Dennis Webster built his 37-foot plywood catamaran ‘Catalyst’ for just $27,000 and then set off with his family to sail from New Zealand to the Pacific Islands, Guam, Japan and Alaska before sailing down the west coast of Canada and the USA and westward across the Pacific on a 3 year journey packed full of adventures and crazy stories. From frozen fuel, to working on fishing trawlers out of Dutch Harbour, to being hit by 60 knots at anchor, being arrested, a whale collision that almost caused a capsize, this family of five had the adventure of a lifetime on a tiny budget. Visit Ocean Sailing Podcast for offshore sailing opportunities and podcast extras and follow us on Facebook.

New Zealand to Alaska and back in a 37-foot plywood catamaran

Capturing and sharing ocean sailing stories and adventures. The Ocean Sailing Podcast site is designed for people who love to cruise, race or explore the worlds oceans. Its also for those yet to experience the joy of sailing and those no longer able to cast off their dock lines and head for the open sea. Join now and subscribe free to our podcast episodes

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Sharon was a teenager heading for trouble when she discovered sailing. Starting in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, Sharon watched Maiden race around the world with an incredible international team of women. They inspired her with the determination and belief that if they could do it, then maybe with a lot of hard work and determination, so could she. Every opportunity to sail was taken. Sharon discovered her passion, the need for camaraderie, the endless adventure seeking and new challenges to overcome.  She wanted to race around the world, but the opportunity to compete in the Europe Class at the Olympic Games came first as the age of 22. At the 1996 Atlanta games, she finished 5th and competed again in Athens in 2004, placing 7th in the Yngling yacht. She has raced around the world 3 times, logging more than 107,000 offshore miles. The first was as part of Tracy Edwards’ first all-female crew, to attempt the Jules Verne non-stop round the world record. She then joined the crew of Amer Sports Too, in the Volvo Ocean Race in 2001/02. Sharon has won sailing titles in multiple classes and holds 5 world speed records. A country girl at heart, she has been an inspiration to many, a great leader and passionate coach. Join Sharon's race crew in 2024 & 2025: https://oceansailingexpeditions.com/racewithsharon 

Sharon Ferris-Choat: From troubled student to Olympian, Volvo Ocean Race, Jules Vern and Extreme Cats

David Hows catches up with Jon Bilger to talk about a long list of innovations and new features at PredictWind. As an Olympic and America’s Cup sailor, Jon is one of the sailing world’s, cool geeks. Very few people have competed at the level Jon has, and possess the ability to turn their knowledge into tech tools that any sailor can use. PredictWind is the global leader in weather forecasting for sailors and its used by both top racers and everyday cruisers alike. As a user of PredictWind for almost a decade, I have found it perfect for my departure planning and weather routing at sea. Having crossed the Tasman 18-times and sailed to increasingly higher latitudes, having good forecasts helps me stay out of trouble. The advent of faster download speeds with Iridium Go Exec and Starlink, along with the new PredictWind Data Hub has made PredictWind even more valuable to use. I don’t normally plug products, but this technology is must have for safety, so here are some extra resources to help you research it further; Features Weather Routing - https://www.predictwind.com/features/weather-routing Departure Planning - https://www.predictwind.com/features/departure-planning AIS Data - https://www.predictwind.com/features/ais-data GPS tracking - https://www.predictwind.com/gps-tracking   Products Iridium GO - https://www.predictwind.com/iridium-go Iridium GO exec - https://www.predictwind.com/iridium-go-exec Starlink - https://www.predictwind.com/starlink DataHub - https://www.predictwind.com/datahub

Jon Bilger - Predicting the Wind

In this episode David Hows and Matt Harvey share their advice and highlights from cruising the stunning Yasawa Islands in Fiji over the past 2 winters. They share tips on getting there, provisioning, repairs and maintenance in remote locations, navigation and weather. From sailing to swimming, snorkelling, underwater caves, untouched, white sand beaches, delicious local cuisine, incredible sea life and the beautiful Fijian people and their rich culture - this destination is a “must do” for cruising sailors and those planning a sailing holiday to a unique destination.   Find out more: about sailing in Fiji  

Exploring the Yasawa Islands in Fiji by yacht

David Hows is back with another ambitious tale and chapter of his exciting plans to expand Ocean Sailing Expeditions with the purchase of another 72-foot luxury expedition super yacht. The 3rd yacht to join Ocean Sailing Expeditions in less than 3 years, this is a great example of what's possible if you create a big vision and boldly go forward and execute on it (even when COVID gets in the way).   This is your chance to get involved, get onboard and sail to places you could normally only dream of, at a fraction of the normal cost. David is releasing his unique and innovative shareholder membership program for the 2nd time in 3 years, for just 35 new members in total. This makes it easier for everyday sailor’s to join his team on a range of new passages, races and expeditions at 20-100% below the normal crew cost. Find out more: https://oceansailingexpeditions.com/membership

Honey I'm buying (another) 72ft Super Yacht at 90% below replacement value

Ginny met Steve at a wooden boat festival in the 1990's when he was selling his book, Three Years in a 12-Foot Boat. She thought something like, “The crazy things people do!” Fast forward to 2022 and retired City Planner, Stephen Ladd (who married Ginny) shares an amazing story of the 5-years they spent exploring the coasts and inland rivers of South America in a 21-foot yacht and gave birth to a baby during their travels. They sailed from Florida to South America following coasts and islands, then they got into the big river systems down there. Using those rivers they went up and over a big hump called the Guyana Massif, which is the highland between the Orinoco and Amazon watersheds. Then they went up and over another big hump: the high ground south of the Amazon and north of Argentina. Then they crossed that second hump again, coming back northwards into the Amazon, but following different rivers this time. Steve's approach to minimalist sailing, and the challenges of getting off the grid, should inspire anyone with big adventuring dreams and a small budget. Find out more about podcast content and sailing opportunities: https://www.oceansailingpodcast.com

New Zealand to Alaska and back in a 37-foot plywood catamaran

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