This Girl Sails

I just love hearing from families who have taken the huge leap into cruising life. My guest today, Brooke Palmer did just that, documenting the whole journey on her Youtube channel Aboard Mermaid Monster! This family of four never owned a boat before and wanted to step away from ordinary life in search of adventure. Brooke and her husband sat down and had ‘the conversation’ If we don’t do it now it will never happen. So they did. This is a real conversation about life on board with a family, dogs and just what it’s really like to live on a boat. Lets have a chat with Brooke Palmer.

This is a really honest chat about kids on boats. What it’s like to home-school and then the challenges that come with integrating back into land life after 2 years living on the water.If you are a family who have never sailed before but dream of making your cruising dream a reality, this conversation is for you! Erin Carey and her family bought a boat sight unseen half way across the world to take off on a sailing adventure.

Her adventurous spirit drew her to a life on the sea and after 3 seasons sailing between Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, Liss Brill has some serious ocean miles under her belt.Having never sailed when she first jumped on her catamaran Roam in Tasmania I was interested to hear how she transitioned to a life on the ocean.We talk about how she studied nutrition and sailed for a few years and her tips as a nutritionist for health happy sailors. We talk about her catamaran Roam, built by her husband Michael, about sailing the pacific and so much more.

A shy young girl uses lessons learned on the water to become an inspiring, driven sailor with big dreams. After talking to Chelsea, there is no doubt in my mind she will smash her goals and then some.Perhaps the most fascinating part of her story is how she uses her disability as an opportunity to dive deep into her love of sailing, rather than hold her back.This is such a wonderful insight into a young woman’s perspective on racing, working and accomplishing big goals in Australian sailing and her journey to the Special Olympics.

This really is a love story, of sailing, of falling in love with a sailor and a dream.Lin Pardey stated her cruising journey sailing around the world over 11 years in a 24 footer. That was just the beginning. In this conversation I am intrigued to hear how it all began and she shares so much of her amazing knowledge. We cover how she came to write 14 books, the sailors in her life, relationships on a boat and how to maintain them while cruising plus how she overcame challenges as well as her tips for healthy relationships in small spaces.

You may be familiar with my guest today from watching her share her sailing adventures on board SV Delos, but how did she end up meeting up with a bunch of strangers at a marina in South Africa and sailing across the Atlantic Ocean? I was intrigued to learn it was her camera that led her to sailing and that she didn’t even know who SV Delos was before she joined their crew. She now has some very impressive miles under the keel and has sailed to some amazing countries including Namibia, Brazil, The Azores and Svalbard.So what’s next for Alex, her sailing and her camera? Find out in this epic conversation.

Not being a sailor or a Tasmanian could have stopped Tracy from reaching her goal of becoming commodore of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, but it didn’t and she is now into her third term.This is a really interesting chat about the workings of a yacht club. What is a commodore, the vice commodore, rear commodore and how did Tracy become a board member of a yacht club having never sailed before.We also chat about why she had to stop saying she wasn’t a sailor after covered quite a few miles. AND we talk about the details of 75th Sydney to Hobart race and her role in the race as the commodore of the Royal Tasmania Yacht Club.

My guest today is a digital nomad who started traveling in an RV, when she moved on a catamaran I couldn’t wait to get her on the show! Michelle Schroeder-Gardner is the brains behind the finance website www.makingsenseofcents.com. It is because of her website that I gained the confidence to start my blog!

My guest today initially started her tiny home journey living in a Toyota Prius, yes you heard me right, a very small car! This allowed her and her partner to save enough money to buy a boat and she is now thriving living in the small space of a yacht, although I’m sure it’s somewhat spacious compared to a Prius!Kristen can’t imagine living in a house again and says ‘I’ve learned exactly what it takes to downsize and make money remotely – and I want to help you do the same.’

Nic Douglass started sailing when she was 10 months old with her Dad and it is deeply ingrained in her blood.The founder of Adventures of A Sailor Girl and now Sailor Girl HQ, I couldn’t help but be inspired by her dedication to her career. She turned her hobby into a lifestyle and a business. Nic created a career as a sailing promotions specialist, vlogger and commentator before that was even a thing and now covers sailing events all over the globe.As she says, Its not the easiest job in the world, but she is driven by her mission is to take sailing to a wider audience and make it accessible to all.

Literally born on a boat, my guest on the show today now cruises on a pretty serious yacht. It’s actually a pretty unusual yacht to cruise! She shares with us her sailing journey and as a nutritionist, has some great tips on how to stay healthy on board.Rah Poolman pulls her love of adrenaline and adventure into the cruising lifestyle by living on a Volvo 60. Along with her son and partner, she has been up and down the east coast of Australia and is about to head across the ditch to New Zealand.

Charlotte Kaufman is a writer and sailor who started sailing in 2005 after buying a yacht with her husband. In 2014 they set sail for the south pacific from Mexico with their two daughters on their yacht Rebel Heart.It was on this passage that she lived through every sailor’s worst nightmare. Losing a yacht at sea and being rescued. This however is only a small part of her sailing story.

In this episode I chat with Australian sailor Lisa Blair.Lisa has circumnavigated the world in a Clipper Round the World yacht race, sailed single handedly across the Tasman twice, she is the first woman to sail nonstop and unassisted around Australia solo and is the first woman to sail single handed around Antarctica.She is passionate about adventure and sailing and shares how visualization, mastering her mindset and believing in herself has allowed her to achieve HUGE goals.

This is a huge podcast because this wonderful lady has so much experience. Sue Powell has many many miles under her keel and I had so many questions to ask her so this is a BIG podcast. Firstly, I wanted to know how did you start cruising? It took a doctor to say if you don’t do something radical, you won’t have a life to live…We cover what its like living with your partner in a small space, fitness on board, provisioning, dealing with seasickness, importance of being able to handle your boat on your own should you need to, using an anchor ball, how to gain confidence on your yacht, the worst storm she has ever been in and so much more.

As sailors we know the sails on our boats are pretty important, but when was the last time you really looked at your sails, took them down, felt them and became intimate with them? Lucy Rees is a sail maker and offshore racer, she gives some great advise on what every yacht should carry to repair and look after their sails.

If you live in Australia, South East Asia is relatively close and as I am learning a pretty nice spot to cruise. I talk to Deb Bott who has been sailing this area for more than 10 years and has some great information and tips and tricks for cruising in these wonderful countries.

Kris is full of energy and life and I wanted to find out how she got into sailing, why she loves it and her thoughts on getting over the fear of grabbing the helm.