Britt Spencer set a world record as the first New Zealander and female to cross the notorious Cook Strait on a prone paddle board.

In this episode I talk with Kiwi volunteer surf lifesaver Britt Spencer about endurance paddling, and crossing Cook Strait on a prone paddle board. After battling serious health issues and a year planning and training, the Nelson based Strength & Conditioning Coach made history with the crossing in April this year.

Get set for this one – Britt is inspiring! She talks about adapting to things that go wrong in adventure, how she copes in extreme moments of pain and challenge, in what she calls ‘Dark Mode’. We hear about her joy of being out on the water, what motivates her and the surprising food and drink she fuels her endurance paddles with.

Britt’s energy is infectious, and so is her fresh outlook on life.

Join us and be inspired to challenge your own limits.

Connect via Instagram @brittjayspencer

Youtube @brittjayspencer

Connect with Saltwater Journal @saltwater_journal

Website: ⁠⁠⁠Saltwater Journal⁠⁠

EPISODE NOTES | Britt

00:56 Life in Nelson

02:30 Competitive swimming

03:25 Introduction to Surf Lifesaving

06:27 Board chat

08:50 Long distance paddling

10:30 First endurance paddle

12:15 Dark mode

14:53 Injury and pulmonary embolism

22:02 Crossing Cook Strait

25:00 Weather conditions

30:00 Setting off

35:24 Support crew

38:00 Great White sharks

40:30 Surprise fuel

42:45 Hitting the wall

45:33 Best team

47:35 Land

51:40 Celebrations

54:03 Paddle X documentary

56:00 Give it a go

59:59 Future plans

Marybeth is a Canadian Youtube and content creator taking us on outdoor, travel and paddle “advenchas”.

I'm stoked to catch up with Marybeth to chat about her love of paddling, travel, wildlife encounters, and her super entertaining videos to motivate us to get outdoors.

Listen in for beginner advice on how to choose the right paddleboard for stability, tips for balance, and staying safe on the water. And if you’re hesitant to try a SUP or you’re embarrassed to fall in – we’ve got some encouragement for you!

Marybeth shares about her life by the Great Lakes in Ontario and going on backcountry adventures. We chat about paddling with huge ‘gators, and the joy of stalking beavers in her hometown backyard known as Coote’s paradise.

She also gives insights into her journey as a Youtube creator and her mission to encourage more play in life.

Connect via Instagram @paddleadventurer

and watch Paddle Adventurer on YouTube

Connect with Saltwater Journal @saltwater_journal

Website: ⁠⁠Saltwater Journal⁠

EPISODE NOTES | Marybeth

1:06 Hometown

1:34 Journey into paddling

3:52 Choosing the best paddle board

5:53 Size and stability

6:57 Do it your way

8:32 Backcountry portaging

14:00 Pumping inflatables

16:46 Florida alligators

18:41 Marybeth’s mission

20:27 Backyard paddling

22:09 Beavers

23:56 Life in the outdoors

25:42 YouTube journey

29:00 Beginner advice

31:32 Winter paddling

35:00 Tips for balance

38:07 Moose

39:00 Future adventures

39:44 Magic of paddling

In this episode I talk with Alice Baker and Courtney Te Whiu - two great Kiwi mates who worked their way into the world of boat crew and luxury superyachts having the time of their life in dream destinations.

With 12+ years of combined experience, and all the what to-do’s and what not-to do’s, they founded the New Zealand Superyacht Academy with internationally recognised courses to kick-start graduate’s superyacht careers.

Listen in to get all the goss on what it takes to find work onboard, perks of the job, what a captain’s looking for in crew, and how much it’s really like ‘Below Deck’.

Travel, fun, money and a whole lot of hard work – find out how it started for these two, and what you’ll get from joining the superyacht academy.

If you’re keen to link in with a network of incredible supportive boaties exploring the world on superyachts – get in contact with Alice and Courtney

Connect via Instagram @nzsuperyachtacademy

and visit New Zealand Superyacht Academy

Connect with Saltwater Journal @saltwater_journal

Website: ⁠Saltwater Journal

EPISODE NOTES | New Zealand Superyacht Academy

1:10 Early days

2:35 Starting out as crew

5:41 Dockwalking

7:40 The allure of boating

9:30 Surprises of the industry

13:20 Guest & owner experiences

16:40 Prepared for any scenario

17:15 Crew culture

17:50 Below Deck

18:56 Personality & skills

21:00 Perks of the job

23:50 Opportunities

24:11 Age & career

27:15 Roles onboard

27:08 The Academy

31:00 Community support

32:23 Internationally recognised courses

33:30 Specialist industry leaders

36:44 STCW

38:41 Student success

41:00 Caviar

43:21 Wealth management

46:32 Yachting & parenthood

48:51 Where to sign up

In this episode I talk with Renee Taylor, a speech-language therapist and freedive instructor who founded Salt Aotearoa in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Renee shares her personal journey to experiencing freediving as rongoā Māori and its role as a healing practice; with the ocean supporting a deep level of mind, body and spiritual well-being. If you’re stressed and burnt out, keep listening!

We chat about the kaupapa of Salt Aotearoa and creating a safe space for wāhine to transform their lives by learning to freedive, spearfish, and collect kaimoana.Today we’ll find out just how easy it is to get into freediving, and how good it is for us.

And you’ll hear Renee’s beautiful baby during this episode, who wanted a wee chat too!

Join a freediving or spearfishing course with Salt Aotearoa and experience more life underwater.

Connect with Renee on Instagram @saltaotearoa

Connect with Saltwater Journal @saltwater_journal

Website: Saltwater Journal

EPISODE NOTES | Renee Taylor

01:00 Family and motherhood

2:06 Speech therapy and the toll of death in daily life

04:06 Unsafe cultural spaces and journey into freediving

05:50 Being wāhine in the freediving world

11:26 Joy of the beginner experience

14:09 Being underwater: scuba and freediving

14:43 Benefits of freediving

16:21 Supporting reconnection

20:20 Dangers of freediving

23:50 Collecting kai

25:12 Addiction of spearfishing

26:00 Shore diving

27:30 CPR

33:00 How to get involved

35:10 Freediving and pregnancy

Te Reo Māori

Aotearoa - New Zealand

Hauora - health

Kai - food

Kaimoana - seafood

Kaupapa - purpose

Kōrero - conversation

Moana - sea, ocean

Māoritanga - Māori way of life

Taiao - natural world

Wānanga - meeting to share learning and knowledge

Wāhine - women

Whānau - family

Lisa Blair is an Australian solo-sailor, world multi-record holder, climate activist and lover of the Southern Ocean.

In this episode Lisa talks with us about her new feature documentary Ice Maiden – the story of her epic 2017 voyage to set a record-breaking circumnavigation of Antarctica.

She shares her insights into the terror and beauty of surviving multiple near-death experiences; how she faces fear, her resilience and mental preparation, and the impact of documenting her adventure in her new feature documentary.

Lisa was a joy to talk with – with so much enthusiasm given she was recovering from setting a new solo-sailing record from Australia to New Zealand! I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did – and look forward to seeing the film.

Ice Maiden premiers at the Doc Edge Film Festival in Otāutahi Christchurch 19 June 2024.

Get tickets to the DocEdge Film Festival

Follow Lisa’s journey at upcoming solo-sailing record attempts at Lisa Blair Sails the World

Episode Notes | Lisa Blair

01:30 Ice Maiden the film

3:38 Facing fear

6:00 Leaving Cape Town for winter conditions in Antarctica

7:14 Trauma in the southern ocean

8:50 Resilience and reframing thoughts when shit hits the fan

10:35 Visualising worst case scenarios

12:11 A love of the southern ocean

14:14 What solo sailing is really about

15:18 Breaking down assumptions

16:00 The approach of solo-sailing for a record

18:54 Self-steering and self-preservation

19:58 Electrical issues and bailing for life

20:44 Is there any comfort onboard

Read more on Lisa Blair at Saltwater Journal

Share this episode via Saltwater Journal

Nathaniel C.T. Jackson is an award winning film Director and Producer at Jackson Speed.

In this episode we talk with Nathaniel about the making of Jackson Speed’s upcoming feature film called Ice Maiden, which documents the story of Lisa Blair’s harrowing 2017 Antarctic circumnavigation.

We talk about the epic resilience of Lisa facing near-death experiences; challenges of recreating de-masting scenes from the southern ocean, cinematic style, music, film-making decisions with co-director James Blannin-Ferguson and the endeavour of producing a feature documentary.

I really enjoyed Nathaniel's insights into the world of filmmaking, and behind-the-scenes candour which gives so much extra depth to watching Ice Maiden. New Zealand listeners - I’m sure you’ll agree with us staking a claim on his Kiwi talent!

See more of Nathaniel’s work at Jackson Speed

Ice Maiden premiers at the Doc Edge Film Festival in Otāutahi Christchurch 19 June 2024.

Get tickets to the DocEdge Film Festival

Follow Lisa’s journey at upcoming solo-sailing record attempts at Lisa Blair Sails the World

Listen in to wholesome convos with inspiring people getting out on the water for great adventures and loving it. Whether it's sailing, freediving, paddleboarding or floating on a pink flamingo - if it brings you adventure, travel and freedom on the water - we'll talk about it.

Follow along and dip your toes in!