Creating and sharing ocean sailing stories and adventures

Listen to the podcast

The Ocean Sailing Podcast is designed for people who love to cruise, race or explore the worlds oceans. Its also for those yet to experience the joy of sailing and those no longer able to cast off their dock lines and head for the open sea. Join now and listen free to the Ocean Sailing Podcast episodes.

Come ocean sailing with us

Step up and join David Hows onboard as crew of his Beneteau 45 foot yacht 'Ocean Gem' for the ocean sailing adventure of a lifetime. Whether its a 600nm ocean passage down Australia's East Coast, a 200 yacht regatta around the Whitsunday Islands, the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race, a Tasman Sea crossing or circumnavigating Tasmania, why not join us as a paying crew member in one of the limited spots available for each adventure. Find out more about offshore sailing onboard Ocean Gem. Check out our crew testimonials to see what others have to say about their adventures onboard Ocean Gem with us.

Episode 73: Jana McGeachy and Mick O'Keefe - Australians buy US yacht to cruise the Bahama’s, Caribbean and Pacific

Jana McGeachy and Mick O'Keefe Nauti Nook

Jana and Mick are not your typical semi-retired Australian offshore sailors. Surviving a head on crash in the outback at 100 km/hr at a young age, made them think differently about turning their sailing dreams into reality sooner. They worked and saved hard for the next 2 years and I catch up with them onboard their dream yacht in Florida, waiting to sail to the Bahamas. Their yacht search led to a surgeon selling his 1986 Morgan 43 for $80k. They offered $58k and it was theirs. After lots of maintenance, upgrades, groundings, engine headaches and weeks of toil they are on the eve of departure. With a plan to sail the Bahamas for a few months, then fly home to Australia to save more money for next legs to the Caribbean and onto the Pacific, its a great story of whats possible with determination.We also discuss boat systems and handling and share some handy tips.

Listen to podcast episodes now or with iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher

Upcoming sailing adventures

Whether your next step is an ocean race or offshore passage, we have a growing calendar of exciting events;

Brisbane to Hamilton Island Race: 2-8 Aug 2019
Hamilton Island Race Week: 16-25 Aug 2019
Hamilton Island to Southport: 25-30 Aug 2019
Southport to Middleton & Elizabeth Reefs to Lord Howe Island: 17-24 Nov 2019
Lord Howe Island to Balls Pyramid to Sydney: 23 - 28 Nov 2019
Rolex Sydney Hobart Race: 25 Dec 2019 - 2 Jan 2020
Tasmania Circumnavigation: 27 Jan - 10 Feb 2020
Hobart to Picton Tasman Sea Passage: 8 - 22 Mar 2020
Brisbane to Noumea Race: 27 May - 6 Jun 2020
New Caledonia Groupama Race: 11-20 Jun 2020

Check the full sailing calendar for all adventures

Sailing Photo Gallery

Check out the photo gallery of our past adventures to get a taste of what ocean sailing is all about. From offshore coastal passages to ocean races, multi-day regattas and Tasman Sea crossings we have covered more than 30,000 nautical miles and competed in more than 400 races in the past 8 years.

View gallery

Join the crew for the 2020 Tasman Sea crossings

The offshore passage from Southport, Australia to Auckland, New Zealand is a challenging and exciting 1,400nm blue water crossing of the Tasman Sea. Here is a taste of what you can expect if you jon us for the Hobart to Picton passage in March 2020 or Picton to Southport passage in April 2020.

Ocean Gem’s Live Tracker

Follow Ocean Gem’s sailing adventures on the live Predict Wind GPS Tracker. With Predict Wind and Iridium Go its easy to put weather routing, departure planning and live location tracking into one technology package. I love it because I can use the Iridium Go App on my iPhone as for satellite phone calls, email and messaging and its all part of the same subscription package.

View Ocean Gem on the Live Tracker