NanoCruising

Designing and building a small boat is one thing. Taking it offshore is something else entirely. In the latest NanoCruising episode, Perry returns to the podcast to talk about what happens after the tools are put away and the lines are cast off. His Ocean-Capable Small Sailboat has now completed real sea trials, including a substantial offshore run, and those miles have provided the kind of feedback that only the ocean can deliver. This episode isn’t about defending a concept or proving critics wrong. It’s about learning — the honest, sometimes humbling process of discovering how a boat behaves once theory meets wind, waves, and fatigue. Why Sea Trials Matter in Small Boat Design For nano-cruisers and small boat builders, sea trials aren’t a formality — they’re the real beginning of the design process. No amount of dockside admiration or online commentary can replace hours spent steering, trimming, resting, and observing how a boat responds in open water. Perry explains how earl...

If you spend any time in the world of small-boat adventuring, one name comes up again and again: Graham Byrnes of B & B Yacht Designs . His Core Sound 17 has become a legend—fast, capable, and surprisingly comfortable for its size. It’s a go-to boat for expedition sailors tackling everything from the Everglades Challenge to long coastal passages and inland explorations. In this episode of the NanoCruising Podcast , I sit down with Graham himself for a deep, fascinating look at where his designs come from and how they earned their reputation. 🌏 From Australia to the US: A Life Shaped by Boats Graham shares stories from his upbringing in Australia and the formative sailing experiences that shaped his thinking. We talk about the unlikely chain of events—starting with meeting his wife—that brought him to the United States and, eventually, to creating one of the most respected small-boat design shops around. His early projects, including the Bay River Skiffs, planted seeds that wo...

  …and here’s why we decided to do it. If you’ve been following NanoCruising for a while, you know this whole project has been a labour of love from day one. It started as a simple idea: create a space where dinghy cruisers, trailer sailors, micro-cruisers, and all the small-boat dreamers out there could connect, learn from one another, and hear stories from the adventurous (and occasionally eccentric) folks who make this community special. The podcast has grown— way more than I expected—and that’s entirely because of you. Your listens, comments, shared stories, and encouragement are the reason I keep chasing down new guests, editing late into the night, and trying to keep this whole NanoCruising thing afloat. So… after a lot of reflection (and more encouragement from listeners than I expected), NanoCruising is now on Patreon. 👉 https://www.patreon.com/c/NanoCruising Why Patreon? Running a podcast—even a tiny one about tiny boats—comes with real monthly costs: Hosting th...