Marga Pretorius stumbled into sailing while a freshman at UC Berkeley and quickly realized if she wanted to head off towards the horizon on her own boat one day she’d need to learn how to fix all things nautical. Work on her own vessels and a career at the Berkeley Marine Center had her tackling all kinds of boat projects. Today she lives and cruises aboard her Kelly Peterson 44 - with an impressive collection of tools that she clearly knows how to use - as illustrated in her May 2021 Cruising World article. She’s recently started a marine surveying and consulting business called Dogfish Boatworks so you too can benefit from her expertise.

Marga Pretorius // Finding the Right Tools for Cruising and Living Life - Ep. 77

A podcast about sailing and adventure on and around San Francisco Bay

Sports & Recreation

Professional

Amateur

Outdoor

College & High School

Jon Bilger is the director and founder of PredictWind. Jon founded the company after working on forecasting for the Alinghi Americas Cup team. The technology has revolutionized accessibility of weather forecasting and routing for both racers and cruisers. I talk to Jon about his own sailing background, how he developed Predict Wind, some new exciting tools - like 100 meter accuracy tidal current modeling for San Francisco Bay - and more.

Jon Bilger // Predict Wind Founder  - Ep. 133

John Taussig is the founder and executive director of Backcountry Medical Guides and the subsidiary Maritime Medical Guides. He’s a career paramedic who’s worked on helicopters, in ambulances, on ski patrol, as a ranger, and as a captain on boats. He’s a surfer, climber, kayaker, mountain biker, snow boarder, sailer, and and all around adventurer based in Bellingham Washington. John and I talked about responding to bear attacks in Yellowstone, commuting to work from Santa Cruz to Monterey via sailboat, flying on choppers through the Sierra as part of a air medic team, his trip paddling and sailing a kayak from Washington up the inside passage to AK, and more.

John Taussig //  Medical Training for Mariners - Ep. 133

Michael Rohde is rebuilding - bow to stern, keel to masthead - a late 70s Cape George 36 named Akela. He welcomed me aboard the boat last August when it was on the hard at Napa Valley Marina. He’s jumped into this major project with both feet and is making good progress. Inspired by other YouTubers, he’s documenting the entire refit on his channel RohdeSoda.

Michael Rohde // Rebuilding a Cape George 36  - Ep. 132

Andre Lay is licensed Captain from the Bay Area who is in the process of circumnavigating North America in a compact trawler. He’s currently in Barra de Navidad on the Mexican mainland and is soon headed for El Salvador. He is doing this trip simply to prove too himself he can, to meet people, and to see what’s out there. He’d also like to raise awareness for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but as Andre says” I’m not trying to change the world by going around it. I’m just out there to experience it.”

Andre Lay // Around the Americas by Trawler  - Ep. 131

Scott Racette and Ashley Gremel met sailing in San Francisco Bay in 2016. Five years later they sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge together aboard their Pearson 365, Azimuth, to begin a trip from the San Francisco Bay to the Chesapeake Bay. Along the way they adopted a cat, transited the Panama Canal, fixed leaking through-hulls, and learned a whole lot. I talk to them about the adventure.

Marga Pretorius // Finding the Right Tools for Cruising and Living Life - Ep. 77

Download our free app to listen on your phone