Cape Horn to Port: a sailing podcast with Ronnie Simpson

This week's guest is world renowned yacht designer and sailor Merfyn Owen of the design firm Owen-Clarke Design (OCD). Merf was the designer of my Class 40, #15 Koloa Maoli, as well as countless other yachts; monohull, multihull, cruising, racing, even rowing boats! We also have a racing recap including Guirec Soudee's successful new world record going around the world solo against the prevailing winds and currents (westabout). The Globe 40 has just started their final leg from Brazil back to France, and The Ocean Race has announced their next USA stopover port for the 2027 edition of the race. We also have a campaign update for Ronnie's Global Solo Challenge 2027 campaign, including some upcoming events, sailing schedule for 2026 and some sponsor shout outs. Please like, follow, give us a rating and share these episodes if you enjoy them. Feel free to reach out at [email protected], and check out www.ronniesimpsonracing.com for campaign updates. 

On this week of Cape Horn to Port, host Ronnie Simpson interviews friend and fellow adventure sailor Whitall Stokes. Whitall Stokes is an avid sailor who has crossed the Atlantic multiple times, participated in a lot of solo racing off the West Coast including the Singlehanded Transpac race, and sailed about 20,000 NM solo including around Cape Horn on his old Open 50 Sparrow. Whitall currently owns a 56' cruising yacht that he is preparing to sail mostly solo around the Americas. Also in this episode, the Globe 40 approaches the finish in Brazil after a long leg from Chile. The Beneteau Figaro 3 fleet completes their season opener with the Solo Guy Cotten, Gitana 18 hits the water for first sea trials and Guirec Soudee begins to line up his finish to a record-breaking lap of the globe in a maxi multihull. Ronnie shares a campaign update where he introduces new campaign sponsor Sebago USA, as well as discusses upcoming boat upgrades including with sponsor Marlow Ropes. Ronnie recently traveled to Vigo, Spain for a GSC event and is now gearing up for a busy summer of sailing. Stay tuned as try to get back on schedule and drop the next episode in a week's time. Feel free to reach out at [email protected].

On this week of Cape Horn to Port, host Ronnie Simpson interviews friend and weather router Jason Christensen of Seattle, Washington, USA. Jason is an avid sailor who works professionally as a coach, instructor and weather router with his company Racing the Wind. In 2023-24, Jason was Ronnie's weather router during the Global Solo Challenge race, and the duo plan to continue working together in the future. Also in this episode, the Globe 40 fleet re-starts from Chile, bound for Brazil. The RORC Caribbean 600 is just a few days out, Guirec Soudee and his maxi-trimaran MACSF opens up her gap over the reference time for going around the world the wrong way, and the maxi-trimaran Gitana 18 hits the water. Ronnie shares a campaign update where he is headed to Spain in a few days for a Global Solo Challenge related event and he has just signed on a major sponsor with Oakley Building Company of Baltimore, Maryland and new technical partners AkzoNobel and Sea Hawk paints. Feel free to reach out at [email protected].

In Episode 5 of Cape Horn to Port, we chat with world class sailor and navigator Christopher 'Lew' Lewis, who most recently navigated the 100' monohull Law Connect to a second place finish on line honors in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. We also discuss Thomas Coville and his crew setting the Trophy Jules Verne record for fastest boat to ever sail around the world, and Thomas beginning to pass the torch off to Benjamin Schwartz. We recap The Famous Project and their record for a female fully crewed circumnavigation on a multihull. Belgian sailor Quentin Debois has just set a new record for sailing a Mini 6.50 racing sailboat across the Atlantic from East to West, while the maxi-trimaran Gitana 18 is undergoing final commissioning. The all new Sam Manuard designed 50' scow Palanad 4 wins the RORC Transatlantic race overall, and not by a little, but a LOT!Aloha-Ronnie SimpsonFor any inquiries, please contact [email protected]

This week of Cape Horn to Port is a massive episode for us. The single most important ocean sailing record on the planet has fallen, as Sodebo Ultim 3 skippered by Thomas Coville wins the Trophy Jules Verne record for fastest boat to ever sail around the world, with a time of 40 days 10 hours 45 minutes. The sailors on the Famous Project, skippered by Alexia Barrier have also finished their circumnavigation, becoming the first all-female fully-crewed multihull to sail around the planet with a time of 57 days, 21 hours and 20 minutes. I break down the completion of both of those journeys before chatting in-studio with legendary east coast based Class 40 sailor Rob Windsor. This is our first in-studio live recording and Rob is a great guest and a wealth of knowledge and experience. Stay tuned next week for more racing world updates and an interview with LawConnect navigator Christopher 'Lew' Lewis, fresh off of his 2nd place finish in the Rolex Sydney to Hobart race. 

This week on Episode 3 of Cape Horn to Port is absolutely jam packed with action in the world of ocean racing. Host Ronnie Simpson continues to break down Sodebo Ultim 3's attempt at the Trophy Jules Verne; Sodebo rounds Cape Horn and establishes a new reference time from Europe to Cape Horn. Guirec Soudee on MACSF rounds Cape Horn in his attempt at the westabout 'wrong way' record around the world. The ladies on the Famous Project are now north of the equator and headed back home to Europe, and should be finished within a week's time. The MOD 70 ARGO claims line honors in the RORC Transatlantic race and establishes a new course record. Belgium Ocean Racing establishes a new 24-hour distance record for Class 40s and the first finishers have reached Brazil in the Cape to Rio race. This week's guest is American solo sailor Erica Lush, the only American to compete in the Solitaire du Figaro last year. Erica talks about living and racing in France, putting together a solo ocean racing campaign, sailing on the Maiden Factor in the Southern Ocean and around Cape Horn, and her future goals to race solo around the world. For more information on Erica and her campaigns, check out @lushsailing on social media and her website lushsailing.comStay tuned for a great guest next week, as well as more ocean racing updates and campaign updates for Ronnie's Class 40 campaign for the 2027 Global Solo ChallengeAloha, Ronnie Simpson

Cape Horn to Port host Ronnie Simpson sits down with Mini Transat sailor and American veteran Peter Gibbons Neff. Peter sailed in the 2023 Mini Transat race, and overcame a rudder failure to still finish the race. Now, Peter is building a new fully-foiling Sam Manuard designed Mini over in France to participate in the 2027 Mini Transat. Ronnie and Peter also talk about their shared participation with US Patriot Sailing, amongst other topics. Ronnie takes a look at Sodebo Ultim 3's Trophy Jules Verne attempt, the Famous Project and IDEC Sport's attempt to become the first fully crewed women-sailed multihull to sail around the world, Guirec Soudee's wrong-way attempt in a multihull, the Globe 40 race around the world doublehanded in Class 40s and the RORC TransAtlantic race. Finally, the episode ends a campaign update on Ronnie's 2027 Global Solo Challenge campaign and the preparations under way at Maine Yacht Center, as well as a sponsor highlight for Getac computers, who have recently come onboard the campaign. Get in touch at [email protected]

Episode 1 of the Cape Horn to Port sailing podcast with Ronnie Simpson. Today we discuss what is happening in the offshore sailing world, and then we interview our first ever guest, Marco Nannini, creator and director of the Global Solo Challenge Yacht Race.In this episode:Rolex Sydney to Hobart yacht race; the line honors winners, the corrected time winners, and some of the controversies. Sodebo Ultim 3's current Trophy Jules Verne record attempt. A record the Equator and Cape of Good Hope, and now holding on to a small and shrinking lead over the reference time as they approach Cape Leeuwin, Australia. IDEC Sport and their attempt to establish a reference time for a fully woman-crewed around the world record attempt on a multihull. The Globe 40 around-the-world leg start from Sydney, Australia to Valaparaiso, Chile in the Class 40s doublehanded.Guirec Soudee and his solo, non-stop around the world record attempt, going the wrong way, onboard the Maxi-Trimaran MACSF.We then talk to Global Solo Challenge race director and creator Marco Nannini about his own solo and shorthanded racing experiences, racing around the world, Cape Horn, the Global Solo Challenge, ideal boats to buy for the race, we discuss Philippe Delamare's incredible victory in the race as well as take a look at the next Global Solo Challenge in 2027-28. We also touch on ideal sail inventory and set-up for Class 40s and how boats can be well prepared and optimized for the race. Please stay tuned to the podcast, subscribe, give us a good rating and help this channel grow.Interested in getting in touch? Drop me an email at [email protected], visit RonnieSimpsonRacing.com, or find me on social media, my Instagram is @RonnieSimpsonRacing.

Episode Zero of Cape Horn to Port: a sailing podcast with Ronnie Simpson. This is a test upload to try to get an episode published and make sure that everything works. Brief intro, what the show is about, and some discussion of the Sydney to Hobart and Sodebo Ultim 3's Trophy Jules Verne attempt. This is a preview to Episode 1, where we sit down with Global Solo Challenge founder and director Marco Nannini.