Planning the Charter Vacation of Your Dreams with Renee Sawyer
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As you’ll hear me say in this conversation, chartering a catamaran through the virgin islands or on the med has been a dream trip for me for as long as I can remember. So it was really fun speaking with Renee Sawyer, owner of . Renee has been a General Manager of select service and full-service hotels as well as boutique hotels for 25 years. Renee’s passions are many pertaining to the Caribbean however, sailing, underwater photography, interacting with all types of wild life and marine life are at the top of the list. After living her dream of sailing the turquoise waters of the Caribbean,...
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Jaywalking the World with Stephen Payne
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I really enjoy meeting and speaking with people who have made boating a big part of their lifestyle, especially people like Steve Payne, who went from knowing next to nothing about boats to living and traveling through Europe on one. Steve has been able to use his skills as a photographer, creator, and community builder to live the boating lifestyle and share it with the world. His youtube channel, , recently surpassed 100 episodes. He has sent out thousands of in an effort to foster a communal spirit among like minded boaters. His photography skills will be showcased on marina websites...
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Live the Life You Dream About With First Mariners Club Founder Kevin Dorry
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It is always exciting speaking to and learning from others who are advancing the subscription and membership boating model, especially seeing all of the different market segments who are finding value in this way of boating. One such leader has found traction in the premium luxury subscription segment and I had a great time speaking with founder, Kevin Dorry. Kevin is an entrepreneur and adventurer with a successful track record as the founder of a web development firm and co-founder of RewardJet, a program boasting over 300,000 members. Beyond the corporate world, he is an Ironman...
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The Power of Positive Fishing; Adam Gamble, Author, Publisher, Angler
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I had the great pleasure of speaking with Adam Gamble, writer, publisher, and avid fisherman. Adam conceived, wrote or cowrote, and supervised the production of three hundred titles in the Good Night Books series for pre-schoolers, which currently has more than nine million copies sold worldwide, including many to my family. Adam recently wrote and published alongside Michael J. Tougias,New York Times bestselling author and coauthor of thirty books for adults and six books for young adults. He is best known for his nonfiction narratives of survival and rescue stories including The...
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Promoting Diversity, Inclusion, Safety, Conservation and Careers
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Diversity is not something that is often associated with boating and the boating industry. Many people have a stereotypical boater in mind, and I’m guessing as you read this you do too. One of the biggest obstacles to expanding the reach of boating is that so often, the way someone gets into boating in the first place is being exposed by family or close friends. If no one in your orbit is boating, you are much less likely to try it and pass it on to others. However, there are many people doing great work in bringing recreational boating, and the boating industry as a career, to new...
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Reducing Boat Ownership Friction
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The boating industry has welcomed over 800,000 new boaters into the fold in the last couple of years and is hard at work reaching new, more diverse audiences to continue growing boating. As more and more people experience boating and boat ownership for the first time, it is incumbent on marine businesses to make sure that the boating experience is as headache-free as possible. One aspect of boat ownership that can be frustrating is not just the expense of service and maintenance, but the challenge in finding good service providers. One company looking to change that dynamic is . I got...
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The Five-Year Voyage
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I love to mix in guests who may not be ‘in’ the boating industry but rather demonstrate to us what boating can enable. is an author and adventurer who certainly pushes the limits on where a boat can take you. In is mid-30s, Steve designed and built a 12-foot boat named Squeak and rowed and sailed her over 6500 miles over a three year journey, chronicling it in his book Three Years in a 12-Foot Boat. Nearly two decades later, Steve teamed up with his now-wife, Ginny, to spend five years on a 21-foot boat, traveling from Florida down through the Western Caribbean, navigating the river...
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Ready For Liftoff with Epoch Boats
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If you have seen a boat rising out of the water as it gets on plane and seemingly gliding above it, you have seen hydrofoiling in effect! Hydrofoils have been used in high technology applications like the Americas Cup races for years and have recently been applied to recreational craft including smaller runabouts and even surfboards! I have been interested in learning more about foiling on the water, why they are used, what benefits they provide, and how they work. Luckily, I had a chance to speak with Tom Ward, founder of . Epoch Boats is helping usher in a new era in boating by building...
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Reimagining the Boat Buying Experience
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Think about your typical vehicle buying experience, whether it be car or boat. You research online, head to the showroom either eager to interact with a salesperson armed with all of your knowledge or dreading the back and forth, let me ask my manager negotiation. Some showrooms may stand out to you – well decorated, nice waiting room, great coffee, for me – an area to wait with kids toys. But the experience can often be….unremarkable. And when it comes to boats, something you are buying for the fun of it, the experience should be remarkable! , located on our home lake in upstate NY,...
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Connected Boating - Your Vessel and the IoT
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Making boating easier. Frictionless operation. Lowering the barrier to entry. Reducing the average age of the new boater. These are all goals that are being accomplished through the development and introduction of new and exciting on-board technologies. Connectivity is a major part of some of the largest marine companies in the world including Yamaha and Brunswick. We are all so used to living connected lives and expect that the things we use will ‘play along’. Our cars, our security systems, our fridges, all of these and other IoT enabled devices that make our lives easier are ubiquitous...
info_outlineAlex Caslow, with his wife KC, founded and owns Red Beard Sailing, the official US dealers for MiniCat, Xcat, Reverso, and RowOnAir brands. Alex was introduced to sailing by his grandfather at a young age and has been able to turn that passion into a career, helping others experience the same joy he gets out on the water under sail. In 2015, they did some extensive research looking for a portable sailboat option as consumers, and were so blown away by the MiniCat that they built a business around it. They then added XCat and later Reverso and RowOnAir, and Red Beard Sailing started to take off.
The flagship line, Minicat, is a unique, small and light, but full-bodied sailing boat – a catamaran with inflatable floats. With excellent sailing characteristics and simple control, MiniCat appeals to young budding yachtsmen, experienced sailors, and even world explorers such as Laura Dekker.
All MiniCat models fit in a car, camper, yacht, or on a plane. They can be assembled in 30 minutes or less, with no extra tools required.
Alex and KC have decided that will be involved in many charitable sailing events nationwide and have made it part of their mission to keep today's youth involved with sailing and provide children everywhere with an opportunity to experience the sport.
Hope you enjoy my conversation with Alex ‘Red Beard’ Caslow.