Heather Thomas skippered SV Maiden to victory in the 2023 Ocean Globe Race (OGR), and the crew became the first first all-female crew to win an around the world race. Heather was also the youngest skipper in the race, at 27 years old. 

We talk about how she learned to sail and gain enough experience to be chosen to skipper Maiden in the OGR, preparing for the race, using a staysail and storm jib, broad-reach sailplans, the history of the boat, why women are beginning to win sailing races (competing against men), Heather's role and daily routine as the skipper, celestial navigating, foul weather, dealing with calms, the crew's favorite conditions, winning, The Maiden Factor, foul-weather gear, dealing with the cold, advice for young sailors who want to get involved in offshore racing, books, and more.

Show notes, links, and photos, can be found here https://www.paultrammell.com/podcast-season-6

Owen Murphy recently crossed the Panama Canal, then sailed to the Galapagos islands, and on to the Marquesas, solo, on his Pacific Seacraft 34.

We talk about learning French, Polynesian tattoos, provisioning, cyclones, sailing from Panama to The Marquesas, siglehanding, Owen's Pacific Seacraft 34, spinnaker mishaps and lessons, going up the mast, gooseneck barnacles, climbing the mast at night, the three types of fun, wearing a helmet, boats that sank, securing the anchor at the bow when offshore, whales, transiting the Panama Canal, Owen's dream-boat pick, talking to yourself, and more!

Lutz Kohne is entered in the 2026 Golden Globe Race, and was part of the race organization in the 2022 GGR, taking satellite calls from the sailors and dealing with emergencies. 

We talk about learning to sail, making mistakes, going offshore for the first time, losing the engine while docking, working with Don McIntyre in the 2022 Golden Globe Race and taking staellite calls from the competitors, safety, crossing the Atlantic solo, dealing with fear, Tapio Lehtinen's rescue, re-routing the container ship and issues related to this, searching for a boat, sailing a Rustler 36, books, rigging a staysail downhaul, hank-on sails vs furled sails, and questions Lutz asks me.

Shownotes are at https://www.paultrammell.com/podcast-season-6

We talk about catamaran sailing, Cambodia, Angkor Wat, cruising SE Asia, their route across the Indian Ocean, lightning strikes, home schooling / no schooling, shallow-water blackouts, freediving safety, sharks, favorite things from each conutry visited, the importance of overcoming fear, and more.

show notes are at https://www.paultrammell.com/podcast-season-6

John spends his summers sailing in Puget Sound, and the winters in La Paz, Mexico. He is the owner, founder, and sailing director of Cruise-n-Learn Sailing International.

We talk about learning to sail, La Paz, Mexico, live-aboard sail training, asymmetrical spinnakers, reefing, anchors, electronics, Starlink, heaters, the school-boat fleet in La Paz, catamarans, safety protocols, PFD's, jacklines, tethers, harnesses, falling off the boat while at anchor, favorite places, the Pacific Northwest, bucket-list destinations, the art of sail trim, and more.

Shoe notes are at https://www.paultrammell.com/podcast-season-6

After making a life for myself cruising, sailing offshore, and living aboard full time, I share tips and lessons I've learned along the way. I talk about ways to prepare for this lifestyle and how to enjoy it once out on the water, living in a sailboat. I also talk about sailing education, safety, getting used to the water, the importance of water sports, yoga and meditation, books, culture, freediving, maintenance, having a mission, being flexible, sobriety, and much more. Show notes are at https://www.paultrammell.com/podcast-season-6

Brian is a solo sailor on a Hughes 38, currently in Georgetown, The Bahamas. He supports his cruising by playing the guitar and singing, sometimes putting on dinghy concerts from his boat in the anchorage. 

We talk about anchoring and the new mooring balls in Georgetown, sailing from Lake Huron to The Bahamas, sailing with a tiny fuel tank, losing a dinghy, the Dominican Republic, his boat, reefing, autopilots, Cape Horn windvane, spinnakers, anchors, sailing on and off anchor, dinghy concerts, bucket-list destinations, Costa Rica, learning to sail, the love of sailing, solo passages, sleeping on a boat, dragging anchor, lithium batteries, solar panels, Starlink, and more!

Michael Brooks of Expedition Sailing has been taking clients on skiing and climbing expeditions from South America to Antarctica.

We talk about sailing to Antarctica, picking the right weather window, steel boats, their maintenance, pros and cons; Michael's dream boat, running expeditions in Antarctica, Antarctica politics, anchoring/mooring in Antarctica, Ice and icebergs, dressing for the cold, features that make a boat comfortable in high latitudes, wildlife in Antarctica, a survival situation at sea, using a windvane autopilot and an electronic autopilot to steer when running downwind in storm conditions, heaving-to, overwintering in the Arctic, polar bears, and more!

Helen recently completed a four-year journey from the UK to New Zealand and visited 35 countries along the way. We talk about her boat, the journey, some of her favorite countries, The Gambia, sailing under the bridge on The Gambia River with only inches to spare, hippos, the people and culture, anchoring, her electrical and solar systems, and much more. Find the show notes and photos here

Tapio Lehtinen was in the port of Punta del Este, Uruguay, during the last stop of the Ocean Globe Race, a re-creation of the Whitbread Round the World Race, when we spoke. He was sailing on Galiana With Secure, a 1970 S&S 55 yawl with a young crew of Finnish sailors.

We talk about the boat, sailing from the last stop in New Zeland to Uruguay, going around Cape Horn, birds of the Southern Ocean, other wildlife, safety, a typical day for Tapio during the race, the crew, comparing Galiana to modern boats, and much more. 

Find the podcast show notes at https://www.paultrammell.com/podcast-season-6