Passages From The Heart Podcast | Podcast on RSS.com

Passages From The Heart Podcast

Passages From The Heart Podcast

by Chelle Heart

Places & Travel Sports

Captain Istvan Kopar - America 250 Anniversary Challenge

Today’s episode features world-class sailor and 3x circumnavigator Captain Istvan Kopar! If you follow the Golden Globe Race, you’ll likely recognize Captain Kopar’s name as he was one of the 50th Anniversary Edition 2018 Golden Globe Race finishers — but, did you also know that, almost thirty years before that 2018 Golden Globe Race, Captain Kopar, with the help of two friends, built a 31 ft sloop which he solo circumnavigated around the world, making only one stop in Perth, Australia. Today, Captain Kopar has his sights set on an entirely new-to-him challenge regarding the solo circumnavigation — the challenge he has planned will coincide with and celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the America! On July 4th of this year, at the age of 73, Captain Istvan will depart Ft. Lauderdale, FL, aboard Surprise, his Valiant 42, and sail solo across the Atlantic to Les Sables D’Olonne, France. Then, later this summer, though not officially part of the race, Captain Kopar will depart Les Sables D’Olonne with the 2026 Golden Globe fleet on Sept, 6th, but instead of heading eastbound ‘round the world with the rest of the GGR fleet, Captain Kopar will head starboard -- west -- towards rounding Cape Horn, while the GGR fleet rounds the Cape of Good Hope. In today’s podcast, Captain Kopar and I dive deep back into time as he shares his story of how sailing became such an integral part of his life and how, all the more, sailing has continued to shape his life so that he can live a life well-lived. Captain Kopar would like to express his immense gratitude to his family, friends, and supporters who’ve all helped make his America 250th Anniversary Challenge aboard SV Surprise possible. Come raft up with me at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com! LINKS: Kopar Sailing website | https://koparsailing.com Kopar Sailing Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/istvankopar Kopar Sailing YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@UCQpwi5k-tLiL1CkBv1orTUw Captain Kopar's book, 'Kihivas: Alone at the Ends of the Earth' | https://www.amazon.com/Kihivas-Alone-at-Ends-Earth/dp/1517793637 UK Sailmakers Podcast | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YoZSvVB6Ok 'Two old blokes talk : Istvan with Don and JL VDH calling in 2019/04/16' | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG9vE2sq6Uk&list=PLjOcewuo5Q63FGePQiLoSI7qP3KZmfyxS&index=3 Offshore Sailing & Cruising Podcast with Paul Trammell 'Istvan Kopar, Westbound Solo Around the World' | https://paultrammell.libsyn.com/istvan-kopar-westbound-solo-around-the-world MUSIC CREDITS: *** Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo *** Teaser is Pink Sunrise by The Great North Sound Society *** Music used for welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal. *** Music used for outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe. *** Music used for outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe.

On the hard | Catalina Yachts | Sunfish | Gig Harbor Boat Works | RAID ERIE

Come raft up with me at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com LINKS: Lynn Sailboats | https://www.lynnsailboats.com The Sailboat Shop | https://www.thesailboatshop.com Com-Pac Legacy for sale | https://www.thesailboatshop.com/default.asp?page=xNewInventoryDetail&id=17202398&p=1&s=(Sort%20By)&d=D&fr=xNewInventory The Sailboat Company | https://www.facebook.com/groups/1103214911214634/ G. Winters Sailing | https://www.winterssailing.com VS721 by Aurora Marine | https://store.auroramarine.com/vs721-bottom-coat.html Trailer-mounted boat lift | https://boatstands.com/product/blt4-boat-lift/?srsltid=AfmBOoqr_sCIYtyjM7SadHCzl0_s19h-mFdh9ozRwiap6jxgmWxpFvBx CPYOA | https://cpyoa.com/forum/ Sunfish/ISCA | https://www.sunfishclass.org Gig Harbor Boat Works | https://ghboats.com Catalina Yachts article by Peter Swanson | https://loosecannon.substack.com/p/catalina-yachts-auction-includes?r=nzq2r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_id=97758_v0_s00_e233_tv4_tp1_a1dennhbggdxcr&triedRedirect=true Sero Sailing | https://seroinnovation.com/ Zim Sailing | https://zimsailing.com/ Fathom Metal Works | https://www.fathommetalworks.com Dwyer Mast | https://dwyermast.com US Spars | https://www.usspars.com/ RAID ERIE | https://www.raiderie.net MUSIC: *** Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo *** Teaser is Pink Sunrise by The Great North Sound Society *** Welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal. *** Outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe.

Boat Building with Shipwright Steve Cormack

Shipmates! I’ve got lots of updates to share with you on top of a FANTASTIC show featuring shipwright Steve Cormack! Steve has been building boats for forty years! He goes over some of the ins-and-outs of boat building; what kinds of boats he’s built over the years; advice for how to get started with boat building; the mental challenges of building boats, plus lots more! ***** All FOOTAGE OF STEVE CORMACK COURTESY OF STEVE CORMACK. ***** PLEASE BE KIND -- I'm no expert -- I'm just a regular gal learning as I go! Also, I don't have a huge budget dedicated to equipment and/or other resources for recording audio -- but, I put lots of love and time into creating these podcasts in the hopes that sharing what I learn might help you! Did you know that I blog regularly/create videos about adventures out on the water and other life-happenings? Come raft up with me at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com! LINKS: Steve Cormack on YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@UCkSr6bAwHQg_v3GFvRXFbgw Steve Cormack via email | whitestar031@gmail.com Susan Conrad | https://www.susanmarieconrad.com Wooden Boat Magazine & Wooden Boat School | https://www.woodenboatstore.com Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival | https://woodenboat.org Gig Harbor Boat Works | https://ghboats.com SCAMP sailboat | https://www.scampsailboat.com/ CPYOA website/forums | https://cpyoa.com/forum/ MUSIC CREDITS: *** Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo *** Music used for welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal. *** Music used for outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe.

Restro Thunder Road: Big Adventures - Small Sailboat

I’ve got an absolutely rad show for you all today — my guest features sailor, machine restorer, and adventurer Brandon Fetterman of the popular YouTube sailing channel Restro Thunder Road! In our conversation, Brandon and I take a look back to how he fell in love with the water while growing up, and then ultimately discovered his passion for sailing. We also dig into how he set his sights on adventuring with small, trailerable sailboats, specifically, Thunder Road, his 1964 O’Day Mariner. Brandon also shares an in-depth experience of participating in the Texas 200 RAID/mess-about the past four years and how this summer, in 2026, he’ll be undertaking the event as a solo sailor for the very first time! PLEASE BE KIND -- I'm no expert -- I'm just a regular gal learning as I go! Also, I don't have a huge budget dedicated to equipment and/or other resources for recording audio -- but, I put lots of love and time into creating these podcasts in the hopes that sharing what I learn might help you! Did you know that I blog regularly/create videos about adventures out on the water and other life-happenings? Come raft up with me at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/@passagesfromtheheart LINKS: Restro Thunder Road on YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@restrothunderroad Restro Thunder Road on Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/svthunderroad Restro Thunder Road on Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/restrothunderroad/ Sailing Zingaro on YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@BeTheCaptain Ziggy Lavengood on YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ZiggyLavengood Texas 200 | https://texas200.com/home O’day Mariner | https://goodoldboat.com/saildata/boat/mariner-oday-mariner/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariner_19 Mariner Class Association | https://www.usmariner.org Jerome Rand of Sailing Into Oblivion | https://www.sailingintooblivion.com Skipper D Adventures | https://www.youtube.com/@SkipperDAdventures Florida 120 | https://www.facebook.com/groups/fl120/ MUSIC CREDITS: *** Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo *** Music used for welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal. *** Music used for outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe.

Susan Marie Conrad - Sea Kayaker & Adventurer

I’ve got another spectacular interview for you today featuring my guest, Susan Marie Conrad, a solo paddler/kayaker, adventurer, speaker, and author. Susan shares how she fell in love with the sport of sea kayaking despite growing up with parents who forbade her to be anywhere near a body of water. We also cover key kayaking basics, for example, the different kinds of kayaks and what each is designed for as well as best practices to dive into the world of paddling/kayaking. Our conversation then shifts to Susan’s memoir, INSIDE: One Woman’s Journey Through the Inside Passage, which chronicles her 2010 66 day, 1200 mile solo paddle in her 18 ft sea kayak up the coastal waters of Washington state, British Columbia, Canada, and the Alaskan panhandle — a water route collectively known as the Inside Passage. Twelve years after her 2010 adventure, at the tender age of 62, Susan repeated the voyage! Stay tuned to learn more about Susan’s adventures out on the water and how they’ve shaped her life! Now, onto the show! Special notes from Susan: I'd love to offer listeners a 30% discount on Wildly Inside: A Visual Journey Through the Inside Passage. Please select the "buy from Author" option (vs Amazon or a bookstore) and use the coupon code PODCAST30 on my website. Raft up with Chelle at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com LINKS: Susan Marie Conrad | https://www.susanmarieconrad.com Susan Marie Conrad on Facebook | Susan Marie Conrad on Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/susanmarieconrad/ Susan's Inside Passage Expedition Gear List | https://www.susanmarieconrad.com/_files/ugd/d25451_6e4b90a346054e4596d6d33fb2d4f2a7.pdf Books about the Inside Passage, by Susan | https://www.susanmarieconrad.com/books Alone in the Passage: An Explorer's Guide to Sea Kayaking the Inside Passage by Denis Dwyer | https://www.amazon.com/Alone-Passage-Explorers-Kayaking-Inside/dp/1482586452 Paddling North by Audrey Sutherland | https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/670707/paddling-north-by-audrey-sutherland/ West coast kayak coaching | https://www.bodyboatblade.com/ British Columbia kayak coaching | https://skils.ca/ Wisconsin kayak "everything" | https://www.rutabagashop.com/ American Canoe Association (a wealth of info on ALL paddlesports) | https://americancanoe.org/ MUSIC CREDITS: *** Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo *** Music used for welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal. *** Music used for outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe.

Skipper D Adventures on Learning to Sail, Small Sailboats, & Coastal Rallies

Imagine setting out to learn to sail and then less than two years later, you’re gearing up to sail solo in the Florida 120 aboard a 14’ open boat! That’s exactly what Darren, aka Skipper D of Skipper D Adventures, has set out to do! In this episode, we travel back in time to September 2024 when Skipper D embarks upon a course of study with the American Sailing Association and he shares how he discovered an amazing and supportive sailing community. With 261 hours of sail time, a total of 835 nm sailed (with 436 of those being coastal and ocean nm), with five American Sailing Association certifications as well as an ASA docking endorsement, Skipper D has built up a substantial sailing resume in less than two years time after setting out to learn to sail. Skipper D has enjoyed sailing on both larger and smaller vessels and when it came time to find his match for sharing adventures out on the water, he surprised himself by deciding to purchase a 14’ Com-Pac Picnic Cat boat. The Com-Pac Picnic Cat boat is gaff-rigged and though perhaps small, the boat is built with big adventures in mind! Skipper D has been documenting his journey with his incredible YouTube channel called Skipper D Adventures — be sure to check it out as well as his website, www. skipperd.com. PLEASE BE KIND - I'm no expert - I'm just a regular gal learning as I go! Also, I don't have a huge budget dedicated to equipment and/or other resources for recording audio -- but, I put lots of love and time into creating these podcasts in the hopes that sharing what I learn might help you! Did you know that I blog regularly/create videos about adventures out on the water and other life-happenings? Come raft up with me at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/@passagesfromtheheart LINKS: Skipper D Adventures Website | https://www.skipperd.com Skipper D Adventures on YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@SkipperDAdventures Restro Thunder Road | https://www.youtube.com/@restrothunderroad Ziggy Lavengood | https://www.youtube.com/@ZiggyLavengood Roger Barnes | https://www.youtube.com/@RogerRoving American Sailing Association | https://americansailing.com/ Com-Pac Picnic Cat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/picnic-cat-com-pac/ CPYOA Forum | https://cpyoa.com/forum/ Picnic Cat PDF Capsize thread (read reply #1) | https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?topic=12942.0 MUSIC CREDITS: Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo Music used for welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal. Music used for outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe.

The Com-Pac Eclipse & the Com-Pac Horizon Cat with Skipper Al Santini

For decades, Com-Pac Yachts provided sailors with a phenomenal line-up of sailing yachts — many of which were designed for trailer sailing. In this episode, I’m joined by veteran sailor and author Skipper Al Santini; Al has been sailing since 1973! Al has owned nine sailboats over his lifetime, but he particularly fell in love with Com-Pac sailboats and shares his thoughts — as well as some adventure sailing stories — about having owned both a Com-Pac Eclipse sloop and a Com-Pac Horizon Cat gaff-rigged sailboat. Skipper Al is also an accomplished author having published several technical books, and he’s also written a sailing fiction book series focusing on the adventures of his character, Captain Pete. This episode is packed with plenty of helpful Com-Pac golden nuggets, but it will also appeal to all sailors alike with Al sharing his wealth of knowledge and experience learned from years of adventuring out on the water! PLEASE BE KIND -- I'm no expert -- I'm just a regular gal learning as I go! Also, I don't have a huge budget dedicated to equipment and/or other resources for recording audio -- but, I put lots of love and time into creating these podcasts in the hopes that sharing what I learn might help you! Did you know that I blog regularly/create videos about adventures out on the water and other life-happenings? Come raft up with me at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/@passagesfromtheheart * PICTURES COURTESY OF SKIPPER AL SANTINI. * LINKS: Al Santini Keynote on YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_e2qRvjs00 Al Santini books | https://www.amazon.com/stores/Al-Santini/author/B001K8Z8JE? Com-Pac Yacht Owners Association (CPYOA) | https://cpyoa.com/forum/ Com-Pac Eclipse | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/com-pac-eclipse/ Com-Pac Horizon | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/horizon-cat-20-com-pac/ Com-Pac Horizon Day Cat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/horizon-day-cat-20-com-pac/ Herreshoff America | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/herreshoff-america/ Robert Hall YouTube channel for Com-Pac Horizon Day Cat | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AzWtGlsyv4 MUSIC CREDITS: * Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo * Music used for welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal. * Music used for outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe.

Skipper Josh Kali | Part Two: Panama to Cape Town!

Get ready for a phenomenal ride in today’s episode — an in-depth follow-up interview with Skipper Josh Kali of the 2025 Mini Globe Race (MGR) — “the race for people with average means but above average ambitions,” as Skipper Josh likes to say! We sit down to hang-out while he’s waiting to start the next leg of the MGR out of Cape Town, South Africa, on Sunday, Dec. 28th, 2025. When I last chatted with Josh, he had recently completed the first leg of the MGR —from Antigua to Panama — and that was back in March of 2025. Since then, Josh and the rest of the MGR fleet have sailed all the way from Panama to French Polynesia, Tonga, Fiji, and then up through the Coral Sea and Torres Strait to Thursday Island, across the Indian Ocean to Cocos Keeling, to Rodrigues, to Mauritius, to Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Mossel Bay in South Africa, and then culminating with an epic rounding of both Cape Agulhas and the Cape of Good Hope to land in Cape Town, South Africa — a total, thus far, of 20,000 miles — all accomplished sailing aboard 5.8m homemade plywood sailboats! If you haven’t yet seen/heard it, check out the first interview I did with Skipper Josh back in March of 2025 on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFUu-YR_WZA or the audio version at https://rss.com/podcasts/passages-from-the-heart-podcast/2159142/. PLEASE BE KIND -- I'm no expert -- I'm just a regular gal learning as I go! Also, I don't have a huge budget dedicated to equipment and/or other resources for recording video and audio -- but, I put lots of love and time into creating these podcasts in the hopes that sharing what I learn might help you! Did you know that I blog regularly/create videos about adventures out on the water and other life-happenings? Come raft up with me at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/@passagesfromtheheart LINKS: Josh Kali Ocean Racing | http://joshkalioceanracing.com Mini Globe Race | https://minigloberace.com MUSIC CREDITS: *** Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo *** Music used for welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal. *** Music used for outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe.

Coming Full-Circle in Sailing with Ken Johansen | Ep 24 PFTH Podcast

I’ve just celebrated the second-year anniversary of hosting my Passages From the Heart Podcast! With twenty-four episodes now under my belt, I couldn’t be more stoked to keep bringing you fresh content to fuel your passion for getting out on the water and chasing after your own dreams! In this special two-year anniversary podcast edition, I reunite with fellow sailor and good friend, Ken Johansen; Ken was the very first guest to be featured on my show. In this episode, Ken and I have a great time looking back in time to “where were then” with “where we are now” in our sailing journeys. But it’s all not just a trip down memory lane — we get into some awesome goodies about the various Com-Pac models we’ve owned and what each boat has taught us along the way. We also talk about aging as a sailor, transitioning to trailer-sailing instead of slipping/berthing our boats at a marina, and then delve into kitting out our boats for overnighting and camping adventures. This episode is packed with a little something — or a lot of things! — for every sailor to take away! PLEASE BE KIND -- I'm no expert -- I'm just a regular gal learning as I go! Also, I don't have a huge budget dedicated to equipment and/or other resources for recording video and audio -- but, I put lots of love and time into creating these podcasts in the hopes that sharing what I learn might help you! Did you know that I blog regularly/create videos about adventures out on the water and other life-happenings? Come raft up with me at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/@passagesfromtheheart LINKS: Com-Pac 16 sailboat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/com-pac-16/ Com-Pac Legacy sailboat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/com-pac-legacy/ Com-Pac Sun Cat sailboat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/sun-cat-17-2-com-pac/ Com-Pac 23 sailboat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/com-pac-23-mk-iv/ Com-Pac 25 sailboat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/com-pac-25/ For Com-Pac parts - Fathom Metal Works | https://www.fathommetalworks.com/ Com-Pac Yacht Owners Association | https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php Lynn Sailboats | https://www.lynnsailboats.com/ 2024 Com-Pac Legacy Sailboat Mini Tour | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmytAmjp5X8 MUSIC CREDITS: *** Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo *** Music used for welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal. *** Music used for outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe.

Course Change & Revisiting the Com-Pac Legacy | Ep 23 PFTH Podcast

There are always twists and turns in life — it’s what keeps everything so interesting, after all! Since I last podcasted, my boat shopping plans continue to evolve as I uncover new details in my research. Sometimes, where that research leads us, and where we find our hearts settling, is not necessarily what we initially envisioned — and sometimes a journey can simply be about coming full-circle and finding out just how sweet the possibilities of that can be. PLEASE BE KIND -- I'm no expert -- I'm just a regular gal learning as I go! Also, I don't have a huge budget dedicated to equipment and/or other resources for recording video and audio -- but, I put lots of love and time into creating these video podcasts in the hopes that sharing what I learn might help you! Did you know that I blog regularly/create videos about adventures out on the water and other life-happenings? Come raft up with me at https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/@passagesfromtheheart LINKS: Com-Pac Legacy | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/com-pac-legacy/ Com-Pac Sun Cat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/sun-cat-17-2-com-pac/ Com-Pac Horizon Cat | https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/horizon-cat-20-com-pac/ CPYOA 'Some Trepidation' thread: https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?topic=13060.0 CPYOA 'Crack in Mast' thread: https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?topic=13045.0 MUSIC CREDITS: *** Intro theme by Anthony Cuozzo of Double Down Sailing: / @quazzo *** Music used for welcome sequence in video is ‘Love in Mexico’ by Carmen María and Edu Espinal. *** Music used for outro in video is 'Silver Waves' by TrackTribe.

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