Nikki Henderson is no stranger to the 59N family. She’s a skipper, a podcaster, master of the Quarterdeck and a dear friend in the community. But when she signs off from these watches, she doesn’t quit. You likely know that she’s been on heaps of other seafaring adventures, including skippering the famed Whitbread machine, Maiden; the Clipper Round the World Race; and her first attempt at the Race To Alaska with Team Sail Like a Girl. I sat down to talk with Nikki about her second, most recent attempt at the R2AK, its challenges, and what made this one such a successful campaign in what I think is one of the greatest adventure races on earth. Guest-Hosted by Ben Doerr.
Navigating the challenges of parenthood whilst also maintaining an atypical lifestyle — be that of a sailor, adventurer, or anything that doesn’t involve a 9-5 desk job — has been a consistent theme of this podcast. Now the tables have turned. Andy, Mia and August are raising their two boys whilst running a business and working as professional sailors themselves. Hoping to be a parent myself one day, I took the opportunity to put them on the spot to discuss what has surprised them about parenthood, what they wish they had known before taking the plunge, and what advice they have for anyone else dreaming of a similar future.
Pam Wall returns to the podcast, live from her living room in Ft. Lauderdale. Andy sat down to talk to Pam about the treasure trove of memories in her house, how she stays happy and inspirational despite the tragedy of losing her husband and daughter too soon, the relationship she has with her son, how she stays fit at nearly 80, and lots lots more.
Celeste Pomerantz wasn't a sailor until she signed up for a sail & ski trip out of Tromsø, Norway, that was headed north in search of un-skied peaks in Svalbard. The boat was called SOFIE, and was owned and skippered by friend of 59º North, Mats Grimsaeth. I discovered Celeste in the ski film Wavy 2 about the adventure and immediately reached out to her. We talked about sailing in the Arctic, her upbringing in the mountains of western British Columbia, similarities between big mountain skiing and offshore sailing, managing fear, 'imposter syndrome' and her studies in renewable energy.
Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen was the first to reach the South Pole and the North Pole, but his greatest achievement may have been leading the first successful crossing of the Northwest Passage in 1906. Terje Andre Pedersen grew up inspired by Amundsen's great stories of exploration. He has followed his own dreams, and is soon to set sail towards the Northwest Passage in Amundsen's wake with a ship made of wood and a crew made of iron.
#227. Chris is a long-time ocean racing sailor, having competed in the Velux 5 Oceans Race, skippered a boat in the Clipper Race and later building his own charter-racing business called Spartan Ocean Racing. Chris & Andy met at the RORC Caribbean 600 in Antigua in 2016, Isbjorn's first attempt at the race, and finally got the chance to record a podcast in January 2018!
#226. Lee Chesneau needs no introduction to you weather nerds out there. He’s been the voice of weather education for the past few decades in the US at least, and is as passionate about his chosen career field as anyone I’ve ever met. Lee & I began this conversation talking about his career - like how he KNEW he’d become a meteorologist when he was only 3 years old - but it was quite obvious that he REALLY wanted to talk weather. About a third of the way in, Lee gets going, and we had a wonderful and educational chat about offshore weather and how it impacts us sailors. Get in touch with Lee yourself on marineweatherbylee.com.
#225. Henrik Engblom is the bosun on the tall ship Pommern, one of the classic Cape Horn clipper ships that sailed out of the Aland Islands in the early 20th century. Aland is a Swedish-speaking but legally Finnish archipelago in the Baltic Sea, about 40 miles northeast of Stockholm, and home to a rich cultural & maritime history. Only in his 20s, Henrik, a native Alander Islander, is already a Master Rigger and in charge of Pommern’s restoration. Mia & I visited the ship back in 2013 when we sailed to Aland on Arcturus. I was excited to be back last summer aboard Isbjorn, when in August Henrik gave me a tour of the ship and talked to me at length about his career.
#224 / #173 Recycled. The Reverend Bob Shepton, now 81, got his start shortly after WWII as a climbing instructor in the British Armed Forces, where he used the outdoors to teach leadership & scripture. He didn’t start sailing until much later in life, but got real serious about it real quickly. I sat down with him at the Southampton Boat Show to talk religion, spirituality, his early days as a climber, losing his boat during an Arctic winter, his 15 Atlantic crossings, meeting the Wild Bunch, and the story behind the film series ‘Vertical Sailing Greenland.’ The music in this episode is courtesy of the Wild Bunch. This episode is sponsored by Forbes Horton Yachts. Visit forbesyachts.com. Bob Shepton might not be a household name in the US, but he certainly is in the UK. He was honored as ‘Yachtsman of the Year' in 2014, which may sound irrelevant until you realize the winners in 2013 & 2015 - that would be Sir Ben Ainslie & Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. Good company indeed. Anyway, Bob is one of the most accomplished and yet most humble sailors I’ve ever met. My interview with him was like sitting down with your favorite grandfather and hearing him tell old stories. We could have talked for hours, and Bob seemed to enjoy every second of it. Before you listen to this episode, take five minutes and watch Episode 2 of Vertical Sailing Greenland - you'll find it in the show notes below. That film is what initially inspired me to reach out to Bob, and he tells the behind-the-scenes story of it at length about halfway through our chat.
Paul Exner is one of our best friends, and easily the best sailor I’ve ever sailed with. Paul is Isbjorn’s Racing skipper, and is the only person - besides mad dad - who I’ve trusted to sail Isbjorn offshore without me being aboard. He’s been a regular on the podcast, so if you don’t know his backstory - how he grew up as a Gringo living in Puerto Rico, went on to coach the racing team at the University of Wisconsin, had his own mapping business, built his Cape George 31 Solstice from a bare hull and eventually sailed it to the caribbean - listen to one of his past episodes on On the Wind. Paul & I talk today about surviving Hurricane Irma and how it’s changed the lives of his young family.
#222. Carlton Goldthwaite is the visionary founder & owner of Broadreach, a North-Carolina based company that offers adventure travel and cultural immersion programs for students worldwide, a company very close to my heart - my first official captain’s job was in 2008, as a Broadreach skipper based out of French St Martin and co-leading three-week sailing & diving trips around the Leeward Islands. Carlton & I spoke in-person at the Broadreach HQ in Raleigh about his seaside childhood on the coast of New Jersey, his vagabonding experiences as a young adult, his stint on Wall Street as a junk bond trader, and the origins and evolution of Broadreach itself.
John Martino is the former owner of 'Isbjorn', then 'Patriot', and he's also the founder of the Annapolis School of Seamanship. I spoke to John in Eastport at the school's headquarters about his history as a sailor, how he founded the school, and of course how he came to own 'Patriot' and what he thought of her as a boat!
Jessie Zevalkink is half of the 'Katie & Jessie On a Boat' duo that sailed the Great Loop in their early 20's, and had a popular blog that documented the journey. Mia & I met Jessie and her partner Luke (Katie was absent) at the Annapolis Sailboat Show in October and talked about that Great Loop trip, Jessie & Luke's recent trans-Atlantic passage, and their plans to sail around the world.
Taylor Grieger & his friend Stephen O'Shea make up 'Skeleton Crew Sailing.' They're on a mission to raise awareness for veteran's suicide by 'taming Cape Horn' in their 36' sloop. Taylor is a former Navy Rescue Swimmer who did tours in the Pacific. Andy spoke to him while the crew were stopped in Panama for repairs before continuing on towards Cape Horn.
Gary Adams is the new owner of Oban Marina, in Scotland, which we visited on Isbjorn in June. He's also a former Clipper Race crewmember, who sailed with our friend - and podcast #184 guest - Ollie Cotterell. Gary & Andy sat down on the island of Kerrera to talk about Gary's sailing & business background, his Clipper Race experience and what it's like owning a marina.
#214. Brittany Meyers is the author of Windtraveler, the hugely popular blog about her experience transitioning from 'land to sea to the tropics with three.' She's an accomplished sailor, a mom, an adventurer, and now, after sadly losing her beloved boat 'Legato' to Hurricane Irma, a philanthropist. She tells her story to Andy this week on the podcast.
Andy Jamieson joined the crew of Infinity, a 120-foot hand-built schooner, on a voyage towards Antarctica. The adventures that ensued were filmed and recently released as 'Sea Gypsies: The Far Side of the World,' easily one of the best sailing movies we've seen. Go to seagypsiesmovie.com to watch for yourself.
#212. RECYCLED. Sara Hastreiter sailed in the previous Volvo Ocean Race aboard the all-women Team SCA, skippered by Dee Caffari. Sara's off mountaineer for this year's event, set to sail on October 22. But Dee Caffari is heading up the mixed-crew team on 'Turn the Tide on Plastic,' so you know who I'll be rooting for this year! Mia & I met and sailed with Sara in NYC a few years back, and I had a chance to talk to her on Skype immediately following the last Volvo.
#211. Hank & Andy sat down at the Annapolis Sailboat Show to discuss the ongoing relief efforts in the Caribbean due to Hurricane's Irma & Maria. The successive storms destroyed two of Hank's favorite islands - St. Martin & Dominica - also the places he calls home aboard 'Avocation' during the winter sailing season. Hank discusses his focused effort to help the people of those islands rebuild, and how YOU can help.
210: Skip Novak is a leader in the expedition sailing world, and his Pelagic expeditions based in Patagonia are world-class, and a huge inspiration to our business at 59 North with Isbjorn. Skip & Andy spoke about his career in the Whitbread Race, growing up in Chicago, building an expedition business, sailing with Magnus Olsson and much more.
207. Jake Albano, who’s still in his 20s, is a longtime friend of mine and has been an integral part of sailing Isbjorn and managing the cruising rallies I used to be involved with. I first met Jake at the ARC Europe rally in 2014 when he was sailing aboard Persistent Lady, the dramatic story of which you’ll hear in the episode. Jake then sailed with me as mate on our first ‘test’ trip for our business model on Serenity, a Shannon 43 ketch we were loaned before we bought Isbjorn, and he’s sailed with us since on many occasions. Jake & I recorded this conversation at-sea aboard Isbjorn in the Azores earlier this summer, and we talk about how he got into sailing as a young person, and his tips for other young people on following in his tracks.
#206. Mia & I met the Veber’s in Horta in the Azores back in may, where the family of four had just completed their return Atlantic crossing in their 30’ “Anna Lisa.” The Veber’s had set out from Sweden the year before towards the Caribbean, and after a winter cruising & exploring the Caribbean, were headed home. We invited the whole gang aboard Isbjorn, including the kids Trulls & Mathilda, where we talked about sailing as a family, leaving home, friends and school, the challenges of living on a small boat peacefully, what it was like to be filmed on the Swedish TV-show ‘Familjer pa Aventyr’ and how they felt about returning home.
#204. Randall Reeves is about to embark on an ambitious passage he's dubbed the ‘Figure 8 Voyage,’ in October. With a 43’ aluminum boat and only his thoughts to accompany him, he's hoping to complete a circumnavigation of both the America’s & Antarctica, alone. Inspired by historic explorers and modern sailors like Matt Rutherford, Randall’s is a personal challenge. I spoke to him back in April, while we we’re still in St. Croix, about his sailing past, his preparation & his goals for the trip. Follow Randall & support the adventure at figure8voyage.com.
