This is a fascinating episode with lots of great insights and experience shared! Sailing across the Atlantic Ocean is a demanding undertaking! In this episode we discuss the preps and plans for a West to East crossing with two sailors, who recently made the passage. We discuss what they were thinking about before departure, the projects they did, the weather planning and routing decisions, the watch systems, maintaining morale plus managing the boat and a family of 5! We got our life raft re ins...
Jan 07, 2025•54 min
The trend in bluewater cruising, liveaboard, oceans sailing yachts has been moving towards bigger boats, comfortable living spaces with multiple cabins, galley, and larger bathrooms. But these sailboats are expensive to buy, maintain, and insure, requires more crew, are more difficult to handle, both offshore and in marinas or tight areas. We talk with Kim Stephens & John Harries about what makes a boat too big to handle safely, and why bigger might not be better sometimes. We analyze some o...
Nov 13, 2024•40 min
World schooling is the educational approach where learning takes place primarily through travel and experiencing different cultures and environments around the world. Sometimes, World Schooling can involve short-term trips, like the 3-months Teresa and I are currently spending in Italy while our son, Haven, attends a school here. We’re doing this with a program called Boundless Life . Sometimes, world schooling involves long-term travel or even a full-time nomadic lifestyle, like the many sailin...
Mar 06, 2024•44 min
This Episode: Today we’ll eavesdrop on a conversation Ben had with two sailors who are cruising in the Bahamas. Our guests are Nica Waters, who you may know from the Boat Galley Podcast or her blog Fit2Sail , and Dave Martin , a former MoA Student and Marine industry professional turned (mostly) full-time cruiser. Ben talked with them about their recent crossings to the Bahamas, which they did earlier this season. So, if you’re looking to spend the winter in the Bahamas but nervous about the cro...
Feb 14, 2024•48 min
In this episode, we’re talking about delivering boats with two sailors who recently completed their first yacht delivery and learned a lot. Teresa sat down with Nicki Ripple , a professional captain who’s worked for Morse Alpha, Outward Bound, and a number of tall ships. We're also talking with Mischa Kapijimpanga who was a Morse Alpha student last summer (2023) and recently bought his own Freya 39 to cruise aboard with his family of five! Teresa talked with them about their recent yacht deliver...
Jan 12, 2024•39 min
In this episode, we delve into the lives of cruisers who effortlessly balance content creation—blogs, podcasts, videos—with the pleasures of sailing. Discover how these adventurous souls manage to capture their sailing experiences while still relishing the joys of life at sea. Breena Litzenberger, sailor, host of Litzenbergers Saiing Podcast. Started sailing back in 2010 with her husband and they cruised for 10 years. The last 2 years she became a content creator with YouTube videos and a podcas...
Dec 22, 2023•37 min
Ben sat down with Jon Bilger, the founding director of PredictWind, a weather app – well, more than a weather app. It helps sailors plan voyages and find weather windows. Ben also talked with Behan Gifford, Circumnavigator and cruising consultant. The three of them talked about Weather forecasting tools and the professional-level data that is available to all of us now, anywhere in the world. About Behan: Behan has made her home aboard a Stevens 47 for the last fifteen years, circumnavigating wi...
Dec 06, 2023•37 min
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 ...
Mar 21, 2023•1 hr 1 min
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 ...
Feb 22, 2023•1 hr 25 min
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. Daphne Douglas is a field geoscientist and anthropologist turned sailor. She ...
Dec 20, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Murray Beach , has sailed extensively for the past 18 years, but learned to sail on his dinghy as a young teen. He love offshore sailing, especially short handed or single handed. He's raced to Bermuda many many times, and cruises all over New England regularly. Marie Rogers is first black woman commodore of Los Angeles Yacht Club, honored with 2021 BoatUS/NWSA Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award. Learn more about this person who says, “Sailing is an amazing metaphor of how to get along.” She’s ...
Dec 02, 2022•56 min
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. This episode of The Morning Muster Podcast is sponsored by: Our friends Katie & Lyall at Sun Powered Yachts who helped us expand our solar array. They’re a SunPower authorized dealer and ...
Oct 26, 2022•57 min
What a cool episode this is. We cover a lot of topics and get into some real life saving details that you can take to your own boat and utilize. Deb's goal is to prevent problems at sea. Brian's job is to bail you out when there are no other options. Each guest brings a different perspective on emergencies, how to prevent them, and how to respond. Some of what we talk about: Station Bills Effective Drills Dehydration & Seasickness Helicoptor Rescue in the Skiing Mountains Rescuing Diabetic F...
Apr 13, 2022•1 hr 25 min
What a fun episode about R2AK and all the ins and outs of racing, sailing, living, pooping, etc... Stage 1 Race start: June 13, 2022, Port Townsend, Washington Stage 2 Race start: June 16, 2022, Victoria, BC Application deadline: Tax Day baby! April 15th The inside passage to Alaska has been paddled by native canoes since time immemorial, sailing craft for centuries, and after someone found gold in the Klondike the route was jammed with steamboats full of prospectors elbowing each other out of t...
Mar 24, 2022•1 hr 9 min
A lovely chat about the life of living, cruising and working. The struggles, the rewards and the freedom. Pat has been on the go for decades! He runs http://wandererfinancial.com — you can sign up and work with him to help realize your financial independence and cruising dreams. Cindy works in the entertainment industry and is making the most of her career while she sails with her family. This episode is brought to you by Edson Marine. For over 160 years, Edson Marine has been helping sailors wi...
Feb 18, 2022•53 min
An in depth discussion with 3 of our students, Daphne , Chris and Brandon plus our mate, Angela and that guy Ben. Teresa hosted and gave us all a hard time. We discuss the camaraderie and the group dynamics aboard a smallish boat and how to feed the diverse dietary requirements. We talk about keeping things organized and the benefits of preparation. We conclude there’s alot of value in dividing jobs and maintaining consistency. and that there are always days when things are challenging aboard a ...
Jan 24, 2022•43 min
You can find more information about our guests: Shemaya Laurel's blog www.sailingauklet.com . Adam Cove can be found in instagram @adam.cove . This episode of The Morning Muster Podcast is sponsored by: Our friends Katie & Lyall at Sun Powered Yachts who helped us expand our solar array. They’re a SunPower authorized dealer and offer both flexible panels and fixed frame panels ranging from 50w to 410W. They’re super high efficiency solar panels, which means more power in less space. Katie &a...
Dec 27, 2021•58 min
Barry Kennedy has sailed thousands of blue water miles and in the far regions of the world... 2 seasons in Antarctica. He's headed to the Arctic this year aboard his new boat. We're talking a little bit about offshore boats, gear choices, upgrades and the process of upgrading/refitting. We touch on ideas for best boat design for offshore, sail choices, rigging for simplicity, deck layouts, layouts down below, self steering, and more. Plus the difficulty of keeping yourself on track and not get o...
Dec 04, 2021•42 min
A fun episode with a great group if sailors who shared a special expedition from Bermuda to Rockland in July 2021 with us. We talk real candidly about about romance of life offshore and the challenges, like waking up for watch, heaving-to so close to land, using the head, cooking underway, going to sleep, steering in big swells, and dodging lightening. Real people, real sailing. This episode is sponsored by: Our friends Katie & Lyall at Sun Powered Yachts who helped us expand our solar array...
Nov 15, 2021•53 min
We dive deep into the boat selection process with Pippa Turton and Mike Firestone. We consider and discuss: what makes a good first boat, what size makes sense, considering cruising plans and goals, assessing your own skills, budget considerations, sailing before refit, priority features, and more. Pippa Turton is a long time RYA sailing instructor, who's sailed thousands of miles on a variety of boats in Europe and Caribbean. She currently runs Girls Go Sailing aims, which aims to build confide...
Nov 01, 2021•53 min
Guests: Rob Parker • Vancouver 36 Dorothy Mammen • Oyster 43 & Beneteau 423 Sponsor: Fiorentino Para-Anchor Fiorentino makes smart products that slow or stop your boat's drift during a storm or mechanical failure at sea. They have an improved parachute anchor and a Shark Drogue which can be used as either a speed limiting drogue or for emergency steering. We’ve tested both aboard Rocinante, when we were doing emergency preparedness drills. They were easy to store and deploy, and super stout....
May 12, 2021•52 min
The Morning Muster is produced by Morse Alpha LLC. We offer rigorous coastal and offshore sailing expeditions for beginners and experienced sailors. Our expeditions are the perfect training for people who want to cruise offshore, or sail the world. Find out more at morsealpha.com . Drake Paragon Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpfax0gLoUZMqw-ROxX77Yw Novara Website: https://www.sy-novara.com This episode is sponsored by: Outland Hatch Covers. Outland makes next-gen hatch covers made fr...
Apr 23, 2021•54 min
The Morning Muster is produced by Morse Alpha LLC. We offer rigorous coastal and offshore sailing expeditions for beginners and experienced sailors. Our expeditions are the perfect training for people who want to cruise offshore, or sail the world. Find out more at morsealpha.com . Find out more about the Marion Bermuda Race: marionbermuda.com The US Sailing Online Safety at Sea Training for the Offshore Safety at Sea Certificate: shop.ussailing.org/offshore-online-sas-2-code-pack.html This epis...
Apr 08, 2021•53 min
Guests: Emily Whebbe of Sailing the Bakery John Kretschmer , offshore junky, fantastic story teller, author, educator Sponsor: Fiorentino Para-Anchor Fiorentino makes smart products that slow or stop your boat's drift during a storm or mechanical failure at sea. They have an improved parachute anchor and a Shark Drogue which can be used as either a speed limiting drogue or for emergency steering. We’ve tested both aboard Rocinante,when we were doing emergency preparedness drills. They were easy ...
Mar 16, 2021•58 min
Vocabulary: Sailing a Barge: leaving the dock Vessel Traffic Control : provides active monitoring and navigational advice for vessels in particularly confined and busy waterways. Episode is sponsored by Beta Marine For over 20 years Beta Marine has been providing smooth, reliable marine diesels. These are 100% mechanical engines, built on the Kubota block, with widely available parts and a 5 year warranty. Beta Marine USA has a new online parts store; plus: saildrives, alternators, custom mounts...
Mar 01, 2021•48 min
The Morning Muster is produced by Morse Alpha LLC. We offer rigorous coastal and offshore sailing expeditions for beginners and experienced sailors. Our expeditions are the perfect training for people who want to cruise offshore, or sail the world. Find out more at morsealpha.com . You can find out more about the guests on this episode: Rick Miller https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-miller-36512aa/ Chelsea Carson https://www.sea-tactics.com/ You can download Chelsea's Free Weather Resource Guide a...
Feb 15, 2021•46 min
The Morning Muster is produced by Morse Alpha LLC. We offer rigorous coastal and offshore sailing expeditions for beginners and experienced sailors. Our expeditions are the perfect training for people who want to cruise offshore, or sail the world. Find out more at morsealpha.com . You can find out more about the guests on this episode: James Tomlinson samingosailing.com Richard Gordon-Rein svdarwind.blogspot.com This episode is sponsored by Scanmar Marine. Scanmar designs and manufactures high ...
Feb 01, 2021•39 min
Biz Wallace (she/her) is a captain, artist, waterwoman, and activist. Originally from North Carolina, Biz has spent the last ten years sailing professionally around the world. She has a BA in Design from USC and holds her 100 ton USCG captains license, commercial able seaman endorsement, and is a certified lifeguard and rescue diver. She volunteers for several climate justice organizations and is an outspoken advocate for the inclusion of BIPOC women in maritime. You can find out more at Biz's w...
Jan 20, 2021•47 min
Captain Dan ran a windjammer in Maine for many years, and then worked on tugboats in Maine and New England. Captain Julia Carleton has worked for Hurricane Island Outward Bound and aboard educational schooners from Maine to the Caribbean. They both have extensive fog and night travel experience, and share with us some insight into staying safe and the seamanship protocols they follow. The Morning Muster is produced by Morse Alpha LLC. We offer rigorous coastal and offshore sailing expeditions fo...
Jan 08, 2021•50 min
The Morning Muster is produced by Morse Alpha LLC. We offer rigorous coastal and offshore sailing expeditions for beginners and experienced sailors. Our expeditions are the perfect training for people who want to cruise offshore, or sail the world. Find out more at morsealpha.com . Steph & Glenn are both super passionate about sailing and living their dreams. They each set out last year for an extended cruise aboard their boats, a mono and a cat respectively. We hear some of their stories fr...
Jan 08, 2021•58 min
