Young Cruisers' Association exists to connect like-minded folks through sailing and cruising. They define themselves as "a collection of young, salty vagabonds forming a community of the sea". Logan and Caroline Rowell brought the Young Cruisers Association to life back in 2012, while they were out cruising on their boat. Brian Currier joined soon after, and recently, Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu of La Vagabonde came aboard too. The original YCA started in the 1970's among liveaboard sailors, and its legacy is now being carried by new generations.

#382. Matty Duncan is bound solo around Cape Horn on ICE WARRIOR, his 1987 Moody 346. He left from the UK this summer to head for Chile, the 'Wrong Way Round'. He is now undergoing repairs in Brazil, after a rigging failure offshore. His project aims to raise awareness about mental health issues by Matty telling his life story.

#381: Lyall & Katie Burgess have a shore base 2000' up the volcano in Hawaii, but have spent the past year living aboard and cruising their Dufour 38 BLAKE with their two young daughters. They bought the boat new as part of a charter fleet, then after taking ownership in September, sailed across the Atlantic with the ARC rally, where Lyall & Katie actually met working on the staff years ago. I caught up with them in Mexico to hear about their adventures.

Motts Mueller is the longtime director, and now owner of Broadreach, whose unforgettable summer adventures for teens specialize in scuba diving, sailing, marine biology, veterinary medicine or wildlife biology. Motts has been a part of the company since 1993, when he was a student on the first-ever trip, sea-kayaking in the BVI. Recently he bought the business from founder (and former podcast guest) Carlton Goldthwaite. Motts and I talked about business and life in this wide-ranging episode.

Hannah Goldberg is a sailor, freelance social media manager, and content creator. She quit her 9-5 desk job in 2021 and left life on land to pursue a dream to sail around the world. In the last year and a half, Hannah has sailed over 10,000 nautical miles, on 5 different boats, in 11 countries. She has crossed the Atlantic Ocean and transited through the Panama Canal. Hannah has connected with over a million people through her videos on TikTok, where she shares the ups and downs of her sailing journey.

#378. Sam Merrett is the founder, leader, and captain of the Schooner Apollonia, the only operating sail freight vessel in the United States. The Apollonia sails up and down the Hudson River, collecting and delivering cargo as she makes her way with the power of the wind. Sam has a background working in alternative fuels and spent years converting truck engines from diesel to vegetable oil. He gained sailing and boating experience on the Hudson River, and then bought the Apollonia in 2015. The vessel had not been sailed in over 30 years, and was missing an important component: the rig. After a 4 year yard period, Sam and his crew started sailing the Apollonia in 2019. For the past three summer seasons, the Apollonia and her crew have been shipping goods up and down the river. Sam and Emma sat down in Hudson, NY, to talk about this carbon neutral shipping project, and everything that comes with it.

#377. Mr. Brady & Alex Blue return to the podcast to talk about their transition from full-time cruising onboard SV DELOS to their shore-based lifestyle in Lake Tahoe. We discuss the ins and outs of starting a new business and their experience with Cruiser's Academy, what their long-term offshore sailing plans on, living with a 'purpose', work-life balance and lots more.

#376. Onne van der Wal is one of the world's foremost yachting photographers, but he started his career as a vagabond sailor. Growing up in South Africa, Onne rarely went to school and instead hitched rides on whatever racing boats he could, amassing a storied career and finding a home on the high seas. His racing career peaked with his involvement in the second FLYER campaign, where he also first made a name for himself in photography. Andy talked to Onne aboard his Grand Banks motorboat in Annapolis in October to hear his story and philosophy. We were joined by Onne's wife Tenley, Ship's Photographer James Austrums, and Schooner WOODWIND owner & captain, Jen Kaye.