What We’re Watching
Global Voyagers
Ben Brehmer and Ashley Stobbart have been sailing around the world full-time on their Lagoon 410 catamaran since 2016, traveling to 35 different countries and covering 40,000 nautical miles. They have filmed their adventures along the way, which are all documented on their YouTube channel Sailing Nahoa. In late 2019, the couple returned home to Canada to have a baby, leaving their boat in Thailand. When Covid-19 lockdown restrictions prevented them from returning and retrieving their boat, they spent the summer exploring British Columbia aboard a 1974 Westerly Cirrus 22-foot monohull with their newborn. Now, after a year, they are reunited with their cat and planning to travel from Thailand to the Maldives, Chagos, Seychelles, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar and South Africa.
More salty reads
Far Offshore
Richard Gibson has spent the past four decades fishing for big game offshore with a camera around his neck. His new book, Back “R” Down, is a collection of the images he has captured throughout his career. Inside, you will find photographs of sportfishing boats in heavy seas, anglers battling mahi-mahi, billfish thrashing above the surface, and the natural landscapes crews get to enjoy between turns in the cockpit. (Blurb Books, $229)
Songs of the Bay
Janie Meneely has been closely observing the people who make a living on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay since she was a child. In addition to being closely familiar with the bay’s workmen and vessels, the Annapolis, Maryland, native has also been writing and performing traditional Chesapeake folk music and sea shanties since the 1980s. In her new songbook Sing the Bay Fantastic! she combines her local knowledge with her musical works. She shares her songs, complete with lyrics and sheet music, alongside illustrations and descriptions of the people, places and boats that make the Chesapeake Bay distinct. (Janie Meneely, $25)
Skippering Skills
Improve your sailing skills, one day at a time. Fridtjof Gunkel’s new book Skipper Tips for Every Day offers 365 pieces of seamanship advice from 365 different sailors, so you can tackle a new tip every day of the year. The book covers a vast array of topics, including anchoring and mooring, line handling and stowage, living aboard, maintenance and so much more. Even the most experienced skippers can find information of value. (Osprey Publishing, $17.99)
Podcasts
Fierce Competitors
Off Watch is a weekly podcast that will introduce you to some of the most notable professional sailors in the world, including those who compete in the America’s Cup, Vendée Globe, Volvo Ocean Race and more. Host Niall Myant-Best encourages these daring competitors to recall the challenges and triumphs they face offshore, and share what it takes to participate in such a fast-paced and, at times, dangerous sport.
