Out The Gate Sailing

Ronnie Simpson // Preparing for the Global Solo Challenge - Ep. 114

Last time Ronnie Simpson was on the show, in 2020, we talked about being wounded by an RPG in Iraq and how sailing saved his life. This time, Ronnie and I talk about his preparation for the upcoming Global Solo Challenge, a new round-the-world sailing race. He’s currently in North Carolina preparing his boat Sparrow, an Open 50, for the race. You can follow his effort at www.RonnieSimpsonRacing.com

Bernard Dunayevich // Learning to Windsurf in Piranha Infested Waters - Ep. 113

Bernard Dunayevich owned one of the first windsurfers in Argentina and taught himself how to rig and sail it in piranha infested waters. But he says the main disincentive from falling in was the cold water and lack of a wetsuit. He’s come a long way from that first heavy board, having raced all over the world and even making a bid for the Olympic Games. Today he sails regularly out of Berkeley.

Simon & Sally Currin // From High Altitude Climbing to High Latitude Sailing - Ep. 112

Sally and Simon Currin met while planning an expedition to Mount Everest. Since then, they’ve traded in high altitude climbing for high latitude sailing, and in the process won awards from the Cruising Club of America and the Ocean Cruising Club for their navigation and exploration of Greenland’s Scoresby Sound - the largest fjord system in the world. Simon is also the current Commodore of the Ocean Cruising Club.

Susan Cole // A Memoir of Sailing, Love, and Loss - Ep. 111

In the 90’s, Susan Cole, her husband John, her 7-year-old daughter Kate, and their dog Elmo all boarded their Mason 43 for a three-year adventure though the Caribbean with ups, downs, hurricanes, and more. I talk with Susan about her recently published memoir titled Holding Fast, that chronicles her family’s cruising trip but is really a love story. From falling in love, to setting sail together, to battling the cancer that eventually took John’s life, Susan shares in vivid detail moving and meaningful moment from her life together with John.

Ryan Ellison // The Ups and Downs of Cruising for 5 Years - Ep. 110

Ryan Ellison, who’s American, and Sophie Darsey, who’s French, met in Sweden. Together they learned to sail then purchased a 2007 Beneteau Oceanis 40 and set off sailing together in what they expected would be a one-year trip. Five years later they’re still cruising, having sailed from the North Sea to France, then Spain, then the Mediterranean, and then across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and up to the Chesapeake Bay. I talk with Ryan about his life-changing encounter with a goose, his traumatic single-handed transatlantic trip, training a new fuzzy, four-legged crew member, and what more than five years living and sailing aboard with his partner has taught him about life and relationships. You can learn more about Ryan and Sophie and watch their excellently produced videos at RyanandSophie.com.

Chris & Marissa Neely // Throwing Off the Dock Lines - Ep. 109

I catch up with Chris and Marissa Neely aboard their Choy Lee 41 Avocet. After years of living aboard and working on their boat in Ventura, CA, they’ve thrown off the dock lines and are going cruising. Their first stop? San Francisco Bay. Chris grew up sailing on the Bay and they are excited to be back in home waters. You can follow Chris and Marissa on their trip through their popular and beautifully produced videos at Sailing Avocet.

Laura & Fede // Sailing Antarctica For a Living - Ep. 108

Federico Guerrero grew up 4 blocks from the beach in Argentina. Laura Smith Grew up next to me, in Falls Church Virginia. The two of them fell in love with sailing independently and then met at sea aboard a ship - and soon after nurtured a plan to build their own boat and sail it to Antarctica. Today they run a charter business called Quixote Expeditions out of Ushuaia, Argentina - regularly taking guests on expeditions to Antarctica aboard one of the two vessels in their fleet. I talk to them about running the business, sailing at the bottom of the world, and how they connected with yet another childhood friend of mine to start taking photography trips in conjunction with Visionary Wild.

Andy Cross // Raising two Boys While Cruising the Pacific - Ep. 107

Andy Cross grew up daysailing and cruising with his family in Michigan. He made his first offshore passage at 19 and he’s been working in the sailing industry pretty much ever since. In 2012, Andy and his wife Jill bough a Grand Soleil 39, named her Yahtzee, and threw off the lines to live aboard full time - raising two boys aboard the boat. They’ve sailed the Salish Sea, the Inside Passage, Alaska, San Francisco, Mexico, through the Panama Canal, Down to Columbia and beyond. Read Andy's blog at sailingyahtzee.com

Cal Currier // Alone Across the Atlantic at 16 - Ep. 106

Cal Currier had never been ocean sailing, but at sixteen-years-old the Palo Alto high school student set himself a goal to sail solo across the Atlantic Ocean. A few short months later, with support from his father and New England sailmaker Sandy Van Zandt, he had learned to sail, found the right boat, and set off on his crossing. His 28 day 3,400 nautical miles trip from Massachusetts to Portugal may qualify him as the youngest to ever make the west-to-east passage. We talk about his preparation for the trip as well as the highs and lows of the crossing itself.

Cyril Derreumaux #2 // A Successful Kayak from CA to HI - Ep. 105

He made it! Cyril Derreumaux recently became the second person in the world to kayak from California to Hawaii. We spoke before he left (episode 73) and now 91 days and 2,400 miles later we discuss the trials and triumphs of his successful solo crossing. It was not his first attempt, but he took what he learned from the aborted trip a year previously to make sure he was prepared physically and mentally for the adventure.