The Mariner

  This one is a little racing heavy but then there are some pretty interesting races going on!  I take a quick look at the Vendee Leaders, the capsize of the Americas Cup boat 'Patriot' and the weather situation facing the 'Edmund De Rothschild' Maxi Trimaran currently fighting for the Jules Verne Trophy.   With the news comes the views, and this week I discuss things as far afield as Elon Musk's...

It's Official!  The (Lead Acid) battery is dead.  This episode let me take you for a wander around my thought processes as I come to the realization that Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries need not be a dream anymore. Finally, prices have now dropped to a point where pretty decent, reliable units are available on the market that will bring me all the advantages of the LiFePO4 batteries: such as ligh...

In this episode I continue reading Capt. Joshua Slocum's excellent narrative of his solo circumnavigation of the world in 1895. This week Slocum is rounding Cape Horn, but between tremendous storms that drive the Spray back again and again plus dealing with the threat of piracy from the local people - he certainly has his work cut out for him! I conclude the reading of these chapters as always wit...

As the second wave of Covid 19 starts to be felt in territories across Asia, Europe and the Americas the building problem of millions of people facing prolonged isolation and social insulation starts to be felt as well. Mental health and the long term effects of going without normal human contact has well understood and well researched ramifications but is this being forgotten about as promises of...

It's 2021 and it's time to get the Mariner underway! In this episode I discuss the future of the podcast and take a look at the news from the Vendee Globe.  I also discuss the Ocean Globe Race in 2023, Spartan's itinerary for 2021 and my Westabout the world record attempt which i hope will now go ahead in November!  There is lots to tell and my goodness don't I pack it all in this time! Warning! ...

This episode I reading and discussing chapters 5 & 6 of 'Sailing Alone Around the World' by Captain Joshua Slocum In the commentary I take time to share my experience of sailing the same route that Slocum follows in this section of the book and unpack the vocabulary, technical details and what it feels like to engage in some of the exploits Slocum shares with us.   If you have any questions yo...

This episode presents some very important and thought provoking information that I would advise all listeners to research on their own so they can confirm the facts presented and make changes, if necessary to their life on and off the boat.  What subject could cause me to be so somber and serious? Storm tactics? Immigration laws? No, this week I am talking about sleep. The importance of sleep is a...

Questions & Tangents is the weekly episode  where I answer listener questions, tell you about the news in my own sailing and generally ramble on about all things maritime for an 1hr!  This episode I talk about foils on the Vendee boats - pros and cons, sea-sickness and how to combat it, the Ocean Globe Race and the new North Atlantic loop that Spartan is doing in the summer of 2021 - which I a...

This episode I interview Philip Bachmann a sailor I have completed many miles of offshore sailing with. He talks about his time learning to be a boatbuilder and the adventures it has led him to including getting to grips with being a skipper on his own boat and learning how advanced 19th century yacht design was. If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@...

This episode I reading and discussing chapters 3 & 4 of 'Sailing Alone Around the World' by Captain Joshua Slocum In the commentary you will join me as I go down to my own round the world race boat, to discuss some things about this part of the book that are very close to my heart. I can only hope, once more, that I do that old Nova Scotian shellback some justice and help bring his incredible...

This episode we get away from gear reviews, interviews & book reading and get back to where the Mariner started.. me chatting about what's going on in my watery world and answering listener questions. We cover what's happening with the Westabout campaign, the exciting news that Spartan is once again setting sail in 2021 and I share my new found excitement about the Vendee Globe Virtual Regatta...

This week I introduce a new feature- once a week I will be reading from a famous sailing book and giving you a commentary afterward that will hopefully expand & illuminate the text. The first book to receive this treatment is for many, the first real offshore sailing book ever written - it is of course ' Sailing Alone Around the World' by Captain Joshua Slocum. Slocum was born and raised not 6...

In this episode I finally make good on my threat to interview someone my first victim/volunteer is Ryan Barkey and in keeping with my normal proficiency in all matters technical the recording of my microphone was corrupted by the time it got to the editing suite!  No matter! I have boosted the recording from Ryan's mic and apart from me sounding like I am sitting in the engine room it is still a g...

In this episode we take a deep dive on modern lifejackets- how they have evolved, the design features that make modern jackets so good and I introduce the life jacket I use and is used throughout all of Spartan Ocean Racing's events- the 'Team O Back Tow' life jacket. If you are thinking of buying a new jacket- looking to upgrade to a better jacket for the new season or a just interested to find o...

In this episode I introduce you to our newly christened Open 60 'Pride of Nova Scotia' and finally get down to explaining what this West Around the World, Solo, Non-stop voyage is all about. I also take you through where I am up to in the project, what the schedule is and what the obstacles ahead might be. If you have any questions you would like answering please send them to csmthemariner@gmail.c...

In this episode I share where I have been for the past few weeks and take you through the wonderful voyage I had up the Eastern seaboard of the US from Georgia to Boston.  The boat I was lucky enough to sail on was a Formula 40 trimaran called 'Spirit' (ex. Spirit of England). She was one of the hot ticket rides in the 1990's with a Fastnet Class win (amongst many other things) to her credit in 19...

In this episode I examine the concept of 'Chronoception' our in-built ability to assess the passing of time and how it changes in times of stress, fear, activity, boredom & excitement. Time and memory are variable depending on what you are doing, how much you enjoy it and what chemicals your brain is creating whilst you do it. This week I look at how sailing offers us a perfect activity to win...

In this final instalment of the story of sailing solo around the world covers the last leg of the Velux 5 Oceans Race from Charleston, USA to La Rochelle, France. This was the best leg of the entire race for me but there were still some major difficulties to overcome including a massive flooding incident that saw air crew being scrambled in Halifax, Nova Scotia and one of my canting keel ram pins...

In this episode I take you for a whirlwind tour of the Moon our closest partner in the heavens and the single most important element - potentially- in the development of life on this planet.   The Moon's origins are still somewhat mysterious and it is only in very recent years that we have turned the full focus of modern science on the complicated questions of 'Where did the Moon come from?' and '...

In this episode I describe the 6,500Nm race from Punta Del Este in Uruguay to Charleston, South Carolina.  The sailing was nothing to write home about but everything else about that trip was pretty unique.  Terrible toothache required me to create a temporary dental solution at sea but having worked that out my watermaker then stopped working which left me with only two options; stop racing and st...

In this podcast I put on my black turtleneck sweater, horn-rimmed glasses and ask you to lie down on the Mariner couch as we discuss some interesting aspects of psychology and metacognition that can really affect our learning style, our ability to develop advanced hard skills and even perhaps influence our ability to keep ourselves and our crew safe at sea.   If you have never heard of the Dunning...

In this episode I answer a listener question about who inspires me in sailing and why. I gave this some thought and decided to include only those who truly motivate me at an emotional level rather than just those who's exploits I find noteworthy. Dame Naomi James, Joshua Slocum, Sterling Hayden & Jean Luc Van Den Heede & the Westabout Circumnavigation Record are who/what I decided upon- so...

In this episode I return to the story of my solo round the world race and the exciting conclusion of Leg 3 from New Zealand around Cape Horn to the famous South American race stopover of Punta del Este in Uruguay.  If you want to hear how close a yacht race can be after 3 weeks and over 6500Nm at sea- Tune in! I also talk radar watch methods for solo sailors, Code Zero's, yacht design for up wind...

This episode I start to discuss what pieces of equipment are 'Must Haves' for me at sea, practically and emotionally. Whilst shivering in freezing conditions in my new studio 'The Barn', I take you through the unique 'Deck-Assist Belt' I have designed and fashioned for myself over time & the outstanding, one-off, sailing knife kindly made for me by the incredible Rick Marchand of  www.wilderto...

In this episode I take a look at the transferable skills sailors possess that could prove useful in the global crisis we are all now facing. With a unique outlook created by the unusual nature of sailing compared to all other sports, could offshore sailors prove to be a positive force during lockdown and beyond? I also answer a listener question and reveal my maximum recorded speeds & maximum...