
Troy Sears // Schooner AMERICA
From On the Wind Sailing by 59º North Sailing Podcasts
February 23, 2026 · 1h 25m · Episode 492
About this episode
Troy Sears discusses his experiences as the owner and captain of the Schooner AMERICA, including his passion for the America's Cup and his daily whalewatching trips.
Troy Sears is the owner and captain of the San Diego-based Schooner AMERICA, a 144-ft replica of the racing ship that came to be the namesake of the famous Cup. Troy is a huge America's Cup nerd & history buff, delving into the history of the Cup and starting the podcast off with a question about the origins of the word 'yacht.' Troy lives aboard AMERICA with his dog and captain's the boat on daily whalewatching trips 330 days per year. We talked about how he came to buy the boat, his career sailing AMERICA all over the oceans, running the chase boat for actual America's Cup campaigns and much much more in an exciting, unexpected, and wide-ranging interview. -- 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: Troy Sears
Topics covered
- sailing
- America's Cup
- whale watching
- maritime history
- boat ownership
Keywords
- Troy Sears
- Schooner AMERICA
- America's Cup
- whale watching
- sailing career
- maritime history
- boat captain
Sponsors
Offshore Passage Opportunities, Rutgerson Marin
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Schooner AMERICA, The Quarterdeck
Places: San Diego
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