I’ve got another spectacular interview for you today featuring my guest, Susan Marie Conrad, a solo paddler/kayaker, adventurer, speaker, and author. Susan shares how she fell in love with the sport of sea kayaking despite growing up with parents who forbade her to be anywhere near a body of water. We also cover key kayaking basics, for example, the different kinds of kayaks and what each is designed for as well as best practices to dive into the world of paddling/kayaking. Our conversation then shifts to Susan’s memoir, INSIDE: One Woman’s Journey Through the Inside Passage, which chronicles her 2010 66 day, 1200 mile solo paddle in her 18 ft sea kayak up the coastal waters of Washington state, British Columbia, Canada, and the Alaskan panhandle — a water route collectively known as the Inside Passage. Twelve years after her 2010 adventure, at the tender age of 62, Susan repeated the voyage! Stay tuned to learn more about Susan’s adventures out on the water and how they’ve shaped her life! Now, onto the show!

Special notes from Susan: I'd love to offer listeners a 30% discount on Wildly Inside: A Visual Journey Through the Inside Passage. Please select the "buy from Author" option (vs Amazon or a bookstore) and use the coupon code PODCAST30 on my website.

Raft up with Chelle at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com

LINKS:

Susan Marie Conrad | https://www.susanmarieconrad.com

Susan Marie Conrad on Facebook | Susan Marie Conrad on Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/susanmarieconrad/

Susan's Inside Passage Expedition Gear List | https://www.susanmarieconrad.com/_files/ugd/d25451_6e4b90a346054e4596d6d33fb2d4f2a7.pdf

Books about the Inside Passage, by Susan | https://www.susanmarieconrad.com/books

Alone in the Passage: An Explorer's Guide to Sea Kayaking the Inside Passage by Denis Dwyer | https://www.amazon.com/Alone-Passage-Explorers-Kayaking-Inside/dp/1482586452

Paddling North by Audrey Sutherland | https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/670707/paddling-north-by-audrey-sutherland/

West coast kayak coaching | https://www.bodyboatblade.com/

British Columbia kayak coaching | https://skils.ca/

Wisconsin kayak "everything" | https://www.rutabagashop.com/

American Canoe Association (a wealth of info on ALL paddlesports) | https://americancanoe.org/

MUSIC CREDITS:

*** Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo

*** Music used for welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal.

*** Music used for outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe.

Imagine setting out to learn to sail and then less than two years later, you’re gearing up to sail solo in the Florida 120 aboard a 14’ open boat! That’s exactly what Darren, aka Skipper D of Skipper D Adventures, has set out to do! In this episode, we travel back in time to September 2024 when Skipper D embarks upon a course of study with the American Sailing Association and he shares how he discovered an amazing and supportive sailing community. With 261 hours of sail time, a total of 835 nm sailed (with 436 of those being coastal and ocean nm), with five American Sailing Association certifications as well as an ASA docking endorsement, Skipper D has built up a substantial sailing resume in less than two years time after setting out to learn to sail. Skipper D has enjoyed sailing on both larger and smaller vessels and when it came time to find his match for sharing adventures out on the water, he surprised himself by deciding to purchase a 14’ Com-Pac Picnic Cat boat. The Com-Pac Picnic Cat boat is gaff-rigged and though perhaps small, the boat is built with big adventures in mind! Skipper D has been documenting his journey with his incredible YouTube channel called Skipper D Adventures — be sure to check it out as well as his website, www. skipperd.com.

PLEASE BE KIND - I'm no expert - I'm just a regular gal learning as I go! Also, I don't have a huge budget dedicated to equipment and/or other resources for recording audio -- but, I put lots of love and time into creating these podcasts in the hopes that sharing what I learn might help you!

Did you know that I blog regularly/create videos about adventures out on the water and other life-happenings? Come raft up with me at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/@passagesfromtheheart

LINKS:

Skipper D Adventures Website | https://www.skipperd.com

Skipper D Adventures on YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@SkipperDAdventures

Restro Thunder Road | https://www.youtube.com/@restrothunderroad

Ziggy Lavengood | https://www.youtube.com/@ZiggyLavengood

Roger Barnes | https://www.youtube.com/@RogerRoving

American Sailing Association | https://americansailing.com/

Com-Pac Picnic Cat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/picnic-cat-com-pac/

CPYOA Forum | https://cpyoa.com/forum/

Picnic Cat PDF Capsize thread (read reply #1) | https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?topic=12942.0

MUSIC CREDITS:

Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo

Music used for welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal.

Music used for outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe.

For decades, Com-Pac Yachts provided sailors with a phenomenal line-up of sailing yachts — many of which were designed for trailer sailing. In this episode, I’m joined by veteran sailor and author Skipper Al Santini; Al has been sailing since 1973! Al has owned nine sailboats over his lifetime, but he particularly fell in love with Com-Pac sailboats and shares his thoughts — as well as some adventure sailing stories — about having owned both a Com-Pac Eclipse sloop and a Com-Pac Horizon Cat gaff-rigged sailboat. Skipper Al is also an accomplished author having published several technical books, and he’s also written a sailing fiction book series focusing on the adventures of his character, Captain Pete. This episode is packed with plenty of helpful Com-Pac golden nuggets, but it will also appeal to all sailors alike with Al sharing his wealth of knowledge and experience learned from years of adventuring out on the water!

PLEASE BE KIND -- I'm no expert -- I'm just a regular gal learning as I go! Also, I don't have a huge budget dedicated to equipment and/or other resources for recording audio -- but, I put lots of love and time into creating these podcasts in the hopes that sharing what I learn might help you!

Did you know that I blog regularly/create videos about adventures out on the water and other life-happenings? Come raft up with me at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/@passagesfromtheheart

* PICTURES COURTESY OF SKIPPER AL SANTINI. *

LINKS:

Al Santini Keynote on YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_e2qRvjs00

Al Santini books | https://www.amazon.com/stores/Al-Santini/author/B001K8Z8JE?

Com-Pac Yacht Owners Association (CPYOA) | https://cpyoa.com/forum/

Com-Pac Eclipse | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/com-pac-eclipse/

Com-Pac Horizon | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/horizon-cat-20-com-pac/

Com-Pac Horizon Day Cat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/horizon-day-cat-20-com-pac/

Herreshoff America | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/herreshoff-america/

Robert Hall YouTube channel for Com-Pac Horizon Day Cat | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AzWtGlsyv4

MUSIC CREDITS:

* Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo

* Music used for welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal.

* Music used for outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe.

Get ready for a phenomenal ride in today’s episode — an in-depth follow-up interview with Skipper Josh Kali of the 2025 Mini Globe Race (MGR) — “the race for people with average means but above average ambitions,” as Skipper Josh likes to say! We sit down to hang-out while he’s waiting to start the next leg of the MGR out of Cape Town, South Africa, on Sunday, Dec. 28th, 2025. When I last chatted with Josh, he had recently completed the first leg of the MGR —from Antigua to Panama — and that was back in March of 2025. Since then, Josh and the rest of the MGR fleet have sailed all the way from Panama to French Polynesia, Tonga, Fiji, and then up through the Coral Sea and Torres Strait to Thursday Island, across the Indian Ocean to Cocos Keeling, to Rodrigues, to Mauritius, to Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Mossel Bay in South Africa, and then culminating with an epic rounding of both Cape Agulhas and the Cape of Good Hope to land in Cape Town, South Africa — a total, thus far, of 20,000 miles — all accomplished sailing aboard 5.8m homemade plywood sailboats! If you haven’t yet seen/heard it, check out the first interview I did with Skipper Josh back in March of 2025 on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFUu-YR_WZA or the audio version at https://rss.com/podcasts/passages-from-the-heart-podcast/2159142/.

PLEASE BE KIND -- I'm no expert -- I'm just a regular gal learning as I go! Also, I don't have a huge budget dedicated to equipment and/or other resources for recording video and audio -- but, I put lots of love and time into creating these podcasts in the hopes that sharing what I learn might help you!

Did you know that I blog regularly/create videos about adventures out on the water and other life-happenings? Come raft up with me at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/@passagesfromtheheart

LINKS:

Josh Kali Ocean Racing | http://joshkalioceanracing.com

Mini Globe Race | https://minigloberace.com

MUSIC CREDITS:

*** Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo

*** Music used for welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal.

*** Music used for outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe.

I’ve just celebrated the second-year anniversary of hosting my Passages From the Heart Podcast! With twenty-four episodes now under my belt, I couldn’t be more stoked to keep bringing you fresh content to fuel your passion for getting out on the water and chasing after your own dreams! In this special two-year anniversary podcast edition, I reunite with fellow sailor and good friend, Ken Johansen; Ken was the very first guest to be featured on my show. In this episode, Ken and I have a great time looking back in time to “where were then” with “where we are now” in our sailing journeys. But it’s all not just a trip down memory lane — we get into some awesome goodies about the various Com-Pac models we’ve owned and what each boat has taught us along the way. We also talk about aging as a sailor, transitioning to trailer-sailing instead of slipping/berthing our boats at a marina, and then delve into kitting out our boats for overnighting and camping adventures. This episode is packed with a little something — or a lot of things! — for every sailor to take away!

PLEASE BE KIND -- I'm no expert -- I'm just a regular gal learning as I go! Also, I don't have a huge budget dedicated to equipment and/or other resources for recording video and audio -- but, I put lots of love and time into creating these podcasts in the hopes that sharing what I learn might help you!

Did you know that I blog regularly/create videos about adventures out on the water and other life-happenings? Come raft up with me at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/@passagesfromtheheart

LINKS:

Com-Pac 16 sailboat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/com-pac-16/

Com-Pac Legacy sailboat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/com-pac-legacy/

Com-Pac Sun Cat sailboat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/sun-cat-17-2-com-pac/

Com-Pac 23 sailboat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/com-pac-23-mk-iv/

Com-Pac 25 sailboat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/com-pac-25/

For Com-Pac parts - Fathom Metal Works | https://www.fathommetalworks.com/

Com-Pac Yacht Owners Association | https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php

Lynn Sailboats | https://www.lynnsailboats.com/

2024 Com-Pac Legacy Sailboat Mini Tour | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmytAmjp5X8

MUSIC CREDITS:

*** Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo

*** Music used for welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal.

*** Music used for outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe.

There are always twists and turns in life — it’s what keeps everything so interesting, after all! Since I last podcasted, my boat shopping plans continue to evolve as I uncover new details in my research. Sometimes, where that research leads us, and where we find our hearts settling, is not necessarily what we initially envisioned — and sometimes a journey can simply be about coming full-circle and finding out just how sweet the possibilities of that can be.

PLEASE BE KIND -- I'm no expert -- I'm just a regular gal learning as I go! Also, I don't have a huge budget dedicated to equipment and/or other resources for recording video and audio -- but, I put lots of love and time into creating these video podcasts in the hopes that sharing what I learn might help you!

Did you know that I blog regularly/create videos about adventures out on the water and other life-happenings? Come raft up with me at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/@passagesfromtheheart

LINKS:

Com-Pac Legacy | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/com-pac-legacy/

Com-Pac Sun Cat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/sun-cat-17-2-com-pac/

Com-Pac Horizon Cat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/horizon-cat-20-com-pac/

CPYOA 'Some Trepidation' thread: https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?topic=13060.0

CPYOA 'Crack in Mast' thread: https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?topic=13045.0

MUSIC CREDITS:

*** Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo

*** Music used for welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal.

*** Music used for outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe.

As the saying goes — the times they are a changing — I’ve just sold one boat and another one of my boats is soon to be sold. With all of that, I’m now ready to get serious about looking for my next boat and I tell you which models I’m considering! I also share details of how the recent sale my beloved 2002 Com-Pac 25 went, details regarding the upcoming sale my 2008 Com-Pac Legacy, and I cover some tips for both boat buyers and sellers. It certainly goes without saying that it’s been quite the bittersweet experience to let my boats go, yet despite the difficult transition, I’m gently reminded that keeping my eyes on the silver lining is key — that is, after all, what always matters most!

PLEASE BE KIND -- I'm no expert -- I'm just a regular gal learning as I go! Also, I don't have a huge budget dedicated to equipment and/or other resources for recording video and audio -- but, I put lots of love and time into creating these video podcasts in the hopes that sharing what I learn might help you!

Did you know that I blog regularly/create videos about adventures out on the water and other life-happenings? Come raft up with me at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/@passagesfromtheheart

LINKS:

Jerome Rand of Sailing Into Oblivion | https://www.sailingintooblivion.com

Owen Murphy of Meridian Marine Electrical | https://www.meridian-marine-electrical.com

Sailboatlistings dot com | https://www.sailboatlistings.com/

Com-Pac Sun Cat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/sun-cat-17-2-com-pac/

Com-Pac Horizon Cat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/horizon-cat-20-com-pac/

MUSIC CREDITS:

*** Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo

*** Music used for welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal.

*** Music used for outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe.

Ever thought about trading your boat instead of selling it? That's just what I was aiming to do when an opportunity presented itself to me. In this episode, I share how the idea for a trade was born, how a potential deal happened to come my way, and -- ultimately -- why the dell fell apart. Always a learning experience to be found when it comes to boating!

PLEASE BE KIND -- I'm no expert -- I'm just a regular gal learning as I go! Also, I don't have a huge budget dedicated to equipment and/or other resources for recording video and audio -- but, I put lots of love and time into creating these podcasts in the hopes that sharing what I learn might help you!

Did you know that I blog regularly/create videos about adventures out on the water and other life-happenings? Come raft up with me at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpres...! Fair winds! ~ xo

LINKS:

Solitude's For Sale Ad | https://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/110233

Jerome Rand of Sailing Into Oblivion | https://www.sailingintooblivion.com

Paul Trammell of Offshore Sailing & Cruising/Dream Chasers & Eccentrics | https://www.paultrammell.com

Com-Pac Yacht Owners Association | https://cpyoa.com/forum/

Com-Pac parts at Fathom Metal Works | https://www.fathommetalworks.com/

Sailboatlistings dot com | https://www.sailboatlistings.com/

SailingTexas dot com | https://sailingtexas.com

BoatTrader dot com | https://www.boattrader.com

Boats dot com | https://www.boats.com

Yachtworld dot com | https://www.yachtworld.com/

MUSIC CREDITS:

*** Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo

*** Music used for welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal

*** Music used for outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe

In today’s episode, I hang out with Jerome Rand of Sailing Into Oblivion and we talk about trends and shifts in the boat market, especially since Covid 19. We discuss some of the more popular websites for both buying and selling, some of which are geared more towards either brokers or for sale by owner. We also cover some strategies for how to market your boat if you’re selling, plus lots more goodies to bring you up to speed on the state of today’s current boat market.

PLEASE BE KIND -- I'm no expert -- I'm just a regular gal learning as I go! Also, I don't have a huge budget dedicated to equipment and/or other resources for recording video and audio -- but, I put lots of love and time into creating these podcasts in the hopes that sharing what I learn might help you!

Did you know that I blog regularly/create videos about adventures out on the water and other life-happenings? Come raft up with me at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/@passagesfromtheheart

Fair winds!

LINKS:

Jerome Rand of Sailing Into Oblivion | https://www.sailingintooblivion.com

MUSIC CREDITS:

*** Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo ❤️

*** Music used for teaser intro in video is 'Pink Sunrise' by The Great North Sound Society.❤️

*** Music used for welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal.❤️

*** Music used for outdo in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe.❤️

*** My original music, as well as covers, can be found at / @myukulelejourney

What does living a life full of stoke look like to you? And how about for you, specifically? In today’s episode, I catch up with liveaboard solo sailor, author, and podcaster Paul Trammell. We talk about how he’s been living his life, the past six years, full of stoke as a cruising sailor, author, podcaster, surfer, free diver, and spearfisherman. Paul reveals why living his life this way has been such a gamechanger and why chasing after your dreams matters! We also talk about life on anchor in Bocas Del Torro, Panama; cruising to the San Blas Islands in Panama; Paul’s other passions found out on the water including spearfishing, surfing, and freedriving; the importance of having nature in our lives; plus a can’t miss tip for docking solo! We also dive deep into what it takes to stay ageless and stay healthy by continuing to live the lifestyle we are so passionate about — a lifestyle full of stoke!

Come raft up with me at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/@passagesfromtheheart

LINKS:

Paul Trammell’s website | https://www.paultrammell.com

Paul Trammell on Substack | https://paultrammell.substack.com/

Paul Trammell on YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@paulwtrammell

Paul Trammell on Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/trammell.paul/

Paul Trammell on Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/paul.w.trammell/

Paul Trammell on Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/paultrammell and https://www.patreon.com/DreamChasersandEccentrics

Paul Trammell Books on Amazon | https://www.amazon.com/stores/Paul-Trammell/author/B07F5M72XB?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Offshore Sailing and Cruising Podcast | https://www.paultrammell.com/sailing-podcast

Dream Chasers and Eccentrics Podcast | https://www.paultrammell.com/dream-chasers-and-eccentrics