Some people chase adventure. Others build a life around it. Offshore captain Hank Schmitt has done both. In this conversation, Hank traces the long arc of his sailing life, from Long Island summers and high school racing, to oil rig shifts, boat work, deliveries, and eventually founding Offshore Passage Opportunities (OPO).

Hank walks through the defining moments that shaped his leadership at sea — dismastings, jury rigged steering, a mid winter rescue, and the quiet discipline required to keep a crew steady when the ocean has other plans.

We talk about navigation before GPS, the mindset of a solo Atlantic crossing, and why self‑reliance still matters in a world where Starlink can make the ocean feel smaller than it is. And we explore OPO's decade of work in Dominica — rebuilding after hurricanes, expanding moorings, and strengthening a local sailing community.

Hank shares how OPO began in the pre‑internet days, after watching aspiring crew fly to the Canaries to "walk the docks" hoping for a ride. He built a better way to connect captains, delivery skippers, and sailors who want real sea miles — a system that's helped hundreds of sailors gain confidence, competence, and offshore experience.

Here are five of my takeaways from Hank's approach to staying calm under pressure and how we can apply them in our lives:

1. Lead without leaking panic

At sea, a skipper's energy sets the tone. On land, it's the same. People read your face before they hear your words. When you stay steady, you give others permission to stay steady too. Calm leadership isn't about pretending everything is fine — it's about refusing to amplify fear.

2. Deal with what's in front of you

Good seamanship is solving the problem that exists, not the one you're afraid might happen next. Life works the same way. Most situations get worse when we dramatize them. They get better when we take the next clear step, then the next, without spiraling.

3. Slow down before you act

On a boat, taking the wrong action can make a small issue a big one. In life, rushing decisions often does the same. The discipline is the pause — taking a breath to choose intention over impulse.

4. Repetition builds self‑reliance

Confidence offshore comes from miles, mistakes, calms and storms. Confidence in life comes from the same ingredients. You don't become resilient by reading about resilience. You become resilient by living through things, learning from them, and showing up again.

5. Expect systems to fail — and stay adaptable

Boats break. Plans break. Technology fails. People disappoint. Calm comes from expecting that reality and preparing for it, not from hoping everything goes smoothly. When you know your backups — your skills, your values, your ability to improvise — you stop fearing the unknown.

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Chapters

00:00 Staying Calm at Sea: Pressure, Leadership, and Problem-Solving

01:55 Podcast Intro: Meet Hank Schmidt & Offshore Passage Opportunities (OPO)

05:10 300,000 Miles of Experience: Dismastings, Jury Rigs, and Self-Sufficiency

10:40 Where the Calm Comes From: Early Independence and Life Choices

11:37 Building OPO Before the Internet: Boat Shows, Side Hustles, and Survival

14:19 Falling in Love with Sailing: Long Island Childhood to High School Racing

17:12 First Big Passages: Florida Dockwalking to Offshore Oil Rigs

23:59 Solo Crossing on a Shoestring: Minimal Gear, Old-School Navigation

24:52 Speed vs. Soul Offshore: Tech, Starlink, and the Changing Ocean Experience

28:43 OPO's Core Concept: Matching Crew, Building Skills, and Win-Win Deliveries

32:02 Rob's Path Through OPO: From Dominica to the SWAN Program

34:12 Why Dominica Became a Focus & Building a Mooring Field

39:01 Dominica's "Back in Time" Cruising & Why It's So Special

46:48 Modern Forecasting, Weather Windows, and Fast Swan Passages

48:25 Why Offshore Sailing Hits Different: Quiet, Connection, and Community

51:58 Rapid Fire + Real Skills: Gear, Autopilot Myths, and Steering Lessons

58:17 Scariest Moment & Dream Sailor to Meet (America's Cup Story)

01:01:50 Rallies, Self-Reliance, and Getting Younger People into Sailing

01:06:18 Legacy, Scaling Back, and How to Take Your First Step into Sailing