Living Aboard and Sailing a Proper Electric Sailboat with SV Vagari
Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
Release Date: 07/01/2024
Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
Ambre was born in Paris, but moved to the US when she was 10. She went to school and graduated with a degree in economics. After a brief career in New York City, she gave it all up to become a sailor, and now races Class Mini with her eyes on the Ocean Race and the Vendée Globe. She tells us about her new boat, #618, On the Road Again II, and training for the Mini Transat 2025. We talk about the new carbon-fiber boat, controlling and using our emotions, what she loves about racing, cruising, the Vendée Globe, men and women competing on equal ground, endurance, pain tolerance, confidence, the...
info_outline Adventure Sailing in Scotland, Scott JohnstonOffshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
Scott Johnston runs Yachting Scotland, an adventure-sailing and sailing tourism operation located in the Firth of Clyde on the west coast of Scotland. Our discussion begins with us talking about our boats and comparing the pros and cons of my full-keel cruiser and his modern performance cruiser. We also talk about the weather and sailing conditions in Scotland, sailing destinations in Scotland, learning to sail, delivering climbers to sae cliffs, St Kilda, using a sea anchor, anchoring in deep water, starting a charter-sailing business, the love of sailing, freediving, Newfoundland, and...
info_outline Building and Sailing a 75' Steel Sailboat, Doug Jackson, SV SeekerOffshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
Doug Jackson spent fifteen years building a 75' steel junk-rigged sailboat in Tulsa Oklahoma. Aron Erwin introduced me to Doug, and I interviewed them both in episode 221 in the before and after Hurricane Milton episode. Doug had such an interesting boat that I had to do this episode. We talk about St Augustine Florida, a boat that went aground in the Hurricane Milton, designing and building Seeker, bringing researchers aboard, the junk rig, learning to sail the boat, reefing, entering the St Augustine inlet, running into things, the inspiration to change his life and build this boat and...
info_outline Adam Desrosiers, Living Off-Grid in Alaska, Sailing a Cape George 36Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
Adam lives off-grid in southeast Alaska and sails a Cape George 36. He was also a small-boat commercial fisherman and a merchant marine. We talk about Alaska, his history of commercial fishing, why we love untying the lines ashore, working as a merchant marine, finding the right boat, the Cape George 36, the Golden Globe Race and Kirsten Neuschafer, sailing in the fjords, the anchorages, Deigo Garcia, shark fishing, knife making, wildlife, orcas singing with thier heads out of the water, and more. Podcast shownotes are here Support the show through Patreon here
info_outline Erden Eruc, Preparing for the 2026 Golden Globe RaceOffshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
Erden Eruc is an entrant in the 2026 Golden Globe Race, and has purchased Simon Curwen's Biscay 36, Clara. Erden is also one of only two people to have circumnavigated under human power, and Erden is the only to have done it solo, and he did it by rowing, cycling, kayaking, and hiking. He holds an amazing 18 Guiness World Records. We talk about his boat, his sailing experience, reasons he wants to do the race, learning about the Hydrovane, projects needed on the boat, hopes and fears regarding the race, the photogates, future sailing plans, and much more. We also discussed his solo...
info_outline Sam Holmes 2, in DakarOffshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
When I spoke with Sam the previous week (ep. 224) he was en route to Dakar. In this episode, he is in Dakar. I also talk about my recent passage from San Blas to Linton Bay and then on to Escudo de Veraguas. Sam and I talk about the passage and trouble encountered on the way including damaging a spreader, reefing, using a modified climbing harness, sharks, a windvane problem, anchors and anchoring, using multiple anchors, sleeping while underway, anchor alarms, halucinating, radar and its limitations, Dakar, clearing customs and immigration, favorite places, and more. Podcast shownotes are...
info_outline Sam Holmes, Underway between the Canary Islands and DakkarOffshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
Sam was sailing in his Cape Dory 28 between the Canary Islands and Dakkar when I spoke to him. Before the interview, I talk about the San Blas Islands. Sam and I talk about the conditions, his Cape Dory 28, his windvane and electronic autopilots, sailing a full-keel boat, replacing the bronze chainplates, fixing a leaking hull-deck joint, Morocco, The Canary Islands, The Gambia, sailing to The Bahamas on a 16' Hobie Cat, fear, sailing for the sailing or for the destinations, solo sailing and why we love it, the Annapolis Boat Show, and more. Tune in next week for a...
info_outline Sailing through Southeast Asia with Olivia Owens WyattOffshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
Olivia Owens Wyatt is a solo sailor, a filmaker, and a USCG 50-Ton Master certified captain. She is on her way around the world, currently in SE Asia, on a Panda 34. She is also entered in the 2026 Golden Globe Race We talk about Papua New Guinea, piracy, self-defense, Wayag, dealing with squalls, going without sleep, sailing through Indonesia, the perils of listening to bad advice, taking a tow from a coal-barge tug that led to near-disaster, preparing for the GGR, dealing with fear, wildlife encounters, sea snakes, happy people and where to find them, anchors, and more. Shownotes are here ...
info_outline Andrew Cassels, Around the Americas through the NW Passage and PatagoniaOffshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
Andrew recently completed a three-year journey around the Americas including the Faroe Islands, Greenland, through the Northwest Passage, Alaska, Costa Rica, Patagonia, Brazil, and Svalbard, in a JFA 45, an aluminum expedition yacht. We talk about highlights of the trip, as well as difficulties, favorite places, sailing in heavy weather, anchoring in Patagonia and tying ashore, the importance of having a properly prepared sailboat in the high latitudes, foul-weather gear, his boat, electronics, navigation, elephant seals and other wildlife, navigating through ice, a grizzly-bear threat, pros...
info_outline Before and After Hurricane Milton, Anchored in St Augustine with Aaron Erwine and Doug JacksonOffshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
Aaron and Doug were anchored in the Intracoastal Waterway just north of St Augustine, Florida, during hurricane Milton (and Helene). I interviewed them before and then after Hurricane Milton. We talk about anchoring; setting a tandem anchor; using multiple anchors; selecting a spot to sit out a hurricane; we get interuppted by a food delivery to my boat in San Blas, Panama; using two anchors in a tidal current; preparing the boat for the storm; alligators and sharks in the anchorage in Florida; crocodiles in the anchorage in Panama; after the hurricane; insurance; a boat that went...
info_outlineKeith and Becca bought a Pearson 424 that needed a refit, and when the time came to repower, they found an inexpensive electric motor and made a quick decision to build an electri-motor system. They eventually sailed off from Texas to the Caribbean, worked their way upwind to the Windward Islands, then to the Azores, where they were when I talked to them. They've been sailing and living aboard for six years, and have a wealth of knowledge and experience with their electric-motor system.
We get into all the details about their system, but we also talk about the Azores, free and silent motor assist sailing, having unlimited power, refitting their Pearson 424, sailing upwind through the Caribbean, losing the prop shaft coupler, cavitation caused by seaweed on the prop strut, micro-route-planning offshore with Starlink, unexpected issues, their 48-volt system, life at anchor with 2500 watts of solar and a large lithium battery bank, comparing the electric motor to a diesel motor, comparing costs of repowering with a diesel motor vs electric, how to make the decision to go electric or diesel, batteries, and more.
Shownotes are at https://www.paultrammell.com/podcast-season-6
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