Salty Podcast: Sailing Stories

Captain Tinsley
  • 4.9 (15)
  • Sports
  • Updated Daily

The Salty Podcast shares real sailing stories and adventures — expert tips, ocean crossings, storm tales, heartwarming stories, and the quirks of life at sea. Each week, Cap’n Tinsley brings you voices from the water: sailors who’ve crossed oceans, lived aboard, and chased horizons. Join The Salty Podcast each week for adventures in storm survival, cruising life, and the joy of sailing. No fluff — just salty conversations, heartfelt moments, and lessons from sailors worldwide.  Salty Abandon is Captain Tinsley from Gulf Shores & Orange Beach AL:  Oct 2020 to Present -  1998 Island Packet 320; 2015-2020 - 1988 Island Packet 27 (lost in Hurricane Sally Sep 2020)Want to support the podcast? http://patreon.com/SaltyAbandon Salty Podcast Shop:  https://SaltyPodcast.myshopify.com https://youtube.com/@svsaltyabandonhttps://www.facebook.com/saltyabandonsailing podcast, sailing stories, sailing adventures, sailboat life, cruising lifestyle, liveaboard sailors, ocean adventures, solo sailing, circumnavigation, bluewater cruising, sailing the Caribbean, sailing the Bahamas, offshore sailing, storm stories, sailing interviews, real-life sailing stories from around the world, tips and experiences from liveaboard sailors, adventures of solo and crewed sailors, lessons from storms, passages, and long crossings, cruising life beyond the horizon 

  1. Aug 17 ·  Video

    Salty Podcast #102 ⛵ Cecilia Potts: Baja, Sailing & Island Packets

    Send us Fan Mail If you’re an Island Packet owner, there’s a good chance you know my next guest. And if you’ve had any experience with her at all, I’d bet it was a good one. Joining me for her second appearance on The Salty Podcast is Cecilia Potts — sailor, adventurist, surveyor, and Island Packet enthusiast. Cecilia was first featured on Salty Podcast #3, where we mainly talked about her surveying work. But during that interview, she casually dropped some hints about the incredible sailing she’s done, and I knew I had to have her back. Cecilia and I first met through a pre-purchase survey she did for me in 2020 on a boat I did not end up buying. Then the very next week, she surveyed the boat that would become my current Salty Abandon boat — my 1998 Island Packet 320. We became friends and have stayed in touch ever since. In this episode, Cecilia shares stories from sailing down the Baja coast to Mexico, overnight passages, close calls, solo sailing, and how those adventures eventually led her into the world of marine surveying. We also talk Island Packets, boat ownership, upgrades, and what she looks for first when surveying a boat. If you enjoy sailing stories, practical boat talk, and a little Baja adventure, this is a fun one. Get your Sailor SPF Shirt at https://SaltyPodcast.myshopify.com  💨 AIRLOCK: Get rid of those stubborn boat smells with $30 off using code SALTY30 here: https://airlockusa.com/SALTY30  Support the show SALTY ABANDON:  Cap'n Tinsley, Orange Beach, AL: Oct 2020 to Present - 1998 Island Packet 320; Nov 2015-Oct 2020; 1988 Island Packet 27 Feb-Oct 2015 - 1982 Catalina 25 ▶️YouTube Playlist: https://saltyabandon/SaltyPodcastPlaylist 💨AIRLOCK:  Get rid of those boat smells with $30 off with code SALTY30:  https://airlockusa.com/SALTY30  👕Salty Podcast SPF Sailor Shirts:  https://saltypodcast.myshopify.com/ 🎙️Wanna Start a Livestream? Try Streamyard: Go live like a pro with an easy, browser-based studio for podcasts, interviews and livestreams: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608 ✂️Opus Clips: Turn long videos into short, shareable clips fast. https://tolt.link/saltypodcast 🫶Support the Podcast: http://patreon.com/SaltyAbandon

    Salty Podcast #102 ⛵ Cecilia Potts: Baja, Sailing & Island Packets

  2. Aug 8 ·  Video

    Know Before You Tow: When Help on the Water Becomes a Salvage Claim⛵Salty Podcast #101

    Send us Fan Mail 🎙️ Salty Podcast #101: Know Before You Tow  When does accepting help on the water stop being a routine tow and become a salvage claim? In this episode, Cap’n Tinsley talks with maritime attorney and U.S. Coast Guard-licensed captain John Fulweiler about the surprisingly gray line between towing and salvage. John explains the three basic elements of a salvage claim—marine peril, voluntary assistance, and success—and why situations involving a disabled boat, dragging anchor, flooding, grounding, or changing conditions can quickly become more complicated than a boater expects. We also talk about towing memberships, salvage contracts, marine insurance, maritime liens, vessel arrest, how salvage awards are calculated, and what to do if someone makes a salvage claim against your boat. Tinsley also shares the Bahamas grounding that sent her down this maritime-law rabbit hole, plus another tow where rising water in the bilge raised the question of whether the situation could have crossed into salvage. One of the biggest surprises: a salvage award is not simply based on time and materials. A relatively short operation can still result in a very substantial demand. If you own a boat, sail, cruise, fish, or spend serious time on the water, this is an episode worth hearing before you ever need assistance. Guest: John Fulweiler SaltWaterLaw.com john@saltwaterlaw.com 1-800-383-MAYDAY ▶️ Salty Podcast: https://saltyabandon.com/saltypodcast101 #SaltyPodcast #Sailing #Boating #MaritimeLaw #MaritimeSalvage #BoatLife Get your Sailor SPF Shirt at https://SaltyPodcast.myshopify.com  💨 AIRLOCK: Get rid of those stubborn boat smells with $30 off using code SALTY30 here: https://airlockusa.com/SALTY30  Support the show SALTY ABANDON:  Cap'n Tinsley, Orange Beach, AL: Oct 2020 to Present - 1998 Island Packet 320; Nov 2015-Oct 2020; 1988 Island Packet 27 Feb-Oct 2015 - 1982 Catalina 25 ▶️YouTube Playlist: https://saltyabandon/SaltyPodcastPlaylist 💨AIRLOCK:  Get rid of those boat smells with $30 off with code SALTY30:  https://airlockusa.com/SALTY30  👕Salty Podcast SPF Sailor Shirts:  https://saltypodcast.myshopify.com/ 🎙️Wanna Start a Livestream? Try Streamyard: Go live like a pro with an easy, browser-based studio for podcasts, interviews and livestreams: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608 ✂️Opus Clips: Turn long videos into short, shareable clips fast. https://tolt.link/saltypodcast 🫶Support the Podcast: http://patreon.com/SaltyAbandon

    Know Before You Tow: When Help on the Water Becomes a Salvage Claim⛵Salty Podcast #101

  3. Jul 31 ·  Video

    Salty Podcast #100 ⛵ Stories Sunken Ships Tell with Dr. James Delgado

    Send us Fan Mail For the 100th episode of the Salty Podcast, Dr. James Delgado joins Cap’n Tinsley to explore what shipwrecks reveal about the people who built, sailed and sometimes died aboard them. James is a maritime archaeologist, historian, author and explorer whose five-decade career has included more than 100 shipwreck projects around the world. His investigations have included Titanic, USS Arizona, Alabama’s Clotilda, buried Gold Rush ships beneath downtown San Francisco and deep-sea wrecks connected to the Battle of Midway. He explains how maritime archaeologists identify an unknown wreck and why the most valuable discoveries are often not gold or treasure. Personal belongings, human remains and small physical details can reveal how people lived, worked and traveled at sea. James shares stories about a teapot still hanging inside Titanic’s engine room, sailors’ bones showing the physical toll of life aboard historic ships, salted pork and weevil-filled hardtack, fire hoses left behind on USS Arizona and the research that helped confirm the identity of Clotilda. The conversation also explores Gold Rush ships buried beneath San Francisco, press gangs and kidnapped sailors, wrecks near the Dry Tortugas, Confederate blockade runners around Bermuda, Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge, the Atocha and the myths surrounding sunken treasure. James also discusses using robots and submersibles to explore wrecks too deep for divers, surviving a typhoon near Bikini Atoll, working with descendant communities and deciding whether a wreck should be recovered, preserved, memorialized or left where it rests. Throughout the episode, James returns to one central idea: shipwrecks are not simply broken vessels on the bottom. They are places where human stories survive, preserved inside what may be the largest museum on Earth. Get your Sailor SPF Shirt at https://SaltyPodcast.myshopify.com  💨 AIRLOCK: Get rid of those stubborn boat smells with $30 off using code SALTY30 here: https://airlockusa.com/SALTY30  Support the show SALTY ABANDON:  Cap'n Tinsley, Orange Beach, AL: Oct 2020 to Present - 1998 Island Packet 320; Nov 2015-Oct 2020; 1988 Island Packet 27 Feb-Oct 2015 - 1982 Catalina 25 ▶️YouTube Playlist: https://saltyabandon/SaltyPodcastPlaylist 💨AIRLOCK:  Get rid of those boat smells with $30 off with code SALTY30:  https://airlockusa.com/SALTY30  👕Salty Podcast SPF Sailor Shirts:  https://saltypodcast.myshopify.com/ 🎙️Wanna Start a Livestream? Try Streamyard: Go live like a pro with an easy, browser-based studio for podcasts, interviews and livestreams: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608 ✂️Opus Clips: Turn long videos into short, shareable clips fast. https://tolt.link/saltypodcast 🫶Support the Podcast: http://patreon.com/SaltyAbandon

    Salty Podcast #100 ⛵ Stories Sunken Ships Tell with Dr. James Delgado

  4. Jul 24 ·  Video

    Salty Podcast #99 ⛵ Changing Lives through the Ocean! StreetWaves.org

    Send us Fan Mail A kid can live three to five miles from the beach and still never see the ocean. That fact hits hard, and it is where Maurice “Maui” Goodbeer starts. Maui is the founder and executive director of Street Waves, a South Florida nonprofit that has spent years teaching inner-city kids how to swim, surf, and build real skills on boats. His drive is personal: after his younger brother was murdered, he promised at the funeral he would do something direct for kids who are growing up around violence and limited options. We get into what Street Waves actually does on the ground: small-group swim instruction for safety, surf training that builds confidence fast, and hands-on maritime career exposure at the marina. Once kids can swim, “salty jobs” become possible, from lifeguarding and ocean rescue to marine trades like fiberglass work, engines, and boat electrical. Maui shares the moments that stay with him, like teens crying when they see the ocean for the first time, plus breakthrough stories including a former non-swimmer becoming ocean rescue and a student going on to become a Navy SEAL. The conversation takes a sharp, useful turn into nonprofit strategy for creators, coaches, and builders. Maui explains why mission-first work can widen access for people who cannot afford services, how donations and grants can fund that gap, and why he believes the world needs more nonprofits to fill what for-profits and government miss. We also talk volunteering, drowning prevention realities, and the community healing power of time on the water. If you care about youth swimming programs, drowning prevention, surf therapy, maritime careers, or building a nonprofit organization with real impact, hit play. Subscribe, share this with someone who loves the ocean, and leave a review so more people can find the story. Get your Sailor SPF Shirt at https://SaltyPodcast.myshopify.com Support the show SALTY ABANDON:  Cap'n Tinsley, Orange Beach, AL: Oct 2020 to Present - 1998 Island Packet 320; Nov 2015-Oct 2020; 1988 Island Packet 27 Feb-Oct 2015 - 1982 Catalina 25 ▶️YouTube Playlist: https://saltyabandon/SaltyPodcastPlaylist 💨AIRLOCK:  Get rid of those boat smells with $30 off with code SALTY30:  https://airlockusa.com/SALTY30  👕Salty Podcast SPF Sailor Shirts:  https://saltypodcast.myshopify.com/ 🎙️Wanna Start a Livestream? Try Streamyard: Go live like a pro with an easy, browser-based studio for podcasts, interviews and livestreams: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608 ✂️Opus Clips: Turn long videos into short, shareable clips fast. https://tolt.link/saltypodcast 🫶Support the Podcast: http://patreon.com/SaltyAbandon

    Salty Podcast #99 ⛵ Changing Lives through the Ocean! StreetWaves.org

  5. Jul 17 ·  Video

    Go Small, Go Simple, Go Now ⛵ Lin Pardey | Sailing Legend, Circumnavigator, Author! Salty Podcast #98

    Send us Fan Mail A 24-foot cruising boat with no engine sounds like a constraint until you hear what it unlocks. We sit down with Lynn, a sailor and author whose life at sea is built on small-boat cruising, practical offshore seamanship, and the kind of calm confidence that only comes from doing the work. From the first miles “westward” to the storms that proved their tactics, she explains why simplicity can be the fastest route to real freedom on the water.  We talk about the turning points that shaped everything: leaving conventional goals unspoken so the journey can evolve, building Seraph with mentor Lyle Hess, and discovering that an engine-free boat demands sharper planning, better boat handling, and stronger teamwork. You’ll hear vivid stories from the Panama Canal, the Atlantic, and beyond, plus clear lessons on heaving to, storm tactics, and why modern weather tools can create analysis paralysis if you forget to prepare the boat and the crew. If you’re searching for bluewater sailing advice, storm preparation checklists, or navigation wisdom that holds up without hype, this conversation delivers.  The episode also looks at what has changed in the cruising world: dock culture, marinas, self-steering windvanes, sponsorship pressure, and why honest gear opinions matter. Lynn shares her enduring compass points, including the motto “Go Small, Go Simple, Go Now,” and the deeper idea that comfort and security do not automatically create adventure. We close with something even bigger than sailing: aging, caregiving, rebuilding community after loss, and what it means to keep moving forward with grace.  If you enjoyed this, subscribe for more long-form sailing stories and real-world cruising lessons, share it with a friend who’s dreaming of casting off, and leave a review so more sailors can find the show. Get your Sailor SPF Shirt at https://SaltyPodcast.myshopify.com Support the show SALTY ABANDON:  Cap'n Tinsley, Orange Beach, AL: Oct 2020 to Present - 1998 Island Packet 320; Nov 2015-Oct 2020; 1988 Island Packet 27 Feb-Oct 2015 - 1982 Catalina 25 ▶️YouTube Playlist: https://saltyabandon/SaltyPodcastPlaylist 💨AIRLOCK:  Get rid of those boat smells with $30 off with code SALTY30:  https://airlockusa.com/SALTY30  👕Salty Podcast SPF Sailor Shirts:  https://saltypodcast.myshopify.com/ 🎙️Wanna Start a Livestream? Try Streamyard: Go live like a pro with an easy, browser-based studio for podcasts, interviews and livestreams: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608 ✂️Opus Clips: Turn long videos into short, shareable clips fast. https://tolt.link/saltypodcast 🫶Support the Podcast: http://patreon.com/SaltyAbandon

    Go Small, Go Simple, Go Now ⛵ Lin Pardey | Sailing Legend, Circumnavigator, Author! Salty Podcast #98

  6. Jun 4 ·  Video

    Unfiltered Sailboat Buying Advice with James Evenson, author of "Be The Captain" ⛵ Salty Podcast #97

    Send us Fan Mail To buy James' book: https://bethecaptain.com/ A keel leak that grows the harder you sail is the kind of story that rewires how you think about “good boats.” We sit down with James from Sailing Zingaro, a longtime delivery captain and former Navy submariner with roughly 90,000 miles at sea, to talk about what holds up offshore and what quietly fails until it’s suddenly your emergency. We get into sailboat buying with real consequences: production boat grid construction, what methacrylate bonding means for long-term structure, and why a clean survey report still needs context about how the boat was used. James also shares his philosophy for new cruisers in the dream stage, including why starting on smaller boats accelerates skill, when it can make sense to own two boats over time, and which rig setups actually help when you have to run downwind in ocean conditions. Comfort matters too, and we break down how hull shape, keel design, and displacement affect motion, safety, and fatigue on passage. From there we go deep on marine diesel engines and offshore self-sufficiency: parts cost realities, why simple diesels can be a gift, how hydrolock happens, and what you can do to save an engine fast. We also touch lithium battery safety, thermal runaway, and why understanding your power system is part of modern seamanship. Under all the technical talk is the heart of James’s book, “Be the Captain” a leadership mindset for keeping crews steady, delegating clearly, and staying calm when the pressure spikes. If this helped, subscribe, share it with a sailing friend, and leave a review with your number one non-negotiable when choosing a cruising boat. Get your Sailor SPF Shirt at https://SaltyPodcast.myshopify.com Support the show SALTY ABANDON:  Cap'n Tinsley, Orange Beach, AL: Oct 2020 to Present - 1998 Island Packet 320; Nov 2015-Oct 2020; 1988 Island Packet 27 Feb-Oct 2015 - 1982 Catalina 25 ▶️YouTube Playlist: https://saltyabandon/SaltyPodcastPlaylist 💨AIRLOCK:  Get rid of those boat smells with $30 off with code SALTY30:  https://airlockusa.com/SALTY30  👕Salty Podcast SPF Sailor Shirts:  https://saltypodcast.myshopify.com/ 🎙️Wanna Start a Livestream? Try Streamyard: Go live like a pro with an easy, browser-based studio for podcasts, interviews and livestreams: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608 ✂️Opus Clips: Turn long videos into short, shareable clips fast. https://tolt.link/saltypodcast 🫶Support the Podcast: http://patreon.com/SaltyAbandon

    Unfiltered Sailboat Buying Advice with James Evenson, author of "Be The Captain" ⛵ Salty Podcast #97

  7. May 22 ·  Video

    From Blackhawk Pilot to Island Packet 44 Sailor | SV Validated | Salty Podcast #96

    Send us Fan Mail The romantic version of sailing is easy to sell. The real version is what Suzy and Sput live every day aboard their 1992 Island Packet 44, SV Validated It, as they pause in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands and prepare to push south toward Grenada for hurricane season. They started in Washington, DC, met online, and turned a brand-new partnership into a full-time cruising plan with very real consequences: weather windows, expensive clear-in fees, and the relentless “thorny path” of sailing into wind and current. We talk through the nuts and bolts that make or break a cruising lifestyle. They share what surprised them most while transiting the Bahamas, why lowering the dinghy can become a daily debate, and how a simple Georgetown message turned into a WhatsApp network of dozens of boats coordinating moves toward the Caribbean. You’ll also hear why accurate local intel matters, including a candid anchorage tip in Tortola and how NoForeignLand helped set expectations. Then we get into the moments every sailor fears: systems failures and engine trouble. They walk us through a fried DC-to-DC charger, a hydrolocked Yanmar 4JH2-TE that could have ended the trip, and how mentor support and fast, methodical troubleshooting saved the engine. We also dig into practical preparedness: spares that are worth carrying, managing diesel bug risk, and a DIY fuel polisher that costs under $100. If you’re planning liveaboard sailing, offshore cruising, or a big retirement transition, this conversation is packed with concrete takeaways on seamanship, budgeting, provisioning, and staying calm when the boat demands “damage control.” Subscribe, share this with a sailor who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest question about making the jump offshore. Get your Sailor SPF Shirt at https://SaltyPodcast.myshopify.com Support the show SALTY ABANDON:  Cap'n Tinsley, Orange Beach, AL: Oct 2020 to Present - 1998 Island Packet 320; Nov 2015-Oct 2020; 1988 Island Packet 27 Feb-Oct 2015 - 1982 Catalina 25 ▶️YouTube Playlist: https://saltyabandon/SaltyPodcastPlaylist 💨AIRLOCK:  Get rid of those boat smells with $30 off with code SALTY30:  https://airlockusa.com/SALTY30  👕Salty Podcast SPF Sailor Shirts:  https://saltypodcast.myshopify.com/ 🎙️Wanna Start a Livestream? Try Streamyard: Go live like a pro with an easy, browser-based studio for podcasts, interviews and livestreams: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608 ✂️Opus Clips: Turn long videos into short, shareable clips fast. https://tolt.link/saltypodcast 🫶Support the Podcast: http://patreon.com/SaltyAbandon

    From Blackhawk Pilot to Island Packet 44 Sailor | SV Validated | Salty Podcast #96

  8. May 4 ·  Video

    Growing Up at Sea: 12-Year-Old Sailor Atticus from @BoyMeetsOcean | Salty Podcast #95

    Send us Fan Mail Sorry for the music overlap of the audio at 34:40 til 34:57.  I inadvertently failed to mute the b-roll video and noticed it after I uploaded it.  It last 17 seconds but is a very good song so enjoy! A 12-year-old on night watch, clipped in, steering a 46-foot catamaran through real offshore conditions while his friends back home are doing homework on the couch. That’s Atticus, the voice behind Boy Meets Ocean, and he joins us from the Bahamas to explain what full-time liveaboard sailing is actually like when you’re the kid on board, not the parent. We talk about the transition from land life to boat life, how he keeps friendships going while meeting “boat kids” across the islands, and what daily seamanship looks like on a cruising catamaran. Atticus breaks down the practical stuff families always ask about: anchoring plans, dealing with wind and chop, using navigation and weather apps like Navionics and Windy, and learning to handle sails with his dad. He also shares the safety rules that keep everyone secure offshore, plus the maintenance chores that come with the dream. Then his dad zooms out to the bigger mission: a health scare that changed their priorities, a worldschooling approach that blends online learning with real travel, and a family plan that goes far beyond the Caribbean toward a future circumnavigation. We also get into content creation at sea, why Atticus edits on a phone, how he thinks about staying genuine on social media, and the tech boundaries they set so the ocean stays the main teacher. If you’re curious about sailing with kids, homeschooling at sea, Bahamas cruising, and what it takes to raise capable young sailors, listen through and share this with a fellow dreamer. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: could you handle life at anchor full time? Get your Sailor SPF Shirt at https://SaltyPodcast.myshopify.com Support the show SALTY ABANDON:  Cap'n Tinsley, Orange Beach, AL: Oct 2020 to Present - 1998 Island Packet 320; Nov 2015-Oct 2020; 1988 Island Packet 27 Feb-Oct 2015 - 1982 Catalina 25 ▶️YouTube Playlist: https://saltyabandon/SaltyPodcastPlaylist 💨AIRLOCK:  Get rid of those boat smells with $30 off with code SALTY30:  https://airlockusa.com/SALTY30  👕Salty Podcast SPF Sailor Shirts:  https://saltypodcast.myshopify.com/ 🎙️Wanna Start a Livestream? Try Streamyard: Go live like a pro with an easy, browser-based studio for podcasts, interviews and livestreams: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608 ✂️Opus Clips: Turn long videos into short, shareable clips fast. https://tolt.link/saltypodcast 🫶Support the Podcast: http://patreon.com/SaltyAbandon

    Growing Up at Sea: 12-Year-Old Sailor Atticus from @BoyMeetsOcean | Salty Podcast #95
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

The Salty Podcast shares real sailing stories and adventures — expert tips, ocean crossings, storm tales, heartwarming stories, and the quirks of life at sea. Each week, Cap’n Tinsley brings you voices from the water: sailors who’ve crossed oceans, lived aboard, and chased horizons. Join The Salty Podcast each week for adventures in storm survival, cruising life, and the joy of sailing. No fluff — just salty conversations, heartfelt moments, and lessons from sailors worldwide.  Salty Abandon is Captain Tinsley from Gulf Shores & Orange Beach AL:  Oct 2020 to Present -  1998 Island Packet 320; 2015-2020 - 1988 Island Packet 27 (lost in Hurricane Sally Sep 2020)Want to support the podcast? http://patreon.com/SaltyAbandon Salty Podcast Shop:  https://SaltyPodcast.myshopify.com https://youtube.com/@svsaltyabandonhttps://www.facebook.com/saltyabandonsailing podcast, sailing stories, sailing adventures, sailboat life, cruising lifestyle, liveaboard sailors, ocean adventures, solo sailing, circumnavigation, bluewater cruising, sailing the Caribbean, sailing the Bahamas, offshore sailing, storm stories, sailing interviews, real-life sailing stories from around the world, tips and experiences from liveaboard sailors, adventures of solo and crewed sailors, lessons from storms, passages, and long crossings, cruising life beyond the horizon 

Information

  • Creator
    Captain Tinsley
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    110
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Salty Podcast: Sailing Stories & Adventures
  • Show Website
    Salty Podcast: Sailing Stories

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