Standing Before the Mast

In this episode I’m joined by Scott Travers, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association. Scott is a graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and Salve Regina University. Scott’s experience also includes working with the Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife Aquatic Education Program to expand recreational fishing opportunities. He is a fly tying Instructor, avi...

Young women advancing in professional offshore sailing: a panel discussion featuring Erica Lush ( lushsailing.com ); Aurora ‘Rory’ Meunier Mott; and Ellie Menezes. This episode features a round-table or panel discussion where each of these young women describe their journey thus far, and their plans for participation in future professional sailing events on the world stage. All have either been in...

Meet Ashley Sullivan and learn about the Rozalia Project that is taking a multi-faceted approach to cleaning up and cataloging marine debris. Their platform is the sailing vessel American Promise. American Promise was designed by Ted Hood for Dodge Morgan who sailed it alone around the world, non-stop, in 1985-1986. To learn more about the Rozalia Project visit: rozaliaproject.org Get full access...

In this episode we hear from Brad Read who is the Executive Director, Sail Newport based at Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island. Get full access to Standing Before The Mast at chrisheaton.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode we sit down with Rhode Island State Representative Lauren Carson of Newport. Representative Carson is the lead sponsor of a house bill that would allow cities and towns to regulate houseboats as they feel best works for their municipalities. Central to this enabling legislation, they would be bound by one standard definition of a houseboat. The bill has a companion in the state sen...

In this episode, we hear about a rather different kind of Christmas story from which we in the Northern Hemisphere are used to. Aussie Joe Cooper, who’s been on this podcast before, shares his version of a Christmas tale he grew up with during the 1960’s in Australia. It’s a story of Santa & the Reindeer, a bit of navigation, seafaring references, a rescue and some proper outback exploration. As a...

My guest for this episode is no stranger to the podcast. Photographer Matthew Cohen has been on before and he’s back this time to report about a unique project he conceived, researched and executed with stunning results. Most people only ever look at a lighthouse from the outside. Sure, some may take a rare tour or visit where they get a glimpse of the inner workings, but how many get to see it fr...

Christina is the Senior Vice President of Mystic Seaport Museum.  Christina shares with us here earliest sailing experiences growing up sailing on Geronimo which belonged to the St. Georges School in Rhode Island.  The Geronimo program was one her father developed and those early adventures set Christina up for an educational and life path on and around the water. Prior to her current position, Ch...

Get full access to Standing Before The Mast at chrisheaton.substack.com/subscribe

Meet Matthew Cohen, professional marine photographer, racing sailor, seasoned offshore sailor and sometimes glider pilot. In our conversation, Matt walks us through his early sailing experiences and his introduction to photography which began with a course at school that quickly became his chosen career path. Matt describes some early opportunities he had, such as working for Onne Van der Wal, as...

Kim Kavin began her journalism career at a newspaper nearly 25 years ago. While many local newspapers have either been bought out, consolidated or shut-down, Kim Kavin made a move to yachting journalism before many of those changes began to proliferate. Her initial move to yachting was well, to Yachting Magazine. Kim walks us through those early days, explaining how she wound up at Yachting and th...

Dave Lussier is our guest for this episode. Dave is one of the founding members of the organization Better Bay Alliance. Dave walks us through how it came to be, what they’ve done so far, and their ambitions plans for the future. Here’s the mission statement from their website: “The Better Bay Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the boating experience on Rhode Island waters...

I’m joined by Capt. Eric Pfirrmann from Save the Bay, and Ted Romanosky, owner of the 1940 classic wooden schooner ‘Good Fortune’. It's our seasonal laid-back gathering over beer and provisions. We recap our collective summer experiences and observations in an informal setting with an even less formal outcome. Occasionally, one of us expresses an opinion or two. We cover everything from the annual...

The Schurmann family set sail in 1984 and became the first Brazilian family to circumnavigate the world. The design and build of Kat is the culmination of that initial voyage and others on previous boats the family has owned. Our talk begins with a tour of the boat and Wilhelm highlighting many of the unique design features. Kat serves as a floating platform for Voice Of The Oceans. Voice Of The O...

In this episode we get to know Ian Ridgeway. Ian, along with Casey Blum are co-founders of the FUEL Program. FUEL stands for: Foundation for Underway Experiential Learning. The topsail schooner Shenandoah is at the center of the FUEL program. Shenandoah was conceived, designed and built by Captain Robert Douglas and she has a long history of providing memorable sailing experiences for thousands of...

In this episode I sit down with Newport International Boat Show Director Lisa Knowles and Marketing Director Jocelyn Emory. The show - the 51st - will take place September 15th through the 18th, 2022 located at the Newport Yachting Center Marina in downtown Newport, Rhode Island. Among this year's expanded offerings, Lisa and Jocelyn tell us about several new events, educational opportunities and...

In this episode we hear from Mike Patterson, Whitney Curtin, Aaron 'Ike' Isaacson and Steve Baskis about Sail To Win. They formed Sail To Win "to honor and empower wounded veterans, first responders, and people that have served their community with disabilities by training, educating, and competing in sailing competitions around the globe. We bring adaptive and able-bodied athletes together, condu...

Christopher Pastore is Associate Professor of History at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Focusing on early American environmental history, his most recent book, titled Between Land and Sea: The Atlantic Coast and the Transformation of New England (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2014), examines the Narragansett Bay watershed from first European settlement through t...

Meet Nautical Author and Historian Eric Wiberg. Born in New York in 1970, Eric Wiberg is a citizen of Sweden and the US. He is the author of over 20 books on maritime history - particularly in the Bahamas where he grew up. He left the Bahamas at 13 for boarding schools in New England and enrolled at Boston College in 1989. He was hired to race to Bermuda in 1989, and in 1991 sailed as mate from An...

Sarah is a commercial fisherman with a BS in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island; and a MSc in Nature, Society, and Environmental Policy from University of Oxford in England. Her interest in fishing really began when she was teaching in Valparasio, Chile. Sarah explains how this interest came about and its connection to certain types of fishing here on Narragansett Bay. Sarah is the...

Our guest for this one is Capt. Eric Pfirrmann, Lead Captain for Save the Bay here in Rhode Island. As some of you more astute listeners may recall, Eric was my first ever guest when I embarked upon this experimental journey. We begin with an update on the Save The Bay fleet, and Eric brings us up to speed on their latest addition, as well as some of the future roles he foresees that craft playing...

Ryan Rossi – Menemsha Harbormaster  Meet Ryan Rossi. Ryan is the Menemsha Harbormaster. Menemsha is an historic fishing village in the town of Chilmark on Martha’s Vineyard. Ryan gives us all the crucial information you need to know as a recreational boater interested in visiting the port. He explains how to go about reserving your spot - don’t just show up - and the feeding frenzy that takes plac...

What do you do following retirement from a successful career of 26 years in the Navy which began at the US Naval Academy? You enroll at the International Yacht Restoration School - otherwise known as IYRS School of Technology & Trades - in Newport, Rhode Island where you acquire a whole new set of skills in marine systems. You and your wife then buy a catamaran, sell everything you own, move y...

Meet writer Wendy Mitman Clarke. Wendy is a veteran writer and editor of sailing publications with a career that spans over 30 years. If you've ever picked up a copy of Soundings Magazine, Cruising World or Good Old Boat, it's likely you've either read her work, or something she's had a hand in editing.   She's a Recipient of many awards from the Boating Writers International, and the Society of P...

In this episode we hear from John Taft about rum running along the coast of Rhode Island during prohibition. Like me, John is a bit of a history enthusiast and when he discovered that the boat that he and his partners had purchased to run mansion tours turned out to be an actual former rum runner, he went down many rabbit holes researching not only the history of the boat, but the history of all t...