John Neal on Boat Choices, Outfitting, Insurance, and Experience

This is a topic that every sailor eventually faces, and that's choosing the right boat, navigating insurance, understanding the market and important outfitting considerations. Our guest today is John Neal. John is widely respected in the sailing community for his decades of passage making experience and for his consulting work, helping sailors select seaworthy boats for offshore voyaging. We first connected with John years ago when we made the transition from sailing separately on two small boats, to joining forces on one larger boat and eventually a shared last name. John's guidance played a huge role in the boat buying process, helping us kind of weigh our values and our experiences against what the different models could offer.

Preconceived ideas of what you might think would be the ideal blue water boat will change. Naval architecture develops and continues to improve. Boats that were recommended 45 years ago can often be "doggy boats" with minimal interior volume, tankage, tender, and not necessarily a comfortable ocean passage making boat. Designs do change and fortunately, in some instances, improve.

John Neal:  Mahina Offshore Services

Music: Stands For Nothing 

This episode is all about cruising the Med. We also get into cruising with kids, because both our guests are cruising with kids. Learn about the weather, the mooring techniques, the cost of cruising the Med, resources and guides, the latest intel on Orcas, and get great insight into why both our guests loved it so much—that Will and Sarah are heading back again after crossing the Caribbean just last year.

Will & Sarah Curry aboard SV Kaia II of Vancouver
https://www.instagram.com/sailing.kaia/
https://hydrovane.com/

Jillian Greenwalt aboard SV Mug up
https://www.instagram.com/jillian.greenawalt/
https://www.predictwind.com/tracking/SV_MugUp?visibleTrackDuration=0

Music: Stands For Nothing (Ben's band)

Our guests this episode are Scott Woodruff, a seasoned boat broker and consultant, and Ian Stewart, an experienced marine surveyor. It's a great episode, worth careful listening for the nuggets are plentiful and the conversation moves quickly through a bunch of great topics. This episode dives into how to buy and sell used cruising sailboats wisely, focusing on when you absolutely should hire a marine surveyor, what “big‑ticket” items really matter, and how keel type, rig age, and moisture issues can make or break a deal. We discuss and compare the casual, trust‑based sales with thorough, survey‑driven purchases. We dive into how insurance companies and smart buyers now expect rigging within a certain age, documented keel and grounding history, and solid structural condition. Scott and Ian, our guests  highlight how meticulous maintenance records and independence between brokers and surveyors build buyer confidence, protect both parties, and meaningfully increase a boat’s resale value. Finally, they offer practical tips on choosing a good surveyor—like reviewing sample reports and looking for NAMS or SAMS accreditation—especially when you lack personal recommendations or are buying in a new region.

We get into the issues of trust and clear communication with a surveyor, and why buyers should attend the survey day to see and feel issues firsthand rather than relying only on paperwork. Scott & Ian also discuss managing emotions and expectations on survey day, the role of insurers in approving a deal, and how a good surveyor presents facts and costs without telling you whether to buy—framing the boat as a “problem” you may or may not want to own. They emphasize that there is no perfect boat, that online design dogma (like insisting on a full keel) can mislead buyers, and that both bolted and encapsulated keels have failure modes that a survey should uncover. Finally, they highlight practical takeaways: build a long‑term relationship with a qualified surveyor, review the full written report before deciding, keep realistic expectations about age‑related wear, and, if you’re selling, invest a weekend in cleaning and organizing the boat—especially the bilge—to show care and give buyers confidence in its condition.​

Find out more about our guests:

Scott Woodruff:
https://www.thebrokerage.yachts/
https://collectionyachts.com/scott-woodruff/

Ian Stewart:
https://www.shearwatermarinesurveying.com/

Music:
Tim Eriksen (Ben's Brother)
https://timeriksenmusic.com/

This is a fascinating episode with lots of great insights and experience shared!

Sailing across the Atlantic Ocean is a demanding undertaking! In this episode we discuss the preps and plans for a West to East crossing with two sailors, who recently made the passage. We discuss what they were thinking about before departure, the projects they did, the weather planning and routing decisions, the watch systems, maintaining morale plus managing the boat and a family of 5!

Chris Lobel
is a RYA Yachtmaster Instructor and the skipper/owner of Saga47swan sailing. Chris and his partner Nathalie take up to 4 crew on offshore adventure sailing trips on their classic Swan 47.
https://youtube.com/@Saga47swanSailing
www.Saga47swan.com
https://www.instagram.com/saga47swan
https://www.facebook.com/saga47swan?

Jillian Greenawalt
left upstate New York with her husband and 3 kids aboard a 1972 Bowman 46 in 2021. Together, they've cruised the east coast, the Eastern Caribbean and are now in the Mediterranean. Their boat is called Mug Up!

Music: Stands For Nothing, Ben's band with his brother Tim Eriksen

The trend in bluewater cruising, liveaboard, oceans sailing yachts has been moving towards bigger boats, comfortable living spaces with multiple cabins, galley, and larger bathrooms. But these sailboats are expensive to buy, maintain, and insure, requires more crew, are more difficult to handle, both offshore and in marinas or tight areas.

We talk with Kim Stephens & John Harries about what makes a boat too big to handle safely, and why bigger might not be better sometimes. We analyze some of the pitfalls of this trend, and some of the value added. 

Kim Stephens is sailing aboard a Stevens 47, S/V Meraviglia, with her husband, Bob.  They are long time health care professionals and in 2022 decided to take a break and experience life on the water while we had the physical ability to do so. They did a total refit of their vessel, working, on her full time from June of 2023 to February 2024.  They are currently in Aruba after beginning our journey in Brunswick, Georgia in February and working their way down the thorny path.  They plan to transit the Panama Canal in December and explore the South Pacific in 2025.

Website: https://sailingmeraviglia.com/   
Instagram: @SailingMeraviglia

John Harries was born and brought up in Bermuda and started sailing as a child, racing locally and offshore before turning to cruising. He has sailed over 150,000 miles, most of it on his McCurdy & Rhodes 56, Morgan’s Cloud, including eight ocean races to Bermuda, culminating in winning his class twice in the Newport Bermuda Race. He has skippered a series of voyages in the North Atlantic, the majority of which have been to the high latitudes. John has been helping others go voyaging by sharing his experience for nearly  30 years, first in yachting magazines and, for the last 22 years, as co-editor/publisher of AAC.

Website: https://www.morganscloud.com Attainable Adventure Cruising

Music: Stands For Nothing, Ben's band with his brother Tim Eriksen

World schooling is the educational approach where learning takes place primarily through travel and experiencing different cultures and environments around the world. 

Sometimes, World Schooling can involve short-term trips, like the 3-months Teresa and I are currently spending in Italy while our son, Haven, attends a school here. We’re doing this with a program called Boundless Life. Sometimes, world schooling involves long-term travel or even a full-time nomadic lifestyle, like the many sailing families we’ve had on this show in the past.

By the way, If you've got remote work and want to try living in another country, let us know! Boundless Life is amazing, and I'm happy to pay it forward with a discount. Just mention "Carey Family." 👩‍💻🌐

So, while we’re here in Italy, Teresa sat down with two world schooling parents. Her first guest is Steve Crider, a self-employed consultant with a lot of work flexibility. He and his family just started some extended travel across the US and Europe. We met them here in Italy through the Boundless Life program, and their children attend school with our son.

Our other guest is Maggie Hirt, an author and mother who “boatschooled” her four children on a global voyage with her family. The trip lasted several years and she is planning to get back to it. 

Steve, Maggie, and Teresa talked about worldschooling and what works best for their families. 

Music: Stands For Nothing, Ben's band with his brother Tim Eriksen

This Episode:
Today we’ll eavesdrop on a conversation Ben had with two sailors who are cruising in the Bahamas. Our guests are Nica Waters, who you may know from the Boat Galley Podcast or her blog Fit2Sail, and Dave Martin, a former MoA Student and Marine industry professional turned (mostly) full-time cruiser.  Ben talked with them about their recent crossings to the Bahamas, which they did earlier this season. So, if you’re looking to spend the winter in the Bahamas but nervous about the crossing, which, for a lot of people crossing to the Bahamas is often their first overnight passage, so, if that's you, then you’ll love this episode because they compared notes, they talk about weather windows, destinations, and anchorages and discussed the ins and outs of getting your boat to the Bahamas for a relaxing and exciting winter.

The Music:
Stands For Nothing

In this episode, we’re talking about delivering boats with two sailors who recently completed their first yacht delivery and learned a lot.

Teresa sat down with Nicki Ripple, a professional captain who’s worked for Morse Alpha, Outward Bound, and a number of tall ships. We're also talking with Mischa Kapijimpanga who was a Morse Alpha student last summer (2023) and recently bought his own Freya 39 to cruise aboard with his family of five!

Teresa talked with them about their recent yacht deliveries, which Nicki and Mischa did at nearly the same time from Maine to the Chesapeake. So, if you’re curious about boat deliveries, passage making, and voyage planning in general, this episode is for you. They compared notes and discussed the ins and outs of moving a boat from one place to another on a schedule.

The Music:
Stands For Nothing, (Tim Eriksen, Chris Crowley & Ben Carey)

In this episode, we delve into the lives of cruisers who effortlessly balance content creation—blogs, podcasts, videos—with the pleasures of sailing. Discover how these adventurous souls manage to capture their sailing experiences while still relishing the joys of life at sea.

Breena Litzenberger, sailor, host of Litzenbergers Saiing Podcast. 

Started sailing back in 2010 with her husband and they cruised for 10 years. The last 2 years she became a content creator with YouTube videos and a podcast. When COVID hit, everything changed, and she designed a web tool for content creators called Creators Wheelhouse.

Creatorswheelhouse.com

Litzenberger's Sailing Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Marissa Neely, sailor,  creator of the YouTube channel Sailing Avocet

Sails aboard SV Avocet; a 1979 Cheoy Lee 41' that she and her husband spent 5 years refitting before casting off to cruise. She’s been up and down the California coast, cut her teeth on the Channel Islands, and finally sailed south of the border to mainland Mexico and into the Sea of Cortez, where she currently resides. 

https://www.svavocet.com/

https://www.youtube.com/c/SailingAvocet

Teresa Carey, podcast host, Morse Alpha Expeditions

MorseAlpha.com 

Music By: Stands For Nothing, Ben's band with his brother Tim Eriksen

Ben sat down with Jon Bilger, the founding director of PredictWind, a weather app – well, more than a weather app. It helps sailors plan voyages and find weather windows. Ben also talked with Behan Gifford, Circumnavigator and cruising consultant. The three of them talked about Weather forecasting tools and the professional-level data that is available to all of us now, anywhere in the world.

About Behan:
Behan has made her home aboard a Stevens 47 for the last fifteen years, circumnavigating with her husband and three children. It's given her meaningful experience with weather routing and predictions. The prospect of sailing offshore is intimidating for many: demystifying that, taking the mystery out and making it feel addressable, is addressed in the coaching service she and her husband have to help folks successfully cut the docklines.

https://www.sailingtotem.com/

About Jon:
Jon Bilger is the founding director of PredictWind, and a keen competitive yachtsman with achievements in Alinghi Weather as Team Manager, a winner of the Americas Cups in 2003 and 2007, and as the Alinghi Weather Team Manager for the 2010 Dog Match. Also competing in the 1992 in Barcelona grabbing a 7th place in the 470 class.

https://www.predictwind.com/

The Music:
Stands For Nothing