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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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: [email protected]

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...

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...

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!

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:)

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...

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.

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,...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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. 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 ’Art

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...

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.

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.