How I Think About Sailing

Andy and Mia joins August to give him the latest news on their boat hunt! Will there be another boat in the family?  For links to the listings as well as hi-res photos, join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform! First two weeks free!

Andy is indeed shopping for a new boat, and we get to peek over his shoulder! Checking out the boats he is considering, the things he is looking for, as well as learning about his overall strategy and thought process. Man, this is fun! For a video recording, links to all the listings as well as hi-res photos, join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform! First two weeks free!

The Shetland Race is a historic, 200 mile race across the notorious North Sea from Bergen to Lerwick. August recently completed the 2024 Shetland Race on ISBJØRN, and he's is eager to tell the story and to share the numerous lessons he learned.  -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to continue the discussion. First two weeks free!

Hear Andy's salty sea story of the time FALKEN and her trusty radar was called upon to rescue a boat that dragged her anchor and drifted out to sea without lights, AIS or any crew aboard. Last episode of the season! Please rate us and subscibe to catch us when the next season comes along! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to add your own arguments and to continue the discussion. First two weeks free!

Andy and August are back, this week talking about radar! What is it, and is it a necessary tool for the modern sailor? Plenty of sea stories in this one that might help you decide!  -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to add your own arguments and to continue the discussion. First two weeks free!

How different is it to sail in the dark, and what can you do to make it a safe, fun and even spiritual experience? Turn on your navlights, spin up your radar and join Andy Schell and August Sandberg in the cocpit for a dark night watch. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to add your own arguments and to continue the discussion. First two weeks free!

Andy Schell and August Sandberg answers questions from Quarterdeck members! This time tackling the popular topic of Watch Schedules. How do you manage rest, handover and crew pairing to make you passage as safe and enjoyable as possible? -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to add your own arguments and to continue the discussion. First two weeks free!

ISBJØRN's white sails have 60 000 miles on them, and we are making new ones! Andy and August takes this opportunity to discuss how the sails have worked for them, and consider if they would want to change anything. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to add your own arguments and to continue the discussion. First two weeks free!

Self-sufficiency is one of the most important and attractive aspects of long-distance sailing, and a proper toolkit is arguably the most important step towards achieving it. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to add your own arguments and to continue the discussion. First two weeks free!

Quarterdeck Member Morgan Hunter reached out to ask us about sail plans for Catamarans, and we invited him on the podcast for a conversation on the topic with sail plan pundit Andy Schell! Check out Morgan and his many projects on skylarksailing.com. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to add your own arguments and to continue the discussion. First two weeks free! 

Our amazing bosun Adam Browne returns to the podcast to talk to August about the latest and greatest upgrades and modifications that he recently worked on aboard ISBJØRN! Many new and exciting things happening on the boat! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to add your own arguments and to continue the discussion. First two weeks free! 

The Quarterdeck Sailing Podcast is back! ISBJØRN is about to have her mast stepped after having spent the winter in a cozy warm shed, and Andy and August takes a moment to remind themselves about best practises when you go to tune your rig up for the season.  -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to add your own arguments and to continue the discussion. First two weeks free! 

Andy and August talk offshore weather routing, with FALKEN's recent trip to Greenland as a case study. They discuss how to think about forecasts, considering alternatives, implications on comfort and crew morale, what to prioritize, and how it's different for racers and cruisers. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to add your own arguments and to continue the discussion. First two weeks free! 

Andy Schell and his crew just returned to port after Falken's last sail of the year. They sailed through the Gulf of Cadiz - A stretch of water that offers a new and unique challenge to mariners in the form of attacking orcas! August and Andy talks about how to to deal with the attacks, as well as the moral implications of it all. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to add your own arguments and to continue the discussion. First two weeks free! 

The Quarterdeck Podcast is back! It will feature conversations about projects and issues from the top of the 59 North agenda, providing some insight into our work and our decision making process. Going forward, we'll release weekly episodes any time “On the Wind” is between seasons. So we'll be there in your ears every Tuesday every week all the time! This week, Andy and August discusses MFD's and where to mount them. Enjoy! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to add your own arguments and to continue the discussion. First two weeks free! 

For the last debate of this season, we take a big step back and ask the big question: The sights, sounds and cultural input of coastal cruising? Or the freedom, desolation and peace of offshore sailing? Nikki Henderson and August Sandberg randomly pick a side in this heated discussion, and tries to convince the other, and the audience, of which is the best version of sailing. Will they succeed? Will they stay on topic? Will the debate devolve into crying and name-calling? Click play to find out!

When the wind is light and abaft the beam, what you want is a spinnaker. But what type of spinnaker? Nikki Henderson and August  Sandberg randomly pick a side in this heated discussion, and tries to convince the other, and the audience, of which is the best version of sailing. Will they succeed? Will they stay on topic? Will the debate devolve into crying and name-calling? Click play to find out!

The more the merrier? Safer? Faster? Or just more expensive, crowded and annoying? Nikki Henderson the extrovert and August Sandberg the introvert randomly pick a side in this heated discussion, and tries to convince the other, and the audience, of which is the best version of sailing. Will they succeed? Will they stay on topic? Will the debate devolve into crying and name-calling? Click play to find out! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to add your own arguments and to continue the discussion First two weeks free! 

Are bananas the perfect food offshore, or are they inherently dangerous? Nikki Henderson and August Sandberg randomly pick a side in this heated discussion, and tries to convince the other, and the audience, of which is the best version of sailing. Will they succeed? Will they stay on topic? Will the debate devolve into crying and name-calling? Click play to find out! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to add your own arguments and to continue the discussion First two weeks free! 

Cruising or Racing - which is better? Nikki Henderson and August Sandberg randomly pick a side in this heated discussion, and tries to convince the other, and the audience, of which is the best version of sailing. Will they succeed? Will they stay on topic? Will the debate devolve into crying and name-calling? Click play to find out! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to add your own arguments and to continue the discussion First two weeks free! 

Monohulls or cats - which is better? Nikki Henderson and August Sandberg randomly pick a side in this heated discussion, and tries to convince the other, and the audience, of which is the ideal number of hulls. Will they succeed? Will they stay on topic? Will the debate devolve into crying and name-calling? Click play to find out! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to add your own arguments and to continue the discussion First two weeks free! 

Welcome back to the second debate of this season of the Quarterdeck Sailing Podcast! Nikki Henderson and August Sandberg will randomly pick a side in a contentious sailing topic, and then go toe to toe and see who can make the best case for or against! In this second episode, Nikki and August argue which is better: wheels, or tillers.  -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to add your own arguments and to continue the discussion First two weeks free! 

Welcome back to a new season of the Quarterdeck Sailing Podcast! This time around, we are doing debates! Nikki Henderson and August Sandberg will randomly pick a side in a contentious sailing topic, and then go toe to toe and see who can make the best case for or against! In this first one, Nikki and August argue whether they should go to the marina or drop the hook.  -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to add your own arguments and to continue the discussion First two weeks free! 

Time has come for us to cross the line and explore the very south of the southern hemisphere. Nikki makes a call to sailing explorers Sophie O'Neill and Christoffer Kobusch, who just sailed FALKEN into Antigua. The background of tropical birdcalls is a stark contrast to their vivid descriptions of nature's grandest performance - Antarctica. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to continue the conversation, and to access the resources mentioned in this podcast! First two weeks free! 

Laura Parent is representing 59 North on the Pacific coast of the US, and teaches sailing on the famous bay. She knows a lot about the waters, culture and history of the area, and thoroughly convinces August to come visit. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to continue the conversation, and to access the resources mentioned in this podcast! First two weeks free! 

Crammed with history, boats and sailing culture, the south coast of England is a perfect cruising destination. Nikki Henderson grew up in the area, and shares her vast knowledge about tides, weather and navigation, as well as favourite events and marinas. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to continue the conversation, and to access the resources mentioned in this podcast! First two weeks free! 

In this season of the Quarterdeck Sailing Podcast, we talk to members of the 59 North team about their favorite cruising grounds, and get them to share their tips, tricks and hidden gems. Today we are headed far, far north to the high arctic of Svalbard with Isbjørn skipper Jon Amtrup! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to continue the conversation, and to access the resources mentioned in this podcast! First two weeks free! 

In this season of the Quarterdeck Sailing Podcast, we talk to members of the 59 North team about their favorite cruising grounds, and get them to share their tips, tricks and hidden gems. This time around, Andy takes on the Chesapeake Bay in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US, where his long sea legs took their first small steps.  -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to continue the conversation, and to access the resources mentioned in this podcast! First two weeks free! 

In this season on the Quarterdeck Sailing Podcast, we talk to members of the 59 North team about their favorite cruising grounds, and get them to share their tips, tricks and hidden gems. In this episode, Mia Karlsson brings us along to the west coast of her home country of Sweden. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to continue the conversation, and to access the resources mentioned in this podcast! First two weeks free! 

In this season on the Quarterdeck Sailing Podcast, we talk to members of the 59 North team about their favorite cruising grounds, and get them to share their tips, tricks and hidden gems. First out is August, sharing his knowledge about the streets of his childhood - The Fjords and islands of the Norwegian West coast. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform, to continue the conversation, and to access the resources mentioned in this podcast! First two weeks free! 

Whisker poles, telescoping poles, spinnaker poles, carbon poles, alluminium poles, fixed height poles, large poles, slim poles, pink poles - OK we are getting a bit carried away - but there really are a lot of different types of poles onboard! For many sailors, the pole is a mysterious long object that sits on the deck and does little more than stub your toe when walking up to the bow. It can be an intimidating idea to life up a large metal pole and attach it to a sail, especially when it often involves sailing deep downwind and connecting another heap of different lines, blocks and tackles. BUT that's why we are here! Join us to chat about poles as we answer these questions and more: - What are the different types of poles, how do you identify them and what are they all for? - How do you rig up a pole safely? - What about using two poles? - Common errors that people make with poles and solutions for them. This is the final episode of 2023's first Quarterdeck Podcast series. We will have a four week break after this - so don't miss it! Fair winds until then. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Grab a drink and a handhold, and join Mia Karlsson and Nikki Henderson for a chat on heeling! Unless you sail a multi-hull, 'life-on-a-heel' is an unavoidable fact of life. Heeling is a love//hate type thing: some think heeling contributes to the 'romance' of sailing; others find being heeled over a gut wrenching and deeply uncomfortable aspect of sailing. Through our various careers, we have all learnt the hard way about what works well and what doesn't when living on the North Face.  BUT the whole point of the Quarterdeck is that you don't all have to go through this same painful learning process. So join us and we will share of all things that we have learnt about how to make living on a heel more bearable, more safe, and even - we know it's hard to believe - fun! Why is mastering life on a heel important? Because we all want our loved ones to come sailing again! And if life onboard is miserable, so is the crew, and then sailing quickly loses its charm.  -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

CHAFE - you might be thinking that's a narrow subject area? But when you really dig into it, chafe and chafe avoidance is so critical to life at sea where everything but everything is always moving whether you want it to or not.  Chafe isn't limited to just running rigging - we also need to avoid chafe on piping, standing rigging, the deck, the interior around the moving parts like the gimbled cooker, in and around the ever vibrating engine, on our hands, clothing - it's everywhere!  So join us in unpicking this topic that is so relevant to our passion and dream of bluewater sailing.  -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Part 2 of our 'crew overboard' deep dive! Now we get to the more difficult bit - how to get someone back onboard. This is really a two part procedure: How to get the boat back to the person, and then how to get the person back on the boat. There is of course countless scenarios which alter the exact procedure, but we will endeavour to give you a basic framework which you can adapt to your boat, conditions and situation accordingly. Saying that, we will dig into the nitty gritty of what to do if you are sailing upwind, downwind and how the situation changes if the casualty is conscious or unconscious. And as so many of us all sail short handed, we will give our two cents on how to pick up a crewmember solo!  Truly we hope none of you (or us) ever have to use this in anger - but knowing what to do in the circumstance is literally the difference between life and death.  -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Andy Schell and Nikki Henderson talks MOB this week! This is the first half of the discussion on the bigger topic of people falling overboard. So before we discuss how to rescue anyone, it seems sensible to first discuss how to stop them from falling in in the first place. Of course we have not got full control onboard of anyone or anything so cannot claim to have a foolproof way for ensuring the crew stay on the boat. Saying that though, there are lots of means at our disposal --> standing orders, safety harnesses, crew culture, jackstays, D-rings -- to influence how likely or not it is that they fall in the water. So join us to discuss what we have learnt works and doesn't work for keeping your crew onboard - with of course a fair share of stories to add colour to the session.  -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

The water system possibly works harder than anything else onboard - every day, every crew member will use it multiple times. And it keeps us alive too! So it's arguably the most important system to understand. We discuss how to properly maintain your water system (that's piping, tanks, filling hoses, filters, pumps and taps), how to trouble shoot common problems and then how to solve them. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

We're back! Nikki and August are kicking off a new round of Quarterdeck Podcast episodes with a discussion on fuel line issues.. Inspired by resent events aboard our Swan 48 Isbjørn. Fuel is toxic, flammable and expensive, and can cause some real headaches (hah) when it gets loose. How can you fix fuel line problems, or better yet, prevent them from happening in the first place? -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Last episode of 2023! Nikki & Andy discuss ways to make sail handling and your sail inventory optimal for short-handed crews (think 2-4 sailors on a passage). We discuss which sails you should consider having in your wardrobe and how to handle them at sea. This is the final episode of 2022 - we're back in late January or early February with more new shows about seam'nship! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Chef de cuisine (and 59 North Bosun!) Adam Browne joins the gang this week to talk galley optimization. Adam, in a prior life, worked for 15 years as a chef at chalets in the Alps, on superyachts, and indeed as 59 North mate. He, Nikki, Andy, Mia & Emma talk about how to best design a new galley, how to make the one you have work better, favorite tools in the boat's kitchen & more! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Happy Holidays! Nikki, Mia & Emma sit down by the fire to talk about Christmas. Specifically, what they're favorite Christmas presents for sailors are, to give, and to get! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Andy & Nikki dive deep on electrical systems and calculating electrical consumption. Specifically we are looking for answers to the following: How to calculate the draw of your domestic circuit onboard? How that relates to the required size of the domestic battery bank?  How to then decide what your charging regime should be? -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Nikke Henderson & Andy Schell take a deep dive on anchors & anchoring systems (aka 'ground tackle'). Which anchor should I choose? How long should the chain be? What weight should I be looking for? What material should it be made of? Is bigger always better? These are just some of the questions we discuss, with the aim of taking some of the mystery out of this selection process.  -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Nikki, Andy & Adam are live and in-person from Gosport, England, where Nikki leads a discussion on safety briefings. How to think about them, inshore versus offshore thoughts, how to make people take safety seriously (but not too seriously) and how we've done it onboard the 59 North boats, and how Nikki has leds them on racing boats, including the Clipper Round the World Race. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Andy & Emma continue on last week's rig topic by discussing how to inspect your mast and rigging. We talk about timing of rig inspections - preparation, pre-departure, and at-sea - and what to look for at each stage of the inspection process. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

59 North Skipper Nikki Henderson is joined by Chief Mate Emma Garschagen to go deep on rig climbing for sailors. They discuss all the details you want to know about safely going aloft ashore and at sea, including proper equipment and techniques, what tools to carry aloft, how not to fall, how to overcome the fear of mast climbing, how to communicate with the deck crew, proper line handling and much more. Don't miss next week's episode on Rig Inspections, as a followup to this week. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Emma talks to 59 North Bosun Adam Browne & his wife Laura (one of our graphic designers!) about their electrified Hallberg-Rassy 312 YELLOW MATILDA. Adam & Laura repowered with a fully-electric system from Finnish-made Ocean Volt, and Emma gets the full story on why they did it and how it's working out. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Andy, Lee & Adam talk props on this week's episode. We discuss how to decide what to optimize for - sailing performance, motoring performance or efficiency - and then how the decisions kind of make themselves once you know the mission. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Andy, Adam & Lee chat about the boat designs in the 2022 Golden Globe round-the-world race, which set off from France last week on Sept. 4. Though the rules are very strict in what boats qualify for the historic re-enactment type event, there remains quite a bit of variablity between them. We examine that variability, then talk about our favorite designs in the race, our favorite skippers, and who we think will win! Make sure to listen to ON THE WIND next week - Andy interviews Don McIntyre, founder of the race, to get an update on the fleet as they approach the Canary Islands. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Andy Schell & Nikki Henderson spend an hour talking about anchoring! This episode was prompted by a Quarterdeck article asking "Are Anchor Alarms Seamanlike?", which of course led us down the rabbit hole on seamanlike anchoring in general. We touch on all aspects of anchoring from gear selection to finding the best spots and share some of our best - and sketchiest - anchoring stories and what we learned from them. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Nikki Henderson and 59 North's Bosun Adam Browne discuss the challenges of time management during an extensive refit, highlighting how we're handling it on FALKEN. -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! This podcast is recorded LIVE on video on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.

Andy & Nikki talk about how they got to know each other and what Nikki's new full-time role will be with 59 North! -- Join us on The QUARTERDECK, 59º North's new online platform where we dive deep on the art of seamanship. First two weeks free! -- This podcast is recorded LIVE on the Quarterdeck, so members can watch the show as it happens, ask questions and suggest future topics.