Colm Walker, Pacific Mexico to France, The Mental Components of Sailing Offshore

Colm Walker was signed up to race in the Golden Globe Race (GGR), but was not able to make the start. He was in Mexico the last time he was on the show, then sailed to Panama, through the canal, and all the way to France, solo and nonstop, in his Tayana 37.

We talk about the GGR competitors, Matthew Wright's Galicia a Galicia circumnavigation, the mental strain of being stuck in light air, sailing through squalls, suffering from the desire to be somewhere else, his decision not to do the GGR (this year), sailing into the Sitran fleet on his way in to Les Sables d'Olonne, leaks in his boat, plans to do the 2030 GGR, the Golden Globe Race family, solitude, solo sailing - who enjoys it and who does not, GGR history, the point at which we feel the exhale, the passage from Mexico to Panama, sailing with an incomplete sail wardrobe, building confidence offshore, the Panama Canal, using an agent to transit the canal, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, Guy Waites, the pass/fail mental aspect of the GGR, his passage from Panama through the Caribbean and on to France, the Windward Passage, Cuba, rough weather, sailing downwind, slowing down and dealing with difficult situations, lightning, navigation, celestial navigation, sailing without modern instruments, different reasons people enjoy sailing, a solar eclpise, listening to the boat, letting the boat swing, the zen of sailing offshore, meditation, letting go of attachment and suffering, preparing mentally for long offshore passanges like the GGR, having an external dialogue with yourself, the importance of not rushing, Spain and Portugal, a dream boat, the Mini Globe Race, and more.