#321. Nikki Henderson is the youngest person ever to have skippered a yacht in the Clipper Round the World race, coming second in the 2017/18 edition of the race at 25 years old. Since the age of 18 Nikki has pursued a career in professional sailing, and has earned worldwide respect for her accomplishments. She has been a guest-skipper for MAIDEN, raced on an all-women's team in the Race 2 Alaska, been through the Suez Canal and many times across the Atlantic. Nikki recently sailed on ICEBEAR with Andy in Antigua, where they recorded this long and inspirational chat about Nikki's career and philosophy.

#320. James Frederick is a 40-something artist living in Los Angeles with his wife Camille and their dog, Mr. Steady Man. For the past several years James has been refitting an Alberg 30 while sailing out to Catalina island and exploring the California coast and documenting it all on YouTube. Very shortly, that's all about change, as James will set off single-handed first bound towards Hawaii and then onwards towards Alaska, where Camille and Mr. Steady Man plan to meet them for cruising. I talked to James just as he and Camille were getting ready to move back onto the boat after an intense refit period. James is also connected to 59 North in that he's sailed our former boat ARCTURUS in Sweden with her new owner Neil Fletcher!

#319. Markus Norlin is the son of famous Swedish yacht designer Peter Norlin, who's illustrious career indeed included our own boat SPICA, a 1977 Norlin 34 mk 2. Markus came out to the farm to 'Mission Control' where we discussed his late father's career as a yacht designer, growing up in a sailing family, and his 'rescue' of one of his dad's most famous boats, AGNES, a one-off 37-footer built in mahogany and successfully raced in the USA. Markus found the boat in Vancouver, bought it, and had it shipped back to Sweden where he now sails it with his family.

#318. Nat Benjamin is a sailor and yacht designer who owns and operates Gannon and Benjamin Marine Railway, an iconic haven for wooden boats in Martha’s Vineyard. Nat and his partner Ross Gannon founded the boatyard in 1980, where they have built everything from 8 foot tenders to a 65 foot schooner, all made with traditional plank-on-frame construction. In the past 40 years, they have built more than 70 substantial vessels of Nat’s designs. In this episode, Emma and Nat talk about his adventurous path: from growing up on the Hudson River, to working as a young delivery captain, to becoming one of today’s most renowned wooden boat designers and builders. Nat and his wife Pam live year-round on Martha's Vineyard, where they have two daughters and five grandchildren. Find more links and photos about Nat and G&B by going to: https://59-north.com/onthewindpodcast/318-nat-benjamin

#317. Sea shanties have taken the internet by storm! As these familiar songs go viral, we decided to do some digging on their function and history, then recycle an interview with Storm Weather Shanty Choir's founder and lead man, Haakon Vatle. In 2018, August and Andy sat down in person with Haakon in Bergen, Norway. Haakon Vatle holds the world's ONLY master's degree in sea shanties. Fans of the show will know his band, Storm Weather Shanty Choir, as the group of Norwegian musicians who have mastered the art of the modern sea shanty. To start this episode off, we spoke with Biz Wallace, a captain and sail instructor who works aboard tallships, and Christian Letourneau, a former ship's cook and a writer. August also got to chat with Haakon now, in 2021, to catch up on how the sea shanty craze is affecting the band, their upcoming album (February 5th!) and how Norway's tallship, the Statsraad Lehmkul, is faring through COVID times. In this episode, you will also hear recordings of shanties sung by folks at Sea Education Association, a sail training and marine science program that Biz Wallace, Christian Letourneau, and Emma Garschagen have all worked with.

#316. Tracy Edwards led the first all-female round-the-world crew in the 1989-90 Whitbread Race aboard Maiden. Following that race, Tracy was the first woman to receive the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy and was awarded an MBE honor. In 2014, after more than three decades since her Whitbread success, Tracy bought Maiden back. A few years later, Maiden was sailing again and a major documentary about their 1989-90 Whitbread Race was released. The Maiden Factor foundation focuses on education for girls around the world. You can find and support them at https://www.themaidenfactor.org/

#315. Matt Rutherford returns to the show to reflect on the tenth anniversary of his departure for the Around the America's solo passage, a record-setting, nonstop trip through the NW Passage and around Cape Horn. We also discussed his origins as a drug dealer on the streets of Cleveland, and how staying out of prison - and alive - helped him become a 'defensive' sailor. Checkout Matt's podcast SINGLE-HANDED wherever you get your podcasts.

#314. Cam Deyell is a sailor and musician and a longtime friend/fan of the show! Cam composed and performs the intro music for ON THE WIND, and recently sailed his own boat BOOMBOX across the Pacific to Australia, where he currently lives with his family. En route, he was inspired to create his latest album called SUNKEN SONGS, an instrumental, ethereal take on classic sea shanties that you can get wherever you stream or download your music!