Standing Before The Mast

Our guest for this episode is Sailor, Author and Broadcaster Tom Cunliffe.Tom has written for many major sailing publications and currently works with Sailing Today and Classic Boat in the UK. He is the author of over two dozen books - notably the Shell Channel Pilot, Celestial Navigation, and Topsail & Battleaxe.Topsail & Battleaxe tells the tale of the time he retraced the path of the Vikings by sailing his Bristol Channel Pilot cutter, Hirta, from Norway to Iceland, Greenland and on to Newfoundland.Topsail & Battleaxe has now been made available as an audiobook and may be purchased directly from his website: tomcunliffe.comIn addition to his writing and sailing, Tom has been a presenter on a few TV shows in the UK - Boat Yard and another called The Boats That Built Britain which aired on BBC2As we learn in this Podcast, the entire series of Boat Yard is now available on YouTube.Tom also has a YouTube channel with many great videos offering tips, advice and tricks to improve your skills. All of

My guest for this episode is Marcello of La Gondola Providence, Inc. Marcello is the second owner of the business who came to the job during his college years. He’s very well traveled and extremely knowledgeable about the culture, history and construction of the Venetian Gondola. Marcello gives us his history with the company, how he met the original owners, and where he’s taken it. In addition to the experience on the water and the construction of the boats, we also talk about the singing and musical components to this experience.You can learn more about Marcello and his gifted team by visiting gondolari.com

This is a bit of a diversion from the normal podcast episodes I do. Given all that’s going on right now, I thought we’d check in with Capt. Tim Mills, Harbormaster for the City of Newport, and find out what to expect when we take to the water this summer. Tim gives us the latest information on quarantine rules for boaters, restrictions on use of facilities, launches and boat ramps.Tim reminds us that the City of Newport and his office is fully in sync with the direction that is coming from the Governor's office, and as such, some of what he says here might change or be extended.If you’re interested in learning more about Tim’s career and his personal and professional experiences, feel free to check out episode 20 from July 1st of last year.

Latest podcast available now. Meet Kate Masury, Program Director for the non-profit Eating With The Ecosystem. If you love seafood or just want to expand your knowledge of what’s available to us, this podcast is for you. Eating With The Ecosystem was founded in 2014 with a mission to “promote a place-based approach to sustaining New England’s wild seafood, through flourishing food webs, healthy habitats, and short, adaptive seafood supply chains.”Kate tells us about the cookbook the organization has for sale, the dinners they host, their food boat mobile seafood kiosk, and explains their Citizen Scientist and Eat Like a Fish programs. We also talk about the benefits of eating a variety of local species, focusing on a place based selection of seafood and the importance of supporting local fisherman.Be sure to visit www.eatingwiththeecosystem.org to learn more.

Daniel Forster is a world renowned marine photographer who has had his work appear in every major yachting magazine in Europe, the USA, New Zealand and Australia. Two of his images have appeared on the cover of Timemagazine - once in 1987 featuring Dennis Conner; then again in 1995 featuring Team New Zealand.Born in Switzerland, photography was introduced to Daniel at a young age through his family. Daniel attended a technical school for photography that offered an apprenticeship program which provided one of many early steps that lead to his career as a freelance photographer.Daniel has covered every America’s Cup race since 1977, and will continue this streak by covering the next America’s Cup Races in New Zealand in 2021. Daniel has also photographed the Whitbread and Volvo Ocean Race starts and finishes, as well as sailed on the Uruguay to England leg of the Whitbread in 1986 aboard the UBS Switzerland maxi yacht where he served as both crew member and photographer.In addition to covering racing, Daniel’

Nat Benjamin, along with his partner Ross Gannon, and a talented crew have built over 70 boats - mostly of his design - and repaired and rebuilt many others. A visit to the Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway is a step back in time. It’s a place where classic wood boats are restored, repaired and built new using nothing but traditional materials and methods. The people who work there have a special appreciation for craftsmanship. In a world where material things are designed on computers, assembled by robots or punched out of a mold with little human contact, it’s refreshing to visit a place where beautiful boats are crafted by hand from design to launch.The Gannon and Benjamin Marine Railway has featured prominently in magazines such as: Classic Boat, Cruising World, Wooden Boat, Sail, Men’s Journal, Soundings and Architectural Digest. They have been featured in print news stores from the Vineyard Gazette and Cape Cod Times to the Boston Globe and The Wall Street Journal.

This one’s for the adrenaline junkies out there, present company included. My guest is Dave Lussier. Dave is a long-time competitive multi-hull sailor of catamarans and trimarans who has recently found a new passion: Blokarting or land yacht racing. Blokarts come from New Zealand and haven’t caught on in the US as they have in other countries. A Blokart is a 3-wheeled kart with a free-standing sail that resembles one from a windsurfer, and is often sailed on dry lake beds, beaches at low tide, or abandoned runways. Dave talks us through how he got into the sport, and what it’s like to sail one of these. He also tells the story of how he came to be the current speed co-record holder along with seasoned Blokart racer Scott Young, a record they set together while racing at Ivanpah - the dry lake bed in California’s Mojave desert. The speed they achieved at that event was a staggering 77.7mph! If any of this interests you, or you just want to understand more about Blokarting, you can easily find videos on youtube

My guest for this episode is Capt. Breezy Grenier. Capt. Breezy served in the US Coast Guard, has degrees in Geology and Geological Oceanography, and minors in Marine Biology and Marine Archeology.In addition to being a licensed captain, she’s a scuba instructor, snowboard instructor, sailor, cook, surfer, teacher, lecturer and world traveler.She’s sailed to Bermuda, and by the time this podcast is published, she will have completed a transatlantic and the Fastnet Race.We talk about her travels, past expeditions and plans for future ones, as well as some of the educational models she’s created. Those include Scientists are Super Hero's and Eco Elders.To learn more about her and some of the things we talk about in this podcast, visit her website: breezyseas.com

This is a special excerpt from a much longer episode which will be published at a later date. In this conversation, Joe shares a bit about his involvement with the 12 Metre Worlds currently taking place in Newport, Rhode Island. Joe talks about his involvement, the impact of the Warrior Sailing Project, and the overall atmosphere of the event. Joe is also my first repeat guest.

Learn about the person in charge of the crew that keeps the City of Newport's harbor assets in top form. Capt. Tim Mills has spent his life on the water which has included, sailing and racing with family and friends, working on a NOAA ship and owning and operating his own boat and mooring business - where he also wound up getting involved in marine archeology. Now the full time Harbormaster for the City of Newport, RI, Tim joined me to talk about all of that as well as get some insight and his perspective on some of the changes that we’ve seen around Newport Harbor over the years.

My guest for this episode is Andy Green. Some of you may recognize Andy’s voice - particularly if you followed the Volvo Ocean Race visit in Newport - as he was the commentator for that event. Andy has also been a commentator for the America’s Cup World Series and the London 2012 Olympics. In addition to his role as commentator, Andy is an active life long sailor who will be participating in the 12 Metre Worlds this summer in Newport. And like a few other past guests, Andy arrived to record the podcast fresh off a night of racing Shields in Narragansett Bay.We cracked open a few cold ones and talked about all of that and more. And at one point my wife chimes in with a few good questions that range from the technical aspects of his role, to what it’s like as a fellow expat living in Newport. You can learn more about Andy and his work by visiting: http://www.britishracinggreen.co.uk

My guest for this episode is former New York Times columnist Barbara Lloyd. Barbara covered Sailing, Skiing and other sports, as well as writing a gear column for the New York Times.But Barbara has humble roots here at home with the Newport Daily News. It was at the Newport Daily News where she began as a cub reporter. Barbara honed her skills covering the America’s Cup races and interviewing sailors, including Ted Turner and Dennis Conner.Her nomadic lifestyle, free spirited nature and hard work allowed her to live in and travel to spectacular places around the world. At a time when men dominated journalism, Barbara ‘leaned in’ to a man's world and faced few obstacles to her success. Her journalistic integrity and determination earned her the respect of her editors and peers alike.We had a great chat where she recalls some of the more memorable and poignant times in her life, as well as some humorous tales … including being pranked by Sir Richard Branson; the value of a quality piece of hand fruit while in

My guests for this episode are Denis and Allie of Mr. Badger & Co. Mr. Badger is their 41’ Concordia yawl. We recently got together and cracked open a few beers while they shared their tale of how they came to own Mr. Badger. But that wasn’t the only tale. Denis boasts an impressive sailing résumé and both are well traveled. It’s a wide-ranging chat that covers: sailing the Greek islands; an unsuccessful attempt at purchasing a schooner; sailing a Carriacou Sloop thousands of miles; environmental stewardship; and how a great experience aboard can be transformative. Learn more about Denis, Allie and Mr. Badger at www.mrbadger.co

My guest in this episode is Anne Vandromme-Hood. Anne is a partner and leading force behind the publication, Yacht Insider’s Guide. Originally from Paris, she spent much of her time sailing out of Brittney with her family on a variety of boats. Anne is also an avid windsurfer who brought her gear along with her as she pursued crew positions on charter yachts.Her time spent working professionally on yachts lead her from crew, to chef, to shoreside management in Martinique, and now a publisher in Newport, Rhode Island.She’s an animal lover and activist, a steward of the environment, and a supporter of many organizations that work to make the world a better place.  Anne lives a very examined life and thoughtfully governs her actions so that they remain aligned with her principles. A few of the worthy organizations she mentions in the podcast are: Sailors for the Sea; Clean Ocean Access; Save The Bay and Clean Bays. She also tells a wonderful story about a dog from Martinique finding a new home as a direct result

My guest for episode 15 is Joe Cooper of Joe Cooper Sailing.Joe arrived to the podcast straight from coaching a high school sailing team - still half decked out in his drysuit.Joe was born in Sydney, Australia, and learned to sail just to the north in an estuary with similar characteristics to that of our Narragansett Bay. Joe has over 60,000 miles at sea and crewed for Australia in the 1977 and 1980 America’s Cup. He also has over 30 years as a sailmaker under his belt.Joe runs Joe Cooper Sailing which provides coaching and consulting services to teams and boat owners looking to squeeze the maximum performance and value out of their program. He’s also written for major sailing publications and currently contributes to WindCheck magazine with a column called “Coop’s Corner". You can learn more at http://www.joecoopersailing.com

My guest for this episode is John Fulweiler. John is an attorney who specializes in Maritime and Admiralty law, but he is also a licensed US Coast Guard Captain; a former towing and salvage captain; a sailor and an author. John has written about the Jones Act as well as a book about a harrowing tale of survival when a local man falls off his boat. That book is called ‘A Swim’ and is available on Amazon.Learn more at saltwaterlaw.com

In this episode I speak with Hank Kniskern, former Chairman of the Newport Waterfront Commission, about the proposed changes to the mooring regulations in Newport Harbor. There have been two public meetings, and a first reading by the Newport City Council addressing the changes. There are passionate positions held by both current mooring holders, and those on the waiting list. Hank explains the process and the approach the waterfront commission has taken, as well as some examples of how other harbors manage their harbor and waterfront resources.

Episode 12 features a talk with Fair Leads owner Jess. Jess produces custom hand made dog leashes and collars out of all marine grade materials. She's made and shipped over 3000 of them around the world. Jess is a marine scientist who also boasts an impressive sailing history covering over 40,000 miles in nearly every ocean, and she's the former Executive Director of the Tall Ship Oliver Hazard Perry. You can learn more about her products by visiting thefairlead.com

I had a blast talking with Greg and Alana of the Antique Yacht Collection in Newport, RI and Mystic, CT. They are a young, energetic, fun and ambitious couple who have a really cool vibe. They are entrepreneurs in the yacht charter and yacht management scene in southern New England. Their business has been featured in The Wall Street Journal's travel section, and they are the recipient of the 2018 Trip Advisor Award of Excellence.

My guest for this episode is Onne van der Wal. Onne is a world renowned marine photographer based in Newport, Rhode Island where he also has a gallery that features his work.His photography has appeared in most of the top sailing magazines, boat brochures and the patagonia catalog. Onne is a member of the exclusive Canon Explorers of Light program which is home to some of the most influential photographers in the world. Learn more at vanderwal.com