#249. Herb McCormick has made a career of writing about sailing, but it wasn't entirely on purpose. A fifth-generation Newport, Rhode Island native, Herb didn't even know that sailing was a thing at all until a chance meeting in his 20's. After vagabonding around for a while, he wound up with a low-level job at Cruising World during the heyday of sailing magazines, and slowly started working his way up, of course eventually becoming Editor. Herb has seen it all in sailing, from the racing and cruising scene to an epic 13-month Around the America's expedition on the 64-foot steel cutter OCEAN WATCH. I talked to Herb about what inspired him to follow his passion on the water.

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On the Wind is presented by Rutgerson Marine.

And also supported by Offshore Passage Opportunities.

#248. Bryan Rolfe is a grass-roots 30-something cruiser with big dreams and a small budget. He's been documenting his adventures aboard his 27-foot Albin Vega TARKA on YouTube, and is currently in the Caribbean. Mia & I have followed Bryan from afar since he started his trip, and my conversation with him ended up being a very inspirational look at how someone takes a dream and turns it into reality. Longtime fans of the show will know how excited I get talking to other young folks out there cruising, but this episode is truly for anyone who dreams of heading off in their own boat, no matter your age or finiancial situation. Bryan truly started from scratch, and tells the whole inspiring story of how he made his dreams reality.

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On the Wind is presented by Rutgerson Marine.

And also supported by Offshore Passage Opportunities.

#247. Mia Karlsson is honored to be the FIRST guest on the new Mermaid Tales podcast, featuring tales of women who are connected in some way to the ocean, hosted by Breezy Mulligan. Here's a rare opportunity to hear Mia on the podcast, talking about her sailing history! Subscribe to Mermaid Tales wherever you get your podcasts!

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On the Wind is presented by Rutgerson Marine. Visit rutgerson.se to see their full range of sailing hardware. And also supported by Offshore Passage Opportunities. Go to sailopo.com.

#130 RECYCLED. John Kretschmer has long been a hero of mine, and has become a friend and mentor over the past 10+ years. John runs offshore adventure sailing passages on his Kaufman 47 QUETZAL (the inspiration for our own business), is a former delivery skipper and a renowned author of several books, including his latest 'Sailing to the Edge of Time,' which will release in November. Andy spoke to John back in 2016.

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Recycled episodes of On the Wind are presented by us at 59 North, Ltd. Sail offshore with Andy & Mia on their Swan 48 & Swan 59. Visit 59-north.com/offshore to sign on.

#246. Lee & Rachel Cumberland are two of Mia and my best friends, and this episode has been a long time coming. Together, Lee & Rachel, in their late-twenties, bought and refit a Tayana 37, quit their jobs and sailed off to Panama. We recorded the podcast at their house, which Lee built with his own two hands, over a glass of wine late in the evening. The conversation traces their story from dream to reality, including all the scary bits, and for the first time ever publicly, I finally got them to share their story of a terrible storm in the Bahamas that led them to deliberately beach their beloved boat Satori. Any of you young folks out there who need inspiration to follow your sailing dreams, this one is for you.

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On the Wind is presented by Rutgerson Marine. And also supported by Offshore Passage Opportunities.

#245. Matt Rutherford's been a longtime friend of the podcast and has been on the show more than any other guest. For this episode, Matt & I talked about Arctic sailing - I got to tease him for sailing farther north than he ever has! - we talked about the Golden Globe race, death, fear, anxiety, kids, his latest trip to the Northwest Passage, climate change, Shackleton, and more. It was a wide-ranging and meandering conversation, and Matt, like usual, always has something compelling to say, so listen up. Follow Matt and his Ocean Research Project on oceanresearchproject.org, and don't miss Matt's own podcast called "Single-Handed."

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On the Wind is presented by Rutgerson Marin. And also supported by Adlard Coles, and BRNKL.

#244. Pete Goss became a hero in the 1996 Vendee Globe for rescuing fellow competitor Raphael Dinelli in a survival storm in the Southern Ocean. Pete tells this story and many others from onboard his new Garcia Exploration 45 at the Annapolis Sailboat Show. This one's an all-timer, so pay attention!

On the Wind is presented by Rutgerson Marine. And also supported by BRNKL Systems and Adlard Coles.

#174 RECYCLED: Nigel Calder is universally recognized as the guru of yacht systems. His hardcover tomes grace the bookshelves of yachts the world over. On Isbjorn, his are some of my most referenced books. But while many of you will know Nigel for his writing, I'd bet that few know his background. I didn't. He came aboard Isbjorn during the Annapolis Sailboat Show last October and told me his backstory, which included living in a commune in the UK, years working on oil rigs in the Gulf, building pipe bombs in his parents back yard and much, much more.

#243. James Aiken is a filmmaker and single-handed sailor that Mia & I met in Ireland after our passage south from Iceland. At the dock in Bangor, James saw our 59 North flag and as a fan of the show, came over to say hi. Coincidentally, five minutes earlier I'd been admiring this beautiful dark-blue boat at the other end of the dock, which turned our to be James' OAKEN YARN, a classic Tradewinds 33. Thus began a week-long interaction with James that included chasing him down under spinnaker in the Irish Sea and sailing less than a boat-length apart outside Dublin as we filmed each other. Check out James' incredible work on jamesaiken.co. On the Wind is presented by Rutgerson Marine. And also supported by Adlard Coles, and BRNKL Systems.

#242: Fredrik Molin is another 30-something out sailing the world on his own terms. We've met several like-minded young people this summer in the Arctic, and it's super inspiring to me to know they're out there - we just gotta look in the colder places apparently. After building a successful career as a sommolier and chef, opening and later selling his own restaurant in Bergen, Fredrik needed a new challenge. With some adventurous (and at times crazy) friends, he taught himself how to sail and then went all-in, buying a 53-foot steel ketch and set out for Svalbard. We met him in Iceland, where Fredrik was on his way home with a young volunteer crew seeking adventure. On the Wind is presented by Rutgerson Marin. And also supported by Adlard Coles, and BRNKL Systems.