Learning to sail can feel overwhelming at first. Where do you start? What actually matters? And how do you know if you’re doing it right? In this episode of the NanoCruising podcast, I sat down with a sailor who’s spent over 60 years on the water to talk about how people really learn to sail—not the textbook version, but what actually works. How Do You Actually Learn to Sail? Peter didn’t describe learning as a straight path. He talked about it as a series of moments—small breakthroughs mixed in with plenty of confusion. One day the boat feels right. The next day, it doesn’t. That pattern never fully goes away. You just get more comfortable with it. Why Mistakes Matter We spent a good chunk of time on mistakes—because that’s where most of the learning happens. Pete shared stories from his early days: missed tacks, poor sail trim, things not going to plan. Not as regrets, but as the moments that taught him the most. His take was simple—if you’re not making mistakes, you’re probab...
If you enjoyed Part 1 of our conversation with legendary boat designer John Welsford , you’re going to love what’s in store for Part 2. In this episode, John takes us further into his world of small boat innovation and adventure. We kick things off with a look at the new 7-meter ocean-going boat he’s currently designing—something he hasn’t talked much about publicly until now. It’s a boat meant to cross oceans with confidence, while still staying true to Welsford’s core design philosophy: safety, practicality, simplicity, and real-world performance. From there, we dig into the story behind his new design “Scallywag,” which was born out of a desire for a microcruiser like the SCAMP—but with accommodations for longer journeys and sleep-aboard comfort. It’s a design many have been waiting for, and it reflects the continued evolution of small cruising sailboats. John also shares some fantastic anecdotes about his designs out in the wild. We hear about a SCAMP in Tierra del Fuego , and...