Sailing and Cruising the East Coast of the USA

In this episode, Bela Musits interviews Liam Kennedy. Liam recently purchased and moved aboard a sailboat. He learned to sail with his grandfather, who is now 92 and still sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. We discussed Liam's many years of sailing experience, his motivation for buying a cruising sailboat, moving aboard, and the sailing adventures he is planning. It’s a great episode, so be sure t...

In this podcast episode, Bela Musits interviews returning guest Mike Malekoff.  In previous episodes, we followed Mike's journey from Lake Champlain to the Bahamas and his return to the USA. While he meticulously planned his trip to the Bahamas, he hadn't quite figured out what he would do upon his return to the United States. Since Mike doesn't live on his boat full-time, he needed to...

In this episode, Mike Wasserman and Bela Musits interview Chris Kubisiak. Chrisd is a repeat guest, as he was in EP-101. He is an organizational psychologist by training, but is a passionate sailor who actually got his start in racing, and has done a lot of chartering throughout the Gulf, in the Caribbean and a few more exotic destinations. Given his background in sailing and training as a psychol...

In this episode, Bela Musits interviews Mark Teizen. He is a repeat guest, having been on the podcast in episodes 79 and 80.  This episode is the conclusion of the grounding of his Catalina 445 onto the beach and the subsequent refloating of the boat and repairs. Mark discusses the lessons he learned from the experience, including the repair process and tips for working with the repair facility. I...

In this episode, Bela Musits interviews Carter Yepsen.  He recently purchased a sailboat and spent the Summer of 2023 sailing Long Island Sound, Block Island Sound, Narragansett Bay, Buzzards Bay and up to Marblehead.  He did much of the trip solo and finished up the Summer sailing his boat through NYC and up the Hudson River to Lake Champlain.   A remarkable summer for even the most savvy sailor,...

In this episode, Mike Wasserman interviews Chris Kubisiak.  Chris is from Tampa Florida, one of the great sailing destinations in the United States.  Chris is an organizational psychologist by training, but is a passionate sailor who actually got his start in racing, and has done a lot of chartering throughout the Gulf, in the Caribbean and a few more exotic destinations.  He is also a broker that...

In this episode, co-hosts Bela Musits and Mike Wasserman reflect on the 100 episodes they have produced and look ahead to future adventures. One of the things they reflect on is the diversity of ways people sail. They have interviewed people who sail casually on weekends, people who are taking their first long passage, serious and casual racers, and people who live aboard their sailboats. There is...

Bela Musits interviews Doug Milburn.  Doug lives in Nova Scotia and is a lifelong sailor.  He has sailed monohulls and more recently has been focusing on performance catamarans.  We talked about sailing, sailboats, and the many wonderful places for a sailor to visit in Nova Scotia. If you would like to support the podcast, we now have a Patreon page.  Just go to Patreon.com/sailingtheeast.   Our p...

Bela Musits interviews Larry Friedman in this episode of the podcast. Bela met Larry three summers ago at the Shafe Harbor Cove Haven marina. Larry retired several years ago and, along with his wife, lives full-time on a cruising power catamaran. They spend summers in New England and winters in Florida. Larry shares what they have learned traveling down the East Coast of the United States twice a...

In this episode of the podcast, Bela Musits interviews Chris D’Amelio.  Chris is a retired United States Coast Guard Surfman.  We discussed the many responsibilities a USCG Surfman has and several of the rescues Chris participated in.  Chris also wrote a book about his USCG experience titled, Life and Death at Cape Disappointment.  It is a great read and I highly recommend it. This is a really ins...

In this episode of the podcast, Bela Musits interviews Merrill Charette - who co-founded an online marketplace for marine-related services called Shipshape.pro and is also the host of a podcast called SHIPSHAPE - International Ocean Insights.  Merrill also lives on his boat in Boston for 12 months of the year.  So he has a good understanding of live-aboard life in the cold weather.  We had a great...

In this episode of the podcast, Bela Musits interviews Anni DiMonti.  She is a volunteer with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation organization.  We had a great conversation about whales and dolphins and what recreational mariners can do to protect these wonderful mammals.  Anni had great tips on what to do when you see a whale, how to report your sightings, and how to avoid causing any harm to them...

In this episode of the podcast, Bela Musits interviews Simon and Sawyer, a father and son team who have just completed the final leg of their first Atlantic crossing.  In this leg, we discuss sailing from Spain to the UK with a stop in France.  They experienced weather delays, massive tides, traffic separation zones, and crossed the notorious Bay of Biscay.  As Simon said, “This was the most diffi...

In this episode of the podcast, Bela Musits interviews Simon and Sawyer, a father and son team who have just completed their sail from Horta to Spain.  We are chronicling their first Atlantic crossing and this is leg two.  Leg one was sailing from Newport, Rhode Island, to Horta in the Azores.  In this episode, we discuss seas crowded with cargo ships, getting meds for sea sickness, and making mea...

In this podcast, Bela Musits and Mike Wasserman discuss the Summer of 2023 past sailing season on Narragansett Bay.  We review the trips taken and places visited.  We also discussed some of the new experiences, sights seen, and what we learned.  We also review the scheduled and unscheduled maintenance projects that were performed. If you would like to support the podcast, we now have a Patreon pag...

In this podcast, Bela Musits interviews Angela, who co-authored the book Wonder Year: A Guide to Long-Term Family Travel and Worldschooling. The book is about Heisten's experience traveling the world with her family in an RV.  I found the book to be perfect for those who want to embark on extended family travel. Wonder Year is part inspiration and part how-to, and it demystifies the seemingly...

In this podcast, Bela Musits interviews Jeff Wettig, a long-time sailing podcaster. Jeff started his podcast, Shooting the Breeze, in 2014 and has released over 170 episodes. It was one of the first sailing podcasts that I discovered and started listening to, so meeting Jeff was like meeting a rock star. Jeff is also an avid sailor on the Chesapeake Bay. We had a great conversation about sailing,...

In this episode of the podcast, which is part 2, Bela Musits interviews Simon and Sawyer, a father and son team who have just completed their first sail from Newport, Rhode Island, to Horta in the Azores. They were joined by Simon's father for the trip, making it a three-generation crossing of the Atlantic. Now that they have arrived in Horta, which is approximately two-thirds of the way acros...

In this episode of the podcast, Bela Musits interviews Simon and Sawyer, a father and son team who have just completed their first sail from Newport, Rhode Island, to Horta in the Azores. They were joined by Simon's father for the trip, making it a three-generation crossing of the Atlantic. In previous episodes (EP-84 and EP-85), we talked to Simon and Sawyer about their preparations for their...

This is the second part of a podcast in which Bela Musits interviews Mike Malekoff. Mike is a frequent guest on the show, and we have followed his journey from Burlington, Vermont on Lake Champlain south to the Bahamas. We now get an update on his return trip to the United States. If you missed part 1, check out episode 86. In this episode, Bela and Mike discuss Mike's experiences on his retur...

This is the first part of a podcast in which Bela Musits interviews Mike Malekoff. Mike is a recurring guest on the show, and we have followed his journey from Burlington, Vermont on Lake Champlain south to the Bahamas. We now get an update on his return trip to the United States.  In this episode, Bela and Mike discuss Mike's experiences on his return trip, including the challenges he faced a...

Welcome to part 2 of the podcast where Bela Musits interviews Simon and Sawyer, a father and son duo embarking on their first sail across the Atlantic. Simon's dad will also be joining, making it three generations on board. They are currently preparing their Passport 40 sailboat for the voyage and in this episode, we discuss the various elements of planning such a trip. In part 1, we covered i...

In this episode of the podcast, Bela Musits interviews Simon and Sawyer, a father and son team, who will be sailing across the Atlantic for the first time.  They will also be joined by Simon’s dad for the trip, so it will be three generations crossing the Atlantic.  Simon and Sawyer were on the podcast back in EP-29.  Now they are prepping to cross the Atlantic in their Passport 40 sailboat.  We d...

On today’s podcast, we have a fascinating guest, Peter Gibbons-Neff.  Peter has entered the 2023 Mini-transat race.  This is a race where sailors race across the Atlantic Ocean solo, in 21 ft boats.  Peter is a US Marine veteran and is taking on this big challenge to support US Patriot Sailing.  US Patriot Sailing is a 501(c)(3) organization that supports Veterans by offering camaraderie, mission...

On today’s podcast, Bela Musits interviews a familiar face to our regular listeners. Mike Malekoff. Mike was a guest back in episodes 66, 72, 73, 77 & 78.  We have been following Mike and his wife on their journey from Lake Champlain in Vermont to the Bahamas.   They are now in the Bahamas and exploring many of the great destinations there.  Mike also talks about all of the things you need to...