The Sailing Podcast

Grab a cup of tea (or a cold beer) and join Theo Stocker and Toby Heppell for Episode 25 of The Sailing Podcast as the Sailing Geeks return to dissect four classic nautical topics.
In this episode:
Sailing Literature Recommendations: From childhood inspiration in Lake Windermere to the harrowing disaster of the 1998 Sydney Hobart Race and the last trading clippers.
The Charter Selling Points: Why even die-hard UK boat owners should consider a warm-water Mediterranean or Caribbean charter holiday.
Flotilla vs. Bareboat: How organized flotillas take the stress out of family cruising and create instant community on the water.
The Great SUP Debate: Can an inflatable paddleboard serve as a genuine ship-to-shore tender, or do you need a proper inflatable boat?
Inflatable Tender Masterclass: The pros and cons of RIBs, air-V floors, lightweight PVC fabrics, catamaran tenders, and sailable dinghies.
Have a question or a topic you want the Geeks to cover next time? Leave a review or drop a comment!
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Welcome back to a special edition of The Sailing Podcast! In Episode 24, we bring back our occasional sub-series, The Sailing Geeks, where host Theo Stocker is joined by Toby Heppell at the Royal Lymington Yacht Club to chew the cud on all things sailing.

This episode is dedicated entirely to the 2026 Yachting Monthly Celtic Triangle Race, a legendary 600-mile, short-handed offshore adventure that takes sailors from Cornwall to Ireland, Brittany, and back again.

Theo and Toby reflect on the history of the event, the unique Corinthian camaraderie of double-handed sailing, and the wild weather that saw the 30-boat fleet gale-bound in Kinsale by 50-knot gusts. Featuring exclusive interviews directly from the finish line in Fowey, hear real-world stories from the sailors who took on the challenge.

⚓ If you enjoyed the Sailing Geeks format, give us a thumbs up, leave a comment below, and subscribe for the next episode!
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Mike Golding OBE is, quite simply, a sailing legend. He has sailed through the Southern Ocean 9 times in both directions, and raced across the Atlantic 13 times.
He has survived burning buildings and dismastings. He even came third in the Vendée Globe despite finishing the race with no keel.

And after all that, he still goes sailing for pleasure, completing a half-circumnavigation from NZ to France on a family cruise aboard his own catamaran. Now he supports sailors from the grassroots to the top of the sport and is a passionate advocate for the marine environment.

He has been awarded an OBE for his services to sailing. Yachting Monthly's Theo Stocker and Yachting World's Helen Fretter sat down with Mike over coffee at his home to hear his story.
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In Episode 23 of The Sailing Podcast, host Theo Stocker sits down inside the tiny, 19-foot cabin of Mini Globe 580,Trekker with one of the friendliest and most intrepid sailors on the planet: Ertan Beskardes.

Ertan’s story is extraordinary. Born in Turkey, he learned to sail on the Bosphorus as a 12-year-old boy, tying his tiny fiberglass dinghy to navigation cardinals in the dark to sleep under the stars.

After moving to the UK, he built a 40-year career as a military tailor and regalia specialist before answering the call of the high seas.

Ertan competed in the 2018 and 2022 Golden Globe Races (GGR), but the raw emotional toll of being separated from his family forced him to step aside. More recently, he completed an unbelievable tropical circumnavigation in the 19ft Mini Globe Race (MGR), complete with Starlink, Netflix, and daily FaceTime calls. Now, he’s set his sights back on the ultimate prize: sailing solo, non-stop around the globe in the 2026 GGR aboard Jean-Luc Van Den Heede’s 2018 winning Rustler 36, Matmut (now renamed Miss Beagle).

In this episode, Ertan shares:

Sleeping Under the Bosphorus Stars: How a childhood on the water sparked a lifelong addiction to solo adventure.
The Mental Game of the GGR: Why the Golden Globe isn't a sailing race, but an emotional endurance test.
Life Inside a 19ft Boat: Why the MGR 580 feels like a floating cork and handles 50-knot gales with ease.
Paradise & Near-Disasters: Crocodile warnings in Thursday Island, shark-swimming in Cocos Keeling, and getting towed into Cape Town after losing his mainsail in 50-knot Table Mountain gusts.
GGR 2026: Buying Jean-Luc Van Den Heede’s iconic boat and why he’s determined to complete the voyage this time.

If you enjoyed this episode, please hit the like button, leave a comment for Ertan, and subscribe for more ocean stories!
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In Episode 22 of The Sailing Podcast, host Theo Stocker sits down with one of the most prolific, relentless, and fascinating adventurers on the planet: Don McIntyre.

Don is the visionary founder behind the retro Golden Globe Race, the Ocean Globe Race, and the Mini Globe Race, all events born from his fierce belief that true adventure isn't about multi-million-dollar budgets or high-tech satellite routing, but about human grit and seamanship.

Recorded aboard a Clipper training vessel in Gosport, Don takes us on a whirlwind journey through his extraordinary life. From building a ferro-cement Suhaili replica at 18 to completing the brutal solo BOC Challenge, Don shares what drives a person to push past the ordinary.

In this episode, Don opens up about:

Living in Antarctica: Spending a full year in an 8x12ft hut in the windiest place on Earth.
Treasure Hunting & Terrorists: Encountering armed NPA rebels in the Philippines.
Recreating Captain Bligh: Navigating 4,000 miles across the Pacific in an open boat with 23cm of freeboard and no modern tech.
The Psychology of the GGR: Why the Golden Globe Race is 100% a mind game, and why Don just banned laptop computers onboard for the upcoming edition.
His Next Big Feat: Announcing his new event, the Real Ocean Row (ROR), and his plan to row solo across the Atlantic at age 73!

Learn more about Don’s races at: goldengloberace.com | oceangloberace.com | minigloberace.com

⚓ If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe, and share it with a fellow adventurer!
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