The Mariner Christopher Stanmore-Major

This episode I thought I would share with you an interview I did month or so ago with Paul Trammell on his wonderful podcast ’Offshore Sailing and Cruising ’.  It was great to chat to Paul and learn about his sailing to date, but as this was an interview I was doing for him introducing myself to his audience we will have to wait for a future date to really get to know Paul more. As by the end of this show we had agreed to go sailing on the Open 60 sometime soon- that might be quite soon!

Apologies to the audiophiles listening (Bill Mead!) I had to use Paul’s recordings completed over Skype as my own recording was so terrible as to be painful to mine own ears.  Trust me, this is the lesser of two weevils ;)

If you would like to hear more exclusive sailing content, head over to https://www.patreon.com/themariner and there, for $5 a month you can not only support the all the Mariner content, but also receive a free daily sailing audio book episode, and an extra weekly Mariner podcast episode, both exclusive to Patreon.

There’s also the chance to pose your own questions on the weekly ’Questions & Tangents’ Mariner episodes and get the answers you need to you most troubling sailing conundrums-! 

See you there!

The features that make ’The Perfect Boat’ are an area of sailing that walks the narrow line between philosophical & scientific truth. 

Historically it is also beset by sailors claiming dead cert, bald-faced objective truth for their strongly held and decidedly subjective opinions.

In this new section on The Mariner, I will be interviewing sailors from across the sailing industry and asking them one very simple question ’What’s your Perfect Boat’?

To start the series off I am reading from William Washburn Nutting’s book ’The Track of the Typhoon’ and sharing with you some of his ideas. 

Nutting’s was a journalist writing for Motor Boat & Yachting Magazine and was a knowledgeable, ’sailor’s  sailor’.

I hope you agree that although his book was published 100 years ago, his ideas & dreamy-eyed passion for his design, could be reproduced in any yacht club bar any day of the week in 2022.

As William ’gave me the idea’,  for this series, I think it’s appropriate that he gets the first shout on the subject. 

To join my Patreon community (growing fast!) please go over to https://www.patreon.com/themariner and there for $5 a month you can hear the rest of the book and many others just like it.

If you would like to send me your top three features for your Perfect Boat- remember to tell me what you would be using the boat for and how many people it would be for and I will read your ideas out on the podcast.

Write to me at: csmthemariner@gmail.com

I found an interesting document on a pen drive over the weekend- given to me by the organizers of the Velux 5 Race  10 years ago, it was a series fo notes prepared by the Race Officers after discussing with Alex Thompson and Mike Golding, Mike’s fantastic rescue of Alex in the Southern Ocean in 2006. 

At first the notes seemed a little wandering, but I think you will agree when I read you Mike’s account of the rescue that these notes come hard won, and well considered- you tell me what you think!

After centuries of sailors, praying and hoping for a ’magic button’ with which to save their lives far from shore on the briney deep, we are now in the 21st century in the enviable situation of having just that built into all newly built VHF and SSB units.  

The incredible functionality of the DSC button and all the other modern electronic life saving devices available, remains somewhat hidden for many sailors however, behind a raft of acronyms, a confusing plethora of device specifications and a shrewd suspicion of the actual benefits of such ’witchcraft’.  

The truth is though, that the ’Global Maritime Distress and Safety System’ (GMDSS) is available for all mariners, whether gunk-holing along the coast or crossing oceans.

In this episode we will dig into the incredible technology available to allow you to call for help, if you should be unlucky enough to find yourself in ’Grave & Imminent Danger’.  

If you would like to support the podcast or develop your seamanship skills and overall safety at sea, please consider joining my Patreon community at:

https://www.patreon.com/themariner

Questions & tangents returns for the last time in 2022 and I have lots to get through, questions I cover this episode range from Man Overboard recovery systems I don’t know about to Mainsail reefing systems I don’t know about to the safety of smaller boats in heavy conditions which is definitely something I don’t know about. 

Plenty of targets and confusion as always- and maybe even some answers to your questions - if YOU have a sailing question or conundrum you would like considering by myself and the Mariner community please write to me at csmthemariner@gmail.com and I will try to help out!

If you would like to support the podcast or develop your seamanship skills and overall safety at sea, please consider joining my Patreon community at:

https://www.patreon.com/themariner

Liferafts are probably the least understood part of the safety equipment on a modern yacht- sure you know where it is (probably), what it does (maybe) and almost certainly what it cost (!) but have you seen YOUR life raft inflated? Have you had extra equipment added to the safety pack inside the raft that could be essential to you in an emergency? Is your raft good for coastal work or offshore voyaging - or is it just the cheapest you could get to satisfy the rules?  All these questions and more will be unpacked this episode as we continue our deep dive into Keith Colwell’s excellent RYA Sea Survival Handbook.

If you would like to support the podcast or develop your seamanship skills and overall safety at sea, please consider joining my Patreon community at:

https://www.patreon.com/themariner