Matt Rutherford // On Adventure, Fear & Solo Sailing Around the Arctic
Release Date: 01/13/2026
John Kretschmer // Seam'nship, Racing, Life & NOT Retiring!
On the Wind Sailing
John Kretschmer is back on the podcast to talk more philosophy and more sailing. If you're new to the show, or new to John's work, he's inspired me more than any other sailor. His books are legendary, and you should read all of them. But start with 'Sailing a Serious Ocean,' if you want one book that best distills his storytelling and philosophy into one volume. John and I talk about everything in this winding episode - which also features a rare appearance from Mia! He was in Paris, we were in Sweden, and we start by debunking the rumor that John was retiring from passagemaking that I...
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Chris Kobusch & Sophie O'Neill // From Clipper Race to Antarctica & Beyond
On the Wind Sailing
Chris Kobusch & Sophie O'Neill are longtime friends of 59º North. Chris was in fact one of our full-time skippers for two years on ICEBEAR & FALKEN, and Mia & I recently attended their wedding in England last September. Both professional sailors, they met on the Clipper Race, where Sophie was a last-minute sub-in as First Mate and sailed across the Pacific with Chris. Since then they've led an adventurous life together, working for Skip Novak in Antarctica and buying & refitting their own steel boat OCEAN WANDERER. Like Mia & I, they're now balancing family life with their...
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Jahn Tihansky // Racer, Sailmaker, Coach and Entrepreneur
On the Wind Sailing
Andy Schell and Jahn Tihansky sit down in Annapolis to discuss Jahn’s long and exciting sailing career. He’s been racing and beating some of the biggest names in the sport, built successful sailmaking and sailing businesses, and served as head sailing coach at the U.S. Naval Academy for many years. -- Support the podcast & become a member of , where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on . See you there! -- This...
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Ari Huusela // First Finn to Finish the Vendée Globe
On the Wind Sailing
Ari Huusela is an aircraft mechanic and commercial airline pilot from Helsinki, Finland. He did not start sailing until the age of 24, but went on to become the first person from the Nordic countries to have finished the brutal Vendee globe round the world race. During the race he became known as the Super happy sailor thanks to his positive energy and optimism. He joins August remotely from the Norwegian Arctic, where he is skiing out of his Campervan. -- Support the podcast & become a member of , where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on...
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Matt Rutherford // On Adventure, Fear & Solo Sailing Around the Arctic
On the Wind Sailing
Matt Rutherford is back again, this time to talk about perhaps his most audacious plans yet - to sail solo and nonstop around the Arctic. That's back-to-back through the Northwest Passage and NorthEAST passage (above Russia). I caught up with Matt in person to talk about his plans (and lots more, like we always do), back in October in Annapolis. Matt continues to inspire and push me as a sailor. He makes his adventures look easy, does them on a shoestring and is always very humble about the whole thing. Enjoy our chat and follow/support Matt through oceanresearchproject.org. -- Support the...
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James Evenson // Sailing Zingaro & What is Seam'nship?
On the Wind Sailing
James Evenson, aka Sailing Zingaro on YouTube, has sailed tens of thousands of miles on a variety of boats and had countless adventures. Several of those adventures have ended either in disaster or heroics, depending on your perspective, and it got me wondering - what is true seam'nship? James and I sat down face to face in Annapolis and had a ranging and thoughtful conversation on his life before sailing, what he learned in the Navy, how to make a living on YouTube and how to define the line between bravery and stupidity. -- Check out James' new book at -- Support the podcast & become...
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Pär Nyman // GGR 2026 & Sailing Spirituality
On the Wind Sailing
Pär Nyman is a Swedish sailor who recently bought the Rustler 36 Lazy Otter and signed up for the 2026 Golden Globe race. He sailed from Sweden to Bergen, Norway, to sea trial his boat, gain experience, and to meet up with fellow Golden Globe competitor Daniel Alfredsson from Bergen. August met him there to talk about his upcoming big dream voyage. -- Support the podcast & become a member of , where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more....
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Mara Løvenskiold // From Fencer & Bobsled Athlete to the Golden Globe Race
On the Wind Sailing
The rumors are true - in Annapolis! Andy, Mia, founder Jen Kaye & new GM Ryan Ellison share some behind-the-scenes at the top of today's show. Come help celebrate with us at , and meet today's podcast guest Mara, who will be at the show and hanging around with 59º North in tent O-8! Mara Løvenskiold is a Norwegian athlete-turned-sailor, getting ready to start the next edition of the nonstop round-the-world Golden Globe Race in 2026. She's been a professional fencer and bobsledder and turned to sailing after a chance encounter got her on a catamaran headed around the world. After...
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Sidse Birk Johannsen // From Denmark to Greenland
On the Wind Sailing
Sidse Johannsen is a Danish solo sailor with major plans. When Andy spoke to her in June, she was in final preparations to sail her C&C 40 from Denmark to Greenland, where she'd worked as a teacher some years ago and always longed to return to. She talks about the trials and stresses of buying and outfitting a new boat for northern sailing, what life was like teaching in Greenland and how she hopes to inspire other women sailors like herself through her books and speeches. -- Support the podcast & become a member of , where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship....
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Cole Brauer // The First American Woman to Race Around the World
On the Wind Sailing
Cole Brauer made history in 2024 as the first American woman to race solo, non-stop around the world. She crossed the line wearing a hat that read Wild Feminist — a bold and powerful statement from a sailor who’d once been told she was too short for the Southern Ocean. Clearly, she proved them wrong — and along the way, captured the hearts and minds of over 450,000 fans by sharing raw, vulnerable glimpses into her life alone at sea. We caught up in Cowes at the end of July, just before the start of the Fastnet. It’s not often I get to sit down with another woman my age competing at...
info_outlineMatt Rutherford is back again, this time to talk about perhaps his most audacious plans yet - to sail solo and nonstop around the Arctic. That's back-to-back through the Northwest Passage and NorthEAST passage (above Russia). I caught up with Matt in person to talk about his plans (and lots more, like we always do), back in October in Annapolis. Matt continues to inspire and push me as a sailor. He makes his adventures look easy, does them on a shoestring and is always very humble about the whole thing. Enjoy our chat and follow/support Matt through oceanresearchproject.org.
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Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there!
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This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Offshore Passage Opportunities and Rutgerson Marin. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!