Gunnar Christensen is an entrant in the 2026 Golden Globe Race, and he recently bought a Hans Christian 34 in Trinidad and sailed it, solo, home to the UK.

We talk about the boat, the voyage, his self-steering, Hydrovanes, Watt&Sea, trailing warps in heavy weather, sailing with hank-on headsails, jacklines and tethers, emergency ways to climb back onboard, symmetrical vs asymmetrical spinnakers, storm trysails, heavy weather, sailing a full-keel vs a fin-keel boat, sailing with a windvane, whales, reefing, PLB's, modifications needed, dodgers, Tapio's book "On a Belt of Foaming Seas," Southerly Yachts, the mental aspect of long-distance solo sailing, and more.

Shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/podcast-season-7

Support through Patreon here patreon.com/paultrammell

Tom Fisher sails a Biscay 36. He was inspired to go to Newfoundland after readingthe book "Sailing to Newfoundland," and visited many of the places I went in 2022.

We talk about growing up sailing in the UK, sailing barges, folkboats, comparing traditional full-keel boats to modern charter boats, his Biscay 36, radar, Starlink, AIS, St. Martin to Bermuda to Nova Scotia to Newfoundland, hiking to the top of the mountain at Deadman's Cove, waterfalls, outports, hiking around Francois, bears, blueberries, Hare Bay, Isle aux Mortes, and more.

Podcast show notes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/podcast-season-7

Support the show here patreon.com/paultrammell

Nathan and his wife Vivian run Ocean Passages, offering training passages aboard their Compass 47.

We also talk about Tahiti and the Society Islands, dealing with cyclone season, Nova Scotia, dealing with heavy weather, electronics, anchoring, his association with John Kretschmer, training passages, heaving-to, different boats, different rigs, using preventers, accidental jibes, sailing to a schedule, lessons learned from John Kretschmer, and more.

Podcast shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/podcast-season-7

Support through Patreon here patreon.com/paultrammell

Porter Fox grew up on the coast of Maine sailing small boats. His father designed and built Whistler sailboats and founded Able Marine. Porter has written three books and also writes stories for The New York Times and other journals. His latest book is Category Five, which we talk about.

We also talk about sailing around New York City, sailing a Whistler that his father built, sailing a cat ketch, cruising the New Jersey coast, sailing canoes in The Bahamas, sailing with John Kretschmer, climate change, the amplification of storms, sea-level rise, why we love the ocean, the importance of keeping a calm mind, defeating trauma, John Kretschmer's books, freeboard, net zero, and more.

Shownotes are at https://www.paultrammell.com/podcast-season-7

Support through Patreon here patreon.com/paultrammell

Dave winkler is a Sea Two captain in Boston. We talk about sailing in Boston, problems sailers face and ask Sea Tow for help with, towing sailboats and using drogues during rudder-failure, mast breakage, the importance of taping over cotterpins in the standing rigging and lifelines, dangerous rescues, lobster bouys, rescuing a leatherback turtle, tips to avoid needing to call for help, and more.

Find the shownotes here https://www.paultrammell.com/podcast-season-7

Support through Patreon here patreon.com/paultrammell

Captain James is a former submariner in the US Navy. He's sailed over 70,000 nm on a wide variety of boats. We talk about life on a submarine, catamarans, sailing through the South Pacific, a near-disaster on a catamaran breaking up in a storm, dual rudders, center cockpits, raised deck salons, pointing high, chasing your dreams and doing what you really want instead of what you think you are supposed to do, dinghies, lifting-keel sailboats, adventures in anchoring, buoying the chain, the importance of freediving, backup anchors, Portugal, surfing, Costa Rica, wing masts, fast boats, dream boats, selectingthe right boat for you, the disturbing noises catamarans make, running a charter business, seasickness, and more.

Shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/podcast-season-7

Support through Patreon here patreon.com/paultrammell

In this bonus mid-week episode, I interview Sea Tow captain Ethan Maass, from Sea Tow Boston.

We talk about how Sea Tow serves sailors, how far they go to help, working with the Coast Guard when there's a problem, communications, what membership includes and doesn't, collisions, common safety shortcomings in boaters, emergency anchoring, getting lost, using divers, ordering pizza, and more.

Shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/podcast-season-7

Support through Patreon here patreon.com/paultrammell

Erick and Jenny had just arrived in Fiji when I spoke with them, after having spent a year in French Polynesia. I interviewed the sepparately and asked the same questions, then editied it so you can hear their different, or similar, responses. We talk about favorite places, pleasant and difficult passages, favorite diving experiences, wildlife, sharks, things they did right and wrong, cultural experiences, things they miss on land, things they learned about sailing, and things they learned about themselves.

Shownotes are here https://www.paultrammell.com/podcast-season-7

Support through Patreon here patreon.com/paultrammell