Liveaboard Sailing Podcast

Today we have John Neal from Mahina Offshore Services back on the podcast, and we talk about a number of things within the sailing industry, which seems to be constantly changing. John recently visited the South Pacific and discovered a few interesting things about that market, we talk about challenges with offshore insurance and some potential solutions to that, John shares his take-aways from th...

In today’s episode we talk about the highs and lows of sailing, and of life in general. My guests are Dev and Spandana from a Youtube channel called For Sun and Stars, and they tell me how they went from planning a two year backpacking trip to owning a sailboat. We also dive into insurance as new boat owners and what it’s like to leave successful careers behind to pursue an unknown adventure. As D...

This week we are going all in on boat projects! 🛠 My guests are Chris and Kelly from Youtube channel Sailing Adrift and they have just recently completed a multi-year refit of their sailboat from the early 1970s. In fact, at the time of recording, they were just one week away from splashing and it was really great to chat with Chris and Kelly at this point in their journey. They had been working r...

This week we are talking about crewing on sailboats and super yachts ⛵️🛥 My guest is author Regina Meyer, whose book Change of Course is a tale of international adventures, sailing across oceans and a bit of a memoir of Regina’s time spent living in Antigua. In this interview I ask Regina about tips for anyone interested in being crew on other people’s boats, how to avoid nasty surprises when cho...

This week we are diving into family cruising as I chat with Kris from Sailing With Six. Kris and his wife Shona are pursuing a life less ordinary with their four kids, while sailing the world. We talk about how they collectively learned to sail, and what it was like buying a boat in Mexico - and spoiler alert, it was not as easy as you might think! Kris also has some reassuring words for anyone th...

This week we are talking about big, ambitious goals. My guest is McKayla Bower, who’s preparing for a circumnavigation and she talks us through how she got to have this goal of circumnavigating, and not just that but doing it solo. In addition to this, there is a little something extra: McKayla plans to be the first transgender person to circumnavigate. We talk about what this means, and how she i...

Today we are talking about a new topic that we haven’t talked about yet, and that’s buying a brand new boat. My guests are Aron and Janet who decided to upgrade their existing Jeanneau to a brand new one. We talk about what the process for purchasing a new boat is like, what kinds of things the prospective owners can have input on, when does money exchange hands and more. Links mentioned in this e...

Sailing to Alaska sounds cold, exciting, scary and magical - in this episode we find out what it really is like to sail to Alaska! My guests are Sharon and Mark from Sailing Nyad, who sailed to Alaska with their young kids, two dogs and cat. This was Mark's second trip to Alaska and this episode is full of tips and advice on how to prepare for a trip like this. Links mentioned in this episode&nbsp...

We will start this season with an inspirational story of a couple who wanted to explore the world, and who went out and did just that. My guests are Warren and Erica behind the Youtube channel WE Sail. They walk us through their story of how they went from having margaritas on a beach in Mexico and getting the idea of sailing in their heads, to owning a sailboat in TWO years. So far, they’ve saile...

This week we are talking about something we haven’t talked much about yet, which is solo sailing. My guest is Cally Duncan, who also used to be a landlocked Canadian but she is currently sailing the Caribbean by herself on her Ericson 38. We talk about her journey to becoming a solo sailor, what kind of experience she had before this, and generally what has life been like in the first year of her...

Part cautionary tale, part motivation to keep going — this is the story of buying a boat that just needed a little work … or so David Shih thought. What was meant to be a 4–6 week bulkhead repair turned into 6 months, then almost a year. In this episode, David shares what really happened, what he learned during the refit grind, and how he kept moving forward when the dream felt far away. If you're...

In this episode, we talk about some true sailing adventures in cold water locations like Norway, Iceland, the Faroes and Greenland. You’ll also hear about some pretty scary storm experiences and of course we talk about the boat that has kept the crew safe through all this.  My guests are Josephine and Connor, who split their time working on super yachts in more tropical locations and sailing...

This week, we are talking all about exploring the American East Coast, and you’ll hear about Lake Champlain in Vermont and New York, sailing in Maine, going up and down the ICW and also about what it's like to spend the winter in the Bahamas.  My guests are Gwen and Andy from Abroad Reach Travel, who planned extensively and for many years for their cruising life, and last year they became ful...

In this episode we are going to talk about some of those epic cruising locations that many people dream about; Mexico, Central America and French Polynesia. You will also hear about some of the downsides of cruising, like running aground in El Salvador and having a dinghy stolen right off the boat - and also tips on how to avoid both of these misfortunes! My guests are Sharon and Rico from Gypsea...

This episode is a wild one — circumnavigation on a catamaran, van life from Alaska to Argentina and across Europe, exploring Mexico on a monohull and cruising the Caribbean on a trawler. My guest is Patrick Schulte from Bumfuzzle , who has spent nearly 20 years traveling full-time with his family by land and sea. Pat also teaches stock trading — the skill that has allowed him to keep exploring lon...

Who doesn't want to head out there on the open ocean, cross oceans and be a real bluewater cruiser? Today's episode tells you just how to get started with that dream. Today I’m chatting with Jeremy Wyatt from World Cruising Club , and we dive into all things bluewater cruising and how to prepare for ocean crossings. World Cruising Club is the organization that manages events like the Atlantic Rall...

In this episode, I catch up with Darren and Amanda, the very first guests I ever interviewed on episode #1. When we last spoke, they had been sailing for a little over a year and were figuring things out on their monohull. Fast forward to today, and everything looks different: a new boat (a trimaran!), a new continent, and a brand-new sailing business taking guests on expeditions. We talk about wh...

In this episode I talk with a couple who wasn't planning on living on a boat, didn't quite even realize that was "a thing". Yet they are now on their second boat, living aboard with their two dogs in Vancouver, BC - how is that even possible! In this episode Jaclyn and Mark from Hard Departure explain how they became accidental liveaboards in Vancouver and how they are adjusting to the lifestyle w...

" There is no worse emergency room in the world than a sailboat. " A medical emergency at sea is a worst case scenario nobody wants to experience but it's also something everyone should prepare for. Do you know what are some of the most common injuries and accidents that sailors face? Or which first aid kit you should choose for your boat? This week's guest, John Taussig from Maritime Medical Guid...

This week we talk all about liveaboard life at the intersection of sustainability and wanderlust. My guests, George and Sinead from Electric Vagabonds, share their story of transitioning to the liveaboard lifestyle, making the transition to an electric sailboat and off-grid life in England. This couple is chasing the opportunity to travel the world fossil fuel free, and I ask them about their deci...

If you have been thinking about learning to sail by doing sailing courses, then you don’t want to miss this episode! I’m talking with someone whose business it is to help others embark on their sailing journeys, and I get to ask questions like how can I prepare for a sailing course and what most students find difficult to learn.  My guest is Tim Geisler from Nautilus Sailing, who shares his s...

This week I’m bringing you a true adventure story and a very unique one at that! ⛵️ You will hear what it’s like to go way off the beaten path to the river systems of South America on a small and ultralight sailboat. My guest is Stephen Ladd, the author of a new book, the 5 year voyage - exploring Latin American coasts and rivers . Stephen and his wife started their voyage in Florida, sailed down...

Welcome to the 100,000 downloads milestone episode! 🥳 This week we learn about cruising the Intracoastal waterway, or ICW, the inland waterway that goes from New Jersey to Florida. Specifically, we dive into why it’s not just a means to an end but actually a pretty neat way to see the US east coast. My guests are Lucy and Matt from Boat Life Academy, who have done the ICW total of 9 times! We als...

Picture a sailboat against the backdrop of the gorgeous Greek archipelago and you'll get an idea of how everyday life looks like for Emily and Adam from Two Get Lost ⛵️ They were living in the UK until one day something happened that they took as a sign that it's time to stop dreaming and just go. Adam took his job with him and Emily reinvented herself using her professional background as a teach...

After 20+ years with the Canadian Forces, Max and Elizabeth Shaw decided to leave their military careers behind and switch things up a bit - by going cruising, of course. They left British Columbia as a family of four and returned 7 years later as a family of five with endless stories from the South Pacific. Max and Elizabeth talk about the beauty of adventuring off the beaten path in the South Pa...