129 | The Mariner Returns

129 | The Mariner Returns

From The Mariner by Chris Stanmore-Major

July 16, 2025 · 41 min · Episode 129

About this episode

Chris Stanmore-Major shares his journey aboard Osprey as he prepares for the Centenary Fastnet Race and reflects on the significance of a worn mainsail.

Join me today on deck, onboard Osprey, my 85ft Maxi, as I complete my 33rd Transat, headed to England, to join the Centenary Fastnet Race and everything that lies beyond. You are not going to want to miss this one. The Mariner is BACK! Follow the story with DAILY videos over on the Mariner YouTube Channel Tenacity in Pursuit What if a piece of torn sailcloth could remind you what commitment looks like? This mainsail is on its final run across the Atlantic, flying torn and tired but still holding Osprey steady at 15 knots. It’s not a perfect fit—it’s 15 feet too short for the rig. But like me, it keeps going anyway. It’s done over 100,000 miles. It carried Dominique Wavre to a 5th and then a 4th place in the Vendée Globe. It saved my solo crossing in 2018 when my “new” mainsail exploded off Land’s End. You can watch that whole mess unfold on YouTube. In 2024, it stepped in again after Osprey’s big sail blew out just before Newport–Bermuda. Now, once it finishes this delivery and we hit the Fastnet start, I’ll retire it. I’ll cut it into signed 8-by-10 pieces, scars and all, and stick on a label with the story of every mile it gave. A daily reminder that things don’t have to be…

People in this episode

Host: Chris Stanmore-Major

Topics covered

  • sailing
  • adventure
  • perseverance
  • ocean racing
  • personal journey

Keywords

  • sailing
  • Fastnet Race
  • Osprey
  • mainsail
  • Atlantic crossing
  • perseverance
  • YouTube

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Osprey

Products: mainsail

Places: Newport–Bermuda, Land’s End

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