Embracing the Unknown: Kayleen VanderRee on Sailing, Anxiety, and the Race to Alaska

Kayleen VanderRee is a commercial diver by trade and has spent most of her adult life pursuing her love of sailing.

Hailing from British Columbia, we talk about her diving work, what she’s learnt from being captain of her own sailboat, and her personal experiences dealing with frustrations, overwhelm and anxiety in sailing.

Get set for some great adventure stories too. Kayleen sailed her 42’ sailboat to Mexico and back via the Clipper Route, which took 44 days. Most recently she attempted the Race to Alaska with a friend in her Santana 20’ yacht, and shares what it’s really like trying to navigate a treacherous 750nm race from Washington to Alaska, in a non-motorized boat.

To cap off her adventures, we hear about her experience with her partner, taking out second place in The Amazing Race Canada.

In amongst this, Kayleen shares the encouragement she received from her Dad – her greatest sailing mentor, and some of his best life advice.

Join us and be inspired in your own adventures.

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EPISODE NOTES | Kayleen

01:20 Commercial diving

05:40 Mentors

07:11 Sailing with Dad 

08:45 Approaching boat jobs

09:22 Owning and maintaining her own boat

11:19 Figuring it out when things go wrong

13:40 Solo-sailing

14:42 Offshore with Dad

15:30 Sailing from childhood

17:19 Rock climbing

17:56 Current boat

18:50 The Race to Alaska

22:48 Challenges on the race

26:06 The Amazing Race Canada

29:55 Slow is smooth, smooth is fast

33:48 A break from racing

35:19 Giving it a go

37:18 Where to start with mechanics and electrics

38:47 Crossing the continental shelf

40:00 Raw vlogs on YouTube

41:04 Anxiety with sailing

44:22 Strategies for anxiety

46:22 Great advice from Dad