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On the Wind Sailing

59º North Sailing Podcasts

The definitive podcast about sailing. Professional sailors Andy Schell, Mia Karlsson and August Sandberg interview sailors from around the world to discover what motivates, scares & inspires them. For over twelve years and through 490+ episodes, our hosts have interviewed sailors like Dee Caffari, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Liz Clark, John Kretschmer, Kirsten Neuschafer, Nigel Calder, Pip Hare & many, many more. We talk to boat builders, yacht designers, YouTube stars, performance racers, and family cruisers. HOLD FAST!

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25 episodes
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Avg 1 hr 21 min
English

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#511
Tuesday · 54 min
Peter Gibbons-Neff Returns // Foiling Mini-TransAt
Peter Gibbons-Neff returns to the podcast to talk about his second attempt at the Mini Trans-At race, but this time in a foiling prototype. The Mini Trans-At is wild - it's a solo race across the Atlantic in tiny, 22-foot, very high performance boats, and is often the entry point for Vendee Globe hopefuls. Peter completed the race in a "series" mini a few years ago, and is making another attempt, this time in a new-build foiling "prototype" mini. The boats are insane, able to make speeds in excess of 30 knots on their foils. Peter and I met in Annapolis during Boat Show and he filled me in on the latest. -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Weems & Plath and BVI Yacht Sales.
#510
October 27 · 1 hr 23 min
Matt Rutherford // 'Prepare to be Boarded!'
Matt Rutherford is back in Annapolis and back on the show. After a whirlwind Boat Show, Matt joined me in the cabin of my dad's Grand Banks trawler KODIAK to recap his return voyage to Annapolis after a bad ice year forced the Russians to close the Northern Sea Route. Matt tells me about being boarded - not once, but twice - by the Russians and how that feels at the ends of the earth. We talked about playing video games at 81º North, the misery of a long delivery sail after failing at his Arctic circumnavigation and what comes next after a disappointing summer. // Andy -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Weems & Plath and BVI Yacht Sales. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
#509
October 22 · 1 hr 5 min
Jeremy Davis #4 // Understanding the Hurricane Season
Atlantic hurricane season has been flipped upside down. While the Atlantic sits at just 10% of its normal cyclone energy, the Eastern and Central Pacific are seeing record-breaking storms. Meteorologist and weather-routing specialist Jeremy Davis explains the atmospheric domino effect behind this unusual split, and what it means for sailors. -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Weems & Plath and BVI Yacht Sales. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
#508
October 13 · 1 hr 19 min
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston #2 // Talking Sailing With the OG Himself
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston is back on the pod 10 years later! August & I made the pilgrimage to England to interview the OG himself at Clipper Race headquarters in Gosport, this time armed with more confidence and more mutual friends. Robin was relaxed and talkative and we covered everything from his letters with Moitessier to his thoughts about what makes a good skipper to what it's like in the British Merchant Navy. The best part? After the 90-minute recording session, he took us down to SUHAILI, where we spent another hour or so sitting in the cabin of that iconic boat and hearing Golden Globe race stories off the mics! This is an all-timer, enjoy! -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Weems & Plath and BVI Yacht Sales. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
#507
October 6 · 1 hr 36 min
Cole Brauer #3 // Writing her book, FIRST LIGHT
Cole Brauer & I could have talked for another hour after the last time she was on the show, so this time we did just that! I chatted to Cole during her book tour for the release of her memoir FIRST LIGHT (out now!). She'd been on a whirlwind travel schedule, and I'm pretty sure was talking to me from a hotel in New York. We discussed ""extroverting"" and the energy that takes from both of us, the process of getting her book to the world, her story of recording the audiobook version in a studio in London and much, much more. Make sure to get your copy of Cole's book FIRST LIGHT, it's great! Audio excerpted courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio from First Light by Cole Brauer, read by Cole Brauer. © 2026 Cole Brauer, ℗ 2026 Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved. -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Weems & Plath and BVI Yacht Sales. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
#506
August 11 · 1 hr 36 min
Matt Rutherford // Far North of Russia
Guess what? It's Matt Rutherford on the show again! Matt & I recorded this episode while he was at-sea on the Valiant 42, far north of Russia and a few days away from entering the first ""pinch point"" on his Northern Sea Route above Siberia. Meanwhile I was recording from the cabin on SPICA outside Stockholm. Matt & I talked through how the first 4,000+ miles of his passage has gone so far, how he was featured in Playboy magazine, what he thinks his chances of success are and how much he enjoys being alone at sea. Make sure to donate to Matt's Ocean Research Project so they can continue doing the environmental and climate research in the far north, or better yet, come to our Crew Party in Annapolis this October where all proceeds will go to ORP! -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Weems & Plath and BVI Yacht Sales. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
#505
July 21 · 1 hr 50 min
Cole Brauer #2 // Finding Community as a Pro Sailor
Cole Brauer returns to the podcast to talk with Andy this time. She shares her journey from local sailing ambitions to global recognition, exploring the challenges of gender equity, the realities of professional racing, and the importance of community and mental health in the sailing world. We talk about mental health challenges, the importance of disconnecting to reconnect, and how sailing and living simply have transformed her perspective on happiness and success. Cole's book 'First Light: Sailing Solo but Not Alone' launches officially September 15! -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Schooner Woodwind and BVI Yacht Sales. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
#504
July 7 · 55 min
Øyvind Nilssen // Lofoten Raftup Rerun
Back in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, August and Øyvind Nilssen were both out sailing on two very different boats. He was sailing in Lofoten, and August was passing through on a brand-new Bavaria he was delivering along the Norwegian coast. They rafted up together in a beautiful little cove, and had a hell of a party that night. The next morning, they found some peace and quiet to record this podcast. -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Schooner Woodwind and BVI Yacht Sales. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
#503
June 30 · 1 hr 18 min
Will Sofrin // The Nazi Origins of the USCG EAGLE
Will Sofrin returns to the podcast to talk about his new book on the USCG EAGLE tall ship. Will, a former "yachtie" turned tallship sailor, first came on the show back in 2023 to talk about delivering the ship used in the film Master & Commander, which became the subject of his first book, "All Hands on Deck," which I LOVE and which has a place in FALKEN's onboard library. This time we talked about his budding career as a writer since the success of that first book, the incredible Nazi history of the EAGLE and about leadership in the wider context. -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Schooner Woodwind and BVI Yacht Sales. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
#502
June 23 · 1 hr 26 min
Jimmy Cornell // The Godfather of Offshore Cruising
The one and only Jimmy Cornell joins the podcast for the first time to talk about his legendary career as the godfather of offshore cruising. Jimmy, now 86, has led an extraordinary life - he escaped communist Romania to go on to become one of the icons of cruising under sail. He's circumnavigated three times, sailed to the far north and the far south, and recently published the 10th edition of his cruising bible "World Cruising Routes." Jimmy and I discuss his remarkable career on this wide-ranging and wild podcast conversation. -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Schooner Woodwind and BVI Yacht Sales. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
#501
June 16 · 1 hr 32 min
Gunnar Christensen // From Yacht Captain to Golden Globe Sailor
Gunnar Christensen is a career yacht captain and racing sailor who is in the midst of pivoting to sail solo, nonstop around the world in the upcoming Golden Globe Race. Gunnar and I talked about his origins as a sailor in New England, his varied career on yachts and racing boats and about the prep on his Bob Perry-designed boat for the round-the-world voyage. Gunnar is the first guest we've had on the show who came to record in-person at the new Mission Control in Sweden! Follow his progress in the GGR at gunnarsails.com. -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Schooner Woodwind and BVI Yacht Sales. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
#500
June 10 · 1 hr 35 min
Conrad Humphreys // Captain Bligh & Rounding Cape Horn
Conrad Humphries is a career sailor and his adventures have truly run the gamut. He's done everything from Whitbread round-the-world racing to re-enacting the famous voyage of Captain Bligh for a BBC television series. I was connected to him through a mutual friend while Conrad was skippering the racing yacht HOUND, one of my all-time favorite boats (look it up!). Despite his love for sailing fast, Conrad actually bought the replica BOUNTY launch after the filming and sails it on the southwest coast of the UK. Check out his latest adventures on http://bountyandhope.com/ -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Schooner Woodwind and BVI Yacht Sales. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
#499
May 19 · 1 hr 25 min
Ben Doerr // "Hose it or Lose it!"
Ben Doerr, friend of the pod, of Sail Bainbridge out in Seattle, returns to the show to talk about a near-miss he and his friends had recently in Alaska. On what should have been Day 1 of their latest Sail 2 Ski adventure, a mile or so outside the harbor the boat caught fire in the engine room. Thanks to some quick-thinking and a lot of good luck, they managed to save the boat, did no harm to the crew, and even managed to get in some skiing later in the week. This is the story. -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Schooner Woodwind and BVI Yacht Sales. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
#498
May 12 · 1 hr 35 min
Andy Schell ARCHIVE // Mentally Preparing to go Offshore (2014)
Most sailors obsess over boat gear and weather routing — but Andy Schell argues the single most important factor in a successful offshore passage is something almost nobody talks about: your mental state. Drawing on marathon training philosophy, solo circumnavigation stories, and his own mid-Atlantic spiritual awakening, this seminar reframes ocean sailing as an emotional journey with predictable stages — and teaches you how to navigate each one. This episode was originally recorded as a live seminar back in 2014, before 59º North was even a thing. You can read the full transcript and learn about Andy's insights, what has changed in the 12 years since first published this, and more as a Quarterdeck member! -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Schooner Woodwind and BVI Yacht Sales. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
#497
May 5 · 1 hr 32 min
Matt Rutherford // Around the Arctic (in a Valiant This Time!)
When Matt first went around the America's in his Albin Vega in 2011 (becoming the first and only person, still to this day, to do it solo and nonstop), he didn't have a radar despite all the icebergs. "I'd also rather have a Valiant 42"! he'd joke when people asked about it. Well, now he does! Matt is about to set forth on another epic adventure, aiming to circumnavigate the Arctic, above the Northwest & NorthEAST passages, on a Valiant 42 on loan from a friend (and 59º North crew I should add). I talked to Matt, with our mutual friend Ryan Finstad in attendance, in Annapolis two weeks ago to get an update. -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Schooner Woodwind and BVI Yacht Sales. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
#496
March 17 · 1 hr 14 min
Mia & Andy // 2025 Year-In-Review (Only 3 Months Late!)
Mia and Andy sit down in the new Mission Control to review the year that was 2025! And we're only 3 months late in doing it! Each year Mia & Andy like to record a podcast in which we reflect on the past year and share some stories. So much happens over the course a year with us and 59º North that it's tough to keep track of it all in the moment! You'll be shocked at some of the stats we come up with in this episode. So grab a coffee or a beer depending on what timezone you're listening to this in, and join Mia & Andy on reflecting on last year! -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Offshore Passage Opportunities and Rutgerson Marin. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
#495
March 10 · 1 hr 2 min
Ben Soofer // Making a career in sailing
Ben Soofer joined 59 North back in 2018, working with media and on the backend of this very podcast. He then started sailing as a mate, including joining August on his first offshore passage on Isbjørn. He's then gone on to start his own business, and working with many others. August caught up with him to reminisce about the past, share some old sea stories, and talk about how Ben's made a unique career out of his passion. -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Offshore Passage Opportunities and Rutgerson Marin. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
#494
March 3 · 1 hr 10 min
Francesca Clapcich // The 1st Italian to Win The Ocean Race
Francesca Clapcich is an Olympian, a world champion, and in 2023 became the first Italian to win The Ocean Race. She most recently skippered UpWind by MerConcept, an all-female Ocean Fifty trimaran campaign — and now, she's set her sights on the 2028 Vendée Globe with her title sponsor, 11th Hour Racing. We caught up back in July, while she was enjoying a few final weeks at home in Utah with her wife and daughter where she lives, before heading off to co-skipper four of the five legs of The Ocean Race Europe with Team Malizia. We spoke about starting new chapters, redefining success, and her mission to do more than just sail. -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Offshore Passage Opportunities and Rutgerson Marin. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
#493
February 24 · 1 hr 13 min
Nikki Henderson // Writing, Racing and Life
Friend of 59º North Nikki Henderson returns to the podcast to talk with me about a wide-ranging list of subjects on sailing, life and philosophy. This conversation was initially inspired by my own curiosity about Nikki's writing process. We talked about how each of us think about writing about sailing, how we go from idea to words-on-the-paper, how our experiences shape our writing and more. Then we delve into racing, recovery time after a long passage and lots more. If you want to read more of Nikki's writing, subscribe to 'SALTED', her weekly newsletter on Substack! -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Offshore Passage Opportunities and Rutgerson Marin. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
#492
February 23 · 1 hr 25 min
Troy Sears // Schooner AMERICA
Troy Sears is the owner and captain of the San Diego-based Schooner AMERICA, a 144-ft replica of the racing ship that came to be the namesake of the famous Cup. Troy is a huge America's Cup nerd & history buff, delving into the history of the Cup and starting the podcast off with a question about the origins of the word 'yacht.' Troy lives aboard AMERICA with his dog and captain's the boat on daily whalewatching trips 330 days per year. We talked about how he came to buy the boat, his career sailing AMERICA all over the oceans, running the chase boat for actual America's Cup campaigns and much much more in an exciting, unexpected, and wide-ranging interview. -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck, where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com. See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Offshore Passage Opportunities and Rutgerson Marin. Support the show by supporting our sponsors!

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