On the Wind Sailing

#221. It's been a LONG time since I talked much about the business on here, and, now three years in (almost) and at the dawn of a new year, I feel like this is as good a time as any. I'm writing and recording this in real-time, by the way - as I write this, it's just before 1000 SWE time on Tuesday January 2, the day this will release.

Mia & I spent a lot of yesterday afternoon, January 1, reflecting on 2017 and planning ahead for 2018, across the business. The big question that we kept reminding ourselves of was the overall mission statement of 59 North. What, exactly, do we do, what do we WANT to do, and HOW do we accomplish that without getting sidetracked.

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On the Wind is Presented By Forbes Horton Yachts, longtime supporter of both 59 North in general and the podcast specifically. I've known Forbes for many years, and he indeed helped us buy Isbjorn back in 2015. Remember, Forbes can help you buy ANY boat on the market, not just ones he's listing. To contact Forbes and start looking for your dream boat, visit forbesyachts.com - that's F-O-R-B-E-S. forbesyachts.com.

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On the Wind is also supported by Broadreach and Offshore Passage Opportunities.

SV Delos & 59 North announce their joint expedition to sail around Spitsbergen onboard Andy & Mia's Swan 48 'Isbjorn.'

John Martino is the former owner of 'Isbjorn', then 'Patriot', and he's also the founder of the Annapolis School of Seamanship. I spoke to John in Eastport at the school's headquarters about his history as a sailor, how he founded the school, and of course how he came to own 'Patriot' and what he thought of her as a boat!

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On the Wind is presented by Weems & Plath, makers of fine nautical & weather instruments since 1928. The CrewWatcher MOB beacon is now available online at westmarine.com. Visit weems-plath.com for all their tools and gifts.

Jessie Zevalkink is half of the 'Katie & Jessie On a Boat' duo that sailed the Great Loop in their early 20's, and had a popular blog that documented the journey. Mia & I met Jessie and her partner Luke (Katie was absent) at the Annapolis Sailboat Show in October and talked about that Great Loop trip, Jessie & Luke's recent trans-Atlantic passage, and their plans to sail around the world.

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On the Wind is presented by Weems & Plath. The new CrewWatcher MOB beacon is now available online at westmarine.com. For all of Weems & Plath's catalog, visit weems-plath.com.

Taylor Grieger & his friend Stephen O'Shea make up 'Skeleton Crew Sailing.' They're on a mission to raise awareness for veteran's suicide by 'taming Cape Horn' in their 36' sloop. Taylor is a former Navy Rescue Swimmer who did tours in the Pacific. Andy spoke to him while the crew were stopped in Panama for repairs before continuing on towards Cape Horn.

#217. Tamara Puhovski stowed away on the ARC Europe rally in 2017 onboard the Turkish-flagged 'Morton' to get across the Atlantic. She'd never sailed before, and nobody onboard the boat shared a common language.

#216. Brion Toss, the Master himself, joins Andy Schell at Cruiser's University 2017 in Annapolis for a seminar on offshore yacht rigging.

#215. Gary Adams is the new owner of Oban Marina, in Scotland, which we visited on Isbjorn in June. He's also a former Clipper Race crewmember, who sailed with our friend - and podcast #184 guest - Ollie Cotterell. Gary & Andy sat down on the island of Kerrera to talk about Gary's sailing & business background, his Clipper Race experience and what it's like owning a marina.

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On the Wind is presented by Weems & Plath, makers of fine nautical & weather instruments. weems-plath.com.

#214. Brittany Meyers is the author of Windtraveler, the hugely popular blog about her experience transitioning from 'land to sea to the tropics with three.' She's an accomplished sailor, a mom, an adventurer, and now, after sadly losing her beloved boat 'Legato' to Hurricane Irma, a philanthropist. She tells her story to Andy this week on the podcast.

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On the Wind is presented by Weems & Plath, makers of fine nautical & weather instruments since 1928. Check out the brand new Crewwatcher MOB device online at weems-plath.com.

Sail offshore on a Swan 48 with Andy & Mia at 59-north.com/offshore.

#213. Andy Jamieson joined the crew of Infinity, a 120-foot hand-built schooner, on a voyage towards Antarctica. The adventures that ensued were filmed and recently released as 'Sea Gypsies: The Far Side of the World,' easily one of the best sailing movies we've seen. Go to seagypsiesmovie.com to watch for yourself.

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On the Wind is presented by Weems & Plath, makers of fine nautical & weather instruments since 1928. Go to weems-plath.com.

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Join Andy & Mia on the ocean sailing adventure of a lifetime and sail offshore on their Swan 48 'Isbjorn.' Head to 59-north.com/offshore to see routes & dates for 2018, 2019 & beyond.