The Boat Geeks

The Boat Geeks #26 - Bruce Bateau - Small Boat Cruising, Writer "Close to the Water" Recorded 9.8.24 at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival Bruce is a small boat cruiser, and his enthusiasm is contagious. He has cruised Row Bird, his 18-foot open row/sail boat, from the Columbia River to the Broughtons. And much like the title of his stories in 48 North magazine, he truly lives life "close to t...

The Boat Geeks #25 - Dave Upthegrove (candidate for WA State Public Lands Commissioner) Recorded 10.10.24 at the NMTA Marina & Boatyard Conference For Dave, running for State Lands Commissioner is the culmination of a life and career focused on environmental and natural resources issues, not a stepping stone to higher office. Recorded on location at the Kitsap Conference Center in the Port of...

The Boat Geeks #24 - Capt. Peter Wilcox (Inside Passage Decarbonization Project) Recorded 9.7.24 at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival Captain Peter and First Mate Bridget Bayer are living proof you can 100% use renewable diesel on your boat. They have taken their vessel Ama Natura to Alaska every summer for 16 years. And during that entire time, they have never used a drop of petroleum-based...

The Boat Geeks #23 - Sean Kooman (Lead Boat Building Instructor) Recorded 9.6.24 at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival In 2011, Sean became a wood boat building instructor at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding. Since 2015 he has been the lead instructor, training hundreds of new boat builders in the art of wood boat building. Recorded on location in the Fisheries Supply "Live at the W...

The Boat Geeks #22 - Abbey Molyneux (Boat Yard Owner) Recorded 9.7.24 at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival After honing her craft over eight years, learning from one of the top boat builders in the UK, Abbey set out on her own and established her own boat yard outside of Norfolk on the east coast of England. Recorded on location in the Fisheries Supply "Live at the Wooden Boat Festival Stage"...

The Boat Geeks #21 - Sam Devlin (Devlin Boat Company) Recorded 9.8.24 at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival After attending 46 years in a row, Sam Devlin and his Devlin-designed and built boats are a time honored tradition at North America's largest gathering of wood boat enthusiasts. Recorded on location in the Fisheries Supply "Live at the Wooden Boat Festival Stage" during the 2024 Port Tow...

The Boat Geeks #20 - Obioma Oji (BlueTree Boat Builders) Recorded 9.8.24 at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival As part of the European Women in Boat Building contingent that came over for the festival, "Obi" brought her expertise in pioneering sustainable wooden boat building in the UK with her new company, BlueTree Boat Builders. Recorded on location in the Fisheries Supply "Live at the Woode...

The Boat Geeks #19 - Jesse Wiegel (R2AK, Seventy 48, and WA360 Race Boss) Recorded 9.6.24 at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival Jesse stops by the tent to announce the "all new" WA360, brought back by the Northwest Maritime Center for 2025. Recorded on location in the Fisheries Supply "Live at the Wooden Boat Festival Stage" during the 2024 Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival (PTWBF), your host...

The Boat Geeks #18 - Richard Lauridsen (Chief Operating Officer, Hawaiian Chieftain) Recorded 07.23.24 As an educator and sailor, Richard became enthralled with tall ships the day he saw the Lady Washington emerge from a shroud of fog while sailing in the San Juan Islands. He combined his love of teaching and sailing by first becoming a sailing instructor, then an educator and crew with Gray's Har...

The Boat Geeks #17 - Betsy Davis (Executive Director, Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding) Recorded 06.26.24 Betsy has been at the helm of the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding for many years, and has helped chart tremendous growth and expansion including the new Marine Systems Program. She also happens to own the classic MV Glory Be, a 110-year old piece of Pacific NW history. Recorded...

The Boat Geeks #16 - Rick Henson (ValvTect/MRT Products) Recorded 05.29.24 As Regional Sales Manager for ValvTect Marine Fuels, Rick knows a lot about the gas and diesel we put in our boats. Recorded aboard their floating studio in Port Townsend, WA, in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, Daeron and Darren take a deep dive into the world of boating. This episode: The two Ds, who have always used V...

The Boat Geeks #15 - Kevin Ritz (ABYC Master Technician) Recorded 05.23.24 Kevin, an ABYC Master Technician and Marine Systems Program Director at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, turned his own family tragedy into a mission to prevent other tragedies and save lives. After losing his son to Electric Shock Drowning in 1999, he became a world renowned expert in marine electrical systems...

The Boat Geeks #14 - Harley Matlock (United States Coast Guard) Recorded 04.23.24 Master Chief Harley Matlock, Officer in Charge of the USCG Cutter Osprey home ported in Port Townsend, has been in the Coast Guard for 28 years! Recorded aboard their floating studio in Port Townsend, WA, in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, your hosts Darren and Daeron take a deep dive into the world of boating. T...

The Boat Geeks #13 - Mark Bunzel (Publisher, Editor) Recorded 04.12.24 Mark Bunzel has been traveling from Olympia to Alaska every Summer for the last 13 years updating the Waggoner Cruising Guide. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Waggoner. Recorded aboard their floating studio in Port Townsend, WA, in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, your hosts Darren and Daeron take a deep dive int...

The Boat Geeks #12 - Peter Knowles (Travels With Geordie) Recorded 04.05.24 Peter Knowles of the popular YouTube channel "Travels with Geordie" joins The Boat Geeks to discuss his obsession with classic wood boats of the Ed Monk variety, and the past, present, and future of his traveling adventures. Recorded aboard their floating studio in Port Townsend, WA, in the heart of the Pacific Northwest,...

The Boat Geeks #11 - George Harris (President/CEO, NMTA) Recorded 03.08.24 The Northwest Marine Trade Association produces the Seattle Boat Show, the largest boat show on the west coast. But they do so much more the rest of the year ensuring our region has the healthiest recreational marine economy possible. Recorded aboard their floating studio in Port Townsend, WA, in the heart of the Pacific No...

The Boat Geeks #10 - Nico Jensen and Aaron Wenholz (Longship Marine) Recorded 3.7.24 Nico and Aaron are one of the busiest couples you will ever meet. In addition to running Longship Marine - one of the last remaining Marine Supply/Consignment stores in Washington - they also restore old wooden boats and are remodeling the original Sons of Norway Hall in downtown Poulsbo. Recorded aboard their flo...

The Boat Geeks #9 - Jake Beattie (CEO, "Boat Dork") Recorded 2.12.24 The headwaters of the Northwest Maritime Center began in the '70s when some friends who loved wooden boats decided to create a gathering for other wood boat lovers. That little inauspicious gathering turned into the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival - the second largest in the world! Recorded in the late afternoon changing light...

The Boat Geeks #8 - Darren Austin (Founder, OnBuoy SPC) Recorded 2.1.24 How many times have you seen private buoys and docks just sitting there empty and unused, while you've had a challenge finding available guest moorage? Recorded aboard their floating studio in Port Townsend, WA, in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, The Boat Geeks take another deep dive into the world of boating. This episode...

The Boat Geeks #7 - Matt Steverson (Shipwright, The Duracell Project) Recorded 2.19.24 Rebuilding a legendary Open 60 race boat requires many skills, a lot of perseverance, and for husband and wife Matt and Janneke, a leap of faith. Recorded aboard their floating studio in Port Townsend, WA, in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, your hosts Darren and Daeron take another deep dive into the world o...

The Boat Geeks #6 - Kirsten Neuschäfer (South African Sailor, Cyclist, Adventurer) Recorded 03.09.24 Recorded aboard their floating studio in Port Townsend, WA, in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, your hosts Darren and Daeron take a deep dive into the world of boating. In this episode The Boat Geeks welcome Kirsten Neuschäfer, history-making Sailor and Adventurer. Kirsten was the Winner of the...

The Boat Geeks #5 - Chuck Laguna (Owner, H2Out) Recorded 12.29.23 Recorded aboard their floating studio in Port Townsend, Washington, in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, your hosts Darren and Daeron take a deep dive into the world of boating. D&D welcome to the show Chuck Laguna, owner of H2Out. Chuck discusses the award-winning Fuel Guard, an in-line air vent dryer that keeps water vapor f...

The Boat Geeks #4 - Bruce Schwab (Vendee Globe, OceanPlanet Energy) Recorded 1.25.24 Placing 9th in the 2004/05 Vendee Globe race, Bruce Schwab became the first American to successfully complete a solo around the world race, becoming the 240th person to ever achieve the feat of circumnavigation (and then he did it again a few years later!). Recorded aboard their floating studio in Port Townsend, W...

The Boat Geeks #3 - Jesse Wiegel (Race Boss, R2AK) Recorded 12.27.23 The Race to Alaska? "It’s like the Iditarod, on a boat, with a chance of drowning, being run down by a freighter, or eaten by a grizzly bear. There are squalls, killer whales, tidal currents that run upwards of 20 miles an hour, and some of the most beautiful scenery on earth." Recorded aboard their floating studio in Port Townse...

The Boat Geeks #2 - Bob Wise (President, Recreational Boating Association of Washington) Recorded 11.14.23 Recorded aboard their floating studio in Port Townsend, WA, in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, your hosts Darren and Daeron take a deep dive into the world of boating. This episode: The two D's talk with Bob Wise, President of the Recreational Boating Association of Washington (RBAW) abou...