John Kretschmer // Seam'nship, Racing, Life & NOT Retiring!
From On the Wind Sailing by 59º North Sailing Podcasts
February 10, 2026 · 1h 19m · Episode 491
About this episode
John Kretschmer returns to discuss sailing philosophy, debunk retirement rumors, and share insights on life at sea.
John Kretschmer is back on the podcast to talk more philosophy and more sailing. If you're new to the show, or new to John's work, he's inspired me more than any other sailor. His books are legendary, and you should read all of them. But start with 'Sailing a Serious Ocean,' if you want one book that best distills his storytelling and philosophy into one volume. John and I talk about everything in this winding episode - which also features a rare appearance from Mia! He was in Paris, we were in Sweden, and we start by debunking the rumor that John was retiring from passagemaking that I accidentally started on this here show! Grab a coffee or a beer and enjoy this one. -- Support the podcast & become a member of The Quarterdeck , where Andy, August & Mia dive deep on the art of seam'nship. Nerd out with us on our members-only forum and talk boats, gear, safety-at-sea, meet like-minded sailors, find crew, and more. Check it out on quarterdeck.59-north.com . See you there! -- This season of ON THE WIND is supported by our friends at Offshore Passage Opportunities and Rutgerson Marin . Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
People in this episode
Guest: John Kretschmer
Topics covered
- sailing
- philosophy
- passagemaking
- storytelling
- life experiences
Keywords
- sailing
- John Kretschmer
- philosophy
- passagemaking
- life experiences
- storytelling
- Offshore Passage Opportunities
- Rutgerson Marin
Sponsors
Offshore Passage Opportunities, Rutgerson Marin
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Sailing a Serious Ocean
More episodes of On the Wind Sailing
- Matt Rutherford // Around the Arctic (in a Valiant This Time!) · May 5, 2026 · 1h 33m
- Mia & Andy // 2025 Year-In-Review (Only 3 Months Late!) · March 17, 2026 · 1h 15m
- Ben Soofer // Making a career in sailing · March 10, 2026 · 1h 2m
- Francesca Clapcich // The 1st Italian to Win The Ocean Race · March 3, 2026 · 1h 11m
- Nikki Henderson // Writing, Racing and Life · February 24, 2026 · 1h 14m
- Troy Sears // Schooner AMERICA · February 23, 2026 · 1h 25m
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