131 | The Mainsail That Would Not Die

131 | The Mainsail That Would Not Die

From The Mariner by Chris Stanmore-Major

July 18, 2025 · 2h 24m · Episode 131

About this episode

The episode explores the journey and significance of an old Open 60 mainsail that has accompanied the host through various challenges and adventures.

This episode tells the full story of the sail that’s been with me through it all — my old Open 60 mainsail, which, although it has impossibly high mileage (100,000nm!), has proven indefatigable, indestructable and faithful right through to the end. But, it’s about more than gear. It’s about the kind of grit and grace it takes to keep going when the world says you shouldn’t, whatever your passion may be. The first half of the episode dives into how this sail came to me, how I bent it on in the middle of the Atlantic alone over 20 hours, how it carried me through the Newport Bermuda Race in 2024 (when it was already over 20 years old!) and how it feels now to look up at it as it drives me one last time solo across the Atlantic to meet up with its successor . This episode is about our connection to supposedly inanimate objects — to the people for whom I make these podcasts, to the sea, and to the idea that life doesn't need to be easy to be good. Here is the Youtube playlist of my solo transatlantic voyage on the Open 60 'Falcon': https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNEtiOvex8NBvt_ai1Megepf2zcPSPSHY&si=jFDPmyFtOvqiqx1R In the second half of the show, I walk through the details of…

People in this episode

Host: Chris Stanmore-Major

Topics covered

  • sailing
  • mainsail
  • endurance
  • connection to objects
  • transatlantic voyage
  • sailing gear
  • personal journey

Keywords

  • sailing
  • Open 60
  • mainsail
  • transatlantic
  • Newport Bermuda Race
  • endurance
  • gear
  • voyage
  • connection
  • adventure

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Open 60 mainsail

Books & works: Falcon

Places: Atlantic

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