Trawler Talk

Karly and Evan Nietzel—aka YouTube's @Navigating Nietzels—tailored their careers to remote work after relocating to Florida, buying a trawler and moving onboard to complete the Great Loop. Along with their pup, Ripley, they're just getting going. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eight Bells for Chris Caswell. A titan of marine journalism for 50 years, Chris passed away on May 13. We are re-running this podcast from 2023 where Chris shared fundamental—yet off the beaten path—navigation tips that'll help get you home when things go bad or your electronics go out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Larry Graf, the founder, designer and lead engineer of Aspen Power Catamarans, doesn’t seem to stop moving and innovating—he just can’t help himself. The lifetime tinkerer fills us in on Aspen's unique proa hull designs and adventure cruising on his own creations from the Arctic to the Sea of Cortez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After navigating the Pacific coasts of the United States and Mexico then wintering in the Sea of Cortez, Jeff and Kami Fehr rang in 2026 by transiting  the Panama Canal aboard their meticulously refit Selene 59, Dock Holiday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jay Kraft wants everyone to love the power cruising lifestyle. His Traverse City, Mich.-based school, Trawlers Great Lakes, hosts an intensive program for new and potential boat owners, as well as bareboat and pilot charters. It's an increasingly rare and vital initiative designed to teach real cruising and informed decision-making as a helmsman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Leigh-Jones says he likes stories and he’s got a special one to share. The Welshman and former Merchant Marine followed a successful career with a return to the sea aboard Vanguard, his custom-built, 78-foot aluminum bruiser. After a Mediterranean wring-out, Leigh-Jones and a small crew embarked on a bucket-list journey to Greenland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After fulfilling careers and raising a family in their native New Zealand, Mark and Fiona Rammell pivoted. They bought Hull No. 1 of Nordhavn's 51-foot series, picked her up in Turkey and embarked on a slow-burn circumnavigation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Selene Yachts customers and dealers gathered in Zhuhai, China for the grand opening of its new, 400,000-plus-square-foot shipyard. We caught up with Selene founder and CEO Howard Chen to chat about the new boatyard, his invaluable workforce, the loyalty of its owners and the exciting things to come next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Suzanne and Steven Webster have spent six years exploring the Pacific Northwest aboard Fortitude, their Kadey-Krogen 54. Their origin story of finding their forever boat and becoming liveaboards is a captivating one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supersede is replacing plywood-based building materials with an eco-friendly alternative that is waterproof, rot-proof and derived from 100 percent recycled plastic waste. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Being prepared when boating in remote areas goes beyond your boat's sundries and spares. In the case of a true medical emergency, it can surpass the capabilities of those onboard and the nearest care centers. Anthony Marinello has decades of experience on elite helicopter rescue crews and, as you will hear, in areas ravaged by war and instability. He founded the subscription-based Tropic Air Rescue as the first and only private helicopter air ambulance in Bahamas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nicholas and Johanna Baxter logged over 5,000 nautical miles in seven months on their Fleming 85, Freja, in SE Asia. But they were just getting started. We caught up to them on the Côte d'Azur after they shipped their boat to Europe to spend summer and beyond exploring the Mediterranean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe Tokarz of Motor City Boat Werks returns to Trawler Talk and fills us in on his 16-day summer voyage in Norway's Telemark region on an all-electric yacht. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Along with her dogs and a (very) occasional guest, Maria Langer crossed her wake after more than 8,000 nautical miles on the Great Loop aboard her Ranger Tugs R-29 "Do It Now." Her adventure on the Loop is just as interesting as her multifaceted careers as a helicopter pilot, writer and jewelry artist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Longtime sailors Ed Muir and his wife, Cory, were looking to navigate to the next phase of their maritime life onboard a power cruiser and set their sights on a Pilgrim 40. The couple talk about the multiyear process to find their forever boat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Longtime boaters Nathan and Lindsay had high-octane careers in motorsports before deciding to slow down. The couple have moved on from coastal cruising to a life as liveaboards on their Nordhavn 41, documenting their explorations on YouTube @the71Percent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are joined by Power & Motoryacht Editor-in-Chief Daniel Harding Jr. to talk maritime medical emergency management with Dr. Robert Leviton, who tells us what you need in your onboard first-aid kit, how to handle the most common onboard injuries, when to call and pan-pan and when to make a mayday call, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andre Lay and Cavendish are back on the brine! Lay returns to his SeaPiper 37 in southern Mexico to resume his slow-burn journey, with the goal of circumnavigating North America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

These four intrepid women spent over two months on a North Pacific 28, cruising on the Inside Passage of British Columbia, inspired by the century-old adventures of a trailblazer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Longtime boaters Alec and Laurie Thyrre first bought a trawler when son Jack was born and became enthralled with the safety, pace and ability to reach far-flung destinations. Taking an early retirement, they family spent several years cruising throughout Europe after crossing the Atlantic on their Nordhavn 64. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest host Dan Harding, editor-in-chief of sister publication Power & Motoryacht, joins the new owners of the Fleming flagship—an 85-foot, enclosed bridge model—to talk boats, cruising, why they chose Fleming Yachts, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After selling his tech startup, engineer James Waters and his wife nearly purchased a 63-foot trawler. But the jump was too big for insurers, so the Waters' pivoted. They bought a smaller vessel and cruised far and wide, learned its many systems and earned sea time with the goal of a life as liveaboards on a proper trawler. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Longtime liveaboard Stephenie Hollyman's life sounds like a fable. The seasoned captain and author was hooked early to the aquatic life, with stops as a New York Harbor tugboat cook, a Fulbright scholar and a lower Manhattan resident that shared a loft with a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Soundings Deputy Editor Pim Van Hemmen joined boatbuilder Sam Devlin on a summer cruise in Alaska aboard Puffin, Devlin's 1966 wooden trawler. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff Druek's professional life started in the commercial fishing industry which morphed into a successful career in custom homebuilding. When it came time to reward himself with a yacht, he became frustrated with the lack of customization available, so he built his own. Thus, Outer Reef Yachts was born. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every September, the Côte d'Azur welcomes boatbuilders from around the world for the Cannes Yachting Festival. Trawler Talk host Jeff Moser is joined by Power & Motoryacht senior editor Chris Dixon to talk about the new boats, the trends, the sea trials and more that took place on the French Riviera. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former naval officer Joe Lovejoy fell in love with the sea while stationed in coastal Japan. After completing his service, he figured that life as a liveaboard would suit his tastes and found his new home, a 1982 Ed Monk 36, near San Diego. Lovejoy details his search, the work he's done to her, the people that have helped him along the way and what's next for him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This couple, their two kids and two cats spent 15 months traveling the Great Loop, documenting it all on their YouTube channel. We speak with the intrepid boaters for the inside scoop on their adventure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe Tokarz has been restoring old boats as a way to unwind from his career as a federal agent. When he retired in 2022, he founded MotorCity Boat Werks, a YouTube channel that covers the how-tos in amateur boat restoration. Currently, he's working on a major refit of an Albin 27 pocket trawler. Last year, Joe and his wife spent 2 weeks on a chartered steel trawler "chasing windmills" in the Dutch province of Friesland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fort Lauderdale's first-class marinas, service yards, dining and nightlife—and its ideal location along the ICW and as a gateway to the Bahamas—makes it such an inviting destination for cruisers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We meet with Selene Yachts founder and CEO Howard Chen as the company celebrates its 25-year anniversary building long-range, full-displacement trawlers. Chen is joined by Selene Americas President Wayne Goldman to discuss the company's expansion plans, new models and more. We also chat with technical Director Dylan Hildebrand about outfitting the new 60 Ocean Explorer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Passagemaker's Trawlerfest is more than a boat show: it is where the builders, educators and community come together in an intimate, rendezvous atmosphere. We spoke to several exhibitors and educators at our Stuart Trawlerfest to get a sense of this incredible, not-to-be-missed gathering. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Paulsons have spent the last few years blissfully exploring the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America onboard their 1968 Grand Banks 42 Classic, Splinters. It's a long way from the Colorado barn where the couple's herculean efforts gave the 42 a second chance at a seagoing life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This couple had the boat of their dreams, a Marlow 62, built for them to take on the Great Loop—which they completed in 2023. And they're just getting started. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An intrepid couple who had undertaken a half-dozen refits bring Robert Beebe’s Passagemaker back from the brink. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Longtime captain Nakomis Nelson shares the planning and preparation behind his bucket list, 4,200-nautical-mile trip from Holland to Maine via Iceland and Greenland on an Elling E6. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For over four decades, Steve Zimmerman has run his eponymously named repair and service centers along the U.S. East Coast. Zimmerman tells us about his beginnings in the marine trade, what to expect from a boatyard that's worth its salt and what you need to know when buying a used boat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This seasoned waterman took delivery of his SeaPiper 35 and has started a journey that, when completed, will see his compact trawler circumnavigate North America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A few years ago, April and Rio DeGennaro had never heard of the Great Loop. But once they did, they never looked back. They attended several AGLCA events and spent significant time finding the right boat for the singular American adventure, which they plan on tackling in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We agree on what defines a recreational trawler, but what about a passagemaker? Are they one in the same? Host Jeff Moser and longtime marine journalist Kenny Wooton discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We chat with the director of America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association about this uniquely American adventure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cruising at displacement speeds? Why not troll for fish as well! Our guest, Anglers Journal editor-in-chief Charlie Levine, fills us in on the gear and techniques you need to supplement your sundries with fresh fish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After extensive cruises on U.S. waterways, Robert and Graciela Gannon shipped their Ranger Tugs R-31 to Holland for a multi-year journey throughout Europe. This episode is sponsored by Imtra: https://www.imtra.com/products/anchoring Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

These Loop veterans cruised north on their powercat to explore Canada’s lakes and historic canals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh and Sophia Johnson found a Diesel Duck 462 in Hawaii and spent over a year traveling from their home in Arizona to get her ready for a 2,500 nautical mile journey to Alaska. But the story doesn't end there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

These fundamental, yet off the beaten path, navigation tips may help get you home when things go bad, or your electronics go out.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Take these steps to ensure a trouble-free launch at the start of your boating season, or after having some work done on your vessel. This episode is sponsored by the Anacortes Boat & Yacht Show featuring Trawlerfest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Editor-in-chief Jeff Moser is joined by Power & Motoryacht’s Chris Dixon to discuss their journey to South Africa to visit Robertson and Caine, builder of Leopard Catamarans.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Calling himself a designing boatbuilder, Sam Devlin has run Devlin Designing Boat Builders since 1978. An active proponent of wood/epoxy boats throughout his career, Sam is the author of the 1997 best seller Devlin’s Boat Building on the stitch-and-glue method.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tony Fleming got into boatbuilding by chance and spent a quarter-century with American Marine, which would become Grand Banks Yachts. At age 50, Fleming founded his eponymously named yacht company, which would go on to be among the most successful lines of passagemaking yachts ever built. Fleming reflects on his early days, extensive cruising in his retirement and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices