campaign.
If you believe in what I'm doing — the story, the struggle, the adventure —then this is your chance to own a piece of the mainsail of the mainsail that would not die and allow it to fuel all that comes after it's work is done.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/own-piece-of-not-134326761?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
Thank you to everyone who’s already signed up to receive a piece of Osprey’s mainsail—the same sail that’s carrying me toward the UK right now. Your $100 pledges at the 'solo' tier on Patreon, are going straight to my beautiful tnew 197 sqm /2150 sqft mainsail that was just finished, that we will be using for the Centenary Fastnet.
https://www.patreon.com/themariner/shop/own-piece-of-mainsail-that-would-not-die-1996232
But the sail we’re saying goodbye to is no ordinary sail.
It was originally built for Dominique Wavre’s IMOCA 60 'Temenos' in 2000, and it’s done more than 100,000 ocean miles—including two Vendee Globes wth Dominique, two solo transatlantic voyages with me, and the 2024 Newport–Bermuda race. Now, it’s taking on its final challenge: driving Osprey home across the Atlantic, one last time.
Out of respect for its legacy, I’m not asking more of it than it can give. I’m reefed down through this last weather system, running a reaching headsail to keep the pace without flogging the main. I want it to finish this journey with dignity.
If you’d like to be part of this story—and own a piece of it—you can. I’m cutting the sail into hand-sized 8-by-12-inch pieces to share with supporters once I make land fall.
For a $100 pledge on Patreon, you’ll get one of those sections. A real piece of sailing history, a talisman of Tenacity, something tangible you can hold in your hands, or contemplate on the wall, as you chase your own dreams, whatever they might be.
This isn’t just a fundraiser—it’s a continuation of a legacy. This old sail, through you, helps pay for the new sail, completed yesterday by the sailmakers in Italy, that will power Osprey, solo, non-stop, West around the world.
Your support would be very much appreciated, whatever you can spare,
Cheers,
Chris
Support the Mariner's solo, non-stop, West Around the World voyage on the 85ft Maxi 'Osprey' at:
https//:www.patreon.com/themariner
Join me today on deck, onboard Osprey, my 85ft Maxi, as I complete my 33rd Transat, headed to England, to join the Centenary Fastnet Race and everything that lies beyond.
You are not going to want to miss this one. The Mariner is BACK!
Follow the story with DAILY videos over on the Mariner YouTube Channel
Tenacity in Pursuit
What if a piece of torn sailcloth could remind you what commitment looks like?
This mainsail is on its final run across the Atlantic, flying torn and tired but still holding Osprey steady at 15 knots. It’s not a perfect fit—it’s 15 feet too short for the rig. But like me, it keeps going anyway.
It’s done over 100,000 miles. It carried Dominique Wavre to a 5th and then a 4th place in the Vendée Globe. It saved my solo crossing in 2018 when my “new” mainsail exploded off Land’s End. You can watch that whole mess unfold on YouTube. In 2024, it stepped in again after Osprey’s big sail blew out just before Newport–Bermuda.
Now, once it finishes this delivery and we hit the Fastnet start, I’ll retire it. I’ll cut it into signed 8-by-10 pieces, scars and all, and stick on a label with the story of every mile it gave. A daily reminder that things don’t have to be perfect to be powerful—they just have to keep going.
If you want one, join the $100 tier on Patreon for a single month & I’ll send it anywhere in the world.
Let this scrap of sailcloth remind you what perseverance feels like.
Contact me through the website at https//:www.csmthemariner.com
If you want to sail on Osprey
The open events for sponsors to join are:
The Middle Sea Race in October 2025, then the Caribbean 600 in February 2026, and the Newport Bermuda Race in June 2026.
Sponsorship to join an event : $3000USD
In this episode we look at an MOB incident in the 2024 Round the Island Race in which a crew of five were inundated by a following sea off St. Catherine's Point, UK resulting in one tethered MOB, one MOB clear of the vessel with only a short distance to a lee shore... Oh and the skipper broke his leg in the knock down. Both MOB's were recovered without injury, but there is a lot to look at as I take this hot take on the actions taken by the crew and how things turned out.
I'll be sharing insights as a professional sailor, examining what went right, what went wrong, and the crucial lessons we can carry forward.
If you like joining me for these deep dives on topic's like: MOB recovery, heavy weather tactics & offshore seamanship please consider supporting the production of this material over on Patreon where for $5 a month you can get access to extra content, including: livestream Q&A's, free project consultancy and exclusive sailing trips on my boat Osprey
Get a better deal on your next boat insurance policy connect with our partner Edward William Insurance, to make marine insurance simple and straight forward; whatever your style of sailing.
FOR A 10% DISCOUNT ON YOUR NEXT POLICY Quote the code MARINER10 to receive 10% off at checkout, or better still follow this link: https://www.edwardwilliam.com/boat-insurance/proposal-form?pid=ORT
To hear my personal research regarding this insurance broker who I also have a policy with, and the Q & A I had with their COO before making the decision to creating to partner with them; check out
The Mariner Podcast #118: https://themariner.podbean.com/e/120-marine-insurance-who-i-use-why/
navy #shipping #ships #ocean #sailing #yacht #themariner
Today, we're diving into the Marine Accident Investigation Bureau's (MAIB) report on the 2006 Roaring Meg of Cowes incident, where two crew were seriously injured in two crash gybes that happened within minutes of each other.
I'll be sharing insights as a professional sailor, examining what went wrong and the crucial lessons we can learn.
If you would like to join me for more deep dives on topic's like: MOB recovery, heavy weather tactics & offshore seamanship, check out:
https://youtu.be/fb5t4PZ2Cqw
Follow up the back story in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNEtiOvex8NAVIih6tfWVd9wjVrPthROL
CSM: Iceland-Canada Footage Commentary
Live-streamed narration of video from this voyage, with live chat responses from Patrons on all the seamanship details.
Sign up at: https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Audio:
Mariner's Library Podcast: #254 | 'The Southseaman' | Weston Martyr | Part 3
After reading so many sailing books from the past 120 years I am starting to recognize certain authors who I had never heard of before starting the Mariner's Library who were giants within the sailing community a life time ago.
One of the most commonly referenced authors from the first half of the 20th century has to be Weston Martyr, and the book everyone compliments is 'The Southseaman'.
Available anywhere you stream podcasts: https://Themarinerslibrary.podbean.com/e/255-the-southseaman-weston-martyr-part-3/
Get a better deal on your next boat insurance policy.
Connect with our partner Edward William Insurance to make insurance simple and straight forward, whatever your style of sailing.
FOR A 10% DISCOUNT ON YOUR NEXT POLICY Quote the code MARINER10 to receive 10% off at checkout, or better still follow this link: https://www.edwardwilliam.com/boat-insurance/proposal-form?pid=ORT
If you chose to accept a policy with Edward William you will be supporting the Mariner with 10% of your policy payment. Please give me feedback on your interaction.
To hear my personal research regarding this insurance broker who I also have a policy with, and the Q & A I had with their COO before making the decision to creating to partner with them; check out
The Mariner Podcast #118: https://themariner.podbean.com/e/120-marine-insurance-who-i-use-why/
navy #shipping #ships #ocean #sailing #yacht #themariner
Join us in this episode as we delve into the nuanced art of headsail trimming, guided by the wisdom of Captain W.H. Illingworth's 'Offshore' (1948).
We explore often overlooked aspects of headsail trim, including car positioning, halyard tension, forestay sag and more.
Discover how these techniques can optimize your performance and elevate your sailing experience.
If you would like to join me for many more deep dives on topic's like: MOB recovery, heavy weather tactics and offshore seamanship, check out:
Patreon & Youtube Membership
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon where for $5 a month you can get access to all the extra content, including the narrated version of this video (concentrating on the seamanship, safety aspects & stories surrounding what is going on in this video), livestream Q&A's, free consultancy PLUS merch, and exclusive sponsor sailing trips with CSM.
Find it all at: https://www.patreon.com/themariner You can also join this channel on Youtube to get access to the same perks as on Patreon: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq6ye2Qd2WVPoun_Iks0qVg/joinA
Travel Episodes
Solo, on an 80ft yacht in the North Atlantic. '
After voyaging from Canada to the UK with a separate crew, CSM sailed the 80ft Gran Mistral 'Weddell'', single-handedly from Southampton to Reykjavik, Iceland.
There he met a new crew. After sail repairs, provisioning and safety training, they set sail for St. John's, Newfoundland; 1700Nm away.
It was September and heavy weather was expected. What we got was a 'Super Storm'.
See the latest episode here: https://youtu.be/fb5t4PZ2Cqw
Follow up the back story in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNEtiOvex8NAVIih6tfWVd9wjVrPthROL
CSM: Iceland-Canada Footage Commentary
Live-streamed narration of video from this voyage, with live chat responses from Patrons on all the seamanship details.
Sign up at: https://www.patreon.com/themariner
or via Youtube membership: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq6ye2Qd2WVPoun_Iks0qVg/joinA
Audio:
Mariner's Library Podcast: #254 | 'The Southseaman' | Weston Martyr | Part 3
After reading so many sailing books from the past 120 years I am starting to recognize certain authors who I had never heard of before starting the Mariner's Library who were giants within the sailing community a life time ago.
One of the most commonly referenced authors from the first half of the 20th century has to be Weston Martyr, and the book everyone compliments is 'The Southseaman'.
Available anywhere you stream podcasts: https://Themarinerslibrary.podbean.com/e/255-the-southseaman-weston-martyr-part-3/
Get a better deal on your next boat insurance policy.
Connect with our partner Edward William Insurance to make insurance simple and straight forward, whatever your style of sailing.
FOR A 10% DISCOUNT ON YOUR NEXT POLICY Quote the code MARINER10 to receive 10% off at checkout, or better still follow this link: https://www.edwardwilliam.com/boat-insurance/proposal-form?pid=ORT
If you chose to accept a policy with Edward William you will be supporting the Mariner with 10% of your policy payment. Please give me feedback on your interaction.
To hear my personal research regarding this insurance broker who I also have a policy with, and the Q & A I had with their COO before making the decision to creating to partner with them; check out
The Mariner Podcast #118: https://themariner.podbean.com/e/120-marine-insurance-who-i-use-why/
navy #shipping #ships #ocean #sailing #yacht #themariner
Spinnaker poles have three bits of rigging holding them in place we all know that, but it often comes as a shock when sailors realize they have been missing the third (and arguably the most important) piece of rigging on their main boom.
Preventers save lives- it's just that simple. Please take time to listen to this podcast and update your knowledge on preventers and check out the Mariner Youtube channel for even more tips and details.
https://youtu.be/pvT7Pfpt_J4?si=JPa_RkH6SZYHFpUm
If you would like to join me for many more deep dives on topic's like: MOB recovery, heavy weather tactics and offshore seamanship, check out:
Patreon & Youtube Membership
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon where for $5 a month you can get access to all the extra content, including the narrated version of this video (concentrating on the seamanship, safety aspects & stories surrounding what is going on in this video), livestream Q&A's, free consultancy PLUS merch, and exclusive sponsor sailing trips with CSM.
Find it all at: https://www.patreon.com/themariner You can also join this channel on Youtube to get access to the same perks as on Patreon: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq6ye2Qd2WVPoun_Iks0qVg/joinA
Travel Episodes
Solo, on an 80ft yacht in the North Atlantic. '
After voyaging from Canada to the UK with a separate crew, CSM sailed the 80ft Gran Mistral 'Weddell'', single-handedly from Southampton to Reykjavik, Iceland.
There he met a new crew. After sail repairs, provisioning and safety training, they set sail for St. John's, Newfoundland; 1700Nm away.
It was September and heavy weather was expected. What we got was a 'Super Storm'.
See the latest episode here: https://youtu.be/fb5t4PZ2Cqw
Follow up the back story in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNEtiOvex8NAVIih6tfWVd9wjVrPthROL
CSM: Iceland-Canada Footage Commentary
Live-streamed narration of video from this voyage, with live chat responses from Patrons on all the seamanship details.
Sign up at: https://www.patreon.com/themariner
or via Youtube membership: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq6ye2Qd2WVPoun_Iks0qVg/joinA
Audio:
Mariner's Library Podcast: #254 | 'The Southseaman' | Weston Martyr | Part 3
After reading so many sailing books from the past 120 years I am starting to recognize certain authors who I had never heard of before starting the Mariner's Library who were giants within the sailing community a life time ago.
One of the most commonly referenced authors from the first half of the 20th century has to be Weston Martyr, and the book everyone compliments is 'The Southseaman'.
Available anywhere you stream podcasts: https://Themarinerslibrary.podbean.com/e/255-the-southseaman-weston-martyr-part-3/
Get a better deal on your next boat insurance policy.
Connect with our partner Edward William Insurance to make insurance simple and straight forward, whatever your style of sailing.
FOR A 10% DISCOUNT ON YOUR NEXT POLICY Quote the code MARINER10 to receive 10% off at checkout, or better still follow this link: https://www.edwardwilliam.com/boat-insurance/proposal-form?pid=ORT
If you chose to accept a policy with Edward William you will be supporting the Mariner with 10% of your policy payment. Please give me feedback on your interaction.
To hear my personal research regarding this insurance broker who I also have a policy with, and the Q & A I had with their COO before making the decision to creating to partner with them; check out
The Mariner Podcast #118: https://themariner.podbean.com/e/120-marine-insurance-who-i-use-why/
navy #shipping #ships #ocean #sailing #yacht #themariner
This episode we learn key elements the skipper of a vessel in heavy weather should keep in mind, to keep his vessel sound & her crew safe. Capt. Illingworth was a submarine commander in WWII as well as a racing skipper, and therefore had a better measure than most as to the thoughts uppermost in a skipper's mind in heavy conditions.
I hope my communication of his ideas into this new medium does not distract too much from his message.
If you would like to join me for many more deep dives on topic's like: MOB recovery, heavy weather tactics and offshore seamanship, check out:
The Mariner Podcast. https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-mariner/id1710667118
Patreon & Youtube Membership
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon where for $5 a month you can get access to all the extra content, including the narrated version of this video (concentrating on the seamanship, safety aspects & stories surrounding what is going on in this video), livestream Q&A's, free consultancy PLUS merch, and exclusive sponsor sailing trips with CSM.
Find it all at: https://www.patreon.com/themariner You can also join this channel on Youtube to get access to the same perks as on Patreon: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq6ye2Qd2WVPoun_Iks0qVg/joinA
Travel Episodes
Solo, on an 80ft yacht in the North Atlantic. '
After voyaging from Canada to the UK with a separate crew, CSM sailed the 80ft Gran Mistral 'Weddell'', single-handedly from Southampton to Reykjavik, Iceland.
There he met a new crew. After sail repairs, provisioning and safety training, they set sail for St. John's, Newfoundland; 1700Nm away.
It was September and heavy weather was expected. What we got was a 'Super Storm'.
See the latest episode here: https://youtu.be/fb5t4PZ2Cqw
Follow up the back story in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNEtiOvex8NAVIih6tfWVd9wjVrPthROL
CSM: Iceland-Canada Footage Commentary
Live-streamed narration of video from this voyage, with live chat responses from Patrons on all the seamanship details.
Sign up at: https://www.patreon.com/themariner
or via Youtube membership: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq6ye2Qd2WVPoun_Iks0qVg/joinA
Audio:
Mariner's Library Podcast: #254 | 'The Southseaman' | Weston Martyr | Part 3
After reading so many sailing books from the past 120 years I am starting to recognize certain authors who I had never heard of before starting the Mariner's Library who were giants within the sailing community a life time ago.
One of the most commonly referenced authors from the first half of the 20th century has to be Weston Martyr, and the book everyone compliments is 'The Southseaman'.
Available anywhere you stream podcasts: https://Themarinerslibrary.podbean.com/e/255-the-southseaman-weston-martyr-part-3/
Get a better deal on your next boat insurance policy.
Connect with our partner Edward William Insurance to make insurance simple and straight forward, whatever your style of sailing.
FOR A 10% DISCOUNT ON YOUR NEXT POLICY Quote the code MARINER10 to receive 10% off at checkout, or better still follow this link: https://www.edwardwilliam.com/boat-insurance/proposal-form?pid=ORT
If you chose to accept a policy with Edward William you will be supporting the Mariner with 10% of your policy payment. Please give me feedback on your interaction.
To hear my personal research regarding this insurance broker who I also have a policy with, and the Q & A I had with their COO before making the decision to creating to partner with them; check out
The Mariner Podcast #118: https://themariner.podbean.com/e/120-marine-insurance-who-i-use-why/
navy #shipping #ships #ocean #sailing #yacht #themariner
I started this series of Advanced Seamanship Notes (Episodes 115-117) to bring to light specific areas of sailing knowledge which are A. difficult to locate in sailing resources on-line or off, and B. provided by a Mariner who is recognizably a 'Master' - in the true sense of the word.
Captain J H Illingworth was considered the 'father of offshore sailing & racing' in postwar Britain. He started the Junior Offshore Group in the UK, acted as Commodore for the Royal Ocean Racing Club , but also was the instigator of the Sydney to Hobart Race in Australia, in 1945.
That alone could be pedigree enough for my purposes- but add to that the fact that he was also a decorated submarine Captain in WWII, and suddenly you may realize, as I did; that what Capt. Illingworth did not know about waves and the upper layers of the ocean and their effect on a sailing boat is little more than chafe on the wind.
Come take a knee, as I have, at the hand of a Master Mariner- and let's learn some more about Ocean Racing Strategy
Youtube Video Episode - Available 8 hours after the episode appears on podcast streams Come watch the carnage in person!
https://youtube.com/live/FVFp0SCwzJA?feature=share
The Mariner's Library Podcast
If you would like to listen to fantastic stories of sailors in small vessels taking on the ocean in the last 150 years, all selected & read by me an actual sailor, check out the 'Mariner's Library'.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
Finally, to support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Edward William Insurance.
Please visit https://www.edwardwilliam.com/boat-insurance/proposal-form?pid=ORT
Remember to quote the code MARINER10 to receive 10% off your premium.
I started this series of Advanced Seamanship Notes (Episodes 115-117) to bring to light specific areas of sailing knowledge which are A. difficult to locate in sailing resources on-line or off, and B. provided by a Mariner who is recognizably a 'Master' - in the true sense of the word.
Captain J H Illingworth was considered the 'father of offshore sailing & racing' in postwar Britain. He started the Junior Offshore Group in the UK, acted as Commodore for the Royal Ocean Racing Club , but also was the instigator of the Sydney to Hobart Race in Australia, in 1945.
That alone could be pedigree enough for my purposes- but add to that the fact that he was also a decorated submarine Captain in WWII, and suddenly you may realize, as I did; that what Capt. Illingworth did not know about waves and the upper layers of the ocean and their effect on a sailing boat is little more than chafe on the wind.
Come take a knee, as I have, at the hand of a Master Mariner- and let's learn some more about Waves & wave riding.
If you would like to listen to fantastic stories of sailors in small vessels taking on the ocean in the last 150 years, all selected & read by me an actual sailor, check out the 'Mariner's Library'.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
Finally, to support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Edward William Insurance.
Please visit https://www.edwardwilliam.com/boat-insurance/proposal-form?pid=ORT
Remember to quote the code MARINER10 to receive 10% off your premium.
I started this series of Advanced Seamanship Notes (Episodes 115-117) to bring to light specific areas of sailing knowledge which are A. difficult to locate in sailing resources on-line or off, and B. provided by a Mariner who is recognizably a 'Master' - in the true sense of the word.
Captain J H Illingworth was considered the 'father of offshore sailing & racing' in postwar Britain. He started the Junior Offshore Group in the UK, acted as Commodore for the Royal Ocean Racing Club , but also was the instigator of the Sydney to Hobart Race in Australia, in 1945.
That alone could be pedigree enough for my purposes- but add to that the fact that he was also a decorated submarine Captain in WWII, and suddenly you may realize, as I did; that what Capt. Illingworth did not know about waves and the upper layers of the ocean and their effect on a sailing boat is little more than chafe on the wind.
Come take a knee, as I have, at the hand of a Master Mariner- and let's learn about Waves & wave riding.
If you would like to listen to fantastic stories of sailors in small vessels taking on the ocean in the last 150 years, all selected & read by me an actual sailor, check out the 'Mariner's Library'.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
Finally, to support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Edward William Insurance.
Please visit https://www.edwardwilliam.com/boat-insurance/proposal-form?pid=ORT
Remember to quote the code MARINER10 to receive 10% off your premium.
L is for many things at sea, but as always, I wanted to find something that would make us stop & think maybe and see things afloat from a new angle.
This episode gives us the opportunity to discuss things as divergent as structural delamination and emotional overload, excessive crankcase oil pressure and fighting complacency as we get more experienced. L is for Leaks and boy are there a lot!
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. where for $5 a month you can get access to more audio books, videos and discussion.
Edward William Insurance.
Please visit https://www.edwardwilliam.com/boat-insurance/proposal-form?pid=ORT
Remember to quote the code MARINER10 to receive 10% off your premium.
Another Questions and Tangents Episode, this time we look at emails sent regarding, PTSD and shouting, sea sickness & the function of the ear, buying old race boats (and the fun they can be!) and much more. PLUS loads of me rambling on.....
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. where for $5 a month you can get access to more audio books, videos and discussion.
Edward William Insurance.
Please visit https://www.edwardwilliam.com/boat-insurance/proposal-form?pid=ORT
Remember to quote the code MARINER10 to receive 10% off your premium.
Marine insurance is a massive heartache for many sailors who are doing slightly 'non-standard' things in sailing, whether it is crossing oceans, sailing solo or cruising with your family- often times it is very difficult to get a policy that will cover you. I have faced this problem for years- this episode I discuss who I am now insured with and why and read the answers to questions i submitted to the Chief Operating Officer of my brokerage.
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. where for $5 a month you can get access to more audio books, videos and discussion.
Edward William Insurance.
Please visit https://www.edwardwilliam.com/boat-insurance/proposal-form?pid=ORT
Remember to quote the code MARINER10 to receive 10% off your premium.
Sometimes we get the opportunity to sit at the hand of the master and hear first hand what is the best way to do something.
This is the third part of one of those moments.
This episode I read the last section of the Appendix of Capt. Voss' book 'Venturesome Voyages' and if that leaves you feeling a little less than interested, don't worry, it's just because you don't' know who Capt. Voss is.
I've got you covered on that too.
If you would like to listen to fantastic stories of sailors in small vessels taking on the ocean in the last 150 years, all selected & read by me an actual sailor, check out the 'Mariner's Library'.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
Finally, to support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Edward William Insurance.
Please visit https://www.edwardwilliam.com/boat-insurance/proposal-form?pid=ORT
Remember to quote the code MARINER10 to receive 10% off your premium.
Sometimes we get the opportunity to sit at the hand of the master and hear first hand what is the best way to do something.
This is the second part of one of those moments.
This episode I read the second section of the Appendix of Capt. Voss' book 'Venturesome Voyages' and if that leaves you feeling a little less than interested, don't worry, it's just because you don't' know who Capt. Voss is.
I've got you covered on that too.
If you would like to listen to fantastic stories of sailors in small vessels taking on the ocean in the last 150 years, all selected & read by me an actual sailor, check out the 'Mariner's Library'.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
Finally, to support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Edward William Insurance.
Please visit https://www.edwardwilliam.com/boat-insurance/proposal-form?pid=ORT
Remember to quote the code MARINER10 to receive 10% off your premium.
Sometimes we get the opportunity to sit at the hand of the master and hear first hand what is the best way to do something.
This is one of those moments.
This episode I read the Appendix of Capt. Voss' book 'Venturesome Voyages' and if that leaves you feeling a little less than interested, don't worry, it's just because you don't' know who Capt. Voss is.
I've got you covered on that too.
If you would like to listen to fantastic stories of sailors in small vessels taking on the ocean in the last 150 years, all selected & read by Chris, check out the 'Mariner's Library'.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Questions and Tangents #14 and this episode we continue down the rabbit hole regarding buying a used race boat.
Recap
Last time we discussed this I said, 'Don't do it - unless you REALLY want/ need to do it.'
But as you did it anyway... (which I knew you would...)
This time I'm saying- 'Since you can't take simple advice-;) here's 2 further hours of things to bear in mind.'
I guess #3 (Owing a Race Boat Long Term) is coming soon...
If you would like to listen to fantastic stories of sailors in small vessels taking on the ocean in the last 150 years, all selected & read by Chris, check out the 'Mariner's Library'.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
So, after all your best efforts to prevent a Man Overboard Situation now your crew are in the water, and they are relying solely on you to not only come and find them; but also to do it in heavy seas, high winds and at night.
Shit.
Let's explore the options when all hope appears lost, when only brute strength and the spark of ingenuity may be all you have to get the job done.
If you would like to listen to fantastic stories of sailors in small vessels taking on the ocean in the last 150 years, all selected & read by Chris, check out the 'Mariner's Library'.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
We've all done it, taken a quick nip onto the foredeck just do ' that thing' and suddenly we find ourselves realizing one wrong move and we are toast.
This episode looks to try to reconcile that kind of risk-taking to the garbage can and promote instead a deep instinctual suspicion that the sea does not actually care about you, is in no way impressed or 'wow'd' by your skill set and will take every opportunity you give it, to wipe you off the deck of you boat if it can and off the face of the earth, if you are not able to regain the safety of the vessel quickly.
Join me for a sobering, but not necessarily melancholy look at preventing a Man overboard situation.
If you would like to listen to fantastic stories of sailors in small vessels taking on the ocean in the last 150 years, all selected & read by Chris, check out the 'Mariner's Library'.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Today is the day of the solar eclipse across North America, the only one that will touch the continent until 2024 (when only three states will experience totality) therefore: Happy Solar Eclipse Day!
I thought I would put a few thoughts down relating to the historical and scientific history of solar eclipses to give you Dad's EVEN more to amaze and thrill your kids with.... as you always do.....
Once I push the button on this I am off outside to watch the partial eclipse we will experience here in Nova Scotia with three generations of my family- a first for me and something I am very much looking forward to!
If you would like to listen to fantastic stories of sailors in small vessels taking on the ocean in the last 150 years, all selected & read by Chris, check out the 'Mariner's Library'.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Another Dogwatch, to relieve the anxiety I am starting to feel doing these safety at sea episodes back to back- my dreams have started to become very weird and threatening when i spend my days talking at length about everything that can or might go wrong at sea!
This time we discuss autopilots v's wine vane steering, boat deliveries out of West Coast US cities and the complications therein and why top notch race boats have curved traveller tracks.
If you would like to listen to fantastic stories of sailors in small vessels taking on the ocean in the last 150 years, all selected & read by Chris, check out the 'Mariner's Library'.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Losing the mast, rudder or even a single hatch cover at sea in heavy weather can be catastrophic, unless you have been playing the 'what if' game for a while and already have the equipment, procedures and mental capacity developed to deal with the problem, concisely & precisely.
If you would like to listen to fantastic stories of sailors in small vessels taking on the ocean in the last 150 years, all selected & read by Chris, check out the 'Mariner's Library'.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Whenever anyone meets me and hears I am a sailor, the first question is always 'have you been in a big storm?' Well, the answer unsurprisingly is yes, so here in concert with Keith Colwell's excellent 'RYA Sea Survival Handbook', let me lay out some of the ways to avoid becoming a statistic, when the volume on the weather gets cranked to eleven.
If you would like to listen to fantastic stories of sailors in small vessels taking on the ocean in the last 150 years, all selected & read by Chris, check out the 'Mariner's Library'.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
This episode we discuss ketches, yawls and schooners as part of the ABC of sailing, and I explore what are the pitfalls and joys of owning and operating such vessels, through the lens of my own experiences, running open ketch expeditions in Asia.
If you would like to listen to fantastic stories of sailors in small vessels taking on the ocean in the last 150 years, all selected & read by me, check out the 'Mariner's Library' Podcast.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Another instalment of my review & expansion of the RYA Sea Survival Handbook, by Keith Colwell.
This episode I spend an hour just going through all the things to prep onboard, before heavy weather comes in. An hour!
As I point out in the podcast- whatever it is that you need to do on your boat is realistically going to take you longer than that, so FYI maybe best to listen in and find out what's on that preparatory to-do list now, because once the wind starts to blow, it's already WAY too late.
If you would like to listen to fantastic stories of sailors in small vessels taking on the ocean in the last 150 years, all selected & read by Chris, check out the 'Mariner's Library'.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
This episode I continue this series, following the excellent RYA Sea Survival Handbook, by Keith Colwell.
Today we look at interpreting the specifics of incoming weather forecasts & the importance of 'aids to navigation' in fog.
Jeepers... that reads bad, no wonder Robert Redford died in that movie.
Look it's not bad- It's interesting.. I tell stories & stuff.
Honestly, if you like boats - it's kinda ok
If you would like to listen to fantastic stories of sailors in small vessels taking on the ocean in the last 150 years, all selected & read by Chris, check out the 'Mariner's Library'.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
This time I answer the one burning question every sailor needs to know the answer to: Is there some way buying an old race boat is a good idea.
My take? It can be.... BUT ... like getting a tattoo on your face.. you need to be REALLY certain before you commit.
If you would like to listen to serialized stories of the sea, selected and read by CSM, check out the Mariner's Library Podcast; available on all podcast platforms.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
AI wrote this description. It added the word 'hypothetical' FYI.
Embrace the unexpected as Chris jests about how sailboats can serve as ideal bug-out vehicles, taking on an interesting twist as he discusses fleeing a hypothetical AI-backed zombie apocalypse. Hear his personal accounts of challenging sailing voyages and learn lessons about readiness and continuous vigilance for potential hazards.
If you would like to listen to serialized stories of the sea, selected and read by CSM, check out the Mariner's Library Podcast; available on all podcast platforms.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
This episode dives once more into the seldom-explored realm of life rafts, highlighting the importance of visibility, stability, and utility in survival scenarios.
The discussion includes a thorough examination of rescue measures, the practical usage of survival tools, and alternatives to traditional life rafts. This episode also discusses the importance of emotional management amidst rescue operations, underlining the importance of staying composed and making practical decisions for the best possible survival outcomes.
On-board safety measures and the knowledge to operate them is critical. Learn about the meticulous safety checks every sailor should regularly perform, ensuring your gear is well-maintained and usable during emergency situations.
Much more than just possessing the right equipment is discussed in this episode too - the need to maintain hope, emotional strength, and practice expectation management are highlighted as integral parts of survival equation
Join us for insights on marine rescue operations, communication with rescuers, situational awareness during the rescue process, and how to effectively balance safety with morale.
Last but not least, we discuss the complexities of interacting with rescue helicopters and the importance of understanding their communication language- all with an aim to leave our sailors well-equipped for dire circumstances.
If you would like to listen to serialized stories of the sea, selected and read by CSM, check out the Mariner's Library Podcast; available on all podcast platforms.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
This episode we wrap up our look at surviving in a life raft. What is plainly apparent from this six episode deep dive on the life raft is that there is LOADS of information to know, to give yourself and your crew mates a decent chance of survival.
If you would like to listen to serialized stories of the sea, selected and read by CSM, check out the Mariner's Library Podcast; available on all podcast platforms.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Episode 100 and a new bight-sized (!) format to increase the subjects I can get too and allw me to speak about things that maybe somewhat off topic in a pure sailing show...
This week:
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Did Josh Slocum die when they said he did?
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Heaving-to in a race boat.
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Connecting with sailors from history through their accounts.
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The podcasts numbers get a hearty increase.
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Sailing boats as bug-out vehicles.
If you would like to listen to serialized stories of the sea, selected and read by CSM, check out the Mariner's Library Podcast; available on all podcast platforms.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Water, water everywhere: and not a drop to drink.
When there are only a few pints of water to drink in the life raft and no indication of immediate rescue, it is essential for the life raft leader (who is not also necessarily the captain of the lost vessel) to immediately become extremely smart about water usage, water collection and the problems inherent in limiting humans access to water.
And all that, BEFORE dehydration robs all of the survivors of the mental and physical capacity to help themselves.
If you would like to listen to serialized stories of the sea, selected and read by CSM, check out the Mariner's Library Podcast; available on all podcast platforms.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
This episode we continue our in-depth look at chapter 7 of Keith Colwell's Sea Survival Handbook, specifically entering a liferaft and the vast amount of actions there are to remember and take to make the most out of the meagre opportunity such a craft offers survivors.
If you would like to listen to serialized stories of the sea, selected and read by CSM, check out the Mariner's Library Podcast; available on all podcast platforms.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
In this episode I continue the ABC of sailing, with the letter J. and 'J is for Jargon'
This time I look at the history, benefits and disadvantages of all the jargon used in sailing and take a look at the entries in the J section of the 1952 volume, 'Mariner's Dictionary' that help to underline just how dense, granular and historically-rooted many of the words used in sailing really are, and how nonsensical it is to make language a barrier to teamwork on a vessel at sea.
If you would like to listen to serialized stories of the sea, selected and read by CSM, check out the Mariner's Library Podcast; available on all podcast platforms.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
In this episode we discuss Youtube viewer questions relating to:
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Over rides on winches, how do they happen, how to avoid them and how to deal with them when they appear anyways.
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Operating winches on boats with awkwardly mounted equipment (Swans!)
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Finding gloves that keep you warm and dry. (Hint- the answer is NOT gloves!)
If you would like to listen to serialized stories of the sea, selected and read by CSM, check out the Mariner's Library Podcast; available on all podcast platforms.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Continuing with the lunchtime recording sessions (while my two year old is having his nap (!), this time we are looking at what happens after you have made the decision to leave the vessel due to fire, sinking, collision etc.
This begins with getting into the liferaft of course, but quickly escalates into a whole new kind of seamanship, as you and the other people in the raft have to start to work together to get other survivors out of the water, stay alert to external threats that may damage the raft, and deal with such realities as opening the door regularly to vent C02 & deciding how to use the sea anchor to manoeuvre around the debris field.
If you would like to listen to serialized stories of the sea, selected and read by CSM, check out the Mariner's Library Podcast; available on all podcast platforms.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
In this episode we continue the brilliant RYA Sea Survival Handbook by Keith Colwell
This time we are looking at Abandoning Ship!, words that should drive an icy spear into any good skippers heart!
This section of the book will take a few days to cover and I am doing this while snowed in (with a two year old) during the worst winter storm in Nova Scotia in 20 years .. So, apologies if the audio is not as engineered as normal!
If you would like to listen to serialized stories of the sea, selected and read by CSM, check out the Mariner's Library Podcast; available on all podcast platforms.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
This time we are looking at Abandoning Ship!, words that should drive an icy spear into any good skippers heart!
This section of the book will take a few days to cover and I am doing this while snowed in (with a two year old) during the worst winter storm in Nova Scotia in 20 years .. So, apologies if the audio is not as engineered as normal!
If you would like to listen to serialized stories of the sea, selected and read by CSM, check out the Mariner's Library Podcast; available on all podcast platforms.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-mariners-library/id1710666955
If you would like to check out The Mariner Youtube Channel - we have gear reviews, how to videos, seamanship training videos and on the water reports. Remember to dock your finger carefully on the subscribe button!
https://youtu.be/t0cfY6HqjLA
To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Questions and Tangents ! As always I get to talk about kinda whatever I want in these episodes, and this week it's a newspaper article from 1974 that's got me excited- I think when you hear about 'The Orgy of Destruction outside Barnstaple' you too will be excited.
A little shorter this week as we haven't done one of these for a long time and I am short of questions to answer- if you could help me out with that I would appreciate it!
If you would like to support the production of these podcasts please consider heading over to patreon.com/themariner.
The Youtube channel has just hit 5k subs! If you haven't already please go and subscribe- it would make a massive difference- just look up CSM The Mariner!
This episode we continue reviewing the excellent, RYA Sea Survival Handbook by Keith Colwell with a look at the psychological tactics that must be employed to get you past circumstances that may be life and death in the very real meaning of the phrase.
If you would like to hear more exclusive sailing content, head over to https://www.patreon.com/themariner and there, for $5 a month you can not only support the all the Mariner content, but also receive a free daily sailing audio book episode, and an extra weekly Mariner podcast episode, both exclusive to Patreon.
There's also the chance to pose your own questions on the weekly 'Questions & Tangents' Mariner episodes and get the answers you need to you most troubling sailing conundrums-!
See you there!
Continuing the ABC of basic sailing concepts series, I take a look in this episode at the modern revolution in information collection, exchange and processing on board the modern yacht.
So, step away from your Scrimshaw, put down your sextant and lend me your shell-like because you are not going to believe what is possible on a phone in the middle of the Atlantic these days.
This episode is the first I am going to do about the Global Solo Challenge Race that I intend to join in early December.
I'm still a little way off on the last funding to get the project over the start line but I figure its best to throw myself in completely and go for broke rather than tippy toe around the edges any longer.
Presently, my Open 60 Falcon is 95% read to go, I have time available to complete my qualifier (A Transat) and most importantly I have a solid chance at winning.
My GSC start date is December 9th 2023.
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If you have any ideas about my mixing elbow for a Yanmar 3JH2-TE engine or anything else that might help get Falcon to the start of the Global Solo Challenge, please email me at csmthemariner@gmail.com
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Sponsorship/ donations to Paypal: csmoffshore@gmail.com
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If you want to access more content and show support for this podcast please join me at: www.patreon.com/themariner
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If you want to hear me reading sailing stories that I have chosen as being beneficial to developing seamanship skills, please look for 'The Mariner's Library' wherever you get your podcasts.
It's been a long time since I published a podcast and I finally I found after many, many attempts that the only way to get back on the horse was to just record whatever came out of my mouth for an hour and we can pick the bones out of it later.
In this episode I talk about what has been happening for me in 2023, I talk about the Global Solo Challenge Race coming up in December and answer a great question that was sent to me earlier this year about being the skipper of a vessel at a young age.
Regular programming will commence forthwith.
If you have any ideas about my mixing elbow for a Yanmar 3JH2-TE engine or anything else that might help get Falcon to the start of the Global Solo Challenge, please email me at csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you want to access more content and show support for this podcast please join me at www.patreon.com/themariner
If you want to hear me reading sailing stories that I have chosen as being beneficial to developing seamanship skills, please look for The Mariner's Library wherever you get your podcasts.
This episode I thought I would share with you an interview I did month or so ago with Paul Trammell on his wonderful podcast 'Offshore Sailing and Cruising '. It was great to chat to Paul and learn about his sailing to date, but as this was an interview I was doing for him introducing myself to his audience we will have to wait for a future date to really get to know Paul more. As by the end of this show we had agreed to go sailing on the Open 60 sometime soon- that might be quite soon!
Apologies to the audiophiles listening (Bill Mead!) I had to use Paul's recordings completed over Skype as my own recording was so terrible as to be painful to mine own ears. Trust me, this is the lesser of two weevils ;)
If you would like to hear more exclusive sailing content, head over to https://www.patreon.com/themariner and there, for $5 a month you can not only support the all the Mariner content, but also receive a free daily sailing audio book episode, and an extra weekly Mariner podcast episode, both exclusive to Patreon.
There's also the chance to pose your own questions on the weekly 'Questions & Tangents' Mariner episodes and get the answers you need to you most troubling sailing conundrums-!
See you there!
The features that make 'The Perfect Boat' are an area of sailing that walks the narrow line between philosophical & scientific truth.
Historically it is also beset by sailors claiming dead cert, bald-faced objective truth for their strongly held and decidedly subjective opinions.
In this new section on The Mariner, I will be interviewing sailors from across the sailing industry and asking them one very simple question 'What's your Perfect Boat'?
To start the series off I am reading from William Washburn Nutting's book 'The Track of the Typhoon' and sharing with you some of his ideas.
Nutting's was a journalist writing for Motor Boat & Yachting Magazine and was a knowledgeable, 'sailor's sailor'.
I hope you agree that although his book was published 100 years ago, his ideas & dreamy-eyed passion for his design, could be reproduced in any yacht club bar any day of the week in 2022.
As William 'gave me the idea', for this series, I think it's appropriate that he gets the first shout on the subject.
To join my Patreon community (growing fast!) please go over to https://www.patreon.com/themariner and there for $5 a month you can hear the rest of the book and many others just like it.
If you would like to send me your top three features for your Perfect Boat- remember to tell me what you would be using the boat for and how many people it would be for and I will read your ideas out on the podcast.
Write to me at: csmthemariner@gmail.com
I found an interesting document on a pen drive over the weekend- given to me by the organizers of the Velux 5 Race 10 years ago, it was a series fo notes prepared by the Race Officers after discussing with Alex Thompson and Mike Golding, Mike's fantastic rescue of Alex in the Southern Ocean in 2006.
At first the notes seemed a little wandering, but I think you will agree when I read you Mike's account of the rescue that these notes come hard won, and well considered- you tell me what you think!
After centuries of sailors, praying and hoping for a 'magic button' with which to save their lives far from shore on the briney deep, we are now in the 21st century in the enviable situation of having just that built into all newly built VHF and SSB units.
The incredible functionality of the DSC button and all the other modern electronic life saving devices available, remains somewhat hidden for many sailors however, behind a raft of acronyms, a confusing plethora of device specifications and a shrewd suspicion of the actual benefits of such 'witchcraft'.
The truth is though, that the 'Global Maritime Distress and Safety System' (GMDSS) is available for all mariners, whether gunk-holing along the coast or crossing oceans.
In this episode we will dig into the incredible technology available to allow you to call for help, if you should be unlucky enough to find yourself in 'Grave & Imminent Danger'.
If you would like to support the podcast or develop your seamanship skills and overall safety at sea, please consider joining my Patreon community at:
https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Questions & tangents returns for the last time in 2022 and I have lots to get through, questions I cover this episode range from Man Overboard recovery systems I don't know about to Mainsail reefing systems I don't know about to the safety of smaller boats in heavy conditions which is definitely something I don't know about.
Plenty of targets and confusion as always- and maybe even some answers to your questions - if YOU have a sailing question or conundrum you would like considering by myself and the Mariner community please write to me at csmthemariner@gmail.com and I will try to help out!
If you would like to support the podcast or develop your seamanship skills and overall safety at sea, please consider joining my Patreon community at:
https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Liferafts are probably the least understood part of the safety equipment on a modern yacht- sure you know where it is (probably), what it does (maybe) and almost certainly what it cost (!) but have you seen YOUR life raft inflated? Have you had extra equipment added to the safety pack inside the raft that could be essential to you in an emergency? Is your raft good for coastal work or offshore voyaging - or is it just the cheapest you could get to satisfy the rules? All these questions and more will be unpacked this episode as we continue our deep dive into Keith Colwell's excellent RYA Sea Survival Handbook.
If you would like to support the podcast or develop your seamanship skills and overall safety at sea, please consider joining my Patreon community at:
https://www.patreon.com/themariner
At 0904 on the 6th December 1917 a massive explosion ripped through Halifax, Nova Scotia instantly killing 1600 people, injuring 9000 and destroying the city wholesale. The blast displaced 20,000 souls who then had to deal with a deep winter blizzard over the next few days. It was to say the least a catastrophe and still ranks as the largest non-nuclear explosion created by man. How did it happen? Through a simple disregard for the International Collision Regulations and an unbroken series of 'red flag' events that caused to ships to have a slow speed collision. That one of the vessels was carrying af all cargo of munitions bound for the war in Europe would not be realized, until 20 minutes after the collision an explosion equivalent to 2.7 Kilotons of TNT left a scar on the city and on the psychology of it's inhabitants that would still be felt now, 105 years later.
This podcast was recorded at 0900 on the 6th December 2022
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site at https://www.patreon.com/themariner and select the $5 per month 'crew' option.
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Although we have had a few false starts with a round the world sailing project since the podcast began in early 2020- I think everyone will recognize that trying to make any kind of big plans during Covid has been basically impossible. We got close with the Ocean Globe Race entry in 2021, only to have the Race Committee cancel the race division we were entered into!
I am therefore, extremely excited to be able to report that I have entered the 'Global Solo Challenge' which will set off from La Coruna in Northern Spain at the end of 2023.
This is to be a 'pursuit' race which means the smaller boats (36ft!) set off first in September 2023 and then 2 months later in December, the quickest boats (of which we will be one) start racing.
Once all the boats are on the water the first to the finish line -across the entire fleet- is the winner! It's a new and unique format for a round the world race, and I for one cannot wait to be involved.
If you want to support the podcast or my Round the World campaign in the GSC hop over to Patreon and sign up to join the crew. https://www.patreon.com/themariner.
In this episode we investigate handling lines- a wide and varied subject that tests my abilities to stay on subject and not launch into exponential tangents! I try to make the case for not just doing things 'as they have always been done historically' particularly with regards to storing rope, and to be sympathetic to the needs of a new generation of rope types that require different husbandry both when working and when being stored. In trying to stay on point I look at the major line handling stations on the boat and talk through the skills required to be safe and effective. Finally I take a brief look at mooring and anchoring and the specific challenges these line handling situations create.
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site at https://www.patreon.com/themariner and select the $5 per month 'crew' option.
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Questions & Tangents is your opportunity to get to the bottom of those nautical problems that keep you awake in the middle of the night such as, 'Is electronic log keeping really a Thing'? & 'Which boat would Chris have if money and maintenance were not an issue?'
You guys lay awake at night thinking about some weird things... but its my pleasure to share my answers- if you can stand the tangents!
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
Another on deck report! This time passing through islands just before I arrive in Iceland. It’s super light winds, flat seas and a rare opportunity to chat and appreciate the scenery as we transit within a few hundred meters of sheer stratified cliffs- Iceland at it’s best:)
Patreon On-Line Seamanship Course
If you would like to develop your seamanship skills and overall safety at sea- check out the options to receive the regular Seamanship Training Videos, extra podcast and YT content over on my Patreon page.
Check out The Mariner Patreon Page here https://www.patreon.com/themariner
The loss of Colin Golder from his boat 'Morgan of Mariette' in the 2022 Newport Bermuda Race shocked the race officers and participants alike. In this episode, in an effort to learn from this incident, and in so doing memorialize Colins' memory, I go through the incident report prepared by US Sailing and attempt to distil what lessons I can with the intention of increasing the sailing community's understanding of what was done correctly, what could have been improved and discuss how ongoing Safety at Sea training could be modified to help prevent similar accidents in the future.
Patreon On-Line Seamanship Course
If you would like to develop your seamanship skills and overall safety at sea, check out the options to receive the regular Seamanship Training Videos, extra podcasts and YT content over on my Patreon page.
Check out The Mariner Patreon Page here https://www.patreon.com/themariner
No mistake made in the title! I wish to put forth the concept that we should be referring to the 'Triangle of Bermuda' rather than the 'Bermuda Triangle' to correctly identify a patch of the world's oceans that contains a known set of meteorological, navigational, oceanographic and seamanship challenges that together have indeed caused a number of ships to go missing over the period of time man has been traversing those waters and keeping logs of their experiences.
Is it aliens, worm holes or time travellers? No, and therefore the term 'Triangle of Bermuda' needs to be thrown out.
To me the tall tales that surround this area constitute a kind of straw man argument for caution which once disposed of by a rational mind could lull the unwary into thinking we in fact should not give this area any more of our focus than any other, and THAT would be a mistake.
Let us instead recognize and consider the perfectly explainable but manifold risks that the 'Triangle of Bermuda' contains for the sailor, and plan accordingly.
Patreon On-Line Seamanship Course
If you would like to develop your seamanship skills and overall safety at sea, check out the options to receive the regular Seamanship Training Videos, extra podcasts and YT content over on my Patreon page.
Check out The Mariner Patreon Page here https://www.patreon.com/themariner
As we continue to move through the excellent RYA Sea Survival Handbook by Keith Colwell we come to the piece of safety equipment that most sailors have the most familiarity with. We live in an age of miracles where now, falling into the cold, black waters of the Atlantic in the middle of the night MAY not actually be a death sentence, but for a lifejacket to have a chance of saving your life it needs to be correctly fitted, maintained and optioned (Spray shield, light, whistle, AIS beacon, crotch strap etc) PLUS you need to know how to use it and how to improve your chances of being seen.
Patreon On-Line Seamanship Course
If you would like to develop your seamanship skills and overall safety at sea- check out the options to receive the regular Seamanship Training Videos, extra podcast and YT content over on my Patreon page. There you can also enter exciting monthly draws to win fabulous sailing prizes!
Check out The Mariner Patreon Page here https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Something different! a book review of one of the books I have just read over on my other podcast Rare Nautical Reads
This is my thoughts having just read this famous French text (wonderful translated by Brian Connell) that charts the voyage of Dr Alain Bombard across the Atlantic in a 12ft rubber raft, with no food, and no water, in 65 days. Alone.
It is a most remarkable story, rendered even more heroic when one discovers that Bombard only undertook to complete this voyage to prove a method of survival that may aid those unfortunate enough to be shipwrecked. It could possible aid up to 50,000 people a year in 1950.
I think this text has important lessons to teach us as sailors today who rely solely on modern electric life saving devices. One needs to know that if those luxuries are suddenly unavailable, for whatever reason, and you have to enter a raft, you are going to need a plan. Bombard provides it.
Patreon On-Line Seamanship Course
If you would like to develop your seamanship skills and overall safety at sea- check out the options to receive the regular Seamanship Training Videos, extra podcast and YT content over on my Patreon page.
Check out The Mariner Patreon Page here https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Another on deck report and in this one you join me sneaking through the Pentland Firth, a narrow channel at the very top of the Uk mainland. It's midnight, the wind is very light and the coast is very close by: listen in as I discuss keeping such situation safe, keeping on top of the navigation and of course- getting the coffee in!
Patreon On-Line Seamanship Course
If you would like to develop your seamanship skills and overall safety at sea- check out the options to receive the regular Seamanship Training Videos, extra podcast and YT content over on my Patreon page.
Check out The Mariner Patreon Page here https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Sea Survival - Cold Water Survival
It is one of my greatest fears. entering cold water in an uncontrolled manner and dying prematurely due to my lack of experience in such an environment. After making this podcast today I am forced to realize that just taking a weeks worth of cold water showers could-statistically- make me 50% more likely to be able to hold it together long enough for a vessel to change course, find me and save me.
Let's see if I am able to convince you of the same thing as we take this opportunity to talk facts about what it is to enter cold water off the side of a boat. The statistics are terrifying but it does seem to be that there is a lot we can do to prepare ourselves mentally and physically for a cold water survival situation. As winter descends in the Northern Hemisphere- the scene is set for us all to get a lot tougher with regards cold water and increase our likelihood of surviving cold water shock
Patreon On-Line Seamanship Course
If you would like to develop your seamanship skills and overall safety at sea- check out the options to receive the regular Seamanship Training Videos, extra podcast and YT content over on my Patreon page. There you can also enter exciting monthly draws to win fabulous sailing prizes!
Check out The Mariner Patreon Page here https://www.patreon.com/themariner
First On Deck Report
For the longest time I have been struggling with how to create a podcast episode at sea with all of the environmental noises that make life on deck interesting and evocative BUT which also play merry hell with recording on a microphone. Well, I think I have a solution and whilst it's early days this episode is an opportunity to see how this content 'goes down' and gives me a starting place to build my skills.
For this episode you join me in the North Sea to the East of England, Solo on Osprey and dodging wind farms on the way to Iceland.
Patreon On-Line Seamanship Course
If you would like to develop your seamanship skills and overall safety at sea- check out the options to receive the regular Seamanship Training Videos, extra podcast and YT content over on my Patreon page. There you can also enter exciting monthly draws to win fabulous sailing prizes!
Check out The Mariner Patreon Page here https://www.patreon.com/themariner
Part 2
I did my Safety at Sea course last weekend and I was struck by how compressed the time was for the course- only 2 days or 8 hrs to learn a HUGE amount of info.
I was reminded once agin how unsexy the subject of survival at sea can be and how easily it can get abbreviated to fit better into busy sailor schedules.
(ISBN 978-1-906435-96-7) at exactly the pace that best reveals what to do, how to be prepared and what equipment you have available in a crisis at sea. So... really, really slowly.
No apologies, no excuses- I'm going to take it one page at a time and believe me- you are going to appreciate this when the waters are rising and the last light winks out!
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
I did my Safety at Sea course this last weekend and I was struck by how compressed the time was for the course- only 2 days or 8 hrs to learn a HUGE amount of info.
I was reminded once agin how unsexy the subject of survival at sea can be and how easily it can get abbreviated to fit better into busy sailor schedules.
So, to help clarify my thoughts for my own revision (after all, none of us has sailed properly in nearly two years !) and to give you the crew the benefits of any insights I have come to over the years I am going to go through the RYA 'Sea Survival Handbook ' (ISBN 978-1-906435-96-7) at exactly the pace that best reveals what to do, how to be prepared and what equipment you have available in a crisis at sea. So... really, really slowly.
No apologies, no excuses- I'm going to take it one page at a time and believe me- you are going to appreciate this when the waters are rising and the last light winks out!
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
In this episode I tackle some longer, more in-depth questions sent by Patreon supporters. We will be looking at options to replace traditional backstay setups when you have or are thinking of getting a new big roach or flat-top main and I'll be getting under the skin of what it takes to be the kind of skipper people want to sail with ... more than once.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
This episode we investigate 'G is for Gybing' (Jibing for those in North America!) as part of our on-going 'ABC of Sailing' . I discuss what it's like to gybe an Open 60 in the Southern Ocean, mistakes to avoid, potential injuries/damage, how to deal with crash gybes that lead to broaches and why it's healthy to be nervous of this most dynamic sailing evolution.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
Questions & Tangents is your opportunity to get to the bottom of those nautical problems that keep you awake in the middle of the night such as, 'Is electronic log keeping really a Thing'? & 'Which boat would Chris have if money and maintenance were not an issue?'
You guys lay awake at night thinking about some weird things... but its my pleasure to share my answers- if you can stand the tangents!
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
Another discussion about the situation in Ukraine- this time focusing on exactly why Russia would choose to launch an attack against the Ukraine at this moment in time and examining how the actions of NATO & the US might be interpreted by a Cold War agent like Putin.
I believe that by seeking truth and validating nuance on both sides of the equation, peace can be restored once again in the Ukraine. I want to underline that I am absolutely against the actions the Russian military are taking in Ukraine and it is my heart felt hope that diplomacy and understanding will prevail as soon as possible.
I applaud Ukraine's recent decision to seek neutrality rather than membership of NATO. From my research and understanding this is the only path to peace in the short term.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
This episode I delve into some of the issues around heading into high winds whilst at sea. Bilge pumps, boat design, skills acquisition, crew dynamics - you name it- I ramble my way through it in this, the first of a two part series intended to open a discussion about how best to take on the challenge of 40 knots +!
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
In this episode I read the penultimate chapters of Joshua Slocum's fantastic circumnavigation story 'Sailing Alone Around the World'.
This long played out reading of Slocum (over a year to date!) has been an aside to the normal sailing content on the Mariner podcast- however, many people have shared with me that they really enjoyed it and so I have started a new podcast called, 'Rare Nautical Reads' where I exclusively bring you obscure, out of publication sailing stories that still have incredible tales to tell.
Check it out if listening to non-fiction sailing stories is your thing!
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
In this episode I discuss the story of Noah's Ark. I have to admit that until I researched this episode I did not fully realize that until the early 19th century the Encyclopaedia Britannica cited the legend of the Ark as being 'an historical fact' so understandably there has been lots to unpack with this mysterious craft, both for and against!
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
This episode of the Mariner is very different from previous episodes- I have decided to speak a little about my understanding of what is going on in the Ukraine. My views are those of a person who spends his life at sea working as a professional sailor, I am not a geo-political analyst or even a very political person BUT I do have eyes and ears and I am disgusted to see what has been happening within Europe in the last few weeks.
Take what I have to say with a bucket of sea water.
My views are intended to be balanced, researched and fair but, if you are insulted or offended by anything I have to say I am sorry about that. However, I do not apologize for exercising my ability to speak freely- which I believe is the only route to peace and understanding for everyone.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
Whilst the news that 'Flat Earth' is even 'a thing' may be new to you- what will come as a much larger shock is that 1% (3.8 million) of the US population actively believe in the FE theory, and 16% (51 Million) say they 'have doubts' about the certainty that the world is in fact a globe.
In this episode I take a look at the Flat Earth conspiracy theory and outline the main pieces of evidence that we as sailors have unique access to on a daily basis that make this idea an absolute non-starter to anyone but the most naive and ignorant.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
This episode I discuss my ideas for a new race- The Nova Round the World Yacht Race.
With the Classic Challenge division of the Ocean Globe Race now cancelled despite my best attempts to keep it alive, the opportunity suddenly exists to create a North American RTW sailing event to give the Ocean Globe Race Classic Division boats somewhere to race in 2023/24.
I have given this a lot of consideration but I would really like some input from you on this idea, so if you have an opinion to share please do so at the email address below.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
In this episode I read the penultimate episode of Capt. Joshua Slocum's 'Sailing Alone Around the World'. In these chapters (17 &18) Slocum is approaching the Cape of Storms- the modern day Cape of Good Hope which is the final challenge he must over come before completing his incredible solo circumnavigation of the world in 1897.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
This episode I discuss what Remembrance Day means to me, I read some poetry that I hope illuminates the timeless difficulties veterans have faced once they return to civilian life and I share a problem that has arisen regarding my plans to have 2 boats in the upcoming Ocean Globe Race specifically for veterans.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
The start of a four part mini series, this episode looks at one aspect of dealing with high winds with your boat- namely on a mooring.
I discuss how I chose the location for the moorings I use for my boats including, macro & micro geographic considerations, and what I was considering technically when I settled on the mooring system components that I specified.
Wow... I just reread that.... that sounds DRY:)!
Look: If that description really gets your attention, let me share with you that you are either A. really desperate to go sailing and ANY sailing content is good, B. Very nervous about the mooring system you have under your boat or C. A sailing geek like me! Let me reassure you that what ever your specific maritime dysfunction, all are welcome- :) just don't write to me afterwards and tell me it's a slow one - you've been warned!!
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
In this episode I read some more listener questions and ramble on into long winded tangents about subjects that are vaguely connected to the original question. We discuss asymmetric versus symmetric spinnakers, fitting bowsprits to older displacement boats, a little more on hyperbolic navigation inaccuracies, safety when sailing with inexperienced family members and much, much more.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
In this episode we explore Estimated Position Error as a improving function of the 5,000 year history of Navigation.
While today's nav technology would be considered witchcraft 1000 years ago, everything we have now is built on the hard work and incredible bravery of millions of mariners who pushed the edges of what was possible with the tools of their time. This week I discuss the steps that led us from Gnomon to Non-Terrestrial Hyperbolic Trilateration (!) and what problems there may be with trusting today's tech too much.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
In this episode we rejoin Capt Joshua Slocum, sailing single handed around the world in 1895- this week he is sailing up the coast of Queensland and then heading out into the Indian Ocean on his way to becoming the first person ever to sail solo around the world.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
Finally, after 18 months of sitting on our hands waiting for some semblance of 'normal' to return to the world - Spartan Ocean Racing is ready to get back on the water and start sailing!
Personally, I am hugely excited by the realization that we can now start to dream a little and start to plan some awesome sailing for 2022 and beyond.
Uppermost in my mind is the fact that the new schedule of events for Spartan is VERY LIGHT on racing events and much more focused on seamanship training, voyaging and visiting interesting ports & countries.
This draws Spartan 100% closer to the ideals that started the company and grants me the opportunity to stop judging the success of an event on the position logged in the race and instead look towards providing the best possible offshore training for those who are excited to be on the water and learn.
The BIG EVENT however, that this new schedule works its way up to is the Ocean Globe Race in 2023 where YOU can join us in this unique opportunity to race a pedigree offshore race boat in a serious ROUND THE WORLD RACE.
So, get over to the website www.spartanoceanracing.com and see for yourself what you could be doing 2 years from now!
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
This episode I finish up the story of the delivery of the Maxi 'Weddell' to Nova Scotia. Whilst the voyage its' self was not very eventful (just the way I like them!) there was lots to consider as this was effectively my first passage with a new (to me) vessel.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
There has been a break in the podcast due to me travelling to Europe to pick up a new boat for the Veteran's Sailing Program, but I'm back now and what a story I have to tell! Nothing's ever simple with boats!
Grab a cup of tea and sit yourself down and have a listen to the first part of my tale- just getting to the boat through Covid Lockdown travel restrictions, then losing my financing, then crazy contractual wrangling, cross country drives over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, extreme project triage and a final workable solution which did not resemble in anyway the plan we had at the outset.
It's good old fashioned problem solving nightmare and another stage in my education that maintenance of the overall objective despite critical set backs is all that counts.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
This episode I announce the winners of the Patreon prize draw which gives three lucky listeners the opportunity to join me on board one of our race boats in the next year to compete in either a major race, regatta or transatlantic event!
After that we get into the main subject of this episode - man overboard.
I take you in depth through the procedure I have been taught and now teach to recover someone from the water with the emphasis being on making each stage understandable and transparently logical as part of an overarching strategy to recover the victim before they succumb to hypothermia or drowning.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
In this episode I continue reading Capt. Joshua Slocum's excellent narrative of his solo circumnavigation of the world in 1895.
In Chapters 13 &14 Slocum leaves Samoa, sailing to Australia and then Tasmania. Australia is an opportunity for Slocum to relax a little- he is on the far side of the world from his starting point in Boston and is once again amongst friends and those who know of his voyage, many of whom are keen to assist him.
He decides at this point to take a Northerly route around Queensland and head to the trade winds blowing West through the Torres Strait rather than going around Cape Leeuwin to the South. This affords Slocum time to visit a number of ports, raise some much needed funds and enjoy the cruise North through the Great Barrier Reef.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
In this episode we explore D is for Damage and as always it's me shooting right from the hip discussing this crucial subject as we would sat on the deck of your boat with a cup of tea. I am unapologetic for tangents and spurious information but the deal here is to plumb what exactly a 'pro' sailor is meant to know should things go sideways.
I discuss, use of 'Mayday', grounding, keel damage, losing the rig & cutting it away, fire, collision, bilge-pumping and lots more! So, grab a cup of tea, sit yourself down and lets explore D is for Damage.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
As always Questions & Tangents 5 hovers close to the optimal track suggested by this week's listener questions before tacking off onto a flyer to 'knock the corners' with whatever happens to be floating through my head!
Topics include (but are not limited to!): Hydrogen Fuel for boats, Synthetic rigging on cruising boats, anchoring, setting the depth sounder correctly and delivering Longobarda home to Nova Scotia this summer.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of about 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
Chris
In this episode I discuss the strange story of Dr. John Rae, a man struck from history by the wife of the famous/infamous Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin.
Rae's brilliant cartography expeditions to the far North of Canada in the mid 1800's not only identified the last part of the puzzle of transiting the Northwest passage but also revealed the final fate of Franklin's Arctic expedition that had been lost 10 years before. However, it was a terrible truth that no one wanted to hear about and a macabre reality that Franklin's estate strove hard to obfuscate- to the point that 170 years later very few people even know of the exploits of one of the most successful Arctic explorers of that age.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of about 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
Chris
The episode we explore the third subject of our on-going 'ABC of Boating' with C is for Cooking. Food, food preparation and its effect on crew morale, decision making ability, accident avoidance, emotional rationality and overall performance (whether cruising or racing)cannot be under estimated.
Cooking can be the make or break element on a an offshore passage and is something I take extremely seriously as a skipper. In this episode I discuss all the aspects that come to my mind 'off the cuff' when it comes to food from the perspective of someone who has eaten and prepared literally thousands of meals afloat.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of about 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
Chris
This episode I discuss the early origins of waterproof clothing and the designs that have developed over the centuries to a point were, now- we at least 'expect' to be dry when it rains!
To bring things right up to date, I also review Helly Hansen's 'Aegir' Ocean Waterproofs -which are at the cutting edge of heavy duty offshore sailing gear and have been kindly supplied by Helly Hansen as part of their sponsorship of my Westabout Circumnavigation.
But don't worry- 'Sponsored' does not mean 'perfect' :)
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of about 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
Chris
In this episode I continue reading Capt. Joshua Slocum's excellent narrative of his solo circumnavigation of the world in 1895.
In chapters 11 & 12 Slocum starts out first in Juan Fernandez ,where he visits the cave the Alexander Selkirk lived in for four years and four months, a story that became the inspiration for 'Robinson Crusoe' Next Slocum sails 72 days non-stop to Apia in Samoa where he meets the Fanny Van de Graf Louis Stevenson (!) the widow of Robert Louis Stevenson.
Just before you go....
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $5 per month option.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book with me here: Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com
Cheers,
CSM
This episode I read listener's questions and then proceed to talk abut whatever comes into my head working on the basis that if it is somewhat related to sailing we will all enjoy the process!! Sometimes, amid the tangents I even end up answering the question! Miracle of miracles !:)
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
This episode I cover the recent updates concerning the proposed Olympic Offshore Racing event, The Global Ocean Race and the plan we are developing to campaign two boats for Veterans. I also talk about Covid and how that is affecting sailing this year and introduce a few more details about our new boat Longobarda.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
In this episode we continue the Alphabet of Boating and I have selected the most basic of terms to cover at this early stage in an effort to lay a wide foundation for the more specific and technical elements of sailing that will no doubt come later on.
This episode- B is for Boat and with the guidance of the Wikipedia entry on 'Boat'- I describe what is known about the early development of humans going out onto the water and how things have moved along since then- a history of some 900,000 years!
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
In this episode I continue reading Capt. Joshua Slocum's excellent narrative of his solo circumnavigation of the world in 1895.
In this episode- pushed back into the Magellen Strait, Slocum must guard against Fuegain pirates, load a cargo of tallow and work the Spray back into position to once again head out into the open ocean.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
In this episode I interview Rob Philips who is both a friend from various Spartan offshore adventures and also one of the cast of the new series of 'Below Decks' a reality TV show about super yacht crew. We catch up with Rob in his 'normal' job working as a exploration geologist in the Jungles of Fiji.
As always with these remote interviews it is tricky to manage the sound quality so apologies if there is a little background noise or uneven tone and in this show please be aware there is a little swearing.
If you have any suggestions, questions or requests, please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
In this episode I start a new series intended to deep dive into various seamanship topic, organized only by their relationship to the alphabet!
This series will be done entirely 'off-the-cuff' and without research as a self critical way of unearthing what I actually know as a 'professional'.
The theory is that unlike other professions that may allow for research to be done 'on the job' sailing requires it's adherents to store all relevant info in the old grey matter for instant application- If that is true then it should be easy to spot the 'pros' from the 'cons' by simply asking them to put their money where their mouth is- lets see how I gt on!!
The big question I need you to help with is: 'If A is for Anchoring... what are B & C for?'
If you have any suggestions, questions or requests, please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
This one is a little racing heavy but then there are some pretty interesting races going on! I take a quick look at the Vendee Leaders, the capsize of the Americas Cup boat 'Patriot' and the weather situation facing the 'Edmund De Rothschild' Maxi Trimaran currently fighting for the Jules Verne Trophy.
With the news comes the views, and this week I discuss things as far afield as Elon Musk's Starlink and the Artic Vortex threatening to freeze Nova Scotia this week.
So, Sit Down, Clip on & Listen in for another hour of of the every-day* Mariner Podcast.
(*ish)
If you have any questions or requests you would like to share, please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
It's Official! The (Lead Acid) battery is dead.
This episode let me take you for a wander around my thought processes as I come to the realization that Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries need not be a dream anymore.
Finally, prices have now dropped to a point where pretty decent, reliable units are available on the market that will bring me all the advantages of the LiFePO4 batteries: such as lighter weight, longer life, more useable capacity and higher charging rates; without blowing the budget.
If you have any questions you would like to share, please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
In this episode I continue reading Capt. Joshua Slocum's excellent narrative of his solo circumnavigation of the world in 1895. This week Slocum is rounding Cape Horn, but between tremendous storms that drive the Spray back again and again plus dealing with the threat of piracy from the local people - he certainly has his work cut out for him!
I conclude the reading of these chapters as always with some commentary on the material, this week I am able to share some of my own experiences of Cape Horn that only reinforce the well earned reputation of this infamous place.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
As the second wave of Covid 19 starts to be felt in territories across Asia, Europe and the Americas the building problem of millions of people facing prolonged isolation and social insulation starts to be felt as well.
Mental health and the long term effects of going without normal human contact has well understood and well researched ramifications but is this being forgotten about as promises of vaccines and the end of lockdown circulate? With months to go in this pandemic in any reasonable forecast, now is the time to double-down on our awareness of the effects of the Covid restrictions on ourselves and others.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
It's 2021 and it's time to get the Mariner underway!
In this episode I discuss the future of the podcast and take a look at the news from the Vendee Globe. I also discuss the Ocean Globe Race in 2023, Spartan's itinerary for 2021 and my Westabout the world record attempt which will now go ahead in November!
There is lots to tell and my goodness don't I pack it all in this time! Warning! This may be the episode where you select '0.75% playback speed' as I fairly rattle along!! ;)
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
This episode I reading and discussing chapters 5 & 6 of 'Sailing Alone Around the World' by Captain Joshua Slocum
In the commentary I take time to share my experience of sailing the same route that Slocum follows in this section of the book and unpack the vocabulary, technical details and what it feels like to engage in some of the exploits Slocum shares with us.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
This episode presents some very important and thought provoking information that I would advise all listeners to research on their own so they can confirm the facts presented and make changes, if necessary to their life on and off the boat.
What subject could cause me to be so somber and serious? Storm tactics? Immigration laws?
No, this week I am talking about sleep. The importance of sleep is a weirdly absent convention amongst sailors who above all travelers and sports people expose themselves repeatedly and needlessly to the dangers of sleep deprivation. This is mainly due to the fact that we are, on the whole- hugely uneducated about this critical subject.
So, clip on, sit down & listen in; it's time to learn why the foolish old line, 'Sleep when you're dead' is mortally unwise and darkly ironic advice.
If you have any questions you would like to share, please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
Questions & Tangents is the weekly episode where I answer listener questions, tell you about the news in my own sailing and generally ramble on about all things maritime for an 1hr! This episode I talk about foils on the Vendee boats - pros and cons, sea-sickness and how to combat it, the Ocean Globe Race and the new North Atlantic loop that Spartan is doing in the summer of 2021 - which I am really looking forward to and much more! Join me if you would rather be at sea!
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
This episode I interview Philip Bachmann a sailor I have completed many miles of offshore sailing with. He talks about his time learning to be a boatbuilder and the adventures it has led him to including getting to grips with being a skipper on his own boat and learning how advanced 19th century yacht design was.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
This episode I reading and discussing chapters 3 & 4 of 'Sailing Alone Around the World' by Captain Joshua Slocum
In the commentary you will join me as I go down to my own round the world race boat, to discuss some things about this part of the book that are very close to my heart. I can only hope, once more, that I do that old Nova Scotian shellback some justice and help bring his incredible story to life for another generation of sailors.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
This episode we get away from gear reviews, interviews & book reading and get back to where the Mariner started.. me chatting about what's going on in my watery world and answering listener questions.
We cover what's happening with the Westabout campaign, the exciting news that Spartan is once again setting sail in 2021 and I share my new found excitement about the Vendee Globe Virtual Regatta app which has had me glued to my phone for a week!
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
This week I introduce a new feature- once a week I will be reading from a famous sailing book and giving you a commentary afterward that will hopefully expand & illuminate the text.
The first book to receive this treatment is for many, the first real offshore sailing book ever written - it is of course ' Sailing Alone Around the World' by Captain Joshua Slocum.
Slocum was born and raised not 60 miles from where I live here in Nova Scotia so this was the most obvious book for me to start with but it was also by far the most popular book suggested by listeners. I can only hope that I do that old shellback some justice and help bring his incredible story to life for another generation of sailors.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
In this episode I finally make good on my threat to interview someone my first victim/volunteer is Ryan Barkey and in keeping with my normal proficiency in all matters technical the recording of my microphone was corrupted by the time it got to the editing suite! No matter! I have boosted the recording from Ryan's mic and apart from me sounding like I am sitting in the engine room it is still a great interview!
I think Ryan's story is a very common story for someone within the professional (non-superyacht) sailing industry who is trying to make his way through a professional landscape that has very few signposts. Take a job, build qualifications, lever as much experience as you can from each job you take and keep you eye on what is your end goal. It's Ryan's story, it's my story and I think many of you will appreciate his adventurous and positive take on life.
Ryan shares with us how he came to be an offshore racer- the adventures and pitfalls he faced along the way and his latest project to sail a Class 40 around the world in the upcoming Globe 40 Race in 2021.
Ryan's website is www.loosefishracing.com and you can find a link there to his Gofundme page if you feel like dropping him a few dollars to make dreams into realities.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
In this episode we take a deep dive on modern lifejackets- how they have evolved, the design features that make modern jackets so good and I introduce the life jacket I use and is used throughout all of Spartan Ocean Racing's events- the 'Team O Back Tow' life jacket.
If you are thinking of buying a new jacket- looking to upgrade to a better jacket for the new season or a just interested to find out more about this crucial piece of life saving equipment - jump in and enjoy 90 minutes of informative and entertaining banter.
To learn more about the Back Tow Life Jacket go to: www.teamomarine.com
If you use the promo code: SpartanOceanRacing (case sensitive) you will receive a 15% discount and help support the podcast.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
If you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Cheers,
CSM
I'm going round the World AGAIN!! 27,000Nm, Solo, Non-Stop, WEST - this time looking to beat the 16 year standing record of 122 days set in 2004. Why? To raise awareness and show support for the Province where I live, Nova Scotia, Canada which like so many places around the world has been hard hit by Covid 19 and its effect of business & tourism.
In this episode I introduce you to our newly christened Open 60 'Pride of Nova Scotia' and finally get down to explaining what this West Around the World, Solo, Non-stop voyage is all about. I also take you through where I am up to in the project, what the schedule is and what the obstacles ahead might be.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
In this episode I share where I have been for the past few weeks and take you through the wonderful voyage I had up the Eastern seaboard of the US from Georgia to Boston. The boat I was lucky enough to sail on was a Formula 40 trimaran called 'Spirit' (ex. Spirit of England). She was one of the hot ticket rides in the 1990's with a Fastnet Class win (amongst many other things) to her credit in 1995 as well as being one of the early steeds for sailing legend Brian Thompson.
The boat has since been modified for cruising and as you will hear I was blown away by how well that conversion has worked, but let's be clear- at no stage did this boat lose it's 'get up & go' and the result is a massively capable offshore multihull with a intelligently and thoughtfully designed interior suitable for a couple (who like to host big groups of friends!)
If you want to see more of this boat check out the previous owners' (Jason & Claudia) Youtube channel, I think it will really help bring the sights and sounds of this awesome boat to life for you.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvBgq4-qZn5FEfrli2SmX7w
Thanks also to Andrew & Jess who came to me with this exceptional opportunity - I look forward to sailing with you again soon!
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
In this episode I examine the concept of 'Chronoception' our in-built ability to assess the passing of time and how it changes in times of stress, fear, activity, boredom & excitement.
Time and memory are variable depending on what you are doing, how much you enjoy it and what chemicals your brain is creating whilst you do it. This week I look at how sailing offers us a perfect activity to wind back the clock somewhat and begin laying down memories that are as rich and vivid as those created in the heady days of our youth; memories we often identify as the the best days of our lives.
Is there any way to slow down time back down and get off the rollercoaster I- at least- seemed to board sometime just after 40- I propose there is and sailing is a fantastic way to do it.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
In this final instalment of the story of sailing solo around the world covers the last leg of the Velux 5 Oceans Race from Charleston, USA to La Rochelle, France.
This was the best leg of the entire race for me but there were still some major difficulties to overcome including a massive flooding incident that saw air crew being scrambled in Halifax, Nova Scotia and one of my canting keel ram pins breaking 400Nm from the finish.
I take a little time at the end of the episode to reflect on what the entire escapade adds up to in my mind and look forward a little to the next lap of the planet in November 2020.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
In this episode I take you for a whirlwind tour of the Moon our closest partner in the heavens and the single most important element - potentially- in the development of life on this planet.
The Moon's origins are still somewhat mysterious and it is only in very recent years that we have turned the full focus of modern science on the complicated questions of 'Where did the Moon come from?' and 'What has been the relationship between the Earth and Moon over the last 4.5 Billion years?' Luckily I get it all worked out for you in just over an hour.....
I don't think you will be disappointed it's a wild Patreon Sitestory; a whole other planet you probably never heard of called 'Theia', Earth spinning so fast it does a full rotation in just 6 hours, our man Galileo asking difficult questions and 1000ft high tides! Grab yourself a cup of coffee and prepare to look upon Selene your new best friend in a whole new light.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
In this episode I describe the 6,500Nm race from Punta Del Este in Uruguay to Charleston, South Carolina. The sailing was nothing to write home about but everything else about that trip was pretty unique. Terrible toothache required me to create a temporary dental solution at sea but having worked that out my watermaker then stopped working which left me with only two options; stop racing and stop into Brazil to get repairs done or keep racing and head on to Charleston and drink brackish water for two weeks. If you have been listening to this podcast for a while -you know what I choose ;)
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
In this podcast I put on my black turtleneck sweater, horn-rimmed glasses and ask you to lie down on the Mariner couch as we discuss some interesting aspects of psychology and metacognition that can really affect our learning style, our ability to develop advanced hard skills and even perhaps influence our ability to keep ourselves and our crew safe at sea.
If you have never heard of the Dunning-Kruger effect, the Superiority Illusion, Selective Bias or the Imposter Syndrome prepare to deny everything and declare yourself an above average student!
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
In this episode I answer a listener question about who inspires me in sailing and why. I gave this some thought and decided to include only those who truly motivate me at an emotional level rather than just those who's exploits I find noteworthy.
Dame Naomi James, Joshua Slocum, Sterling Hayden & Jean Luc Van Den Heede & the Westabout Circumnavigation Record are who/what I decided upon- some you may know- others not but all are connected to sailing.
I hope you enjoy hearing both why and how I find these people (and this event!) so compelling and how I am able to fuel myself in my life's darker hours by focusing my thoughts on these heroes.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
In this episode I return to the story of my solo round the world race and the exciting conclusion of Leg 3 from New Zealand around Cape Horn to the famous South American race stopover of Punta del Este in Uruguay. If you want to hear how close a yacht race can be after 3 weeks and over 6500Nm at sea- Tune in!
I also talk radar watch methods for solo sailors, Code Zero's, yacht design for up wind sailing, autopilots & making school boy mistakes at crucial moments in your career!
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
This episode I start to discuss what pieces of equipment are 'Must Haves' for me at sea, practically and emotionally.
Whilst shivering in freezing conditions in my new studio 'The Barn', I take you through the unique 'Deck-Assist Belt' I have designed and fashioned for myself over time & the outstanding, one-off, sailing knife kindly made for me by the incredible Rick Marchand of www.wildertools.com .
I also talk about why a Gerber is better than a Leatherman and how a $5 torch saved two lives in the frigid waters of Newfoundland last year has therefore become part of my 'Super Hero-esque' utility belt!
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
In this episode I take a look at the transferable skills sailors possess that could prove useful in the global crisis we are all now facing.
With a unique outlook created by the unusual nature of sailing compared to all other sports, could offshore sailors prove to be a positive force during lockdown and beyond?
I also answer a listener question and reveal my maximum recorded speeds & maximum day's distance sailed and discuss fluid intake at sea- I also give thanks to my first Patreon supporter- 'Sailing Starbuck!'
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
In this episode I continue the story of my voyage solo across the Southern Ocean in the Velux 5 Oceans Race.
In Episodes 6 & 7 of the Podcast I described the massive damage I suffered to my mainsail and how I struggled through to get it fixed and continue racing; Now I conclude the Southern Ocean Leg with the exciting dive towards the Horn followed by a major storm that promises to make my Horn rounding memorable if not traumatic!
I also answer a listener question and explain the difference between an Open 60 & an IMOCA 60 and discuss the pitfalls and delights of having to prepare 5000 Calories a day for yourself offshore.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
In this episode I take a look at shouting and the intimidation techniques often employed by skippers who feel it is OK to speak to their crew in a bullying and disrespectful manner.
I uncover how damaging this is not only to the crew but also to the 'shouter' and the group dynamic on the boat. I suggest a few tactics that can lower the volume and how to get important actions completed without having to resort to verbal abuse.
Sailing needs as much new blood and energy as possible in the 21st century- a review of 'traditional' communications methods is in my opinion, long overdue
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
In this episode I describe how I overcame disaster and completed 36hrs of stitching to repair my badly damaged mainsail in terrible conditions close to 'Point Nemo' in the Southern Ocean.
When physically and emotionally I am at the end of my tether an unexpected visitor turns my situation around and gives me the catalyst I need to come back fighting.
I also answer a fantastic question sent in by a listener and discuss Spartan's entry in the Ocean Globe Race in 2023
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
Halfway between New Zealand & Cape Horn I suffer critical damage to my mainsail between reefs 2 & 3, a 6 ft (2m) tear has opened up in the leech of my mainsail and unless it is fixed I cannot fly the sail and I will not only be last in the race but also in a very dangerous position 1000's of Miles form shore.
Suddenly all thought of competition is forgotten and I am in survival mode as I struggle to deal emotionally and physically with a major repair on deck at 'Point Nemo' the most remote point on the planet in freezing conditions and heavy seas.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
In this Episode I take you through an overview of Southern Ocean sailing that can be applied to any wild stretch of ocean and any long passage made in those kind of conditions.
Taking my first Southern Ocean leg on the Velux Race as a framework I share observations and learning that came from that 6500Nm, 40 day, solo voyage and the sights and sounds that stick with me from that first nervous foray into the wilder stretches of the world ocean.
From escaping half acre kelp patches that stop the boat to coping with Christmas alone I explain what it is to sail around the bottom of the world for the fist time and share some of the uniques sights that only a handful of people get to see like the huge Albatrosses that hover over the boat for days on end.
As always plenty of personal anecdotes are mixed in with real world practical experience that cannot be learnt in any text book anywhere. If you like offshore sailing or just need a little escape form reality, settle in with a hot mug of coffee and prepare to go on watch once again, with The Mariner.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
In this episode I continue the story of my first serious solo offshore passage and delve into what makes Open 60's such serious offshore racing boats.
I also discuss the near vertical learning curve I had to go through to tame the beast and the distressing results of the emotional pressure I had been under.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
In this episode I discuss the start of the Velux 5 Oceans Solo Race Around the World.
Safe to say it was not the slick operation you may have perceived if you were standing far enough away on start day.
Nearly crashing into the Canary Islands because I did not set my alarm clock, a huge headsail tears loose and nearly dismasts the boat; close calls with big ships & learning to sleep in 20 minute bursts -it's all here!
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
In this episode I discuss how only a few days after getting back from sailing round the world with the Clipper Race I get the opportunity to go Round the World AGAIN: But this time Solo and on an Open 60.
I outline the impossible task I was challenged with to get an older Open 60 that had not been offshore for a long while into fighting shape ready for another lap of the planet- on a very tight budget with almost no skilled assistance all in just matter of 8 weeks!
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris
In this first episode I talk about how I ended up starting a career at sea: it's not what you might expect!
I was actually over 18 when the realization came that life ashore was not going to be enough for me. I talk about my first ship 'Ji Fung' a brigantine at the Hong Kong Outward Bound School that changed my world forever and set me off on this life of voyaging and adventure.
If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25cents per episode please visit my Patreon site and select the $2 per month option.
If you are looking to develop your seamanship skills and take your sailing knowledge & safety to a more advanced level I run an On-Line Seamanship Training Program which gives you access to four 30 minute videos each month that deep-dive into a broad range of subjects from Ropework to Naval Architecture, Electronic Navigation, Sail Trim, Composite Repair. The lessons come out once a week and the minimum commitment to have access to all of them is $20 per month.
I you want to get out on the water on a race, regatta or training voyage you can book any number of trips in the Caribbean, American North East, Europe and even Transatlantic trips; year round with Spartan Ocean Racing & Training
Thanks!
Chris