Send us Fan Mail Here’s the tighter version — about half the length, while keeping the SEO terms and the strongest parts of the story: Jack Yeager bought a million-dollar-plus sailboat before he knew how to sail, then spent the next five years turning that decision into an extraordinary sailing adventure. In Salty Podcast #104, Jack joins Cap’n Tinsley to tell how he went from a workaholic software entrepreneur to cruising thousands of miles aboard Phase 8, a Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 62. Jack’s sailing story began after a day on the water in Marina del Rey made him realize something unexpected: while sailing, he stopped thinking about work. That feeling stayed with him. He began visiting boat shows in the U.S. and Europe, studying sailboat designs, and eventually committed to buying a brand-new Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 62 before he had really learned to sail. After signing the deal, he returned to Los Angeles, joined SailTime, practiced on a Beneteau 45, and took ASA sailing courses before heading to France to take delivery of Phase 8. The boat’s name, Phase 8, represented a new phase in Jack’s life. He had sold his software business and was ready for something completely different. With help from a captain early on, he learned to handle the 62-foot yacht, but soon decided he wanted to be the captain himself. Before long, he was sailing Phase 8 largely on his own through the Mediterranean. Jack talks about Mediterranean sailing, solo sailing, docking a large yacht in crowded marinas, dealing with unfamiliar weather and current, and learning through mistakes. He shares stories from Barcelona, Marseille, the South of France, Monaco, Venice, Croatia, Montenegro and other destinations. Near Marseille, he encountered dense fog before he had fully learned to use his radar. Visibility became so poor that he could not see beyond the bow. He eventually anchored and woke hours later to discover the dramatic coastline he had been unable to see when he arrived. For Jack, the Mediterranean felt like Christmas because every day brought something new. New countries, new food, new architecture, new people and new sailing challenges gave him a sense of excitement and discovery he had not felt in years. Jack eventually crossed the Atlantic as part of the 2018 ARC, sailing from the Canary Islands to St. Lucia. From there, he continued through the Caribbean, cruising islands including Antigua and Grenada before eventually sailing Phase 8 into the United States. He worked his way north through Fort Lauderdale, Charleston, Annapolis, New York City, Long Island Sound, Newport, Martha’s Vineyard and Maine. One of the wildest East Coast moments happened in New York City. During a storm, Jack heard an enormous crack and came on deck thinking lightning had hit his sailboat. Instead, lightning had struck the lightning rod on Freedom Tower above the marina. A photographer in New Jersey captured the strike. The adventure continued south to the Panama Canal, which Jack describes as one of the most interesting experiences of the trip. He talks about transiting the locks, spending the night in Gatun Lake and emerging on the Pacific side. From there, he sailed toward Costa Rica, Cabo and the Sea of Cortez. In Costa Rica, enormous whales surfaced beside his 62-foot yacht. In the Sea of Cortez, some of his favorite moments came sailing at night under a full moon with no engine running and a sky full of stars. COVID changed Jack’s plans. Borders began closing, marinas operated differently and international cruising became more difficult. Instead of continuing west across the Pacific, he worked his way north along the West Coast toward the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. During one stop in Canada, customs officers searched Phase 8 and found a starter pistol or noise-making gun that looked real. Jack was placed in handcuffs while they investigated. Although the device was ultimately determined not to be a real firearm, the incident became a lesson in how seriously international boating laws and customs regulations can affect cruisers. The most dramatic part of the episode comes after Jack reaches Alaska. He discovered that the spare engine belt he thought he had aboard had already been used during previous service work. When the belt failed, he was left without a working engine. Jack attempted to sail south anyway, and the weather deteriorated quickly. Winds expected to be around 28 knots increased to 35, then 42, and eventually 55 knots. In the darkness, with no engine and heavy seas building around him, Jack was thrown across the boat while tethered in and the boom broke. For one moment, he truly believed he was going to die. His survival instincts took over, and he began working through one problem at a time. The U.S. Coast Guard stayed in contact with Jack as conditions worsened. When communication was lost, they told him they were prepared to send a helicopter. Jack warned them the conditions were terrible and they did not want to be out there either. The response came back: “This is what we do.” A Coast Guard vessel later stayed near Phase 8 through the night, leaving Jack with a lasting appreciation for the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard. Jack also talks openly about the mistakes he made and the lessons he learned. One of the biggest was this: never leave shore unless the boat is 110% ready. His story is a reminder that offshore sailing, bluewater cruising and solo sailing demand preparation, spare parts, good judgment and respect for changing conditions. Eventually, Jack returned to California and sold Phase 8. He estimates he sailed roughly 20,000 miles aboard the boat, much of it solo. But sailing is not over for him. When Cap’n Tinsley asks whether another boat is in his future, Jack’s answer is immediate: 100%. Salty Podcast #104 is a conversation about Jack Yeager, Phase 8, the Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 62, learning to sail, solo sailing, Mediterranean sailing, Atlantic crossings, Caribbean cruising, the Panama Canal, Sea of Cortez sailing, Alaska sailing, offshore storms, the U.S. Coast Guard, sailing safety, bluewater cruising, yacht ownership, adventure, risk and what it means to actually go do the things you have always talked about doing. ⛵ Salty Podcast #104 🎙️ Guest: Jack Yeager 🛥️ S/V Phase 8 — Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 62 🎧 Watch the full episode: [https://youtu.be/5lrHP1_oMoE](https://youtu.be/5lrHP1_oMoE) 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
