Meet Ashley Sullivan and learn about the Rozalia Project that is taking a multi-faceted approach to cleaning up and cataloging marine debris. Their platform is the sailing vessel American Promise. American Promise was designed by Ted Hood for Dodge Morgan who sailed it alone around the world, non-stop, in 1985-1986. To learn more about the Rozalia Project visit: rozaliaproject.org Get full access to Standing Before The Mast at chrisheaton.substack.com/subscribe...
Jun 03, 2025•52 min
In this episode we hear from Brad Read who is the Executive Director, Sail Newport based at Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island. Get full access to Standing Before The Mast at chrisheaton.substack.com/subscribe
Apr 16, 2025•37 min
In this episode we sit down with Rhode Island State Representative Lauren Carson of Newport. Representative Carson is the lead sponsor of a house bill that would allow cities and towns to regulate houseboats as they feel best works for their municipalities. Central to this enabling legislation, they would be bound by one standard definition of a houseboat. The bill has a companion in the state senate which mirrors that of Representative Carson’s. While her bill has the full support of the Newpor...
Feb 24, 2025•31 min
In this episode, we hear about a rather different kind of Christmas story from which we in the Northern Hemisphere are used to. Aussie Joe Cooper, who’s been on this podcast before, shares his version of a Christmas tale he grew up with during the 1960’s in Australia. It’s a story of Santa & the Reindeer, a bit of navigation, seafaring references, a rescue and some proper outback exploration. As always, this is a family friendly episode and may be of particular enjoyment for the young ones i...
Dec 22, 2024•21 min
My guest for this episode is no stranger to the podcast. Photographer Matthew Cohen has been on before and he’s back this time to report about a unique project he conceived, researched and executed with stunning results. Most people only ever look at a lighthouse from the outside. Sure, some may take a rare tour or visit where they get a glimpse of the inner workings, but how many get to see it from the inside looking out - after dark? The project not only added to Matthew’s already expansive po...
May 20, 2024•42 min
Christina is the Senior Vice President of Mystic Seaport Museum. Christina shares with us here earliest sailing experiences growing up sailing on Geronimo which belonged to the St. Georges School in Rhode Island. The Geronimo program was one her father developed and those early adventures set Christina up for an educational and life path on and around the water. Prior to her current position, Christina was the director of the New Bedford Whaling Museum and along with her PhD and growing up as a ...
May 04, 2024•1 hr 10 min
Get full access to Standing Before The Mast at chrisheaton.substack.com/subscribe
Sep 03, 2023•28 min
Meet Matthew Cohen, professional marine photographer, racing sailor, seasoned offshore sailor and sometimes glider pilot. In our conversation, Matt walks us through his early sailing experiences and his introduction to photography which began with a course at school that quickly became his chosen career path. Matt describes some early opportunities he had, such as working for Onne Van der Wal, as well as his own displays at art shows and festivals. In our talk we share our mutual love of helicop...
Apr 09, 2023•1 hr 15 min
Kim Kavin began her journalism career at a newspaper nearly 25 years ago. While many local newspapers have either been bought out, consolidated or shut-down, Kim Kavin made a move to yachting journalism before many of those changes began to proliferate. Her initial move to yachting was well, to Yachting Magazine. Kim walks us through those early days, explaining how she wound up at Yachting and the many other publications with which she’s played a major role. Those other publications include: So...
Feb 16, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Dave Lussier is our guest for this episode. Dave is one of the founding members of the organization Better Bay Alliance. Dave walks us through how it came to be, what they’ve done so far, and their ambitions plans for the future. Here’s the mission statement from their website: “The Better Bay Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the boating experience on Rhode Island waters by identifying, communicating, and promoting safety, accessibility, and cooperation while sharing o...
Jan 26, 2023•43 min
I’m joined by Capt. Eric Pfirrmann from Save the Bay, and Ted Romanosky, owner of the 1940 classic wooden schooner ‘Good Fortune’. It's our seasonal laid-back gathering over beer and provisions.We recap our collective summer experiences and observations in an informal setting with an even less formal outcome. Occasionally, one of us expresses an opinion or two. We cover everything from the annual Save The Bay Swim, to wood boat repair, boating safety, lighthouse history, and even some personal t...
Dec 21, 2022•1 hr 5 min
The Schurmann family set sail in 1984 and became the first Brazilian family to circumnavigate the world. The design and build of Kat is the culmination of that initial voyage and others on previous boats the family has owned. Our talk begins with a tour of the boat and Wilhelm highlighting many of the unique design features. Kat serves as a floating platform for Voice Of The Oceans. Voice Of The Oceans is part of the Schurmann Family initiative in partnership with the UN. The goal is to document...
Nov 20, 2022•1 hr 13 min
In this episode we get to know Ian Ridgeway. Ian, along with Casey Blum are co-founders of the FUEL Program. FUEL stands for: Foundation for Underway Experiential Learning. The topsail schooner Shenandoah is at the center of the FUEL program. Shenandoah was conceived, designed and built by Captain Robert Douglas and she has a long history of providing memorable sailing experiences for thousands of people. Lead by Ian, Casey, and team which includes captains, crew members and voyage guides, Shena...
Oct 19, 2022•41 min
In this episode I sit down with Newport International Boat Show Director Lisa Knowles and Marketing Director Jocelyn Emory. The show - the 51st - will take place September 15th through the 18th, 2022 located at the Newport Yachting Center Marina in downtown Newport, Rhode Island. Among this year's expanded offerings, Lisa and Jocelyn tell us about several new events, educational opportunities and giveaways. The Newport for New Products awards program is of course back and will be showcasing new ...
Sep 09, 2022•36 min
In this episode we hear from Mike Patterson, Whitney Curtin, Aaron 'Ike' Isaacson and Steve Baskis about Sail To Win. They formed Sail To Win "to honor and empower wounded veterans, first responders, and people that have served their community with disabilities by training, educating, and competing in sailing competitions around the globe. We bring adaptive and able-bodied athletes together, conduct training events, and facilitate opportunities for technology experts to assist service members wi...
Jun 13, 2022•54 min
Christopher Pastore is Associate Professor of History at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Focusing on early American environmental history, his most recent book, titled Between Land and Sea: The Atlantic Coast and the Transformation of New England (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2014), examines the Narragansett Bay watershed from first European settlement through the early nineteenth century. As a journalist, he has contributed articles on sailing or related topi...
Apr 28, 2022•47 min
Meet Nautical Author and Historian Eric Wiberg. Born in New York in 1970, Eric Wiberg is a citizen of Sweden and the US. He is the author of over 20 books on maritime history - particularly in the Bahamas where he grew up. He left the Bahamas at 13 for boarding schools in New England and enrolled at Boston College in 1989. He was hired to race to Bermuda in 1989, and in 1991 sailed as mate from Antigua to Belgium to attend Harris Manchester College, Oxford. In 1993 he self-published five collect...
Mar 04, 2022•1 hr 3 min
Sarah is a commercial fisherman with a BS in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island; and a MSc in Nature, Society, and Environmental Policy from University of Oxford in England. Her interest in fishing really began when she was teaching in Valparasio, Chile. Sarah explains how this interest came about and its connection to certain types of fishing here on Narragansett Bay. Sarah is the author of two books: Rhode Island’s Shellfish Heritage: An Ecological History - published in 2015; ...
Feb 02, 2022•44 min
Our guest for this one is Capt. Eric Pfirrmann, Lead Captain for Save the Bay here in Rhode Island. As some of you more astute listeners may recall, Eric was my first ever guest when I embarked upon this experimental journey. We begin with an update on the Save The Bay fleet, and Eric brings us up to speed on their latest addition, as well as some of the future roles he foresees that craft playing at Save The Bay. He gives us a bit of background on the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, and t...
Dec 23, 2021•44 min
Ryan Rossi – Menemsha Harbormaster Meet Ryan Rossi. Ryan is the Menemsha Harbormaster. Menemsha is an historic fishing village in the town of Chilmark on Martha’s Vineyard. Ryan gives us all the crucial information you need to know as a recreational boater interested in visiting the port. He explains how to go about reserving your spot - don’t just show up - and the feeding frenzy that takes place at the beginning of May when they open reservations. He also suggests a certain level of proficienc...
Dec 06, 2021•19 min
What do you do following retirement from a successful career of 26 years in the Navy which began at the US Naval Academy? You enroll at the International Yacht Restoration School - otherwise known as IYRS School of Technology & Trades - in Newport, Rhode Island where you acquire a whole new set of skills in marine systems. You and your wife then buy a catamaran, sell everything you own, move your family aboard and go cruising. That’s what Glenn Robbins and his family did. Glenn was a classma...
Sep 17, 2021•1 hr 40 min
Meet writer Wendy Mitman Clarke. Wendy is a veteran writer and editor of sailing publications with a career that spans over 30 years. If you've ever picked up a copy of Soundings Magazine, Cruising World or Good Old Boat, it's likely you've either read her work, or something she's had a hand in editing. She's a Recipient of many awards from the Boating Writers International, and the Society of Professional Journalists. In addition to her writing, Wendy and her husband set off sailing for 4 years...
Mar 31, 2021•54 min
In this episode we hear from John Taft about rum running along the coast of Rhode Island during prohibition. Like me, John is a bit of a history enthusiast and when he discovered that the boat that he and his partners had purchased to run mansion tours turned out to be an actual former rum runner, he went down many rabbit holes researching not only the history of the boat, but the history of all the rum running activities off the coast of Rhode Island, Narragansett Bay and beyond. One of the thi...
Feb 24, 2021•1 hr 7 min
My guest for this episode is professional sailor, Erica Lush. Erica began sailing at a young age with positive influence from her parents, and followed her passion sailing competitively for her high school and university teams. Erica is also involved in the Maiden Factor. Maiden carried the first all-female crew to sail around the world when Tracey Edwards skippered her in the 1989/1990 Whitbread Round The world Race. Having fallen in disrepair from neglect, Tracy found Maiden in 2015 and set ab...
Jan 18, 2021•33 min
Meet Kelsy Patnaude. Kelsy is a Visual-Artist with an M.F.A. in Visual Art from Lesley University of Art and Design, Cambridge, MA. which she earned in 2019. Kelsy also has a B.A. in Studio Art and a Minor in Art History from Salve Regina University here in Newport which she earned in 2012. A professional sailor, Kelsy came to sailing a bit later than some, but has had many great experiences including sailing on a classic gaff-rigged Colin Archer out of Falmouth in the UK; sailing as crew on a c...
Dec 19, 2020•30 min
Meet Kate Wilson Somers, Sailor, Sailing Instructor and Entrepreneur. A life-long sailor, and sailing instructor, Kate has also been involved with the Volvo Ocean Race as support crew for Team Vestas 11th Hour Racing, the America's Cup with Oracle Team USA in 2012-2013, and The Rolex Big Boat Series in San Francisco. At the 24th Annual Providence Boat Show (2017), the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association recognized Kate as the Rhode Island Boater of the Year. Kate received that For the work sh...
Dec 04, 2020•50 min
Our guest for this episode is Charlie Doane. Charlie is a sailor and sailing journalist. He’s currently the cruising editor for SAIL magazine. Charlie has been writing professionally since 1986 for many publications including New England Off Shore and Cruising World. He’s written two books: The Modern Cruising Sailboat, and The Sea Is Not Full. Charlie is currently working on a new book, a non-fiction biography about Thomas Tangvald - son of Peter Tangvald well known blue water sailor. Charlie g...
Oct 28, 2020•43 min
Our guest for this episode is Sailor, Author and Broadcaster Tom Cunliffe. Tom has written for many major sailing publications and currently works with Sailing Today and Classic Boat in the UK. He is the author of over two dozen books - notably the Shell Channel Pilot, Celestial Navigation, and Topsail & Battleaxe. Topsail & Battleaxe tells the tale of the time he retraced the path of the Vikings by sailing his Bristol Channel Pilot cutter, Hirta, from Norway to Iceland, Greenland and on...
Sep 30, 2020•1 hr 9 min
My guest for this episode is Marcello of La Gondola Providence, Inc. Marcello is the second owner of the business who came to the job during his college years. He’s very well traveled and extremely knowledgeable about the culture, history and construction of the Venetian Gondola. Marcello gives us his history with the company, how he met the original owners, and where he’s taken it. In addition to the experience on the water and the construction of the boats, we also talk about the singing and m...
Aug 16, 2020•28 min
This is a bit of a diversion from the normal podcast episodes I do. Given all that’s going on right now, I thought we’d check in with Capt. Tim Mills, Harbormaster for the City of Newport, and find out what to expect when we take to the water this summer. Tim gives us the latest information on quarantine rules for boaters, restrictions on use of facilities, launches and boat ramps. Tim reminds us that the City of Newport and his office is fully in sync with the direction that is coming from the ...
Apr 24, 2020•23 min
