Salty Podcast: Sailing Stories

Captain Tinsley
  • 4.9 (13)
  • 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/saltyabandon sailing 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. Sailing The Crooked Anchor | No Sailing Experience to Life in the Bahamas | Salty Podcast #93

    5H AGO

    Sailing The Crooked Anchor | No Sailing Experience to Life in the Bahamas | Salty Podcast #93

    Send us Fan Mail They bought the dream with zero sailing experience, then paid for it with patience, sweat, and a willingness to live with less. I sit down with Captain Ken and Miss Kelly from The Crooked Anchor, liveaboards on a 1990 Gemini catamaran, to unpack how two Florida landlubbers sold the house, refit a fixer-upper boat, and turned “we could never do that” into seven years of cruising the Keys and the Bahamas. We get specific about what actually makes the liveaboard sailing lifestyle work: cutting debt, avoiding the storage-unit money pit, setting a shove-off date, and learning to do your own boat maintenance so marine labor bills don’t sink the budget. Ken shares why DIY skills translate so well onboard, while Kelly explains the less-glamorous reality that still feels worth it: laundry, biking for groceries, hauling water, and staying in shape simply by living the routine. Then we head to the Bahamas details listeners always ask for: staging in the Keys, using the Gulf Stream, anchoring on the banks, checking in at Great Harbour, and why they keep coming back to Georgetown. You’ll also hear about their repurposed beach art and famous swings at Sand Dollar Beach, the electric energy of the Family Island Regatta, and the moments that sharpened their safety mindset, from a major anchorage storm to a python in the cockpit and why a handheld VHF now goes everywhere. If you’ve been dreaming about cruising, a sabbatical, or any big reset, this conversation keeps it honest and still wildly motivating. Subscribe for more real-world sailing stories, share this with a friend who keeps saying “someday,” and leave a review with the one trip you’d take if you started now. 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 SALTY PODCAST is LIVE every Wed at 6pm Central and is all about the love of sailing! SALTY PODCAST SAILOR SHIRTS:  https://saltypodcast.myshopify.com/ YOUTUBE PLAYLIST: https://saltyabandon/SaltyPodcastPlaylist Wanna create a Livestream?: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608 GEAR FEATURED IN MY UPCOMING VIDEOS: 🛟 Boat Fenders → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08S1PXKKR ⚓ Dock Lines → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS4BNYR9 🧽 Exterior Cleaning Kit → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BL533KR7

    58 min
  2. Catching up with Sailing Jeep in Georgetown, Bahamas! | Salty Podcast #92

    4D AGO

    Catching up with Sailing Jeep in Georgetown, Bahamas! | Salty Podcast #92

    Send us Fan Mail Georgetown, Exuma has a reputation among sailors and cruisers, but the real story is how it feels when you drop anchor and start meeting people. From Stocking Island, we sit down with Kurt Allmeyer of the 46-foot catamaran “Sailing Jeep” for a candid update on day-to-day life in Georgetown, why the anchorage can feel unusually safe, and how a tight cruising community changes everything. If you’re planning an Exumas sailing trip, this is the kind of on-the-water perspective you can’t get from a brochure.  We talk about the practical stuff cruisers actually care about: where the good gathering spots are, what food is worth the stop, and how trust works in a small town where everyone learns your name fast. Kurt explains the local culture in one line that says it all: rude sailors don’t get welcomed, and that shared standard keeps the vibe light, social, and fun. We also dig into events and traditions, including the buzz around the Family Island Regatta and why Georgetown becomes a magnet during the season.  Then we get real about cruising logistics in the Bahamas: anchoring through big wind forecasts, provisioning when inventory is hit-or-miss, and why shipping a dinghy can take weeks thanks to verification, weather, and missed mail boats. Kurt also shares a tense seamanship story about losing power and electronics at night and still getting the boat through safely, plus his plan for heading north with tide-timed cuts and offshore fishing for mahi.  If you like honest cruising talk, subscribe, share this with a sailing friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s the one thing you wish someone had told you before your first season in the Exumas? 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 SALTY PODCAST is LIVE every Wed at 6pm Central and is all about the love of sailing! SALTY PODCAST SAILOR SHIRTS:  https://saltypodcast.myshopify.com/ YOUTUBE PLAYLIST: https://saltyabandon/SaltyPodcastPlaylist Wanna create a Livestream?: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608 GEAR FEATURED IN MY UPCOMING VIDEOS: 🛟 Boat Fenders → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08S1PXKKR ⚓ Dock Lines → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS4BNYR9 🧽 Exterior Cleaning Kit → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BL533KR7

    24 min
  3. Met on SAILOR DATING SITE to Cruising Full-Time | Salty Podcast #91

    APR 5

    Met on SAILOR DATING SITE to Cruising Full-Time | Salty Podcast #91

    Send us Fan Mail In Salty Podcast #91, I sit down with Bill and Katherine of Mi Salida Sailing in Black Point Settlement, Exumas, Bahamas. They share how they met on a dating site for sailors, bought an Island Packet 465, and made the leap into full-time cruising.  We talk about their origin story, why they chose this boat, what it’s really like cruising full-time as a couple, and the balance between caution, experience, and learning as you go. Katherine brings decades of sailing experience, Bill brings the dream and determination, and together they’ve built a life afloat with their dog Gracie.  This episode also gets into the real side of cruising life — expensive repairs, boatyard time, breakdowns, heat, stress, and those moments where you wonder why you’re doing it — along with the freedom, beauty, community, and unforgettable memories that make it all worth it.  If you’ve ever thought about living aboard, retiring to sail, or chasing a dream later in life, this one is for you. 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 SALTY PODCAST is LIVE every Wed at 6pm Central and is all about the love of sailing! SALTY PODCAST SAILOR SHIRTS:  https://saltypodcast.myshopify.com/ YOUTUBE PLAYLIST: https://saltyabandon/SaltyPodcastPlaylist Wanna create a Livestream?: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608 GEAR FEATURED IN MY UPCOMING VIDEOS: 🛟 Boat Fenders → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08S1PXKKR ⚓ Dock Lines → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS4BNYR9 🧽 Exterior Cleaning Kit → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BL533KR7

    57 min
  4. Talking with Full-Time Liveaboards from Cruisers Beach in Big Majors, Exumas Bahamas | Salty Podcast #90

    MAR 30

    Talking with Full-Time Liveaboards from Cruisers Beach in Big Majors, Exumas Bahamas | Salty Podcast #90

    Send us Fan Mail The Bahamas looks effortless on Instagram until you’re the one staring at a forecast that says 25 knots and realizing your entire plan depends on a weather window. From a sandy hangout at Big Majors Cay, we sit down with Roger and Kristen, liveaboards on their 1995 Island Packet 40 Shamala, to talk through the real decisions that shape a cruising day: when to stay put, who to trust for weather, and how to move south without turning a passage into a grind. Their path to full-time cruising is a decade-long build from sailing classes and smaller boats in California to relocating to Florida, moving aboard, and taking a first Bahamas attempt that didn’t go as planned. We get into the practical side of liveaboard life and Bahamas cruising in the Exumas, including anchor choice by wind direction, why Thunderball Grotto is a low-tide mission, and the kind of hyper-specific local intel you only learn from other cruisers on the beach. We also unpack the tools and community that make the lifestyle work. Roger and Kristen explain how they use the NoForeignLand app for anchorage reviews, dinghy docks, and messaging new friends without sharing phone numbers, plus how remote connectivity like Starlink changes what’s possible afloat. Then we go deeper into the moments that test you, from a scary shoal encounter near Charleston to the confidence that comes from a safe, comfortable boat and the prep that helped them ride out Hurricane Ian. If you’re into Bahamas sailing, weather routing, liveaboard cruising, or Island Packet ownership, this one is packed with firsthand lessons. Subscribe for more dock talk and passages, share this with a cruising friend, and leave a review. What’s the one tool or habit you refuse to sail without? 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 SALTY PODCAST is LIVE every Wed at 6pm Central and is all about the love of sailing! SALTY PODCAST SAILOR SHIRTS:  https://saltypodcast.myshopify.com/ YOUTUBE PLAYLIST: https://saltyabandon/SaltyPodcastPlaylist Wanna create a Livestream?: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608 GEAR FEATURED IN MY UPCOMING VIDEOS: 🛟 Boat Fenders → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08S1PXKKR ⚓ Dock Lines → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS4BNYR9 🧽 Exterior Cleaning Kit → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BL533KR7

    37 min
  5. Bahamas Update from Capt Tinsley aboard @SaltyAbandon!

    MAR 24 ·  BONUS

    Bahamas Update from Capt Tinsley aboard @SaltyAbandon!

    Send us Fan Mail I haven't had a chance to do any interviews lately but I DO appreciate the feedback from the audio podcast followers as well as the social media followers...asking for more interviews!  I should be in Georgetown by this weekend and there will be all kinds of sailors to interview there!  I'm looking forward to it. In the meantime, please follow Salty Abandon on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Tiktok and see my clips of my journey.  Thank you! Capt Tinsley 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 SALTY PODCAST is LIVE every Wed at 6pm Central and is all about the love of sailing! SALTY PODCAST SAILOR SHIRTS:  https://saltypodcast.myshopify.com/ YOUTUBE PLAYLIST: https://saltyabandon/SaltyPodcastPlaylist Wanna create a Livestream?: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608 GEAR FEATURED IN MY UPCOMING VIDEOS: 🛟 Boat Fenders → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08S1PXKKR ⚓ Dock Lines → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS4BNYR9 🧽 Exterior Cleaning Kit → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BL533KR7

    1 min
  6. WIDOWED & SAILING: Sailing After Loss - Tinsley's Story | Salty Podcast #89

    FEB 16

    WIDOWED & SAILING: Sailing After Loss - Tinsley's Story | Salty Podcast #89

    Send us Fan Mail Salty Podcast Sailor Shirts:  https://saltypodcast.myshopify.com The wind doesn’t just move a boat; it moves a life. Captain Tinsley sits down with her longtime friend Mark to chart the real story behind her voyages—from Atlanta freeways to the Gulf’s passes, from small-boat frustrations to bluewater confidence, and from a hurricane’s chaos to the quiet, stubborn act of healing after losing Salty Scotty. What unfolds is a clear-eyed look at seamanship and the inner weather that shapes it. We get specific about the money and mechanics of cruising: why smaller, tougher boats keep budgets sane, how anchoring versus marinas changes monthly costs, and which upgrades actually matter offshore. Tinsley walks through ASA training, a game-changing Key Largo refresher, and the Catalina 25 that taught her the value of autopilot and a wheel. She opens the logbook on a night when an alternator belt failed, electronics died, and she and a crewmate lined up on stars until the Coast Guard guided them to safety at dawn—proof that redundancy, calm, and paper backup are not optional. Then the storm hits. Hurricane Sally’s last-minute turn brought surge that snapped lines and wrecked a marina. Tinsley lost her Island Packet 27 and came away with hard insurance lessons: document every upgrade, update coverage, and triple-line for real surge, not the forecast you want. The rebuild led to a new boat and a sharper standard for “yacht quality” installs—tight through-hulls, clean wiring, and maintenance that pays dividends when the Gulf turns mean. The most vulnerable chapter is also the bravest. After Scott’s unexpected passing, the sea felt different. She kept moving anyway—Miami slips, Bahamas weather windows, two cats learning the rhythm of passages—leaning on cruisers’ communities from Women Who Sail to the Georgetown anchorage where skills and spare parts circulate like tide. We also get candid about safety as a solo woman, reading water and people, ICW etiquette, rental-pontoon chaos, and the moment a shadowing boat peeled off when boundaries were made unmistakable. If you love real-world sailing—budgeting, training, storm prep, solo tactics, and the quiet holiness when the engine clicks off—this story will meet you where you are. Subscribe, share with a salty friend, and leave a review with your biggest sailing lesson or question. Your voice helps keep this voyage going. 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 SALTY PODCAST is LIVE every Wed at 6pm Central and is all about the love of sailing! SALTY PODCAST SAILOR SHIRTS:  https://saltypodcast.myshopify.com/ YOUTUBE PLAYLIST: https://saltyabandon/SaltyPodcastPlaylist Wanna create a Livestream?: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608 GEAR FEATURED IN MY UPCOMING VIDEOS: 🛟 Boat Fenders → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08S1PXKKR ⚓ Dock Lines → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS4BNYR9 🧽 Exterior Cleaning Kit → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BL533KR7

    57 min
  7. Bahamas Weather Check… and UFOs Offshore?! (Sailing Jeep in Georgetown) | Salty Podcast #88

    FEB 7

    Bahamas Weather Check… and UFOs Offshore?! (Sailing Jeep in Georgetown) | Salty Podcast #88

    Send us Fan Mail Forty-knot gusts, nine-foot swell, and a mooring field packed with boats waiting out yet another front—welcome to a real-time snapshot of Georgetown, Exumas. We bring on Curt from Sailing Jeep, currently anchored in the thick of it, to share hard-earned lessons on reading models, picking safe anchorages for relentless north winds, and staying sane when the forecast keeps slipping. If you’re staging a Florida–Bahamas crossing or planning the Exumas, this is your field guide to timing, local geography, and the kind of redundancy that pays off when systems pile up. Curt walks us through his Prout 46 setup—an ocean-capable catamaran optimized for comfort and safety—then opens the toolbox on what really breaks under pressure. A windlass solenoid fails, both engines develop different issues, water systems gulp air, and an autopilot turns useless when compasses disagree. We unpack the diagnostic steps, electrical gremlins that mimic fuel problems, and how to source parts in the Bahamas when brokers, taxes, and delays complicate simple fixes. You’ll also get a cruiser’s map to Georgetown: the dinghy cut to the grocery dock, where to fill water and fuel, and which side offers better shelter when fronts clock from north to south overnight. And then there’s the night no one aboard will forget. After reported missile launches in the Gulf, the crew films fast-moving objects on night vision while GPS and compasses diverge—later aligning with widespread reports of a major solar flare scrambling anchor alarms across the southern Bahamas. Whether training ops or something stranger, the seamanship takeaways are clear: cross-check references, trust your eyes, and hand-steer with purpose when electronics spin. If you value practical cruising advice with honest talk about breakdowns, fatigue, and the mindset to keep going, hit play. Subscribe, share with a sailing friend, and leave a review to help more cruisers find the show. 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 SALTY PODCAST is LIVE every Wed at 6pm Central and is all about the love of sailing! SALTY PODCAST SAILOR SHIRTS:  https://saltypodcast.myshopify.com/ YOUTUBE PLAYLIST: https://saltyabandon/SaltyPodcastPlaylist Wanna create a Livestream?: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608 GEAR FEATURED IN MY UPCOMING VIDEOS: 🛟 Boat Fenders → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08S1PXKKR ⚓ Dock Lines → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS4BNYR9 🧽 Exterior Cleaning Kit → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BL533KR7

    1h 2m
  8. Salty Podcast #87⛵When Sailing Turns Serious | Sailing the Oceanaire ⛵

    JAN 15

    Salty Podcast #87⛵When Sailing Turns Serious | Sailing the Oceanaire ⛵

    Send us Fan Mail A quiet dinner at anchor turned into the kind of emergency every cruiser dreads. Within hours, pain escalated into a misdiagnosed crisis, a midnight dash to a small clinic, and a fight to secure an air ambulance before pilots timed out and the airport closed at dark. What followed was necrotizing pancreatitis, weeks in U.S. ICUs, and a hard lesson in how evacuation insurance really works when you’re far from home and the paperwork clock is ticking. We walk through the chain of failures and fixes: why “get me home” coverage matters, what documents medevac teams demand before dispatch, and how to build a grab-and-go packet that lives both on paper and in your phone. We talk costs and realities—$48,000 flights, FAA crew limits, and the bottleneck no one warns you about: securing a receiving hospital bed before wheels up. Then we share the counterweight to crisis—the cruising community that moved the boat across islands, decommissioned her for hurricane season, coordinated vendors, and welcomed us back with open arms and spare parts. If you sail offshore, this is the blueprint for readiness and the proof that people keep you afloat. Balancing grit with wonder, Renee also shares her Pacific crew passage: the rhythm of a modern catamaran, the Galapagos logistics machine of agents and inspections, and the payoff underwater—hammerheads, sea lions, and reef mantas barrel-feeding beneath the keel. We dig into real numbers for the canal and Galapagos fees, how biosecurity shapes cruising plans, and why meticulous prep unlocks world-class anchorages. Recovery, resilience, and route planning all collide here, from Bequia and Grenada to the Marquesas and back to the yard in Trinidad. If you care about bluewater safety, medevac realities, community support, and the raw joy that keeps us chasing horizons, this story is for you. Subscribe, share with a cruising friend, and leave a review with your top takeaway or your own emergency-prep tip—we’ll feature the best on a future show. 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 SALTY PODCAST is LIVE every Wed at 6pm Central and is all about the love of sailing! SALTY PODCAST SAILOR SHIRTS:  https://saltypodcast.myshopify.com/ YOUTUBE PLAYLIST: https://saltyabandon/SaltyPodcastPlaylist Wanna create a Livestream?: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608 GEAR FEATURED IN MY UPCOMING VIDEOS: 🛟 Boat Fenders → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08S1PXKKR ⚓ Dock Lines → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS4BNYR9 🧽 Exterior Cleaning Kit → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BL533KR7

    59 min
See All (101)

Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
13 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/saltyabandon sailing 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
    101
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Salty Podcast: Sailing Stories & Adventures
  • Show Website
    Salty Podcast: Sailing Stories

You Might Also Like