Alison Gieschen wasin Nuku HIva when I spoke to her, sailing a Taswell 43 on a circumnavigation with her husband. She is also the author of 7 books, including Riding the Waves of Reality I and II.

We talk about dealing with an engine problem and a leaking fuel tank, various other problems, Nuku Hiva, selling everything on land to sail around the world, the transition, sailing in cold places, a heavy-weather passage with John Kretschmer, getting boarded by the US Coast Guard, weather routing gone bad, losing a dinghy off the deck in a storm, cruising Ireland and Scotland, sailing in the Mediterranean, where they found the friendliest people, the Azores, things that make the boat more comfortable to live on, in-mast furling, fear, writing, a story about Gigi - the Contessa 32, her book Riding the Waves of Reality, checking into Greece, finding solitude, and more.

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Guy deBoer is preparing for the Golden Globe Race, which starts in September, and will try to be the first American to win a solo nonstop circumnavigation race. He was in the 2022 GGR, but went aground on a reef on Fuerteventura. He has since repaired the boat, Spirit, a Tashiba 36 and is entered in the race again.

We talk about the preparations he has been making to his boat, his two different windvane autopilots, his rig, his sails, bottom paint, different racing strategies (compared to 2022), his GGR tactical handbook - which he developed, the other skippers, the evolution of the race, the GGR compared to the Vendee Globe, how to win the race, avoiding bad decisions, avoiding ships, AIS, the rules, repairing his boat, The Canary Islands, delivering a Swan 57 from the Exumas to Rhode Island, celestial navigation, and more.

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Mara is a Norwegian sailor entered in the 2026 Golden Globe Race. She was doing her 4000nm qualifier for the GGR, sailing from Morocco to St Martin in the Caribbean in her 2001 Saltram Saga 36.

We talk about the journey she was on, her boat, the refit, roller furlers, staysails, solo sailing, livestreaming, sleeping while underway alone, spinnakers, how sailing changes us, her routine, exercise, sailing technique and lessons learned, biminis, whales, safety, tethers and jacklines, a difficult moment, a beautiful moment, what comes after the race, and more.

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Dudley Dix has been designing sailboats - monohulls, catamarans, and trimarans - since the 1970's and is still at it. His designs incorporate wood, fiberglass, steel, or aluminum, and he is the developer of the radius-chine plywood method. His latest design is the Didi 120 GSC, a 40' monohull designed specifically for the Global Solo Challenge.

We talk about his sailing history, sailing in South Africa, how he got involved in sailboat design, his design philosopy, sailing in the Cape to Rio Race, flying a spinnaker in 35 knots, the radius chine plywood method, capsizing in a storm, plywood construction, the Didi 120 GSC, sailing in giant swell, single rudder vs dual rudders, how to select a bluewater sailboat, comparing different materials for building boats, heavy vs light masts and the effect on stability, his two books "South Atlantic Capsize and Shaped" by "Wind and Wave," surfing, and more.

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Tim and Emmie sail a 1996 Seastream 43 and are at the beginning of a circumnavigation starting in England. They were in Cape Verde when I interviewed them and had recently been to Senegal and The Gambia.

We talk about a rough introduction to offshore sailing, sailing to Norway, Mindello Cape Verde, carnival, Dakar, Senegal, dodging fishing nets in Africa, the Saloum Delta National Park in Senegal, The Gambia, hippos and crocodiles and other wildlife, clearing in to Dakar, navigating with Google Earth, finding drinking water, clearing customs in The Gambia, the season to visit Senegal and The Gambia, whether to sail to Patagonia or the Caribbean next, The Bahamas, Canada, the Northwest Passage, wildlife in Panama, their boat, Coppercoat, anchors, dragging, a dream boat, refitting, Emmie's art, making decisions as a couple, and more.

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Amy Cobb and MJ Sizemore of Motherload Sailing are back in Bocas del Toro after sailing their Bavaria 50 back to Florida to sell. They replaced her with a Lagoon 410 catamaran, on which they live with their 5 sons.

We talk about their new catamaran and compare her to their monohull - both living aboard and sailing, upgrades, lithium batteries, sailing from Florida to The Bahamas, clearing in at Great Harbor in the Berry Islands, the Exumas Land and Sea Park, the Bight of Acklins, Long Island, Great Inagua, Navasse Island, sargassum seaweed, sailing from The Bahamas to Panama, jacklines, safety, tips for raising kids on a boat, provisioning for a family of seven, tips for getting along as a couple on a boat, catamaran escape hatches, bucket-list destinations, dream boats, and more.

photos and linka are on the podcast shownotes page

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Gretchen and Tim were in the same anchorage as me when I met them, and John Kretschmer recommended them as guests. They sail a Catalina 42 with an added staysail and have a YouTube channel called GnT Sailing.

We talk about meeting while racing Rhodes 19's, learning to sail offshore, sailing with John Kretschmer, a heavy-weather passage with JK, sailing downwind with just a staysail in strong wind, handsteering, man-overboard drills, crossing the Gulf Stream, living aboard full-time vs part-time, motor-predjudice, arriving in the daylight or heaving-to until sunrise, anchoring, swivel failure, mistakes, things we say that make us feel better in rough conditions, couple difficulties and how to avoid arguments and drama, staying out of each other's way, heavy weather situations, their boat, things that make living aboard more comfortable, dream boats, steering in reverse in a full-keel boat, and more.

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If you are interested in sailing with Tapio Lehtinen on offshore training passages, email paulwtrammell (at) hotmail (dot) com and put "sailing" in the subject line

Brian Hathaway was in Panama when I interviewed him, near to completeing his circumnavigation. While sailing, he has been filming a documentary "The Healing Power of the Ocean." Brian is five years sober. He also directed a short documentary "Adrift." Brian sails a 2004 Hunter 44DS.

We talk about fixing leaking portlights, fixing the cone clutch on his transmission, sailing from St Helena to Recife, Recife to Martinique, running aground, squalls, Puerto Rico to Panama (the worst passage of his circumnavigation), crew difficulties, dual headsails, losing both headsails, cutting a line caught in the propeller while at sea in rough conditions, climbing the mast while offshore, using a gaff on a halyard to catch a headsail halyard, motoring vs not motoring, whether or not to officially close the loop on the map to complete the circumnavigation, AIS vs Radar, zarpes, San Juan Puerto Rico, Hydrovane vs electronic autopilot, Wajag Islands, Madagascar, jacklines, tethers, saftey, fixing stuff, and more.

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