Looking for some inspiration to hold you until you can splash the boat and get back out on the water? Whether you’re a racer or a cruiser, a collegiate sailor or an old salt, there are excellent resources online to keep you occupied.
Podcasts
Boats n’Prose The brainchild of College of Charleston graduate (and sailor) Brook Clark, Boats n’Prose is focused on interviewing sailors and coaches to highlight their successes (and a few notable failures) and bring some entertainment to the sport. You can listen to Taylor Canfield talk about the World Match Racing Tour or Zeke Horowitz tell you what it’s like to be the Viper 640 World Champion. Boats n’ Prose is fun and inspiring when you can’t be crushing it yourself on the water.
On the Wind (formerly 59 North) Andy Schell specializes in intimate and entertaining conversations with sailors from around the world. Whether you want to round Cape Horn single-handed or figure out what type of sail inventory you’ll need to take your boat offshore, this podcast (which is recently sponsored by Weems & Plath) has something for everyone and is updated almost weekly.
Sail Loot
This podcast should really be entitled, “Finding Ways to Live the Dream,” as it focuses on interviewing those of us who have been able to do just that. From interviews with charter captains in the British Virgin Islands to industrious individuals who have managed to build their own boats, this podcast is Adventure DIY to the extreme. Listen with a notebook on hand.
Video Blogs
Shaun and Julia Sailing Around the World
A young couple in love… filmed in open water… featuring a failing depth sounder transducer… how can you not love this vlog? Both are accomplished sailors, and the production value of the videos is high, from sailing in the Greek Cyclades to dealing with the ups and downs of fixing your boat in (sometimes) exotic locations.
Drake Paragon Sailing
Follow Drake, Mo, and Irish Eanna as they sail Paragon, a Westsail 42 with an incredible history, from Boston to Nova Scotia, Greenland, and beyond. Already in their third season, watch the crew of Paragon live out the ups and downs of a 21st century adventure, and then get ready to make your own.
Wicked Salty Sail. Fish. Explore. Live. That’s essentially the recipe for a good life, according to Wes and Kate, a couple who bought an Ericson 30 on Craigslist, spent a summer fixing it up, and then took it cruising down the East Coast and to the Bahamas. The couple is back in New England now and have sold their boat (on ebay), but are still continuing their adventure on boats big and small.
