The Mariner

#89 | Global Solo Challenge | Intro to the racers already on the water.

This episode is the first I am going to do about the Global Solo Challenge Race that I intend to join in early December. 
I'm still a little way off on the last funding to get the project over the start line but I figure its best to throw myself in completely and go for broke rather than tippy toe around the edges any longer.
Presently, my Open 60 Falcon is 95% read to go, I have time available to complete my qualifier (A Transat) and most importantly I have a solid chance at winning.
My GSC start date is December 9th 2023.
* If you have any ideas about my mixing elbow for a Yanmar 3JH2-TE engine or anything else that might help get Falcon to the start of the Global Solo Challenge, please email me at csmthemariner@gmail.com
* Sponsorship/ donations to Paypal: csmoffshore@gmail.com
* If you want to access more content and show support for this podcast please join me at: www.patreon.com/themariner 
* If you want to hear me reading sailing stories that I have chosen as being beneficial to developing seamanship skills, please look for 'The Mariner's Library' wherever you get your podcasts.

#88 | Don’t Pay the Ransom, I Escaped!

It's been a long time since I published a podcast and I finally I found after many, many attempts that the only way to get back on the horse was to just record whatever came out of my mouth for an hour and we can pick the bones out of it later.
In this episode I talk about what has been happening for me in 2023, I talk about the Global Solo Challenge Race coming up in December and answer a great question that was sent to me earlier this year about being the skipper of a vessel at a young age.
Regular programming will commence forthwith.
If you have any ideas about my mixing elbow for a Yanmar 3JH2-TE engine or anything else that might help get Falcon to the start of the Global Solo Challenge, please email me at csmthemariner@gmail.com
If you want to access more content and show support for this podcast please join me at www.patreon.com/themariner 
If you want to hear me reading sailing stories that I have chosen as being beneficial to developing seamanship skills, please look for The Mariner's Library wherever you get your podcasts.
 
 
 

#87 | Interview | Offshore Sailing & Cruising with Paul Trammell

This episode I thought I would share with you an interview I did month or so ago with Paul Trammell on his wonderful podcast 'Offshore Sailing and Cruising '.  It was great to chat to Paul and learn about his sailing to date, but as this was an interview I was doing for him introducing myself to his audience we will have to wait for a future date to really get to know Paul more. As by the end of this show we had agreed to go sailing on the Open 60 sometime soon- that might be quite soon!
Apologies to the audiophiles listening (Bill Mead!) I had to use Paul's recordings completed over Skype as my own recording was so terrible as to be painful to mine own ears.  Trust me, this is the lesser of two weevils ;)
If you would like to hear more exclusive sailing content, head over to https://www.patreon.com/themariner and there, for $5 a month you can not only support the all the Mariner content, but also receive a free daily sailing audio book episode, and an extra weekly Mariner podcast episode, both exclusive to Patreon.
There's also the chance to pose your own questions on the weekly 'Questions & Tangents' Mariner episodes and get the answers you need to you most troubling sailing conundrums-! 
See you there! 

#86 | My Perfect Boat | William Nutting | Founder of the Cruising Club of America

The features that make 'The Perfect Boat' are an area of sailing that walks the narrow line between philosophical & scientific truth. 
Historically it is also beset by sailors claiming dead cert, bald-faced objective truth for their strongly held and decidedly subjective opinions.
In this new section on The Mariner, I will be interviewing sailors from across the sailing industry and asking them one very simple question 'What's your Perfect Boat'?
To start the series off I am reading from William Washburn Nutting's book 'The Track of the Typhoon' and sharing with you some of his ideas. 
Nutting's was a journalist writing for Motor Boat & Yachting Magazine and was a knowledgeable, 'sailor's  sailor'.
I hope you agree that although his book was published 100 years ago, his ideas & dreamy-eyed passion for his design, could be reproduced in any yacht club bar any day of the week in 2022.
As William 'gave me the idea',  for this series, I think it's appropriate that he gets the first shout on the subject. 
To join my Patreon community (growing fast!) please go over to https://www.patreon.com/themariner and there for $5 a month you can hear the rest of the book and many others just like it.
If you would like to send me your top three features for your Perfect Boat- remember to tell me what you would be using the boat for and how many people it would be for and I will read your ideas out on the podcast.
Write to me at: csmthemariner@gmail.com

#85 | Notes on Cold Water Resistance Training & Abandonment Technique

I found an interesting document on a pen drive over the weekend- given to me by the organizers of the Velux 5 Race  10 years ago, it was a series fo notes prepared by the Race Officers after discussing with Alex Thompson and Mike Golding, Mike's fantastic rescue of Alex in the Southern Ocean in 2006. 
At first the notes seemed a little wandering, but I think you will agree when I read you Mike's account of the rescue that these notes come hard won, and well considered- you tell me what you think!

#84 | Safety at Sea | Part 6 | Calling for Help

After centuries of sailors, praying and hoping for a 'magic button' with which to save their lives far from shore on the briney deep, we are now in the 21st century in the enviable situation of having just that built into all newly built VHF and SSB units.  
The incredible functionality of the DSC button and all the other modern electronic life saving devices available, remains somewhat hidden for many sailors however, behind a raft of acronyms, a confusing plethora of device specifications and a shrewd suspicion of the actual benefits of such 'witchcraft'.  
The truth is though, that the 'Global Maritime Distress and Safety System' (GMDSS) is available for all mariners, whether gunk-holing along the coast or crossing oceans.
In this episode we will dig into the incredible technology available to allow you to call for help, if you should be unlucky enough to find yourself in 'Grave & Imminent Danger'.  
If you would like to support the podcast or develop your seamanship skills and overall safety at sea, please consider joining my Patreon community at:
https://www.patreon.com/themariner 
 
 

#83 | Questions & Tangents 9 | The ’MOJE’ MOB system, Dutchman mainsail reefing & 36ft boats in the Southern Ocean

Questions & tangents returns for the last time in 2022 and I have lots to get through, questions I cover this episode range from Man Overboard recovery systems I don't know about to Mainsail reefing systems I don't know about to the safety of smaller boats in heavy conditions which is definitely something I don't know about. 
Plenty of targets and confusion as always- and maybe even some answers to your questions - if YOU have a sailing question or conundrum you would like considering by myself and the Mariner community please write to me at csmthemariner@gmail.com and I will try to help out!
If you would like to support the podcast or develop your seamanship skills and overall safety at sea, please consider joining my Patreon community at:
https://www.patreon.com/themariner 
 
 

#82 | Safety at Sea | Part 5 | Liferafts

Liferafts are probably the least understood part of the safety equipment on a modern yacht- sure you know where it is (probably), what it does (maybe) and almost certainly what it cost (!) but have you seen YOUR life raft inflated? Have you had extra equipment added to the safety pack inside the raft that could be essential to you in an emergency? Is your raft good for coastal work or offshore voyaging - or is it just the cheapest you could get to satisfy the rules?  All these questions and more will be unpacked this episode as we continue our deep dive into Keith Colwell's excellent RYA Sea Survival Handbook.
If you would like to support the podcast or develop your seamanship skills and overall safety at sea, please consider joining my Patreon community at:
https://www.patreon.com/themariner 
 
 

#81 | The Mariner | The Halifax Explosion

At 0904 on the 6th December 1917 a massive explosion ripped through Halifax, Nova Scotia instantly killing 1600 people, injuring 9000 and destroying the city wholesale. The blast displaced 20,000 souls who then had to deal with a deep winter blizzard over the next few days. It was to say the least a catastrophe and still ranks as the largest non-nuclear explosion created by man. How did it happen?  Through a simple disregard for the International Collision Regulations and an unbroken series of 'red flag' events that caused to ships to have a slow speed collision.  That one of the vessels was carrying af all cargo of munitions bound for the war in Europe would not be realized, until 20 minutes after the collision an explosion equivalent to 2.7 Kilotons of TNT left a scar on the city and on the psychology of it's inhabitants that would still be felt now, 105 years later.
This podcast was recorded at 0900 on the 6th December 2022
If you recognize that creating this content requires hours of effort and you would like to help support for the equivalent of 25 cents per episode please visit my Patreon Site at https://www.patreon.com/themariner and select the $5 per month 'crew' option.
If you have any questions please send them to: csmthemariner@gmail.com 
 

#80 | The Mariner | Entering ’The Global Solo Challenge’ in 2023

Although we have had a few false starts with a round the world sailing project since the podcast began in early 2020- I think everyone will recognize that trying to make any kind of big plans during Covid has been basically impossible.  We got close with the Ocean Globe Race entry in 2021, only to have the Race Committee cancel the race division we were entered into!
I am therefore, extremely excited to be able to report that I have entered the 'Global Solo Challenge' which will set off from La Coruna in Northern Spain at the end of 2023.
This is to be a 'pursuit' race which means the smaller boats (36ft!) set off first in September 2023 and then 2 months later in December, the quickest boats (of which we will be one) start racing.
Once all the boats are on the water the first to the finish line -across the entire fleet- is the winner!  It's a new and unique format for a round the world race, and I for one cannot wait to be involved.
If you want to support the podcast or my Round the World campaign in the GSC hop over to Patreon and sign up to join the crew.  https://www.patreon.com/themariner.