Sailing from the POV of a Former Commercial Fisherman, Joe Drago
Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
Release Date: 01/19/2026
Guy deBoer, GGR Tactics
Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
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...
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Mara Lovenskiold Kveseth, GGR 2026 Entrant
Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
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. Photos and links are on the ...
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Dudley Dix, Designing Sailboats Since the 1970's
Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
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,...
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Africa! Tim Good and Emmie van Biervliet, Sailing in Senegal and The Gambia
Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
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...
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Amy and MJ of Motherload Sailing, moving onto a Catamaran
Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
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,...
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Cruising with Gretchen and Tim of GnT Sailing
Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
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,...
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Closing the Loop on a Circumnavigation, Brian Hathaway
Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
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 "." 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...
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Sailing the Sea of Cortez, Hawaii, and Alaska, Mike Kalil and Stephanie Propp
Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
Mike and Stephanie were in the Sea of Cortez when I interviewed them, aboard their Saga 43, Stella Blue. They bought her in British Columbia and sailed her south to California and Mexico, then to Hawaii, Alaska, down the west coast, and returned to the Sea of Cortez. We talk about Mexico and the Sea of Cortez, wildlife, their boat, the solent rig, electronics, radar, anchor lights, how they selected the Saga 43, sailing from Mexico to Hawaii, flipping a dinghy duing a beach landing, the kindness of the Mexican people, anchoring in Hawaii, sailing from Hawaii to Alaska, cruising in Alaska,...
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Sailing in Heavy Weather with Ryan Rayfield, Sailing Libra
Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
Ryan Rayfield recently sailed with novice crew from Block Island to Bermuda in November and faced some heavy weather, which he dealt with effectively in his 60' ketch, Libra. Ryan learned to sail on Lake Martin in Alabama, and now runs Sail Libra, an offshore charter operation in the North Atlantic Ocean. He is a USCG-licensed captain, father, and lifelong mariner. We talk about learning to sail on a makeshift Sunfish in Alabama, the advantages of sailing a ketch, light-air sails, his boat - a 1969 60' Bill Tripp center-cockpit ketch built by Abeking & Rasmussen, centerboards,...
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Sailing from the POV of a Former Commercial Fisherman, Joe Drago
Offshore Sailing and Cruising with Paul Trammell
Joe Drago used to be a commercial fisherman in New England and now sails a Cape Dory 45 ketch based in New York and runs Sailing Resolution, a sailing adventure charter business. We talk about how he got involved in commercial fishing, lessons about seamanship learned from commercial fishing, fishing in foul weather, being washed overboard while longlining in the Gulf Stream, his rescue, safety gear, responding to a mayday, things commercial fishermen wish sailors did differently, towing signals, radar and AIS, sleeping while singlehanding, communication with commercial vessels, the Gulf...
info_outlineJoe Drago used to be a commercial fisherman in New England and now sails a Cape Dory 45 ketch based in New York and runs Sailing Resolution, a sailing adventure charter business.
We talk about how he got involved in commercial fishing, lessons about seamanship learned from commercial fishing, fishing in foul weather, being washed overboard while longlining in the Gulf Stream, his rescue, safety gear, responding to a mayday, things commercial fishermen wish sailors did differently, towing signals, radar and AIS, sleeping while singlehanding, communication with commercial vessels, the Gulf Stream and wind against current, his boat Resolution - a Cape Dory 45 ketch, Airex foam coring, sailing a ketch, redundant and simplified systems on his boat, personal MOB AIS beacons, bronze deck fitting, chain plates, dragging anchor, sailing and climbing in Newfoundland, tips for staying warm and dry in cold wet weather, St Pierre (French island near Newfoundland), favorite anchorage in Maine, and more.
Photos and links are on the podcast shownotes page
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