Seven months ago, Rhonda sold everything, ditched land-life, and flew to Sydney to meet up with James and move aboard Triteia — a 30ft (9 meter) 1965 Alberg 30 sailboat. Rhonda’s now covered more than 1800NM cruising up the east coast of Australia, she’s visited 85 anchorages so far, and is currently preparing to sail to South East Asia, and onwards. In this episode I talk with Rhonda about how she came to live on the water cruising full-time with James, with one of the best love stories you’ll hear! We talk about jumping in the deep end to start a new life on the ocean, all the while sharing the journey on YouTube with thousands of followers around the globe. Rhonda also shares her experience fitting out her own van and solo-travelling for nine months exploring Aotearoa, New Zealand. If you’ve ever thought about trying van life or dreamed of sailing the world, this episode is for you. Rhonda shares about the realities and personal challenges that come with cruising full-time and living in a tiny space but also her joys on the journey, and encouragement for anyone seeking a life less ordinary. Connect via Instagram @rhonda.of.triteia @love_grub_galley & @james.the.sailor.man Youtube @LoveGrubGalley & @SailorJames Connect with Saltwater Journal ⁠@saltwater_journal⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Saltwater Journal⁠⁠⁠ EPISODE NOTES | Rhonda 1:41 Meeting James & SV Triteia 10:45 Saying yes to staying 13:07 A big adjustment 16:16 Reality vs perception 16:49 An intro to 9m Triteia 18:36 Challenges of boat life  20:43 Cooking in a small space 21:26 Being adaptable & creative 24:45 Alternative living & vanlife 26:41 Kitting out the van 28:53 Van life vs boat life 31:33 Home on the ocean  34:55 Nature and travel 37:22 Sailing in NZ & overseas 43:40 Swimming with sharks 45:17 Proud moments 50:54 Learning styles 51:46 Working together 52:27 Imposter syndrome 56:14 Just give it a go

Pip Hare is a world-class single-handed offshore sailor, CEO of Pip Hare Ocean Racing, and one of the most inspiring sailors to follow in the Vendée Globe. Pip is only the 8th woman to have ever completed the Vendée Globe – a gruelling solo, non-stop, non-assisted, round the world race which takes place every four years. In 2020, her incredible skill and unrelenting endurance saw her successfully finish in just 95 days. Now she’s back with a new and faster boat, to take on a second Vendee Globe race in November 2024. Listen in as Pip shares candidly about her sailing journey from living aboard to carving her own path as a professional sailor, now the skipper and CEO of Pip Hare Ocean Racing. Currently in the final stages of prepping her boat Medallia ready to race, you’ll hear about her love of sailing, insights into the Vendée Globe, her strategy, and the technology onboard her IMOCA 60. Pip is one of the skillful and inspirational athletes in sailing and you’ll hear why I believe she’s one of the most relatable and enjoyable for us to follow and support. Connect and Sponsor: ⁠Instagram @piphareoceanracingFacebook Pip Hare Ocean RacingX Pip Ocean RacingLinkedIn Pip HareSponsorship Pip Hare Ocean Racing Connect with Saltwater Journal ⁠@saltwater_journal⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Saltwater Journal Episode Notes | Pip Hare 1:44 Medallia refit 3:15 Speed 4:40 Diversity in sailing 5:33 Living aboard  8:12 Introduction to solo sailing 11:11 Carving a career path 14:50 Making it happen  16:00 Getting a seat at the table 20:56 An even playing field 23:33 Sailing in the southern ocean  24:50 Southern ocean weather systems 27:17 Foiling conditions 30:31 Noise onboard 33:00 Being alone at sea 36:29 Love of sailing  37:00 Sailing conditions 39:37 Relatable content  42:00 Social media & sharing race content 45:40 Creating a community 49:00 Competition in the Vendée 50:37 Competitor contact during the race 51:51 Strategy going into 2024 Vendée 53:35 Food and treats 55:18 Pip’s book & how to support 56:52 Final race prep TECHNOLOGY CHAT 58:40 How the foils work 01:00:16 Canted keel, foils and lift 01:02:22 Winches 01:02:49 Autopilot & data points 01:08:15 Mast 01:08:44 Forward facing sonar & AI

Britt Spencer set a world record as the first New Zealander and female to cross the notorious Cook Strait on a prone paddle board.  In this episode I talk with Kiwi volunteer surf lifesaver Britt Spencer about endurance paddling, and crossing Cook Strait on a prone paddle board. After battling serious health issues and a year planning and training, the Nelson based Strength & Conditioning Coach made history with the crossing in April this year. Get set for this one – Britt is inspiring! She talks about adapting to things that go wrong in adventure, how she copes in extreme moments of pain and challenge, in what she calls ‘Dark Mode’. We hear about her joy of being out on the water, what motivates her and the surprising food and drink she fuels her endurance paddles with. Britt’s energy is infectious, and so is her fresh outlook on life. Join us and be inspired to challenge your own limits. Connect via Instagram @brittjayspencer  Youtube @brittjayspencer  Connect with Saltwater Journal @saltwater_journal Website: ⁠⁠⁠Saltwater Journal⁠⁠ EPISODE NOTES | Britt 00:56 Life in Nelson 02:30 Competitive swimming 03:25 Introduction to Surf Lifesaving 06:27 Board chat 08:50 Long distance paddling 10:30 First endurance paddle  12:15 Dark mode  14:53 Injury and pulmonary embolism 22:02 Crossing Cook Strait 25:00 Weather conditions 30:00 Setting off 35:24 Support crew 38:00 Great White sharks 40:30 Surprise fuel 42:45 Hitting the wall 45:33 Best team 47:35 Land 51:40 Celebrations 54:03 Paddle X documentary  56:00 Give it a go 59:59 Future plans

Marybeth is a Canadian Youtube and content creator taking us on outdoor, travel and paddle “advenchas”. I'm stoked to catch up with Marybeth to chat about her love of paddling, travel, wildlife encounters, and her super entertaining videos to motivate us to get outdoors.  Listen in for beginner advice on how to choose the right paddleboard for stability, tips for balance, and staying safe on the water. And if you’re hesitant to try a SUP or you’re embarrassed to fall in – we’ve got some encouragement for you! Marybeth shares about her life by the Great Lakes in Ontario and going on backcountry adventures. We chat about paddling with huge ‘gators, and the joy of stalking beavers in her hometown backyard known as Coote’s paradise. She also gives insights into her journey as a Youtube creator and her mission to encourage more play in life.  Connect via Instagram @paddleadventurer and watch Paddle Adventurer on YouTube Connect with Saltwater Journal @saltwater_journal Website: ⁠⁠Saltwater Journal⁠ EPISODE NOTES | Marybeth 1:06 Hometown 1:34 Journey into paddling 3:52 Choosing the best paddle board  5:53 Size and stability 6:57 Do it your way 8:32 Backcountry portaging 14:00 Pumping inflatables 16:46 Florida alligators 18:41 Marybeth’s mission 20:27 Backyard paddling 22:09 Beavers 23:56 Life in the outdoors 25:42 YouTube journey 29:00 Beginner advice 31:32 Winter paddling 35:00 Tips for balance 38:07 Moose 39:00 Future adventures 39:44 Magic of paddling

In this episode I talk with Alice Baker and Courtney Te Whiu - two great Kiwi mates who worked their way into the world of boat crew and luxury superyachts having the time of their life in dream destinations. With 12+ years of combined experience, and all the what to-do’s and what not-to do’s, they founded the New Zealand Superyacht Academy with internationally recognised courses to kick-start graduate’s superyacht careers. Listen in to get all the goss on what it takes to find work onboard, perks of the job, what a captain’s looking for in crew, and how much it’s really like ‘Below Deck’. Travel, fun, money and a whole lot of hard work – find out how it started for these two, and what you’ll get from joining the superyacht academy. If you’re keen to link in with a network of incredible supportive boaties exploring the world on superyachts – get in contact with Alice and Courtney Connect via Instagram @nzsuperyachtacademy and visit New Zealand Superyacht Academy Connect with Saltwater Journal @saltwater_journal Website: ⁠Saltwater Journal EPISODE NOTES | New Zealand Superyacht Academy 1:10 Early days 2:35 Starting out as crew 5:41 Dockwalking 7:40 The allure of boating 9:30 Surprises of the industry 13:20 Guest & owner experiences 16:40 Prepared for any scenario 17:15 Crew culture 17:50 Below Deck 18:56 Personality & skills 21:00 Perks of the job 23:50 Opportunities 24:11 Age & career 27:15 Roles onboard 27:08 The Academy  31:00 Community support 32:23 Internationally recognised courses 33:30 Specialist industry leaders 36:44 STCW 38:41 Student success 41:00 Caviar 43:21 Wealth management 46:32 Yachting & parenthood 48:51 Where to sign up

In this episode I talk with Renee Taylor, a speech-language therapist and freedive instructor who founded Salt Aotearoa in Aotearoa, New Zealand.  Renee shares her personal journey to experiencing freediving as rongoā Māori and its role as a healing practice; with the ocean supporting a deep level of mind, body and spiritual well-being. If you’re stressed and burnt out, keep listening! We chat about the kaupapa of Salt Aotearoa and creating a safe space for wāhine to transform their lives by learning to freedive, spearfish, and collect kaimoana.Today we’ll find out just how easy it is to get into freediving, and how good it is for us. And you’ll hear Renee’s beautiful baby during this episode, who wanted a wee chat too! Join a freediving or spearfishing course with Salt Aotearoa and experience more life underwater. Connect with Renee on Instagram @saltaotearoa Connect with Saltwater Journal @saltwater_journal Website: Saltwater Journal EPISODE NOTES | Renee Taylor 01:00 Family and motherhood 2:06 Speech therapy and the toll of death in daily life 04:06 Unsafe cultural spaces and journey into freediving 05:50 Being wāhine in the freediving world 11:26 Joy of the beginner experience 14:09 Being underwater: scuba and freediving 14:43 Benefits of freediving  16:21 Supporting reconnection  20:20 Dangers of freediving 23:50 Collecting kai  25:12 Addiction of spearfishing 26:00 Shore diving 27:30 CPR 33:00 How to get involved 35:10 Freediving and pregnancy Te Reo Māori  Aotearoa - New Zealand Hauora - health Kai - food Kaimoana - seafood Kaupapa - purpose Kōrero - conversation Moana - sea, ocean Māoritanga - Māori way of life Taiao - natural world Wānanga - meeting to share learning and knowledge Wāhine - women Whānau - family

Lisa Blair is an Australian solo-sailor, world multi-record holder, climate activist and lover of the Southern Ocean. In this episode Lisa talks with us about her new feature documentary Ice Maiden – the story of her epic 2017 voyage to set a record-breaking circumnavigation of Antarctica.  She shares her insights into the terror and beauty of surviving multiple near-death experiences; how she faces fear, her resilience and mental preparation, and the impact of documenting her adventure in her new feature documentary. Lisa was a joy to talk with – with so much enthusiasm given she was recovering from setting a new solo-sailing record from Australia to New Zealand! I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did – and look forward to seeing the film. Ice Maiden premiers at the Doc Edge Film Festival in Otāutahi Christchurch 19 June 2024. Get tickets to the DocEdge Film Festival Follow Lisa’s journey at upcoming solo-sailing record attempts at Lisa Blair Sails the World Episode Notes | Lisa Blair 01:30 Ice Maiden the film 3:38 Facing fear 6:00 Leaving Cape Town for winter conditions in Antarctica 7:14 Trauma in the southern ocean 8:50 Resilience and reframing thoughts when shit hits the fan 10:35 Visualising worst case scenarios 12:11 A love of the southern ocean  14:14 What solo sailing is really about 15:18 Breaking down assumptions  16:00 The approach of solo-sailing for a record 18:54 Self-steering and self-preservation 19:58 Electrical issues and bailing for life  20:44 Is there any comfort onboard Read more on Lisa Blair at Saltwater Journal Share this episode via Saltwater Journal

Nathaniel C.T. Jackson is an award winning film Director and Producer at Jackson Speed. In this episode we talk with Nathaniel about the making of Jackson Speed’s upcoming feature film called Ice Maiden, which documents the story of Lisa Blair’s harrowing 2017 Antarctic circumnavigation. We talk about the epic resilience of Lisa facing near-death experiences; challenges of recreating de-masting scenes from the southern ocean, cinematic style, music,  film-making decisions with co-director James Blannin-Ferguson and the endeavour of producing a feature documentary. I really enjoyed Nathaniel's insights into the world of filmmaking, and behind-the-scenes candour which gives so much extra depth to watching Ice Maiden. New Zealand listeners - I’m sure you’ll agree with us staking a claim on his Kiwi talent! See more of Nathaniel’s work at Jackson Speed Ice Maiden premiers at the Doc Edge Film Festival in Otāutahi Christchurch 19 June 2024. Get tickets to the DocEdge Film Festival Follow Lisa’s journey at upcoming solo-sailing record attempts at Lisa Blair Sails the World

Listen in to wholesome convos with inspiring people getting out on the water for great adventures and loving it. Whether it's sailing, freediving, paddleboarding or floating on a pink flamingo - if it brings you adventure, travel and freedom on the water - we'll talk about it. Follow along and dip your toes in!