The Morning Muster Sailing Podcast Ben & Teresa Carey

We invited Amanda Swan on the show today because not only does she have hundreds of thousands of sea miles under her belt, but she is also educator (and we like educators). She is also a sailmaker, and rigger. And today we’ll be talking about rigging. Yes – the ropes and wires we rely on but rarely make our maintenance checklists. Let’s be real, when was the last time you walked around you boat and ran your fingers along the wires, feeling for burs. Or went aloft, and checked the chafe on those halyards. Well those checks are critical. And we’ll be talking about why this matter today. 

Also on the show, we invited John Thurston. John is a rope expert. He owns Lanex USA  in Jamestown RI. Rocinante, our Norseman 447 is outfitted stem to stern in Lanex Rope - a European based cordage company. And we love it. And John’s advice was so good, we thought you might want to hear some of it too. 
We cover a bunch of useful sailing topics in this podcast about lines and rigging:
How to care for your running rigging and lines. Why you should take your lines off the boat during the off season.
Whats the difference between HMPE (dyneema) and Polyester cordage.
Which one floats and which one burns? Covers vs. cores and how they interact.
Amanda encourages us to buy lines over length to accomodate chafe, and to buy same size lines – so you can switch them out and change the wear spots. What causes  lines to slip on winches and clutches.
We get into the clasic deate of lines led aft vs at the mast, but in regards to line care and longevity. 
Do you color code your lines and reef cringles for safety? It' s a great idea!
What causes sheave chafe? We get into Rig inspections and checklists,
Keeping this simple… its so easy to sit at your deck and buy sailing gear. But do you need it all?
Splicing good line is harder than poor soft line - most riggers dont want to splice with the good stuff because its too hard!
Get to know what elastic deformation does to your lines and how creep degrades your line strength.
And sailing gloves -- do you use them?


Music by Tim Eriksen

We chat with Behan Gifford and John Worth about sailing at night, standing watch, working on commercial vessels, making passages, ship traffic, AIS, and more.
Behan Gifford has made her home aboard a Stevens 47 for the last fifteen years, circumnavigating with her husband and three children. It's given her meaningful experience with sailing at night! The prospect of nighttime sailing is intimidating for many: demystifying that, taking the mystery out and making it feel addressable, is addressed in the coaching service she and her husband have to help folks successfully cut the docklines. You can find more information about Behan and her husband Jamie and their consulting services at their website Sailing Totem.
John Worth started his maritime career in 1973 as a deckhand aboard the schooners in Camden, Maine. He has had a long career aboard schooners, tugboats, yachts, as well as teaching at Maine Maritime Academy. He is now actively retired as a Ferry Captain with the Maine State Ferry Service and an occasional tug job. He holds a USCG 1600 ton master/near coastal with towing and sail endorsements. You can find John on instagram at jdubs53
Music by Tim Eriksen (Ben's brother)
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Let's talk about boat projects! We love them and hate them, or do we? They require alot of planning and thought, in addition to the actual labor. We chat with two sailors — Steve Swartz and Daphne Douglas, who are both knee-deep in large refits of their boats to discuss the ins and outs of the process. They offer some tips on planning and execution, as well as finding the right balance between money, time, and sailing.

Great discussion with Murray Beach and Marie Rogers about keeping safety procedures simple, smart racing, prepping for offshore races, fatigue and watch schedules. Stories of racing accidents and strategies, strength, endurance and struggles.

A discussion about GPS! We all use it everyday, more than we probably even realize. But is it all it's cracked up to be and will it last? We chat with Pauline Cook, formerly a Coast Guard captain who's involved with the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation and Scott Logan, a GPS consultant and expert.

A vibrant and informative discussion with two professionals in the medical and marine emergency response world: Brian Notheis, a USCG helicopter rescue swimmer and Deborah Hayes, a professional mariner, wilderness medical instructor and EMT. You don't want to miss this one.