Mark Synnott is a New York Times bestselling author, a pioneering big wall first ascensionist and one of the most prolific exploratory climbers of his generation. Always seeking new adventures, in 2022 he sailed through the Northwest Passage while searching for the grave of and attempting to solve the mystery of what happened to legendary nineteenth-century explorer Sir John Franklin and his ships, HMS Erebus and Terror.

We talk about his boat Polar Sun - a Stevens 47, getting the boat ready for the Northwest Passage, ice and how to read ice charts, what happens if you get frozen in the ice, a boat that got crushed in the ice, how to freeze in safely, dressing properly for sailing in cold weather, shelter on the boat, crew issues, growlers, wildlife sightings, beluga whales, anchoring, writing books, and more.

links and photos are on the shownotes page

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Ulrika retired, sold her house, and bought a 1995 Island Packet 40. She has just started what she plans to be a long and casual circumnavigation. She was in Guyamas Mexico when I interviewed her.

We talk about her boat, sailing from BC to Mexico, The Sea of Cortez, sailing singlehanded and with crew, Mexico, water, how the Island Packet performs, whisker poles, her previous boat - an Atkins Ingrid, sailing in British Columbia, electronics, radar, plans for the South Pacific, diving, whales, whale sharks, Papua New Guinea, and more!

Photos and links can be found on the shownotes page at https://www.paultrammell.com/podcast-season-7

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The Last Voyage of Asteria is Tapio Lehtinen's latest book, co-written by Paul Trammell, and documents Tapio's 2022 Golden Globe Race, during which his boat, Asteria, sank while 460 nm SE of South Africa.

In this episode, I read from the book, including the beginning and also the chapter titled "Lessons Learned," which disusses what Tapio learned from the sinking and from entering the life raft, and inccludes a list of all the safety gear required by the Golden Globe Race NOR.

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