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 us onboard the 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 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.

Episode 56: Double, Solo Tasman Sea Crossing - challenges and setbacks

David Hows set out from Hobart in Tasmania and sailed 1,300nm solo across the notorious Tasman Sea to New Plymouth in New Zealand in preparation for the 4-yearly 1,400nm Solo Tasman Yacht Race back to Mooloolaba on Australia's Sunshine Coast. David talks about race stratgey, sleep patterns, nutrition and sail performance management.

He also shares his challenges and set backs which include; battery charging problems, bilge pump failure, loss of autopilot, tainted drinking water, dysentery, dropping a spinnaker into the sea, when a hoist went wrong and wrapping his spinnaker around his forestay for the 4 days of the race. He finished 3rd on line honours and 1st on IRC.

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Upcoming sailing adventures

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

Hamilton Island to Southport Passage: 26 Aug - 1 Sep 2018
Queensland Beneteau Cup Regatta: 1 - 5 Nov 2018
Southport to Middleton Reef, Elizabeth Reef and Lord Howe Island Passage: 2 - 8 Dec 2018
Lord Howe Island to Pittwater Passage: 8 - 14 Dec 2018
Rolex Sydney Hobart Race: 25 Dec 2019 - 2 Jan 2020
Tasmania Circumnavigation: 7 - 21 Jan 2020

Check the full sailing calendar for all adventures

Previous sailing adventures

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 25,000 nautical miles and competed in more than 400 races in the past 7 years.

View gallery

Check out the highlights, lowlights and lessons learned in my 2018 Solo Tasman Yacht Race Challenge on my Beneteau 445 called Ocean Gem. The 1,502nm race took me 10 days and 55 minutes to complete.

Run every 4 years since 1970, the Solo Tasman Race is the second oldest solo race on the planet. Its across a piece of water that can be nasty to cross on a bad week.