PODCAST · society
On the Wind Sailing
by 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!
Episodes
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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...
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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…
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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...
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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...
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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…
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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…
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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...
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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…
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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…
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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...
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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....
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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...
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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!…
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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...
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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…
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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...
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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...
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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...
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John Kretschmer // Seam'nship, Racing, Life & NOT Retiring!
John Kretschmer is back on the podcast to talk more philosophy and more sailing. If you're new to the show, or new to John's work, he's inspired me more than any other sailor. His books are legendary, and you should read all of them. But start with 'Sailing a Serious Ocean,' if you want one book...
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Chris Kobusch & Sophie O'Neill // From Clipper Race to Antarctica & Beyond
Chris Kobusch & Sophie O'Neill are longtime friends of 59º North. Chris was in fact one of our full-time skippers for two years on ICEBEAR & FALKEN, and Mia & I recently attended their wedding in England last September. Both professional sailors, they met on the Clipper Race, where Sophie was a...
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Jahn Tihansky // Racer, Sailmaker, Coach and Entrepreneur
Andy Schell and Jahn Tihansky sit down in Annapolis to discuss Jahn's long and exciting sailing career. He's been racing and beating some of the biggest names in the sport, built successful sailmaking and sailing businesses, and served as head sailing coach at the U.S. Naval Academy for many…
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Ari Huusela // First Finn to Finish the Vendée Globe
Ari Huusela is an aircraft mechanic and commercial airline pilot from Helsinki, Finland. He did not start sailing until the age of 24, but went on to become the first person from the Nordic countries to have finished the brutal Vendee globe round the world race. During the race he became known as...
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Matt Rutherford // On Adventure, Fear & Solo Sailing Around the Arctic
Matt Rutherford is back again, this time to talk about perhaps his most audacious plans yet - to sail solo and nonstop around the Arctic. That's back-to-back through the Northwest Passage and NorthEAST passage (above Russia). I caught up with Matt in person to talk about his plans (and lots more,...
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James Evenson // Sailing Zingaro & What is Seam'nship?
James Evenson, aka Sailing Zingaro on YouTube, has sailed tens of thousands of miles on a variety of boats and had countless adventures. Several of those adventures have ended either in disaster or heroics, depending on your perspective, and it got me wondering - what is true seam'nship? James…
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Pär Nyman // GGR 2026 & Sailing Spirituality
Pär Nyman is a Swedish sailor who recently bought the Rustler 36 Lazy Otter and signed up for the 2026 Golden Globe race. He sailed from Sweden to Bergen, Norway, to sea trial his boat, gain experience, and to meet up with fellow Golden Globe competitor Daniel Alfredsson from Bergen. August met…
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Mara Løvenskiold // From Fencer & Bobsled Athlete to the Golden Globe Race
The rumors are true - 59º North has bought the Schooner Woodwind business in Annapolis! Andy, Mia, founder Jen Kaye & new GM Ryan Ellison share some behind-the-scenes at the top of today's show. Come help celebrate with us at Annapolis Sailboat Show, and meet today's podcast guest Mara, who will…
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Sidse Birk Johannsen // From Denmark to Greenland
Sidse Johannsen is a Danish solo sailor with major plans. When Andy spoke to her in June, she was in final preparations to sail her C&C 40 from Denmark to Greenland, where she'd worked as a teacher some years ago and always longed to return to. She talks about the trials and stresses of buying…
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Cole Brauer // The First American Woman to Race Around the World
Cole Brauer made history in 2024 as the first American woman to race solo, non-stop around the world. She crossed the line wearing a hat that read Wild Feminist — a bold and powerful statement from a sailor who'd once been told she was too short for the Southern Ocean. Clearly, she proved them...
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Daniel Alfredsson // Golden Globe Race 2026
Daniel Alfredsson is a commercial diver living in Bergen, Norway. He is preparing himself and his boat to sail around the world solo, unassisted, non-stop with an old boat and retro technology as a participant in Don Macintryres 2026 Golden Globe Race. I had the pleasure of meeting Daniel and to...
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Dan & Kika // Sailing Uma Exclusive
Dan & Kika of Sailing Uma return to the podcast to talk to Andy this time, and boy do they go deep! What started as a chance to catch up on the latest refit progress on Uma, turned into a winding tale of botched visas, border agents, airport jail cells, deportations, almost buying a new boat - in...
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"Ankring" // Andy & August
August Sandberg has returned from paternal leave and vacation, and together with Andy Schell they catch up and talk about anchoring in the archipelago of Sweden and Norway – something which is done quite differently amongst sailors in this part of the world. Back in summertime a video Andy posted...
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Logan & Caroline Rowell // Sea People StartUp
Founders of SeaPeople, Logan and Caroline Rowell take us through the motivation behind creating an all-encompassing app for cruiser connectivity. It's basically a "Welcome to 2025" to the next generation of cruisers. Much of offshore communications are quite frankly, decades behind tech.…
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Max Campbell // ELIXIR Sails Halfway Around the World
AUDIO ISSUE FIXED :) Max Campbell returns to the podcast, talking to Andy from New Zealand where he's been in refit-mode on his Swan 37 ELIXIR. Since Max was last on the show in 2019, following his solo Atlantic Circle, he's rebuilt and sailed the ELIXIR halfway around the world, taking friends…
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Mark Sinclair // Captain Coconut Around the World
Mark Sinclair returns to the podcast, live from FALKEN's cockpit in Nuku Hiva! Andy caught up with Mark after FALKEN & COCONUT have been shadowing each other across the Pacific - they even shared a raft-up through the Panama Canal! Mark is midway through his fourth circumnavigation attempt since...
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Victoria Low // Magenta Project CEO
Victoria Low is the newly appointed CEO of The Magenta Project. I first met Vicky back in 2021, after being told she was the person to talk to if you're planning any serious international sailing campaign — and it's easy to see why. With over three decades in sailing public relations and...
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Dan Turner // Around the World with the Mini Globe
Dan Turner is a 40-something Australian with extremely high ambitions for himself. When he was just a teenager, he wrote a list of bucket-list items that he wanted to accomplish during his life — things like ultra-running and becoming a martial arts champion. In a quite short time, Dan completed...
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Women & the Wind // Adventuring aboard Mara Noka
Women and the Wind are three exceptional and multi-faceted women who embody courage, creativity, and pose a rare example of primal femininity at sea. Kiana, Laerke and Alizé, cross the Atlantic using all traditional sailing methods aboard "Mara Noka" a 50-year-old plywood catamaran with nylon...
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Ben Shaw // Out the Gate & Across the Pacific
Ben Shaw returns to the podcast, this time in-person and onboard DOVKA, his family's Hallberg Rassy. Ben is the host of the Out the Gate sailing podcast and a former crew of 59º North. Ben and his wife Lauren sailed with us on ICEBEAR in 2019 to prepare for their own cruising adventures, and we…
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Will & Sarah Curry // Hydrovane Operations & Life Balance
Will and Sarah Curry are the perfect example of a young family who has managed to create and sustain a life between land and sea, managing and operating "Hydrovane" from their catamaran with 2 littles, and from their home in Vancouver. First and foremost we discuss the ins and outs of the…
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Richard Clarke // Canadian Sailing Legend
Richard Clarke was raised on Toronto Island and first sailed at 4 years old. An impressive performance with Canadian Youth sailing led him to compete in the Finn Class in four consecutive Olympic Games with Team Canada. This opened the door to a wildly successful professional sailing career....
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Bob & Jody Bitchin' // From Bikers to Sailors
Bob and his wife Jody spent most of their life as live-aboards and at sea. Their marital dynamic and life long friendship is infectious. Bob dives into his younger years as a Hells Angel, his entrepreneurial mindset, and how sailing literally saved his life. Bob has owned and operated more...
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Jessie Zevalkink // Cruising, Land-lubbing, Parenting & Podcasting
Longtime friend of the pod Jessie Zevalkink returns to the show ahead of her debut as host of ON THE WIND! We first met Jessie back in 2017 at the Annapolis Sailboat Show, interviewing her after she'd completed the Great Loop with her friend Katie. As it happens in the sailing community, we kept...
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Ben Doerr Returns // Sail Bainbridge
Ben Doerr, longtime friend of the pod and founder/skipper at Sail Bainbridge in Seattle, returns to the show to spin some yarns with Andy. This episode is really a catch-up between Ben & Andy, who haven't spoken in a while, and is a wide-ranging episode on everything from sailing & skiing in…
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Louay Habib // The Master of Sailing Media
Louay Habib is a true sailing insider. Everyone who participates regularly in any of the major offshore races around the world will know Louay. In fact, if you yourself follow sailing – say races like the Fastnet, the Ocean Race - you probably know Louay too – well his writing at least. Currently...
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Katy Campbell // Founder of Sea to Sky Sailing School
Katy Campbell is a world-class sailor, groundbreaking entrepreneur, and one of my lifelong friends. A decade ago, Katy launched her sailing school 'Sea to Sky Sailing'. Sea to Sky is now the only RYA-recognized training center on North America's west coast, and Vancouver's only school offering…
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Matt Rutherford // A Near-Sinking En Route to Bermuda
Matt Rutherford returns yet again to the podcast, this time from his outpost in the Philippines. It's always fun to catch up and shoot the shit with Matt, but this time I really wanted to hear about his near-sinking on a Caribbean delivery last fall. Matt talks through the entire ordeal, from...
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Jesse Terry // Sailing & Racing a Classic Wooden Boat
Jesse Terry is a normal guy — dad and husband, keeps a 9-5 job, lives in the city, etc etc, all that "normal" stuff. But he's decidedly not normal as a boat owner — keeping a classic wooden ketch in top condition with some friends and racing & cruising her up and down New England's coast and out…
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Paul Osborne // Sailing Around the World for Down Syndrome
Paul Osborne is the dad behind Osborne Adventure. Paul's family, including his wife and three kids, are planning a unique circumnavigation over the next few years to raise awareness for Down Syndrome. Paul has spent a lifetime traveling, mountain biking, white water kayaking, climbing, camping…
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Don McIntyre Returns // OGR Founder & Philosophies on Sailing & Adventure
Don McIntyre, founder of the GGR, OGR and now MGR, returns to the podcast! Andy sat down for a meandering conversation where they talk about meeting in Lagos, Portugal at the start of the Mini Globe Race, his philosophies on life, sailing and adventure, Don's definition of success, how he handles...
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Peter Gibbons-Neff // Completing the Mini-Transat
Peter Gibbons-Neff returns to the podcast to talk about the successes and failures of his Mini-Transat racing campaign. "PGN" and I sat down face-to-face in Annapolis where he told me about losing a rudder shortly after the start in the Canaries, the hardest part about solo sailing a 21-ft. boat,...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
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!
HOSTED BY
59º North Sailing Podcasts
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