Episode 03 - Paul & Suzana Tetlow

From the heart of global ocean cruising, Paul and Suzana Tetlow are the quiet force shaping some of the world’s most iconic sailing rallies. Based in Cowes and now leading the organisation behind the legendary ARC, they stepped into the role in 2023 after completing their own world voyage, bringing first-hand experience, credibility, and a deep understanding of life at sea. Paul, a former British Army officer turned sailor, drives the vision and delivery, while Suzana’s expertise in international operations and logistics keeps the wheels turning across oceans and continents.

Together, they lead a tight-knit, highly experienced team with a simple mission: help sailors cross oceans safely while building something far more powerful - a global community. Alongside this, they champion meaningful social responsibility initiatives - using the rally network to make a tangible difference to communities along the route. Passionate about offshore life and long-distance passage making, Paul and Suzana share raw insights, hard-earned lessons, and the realities behind the dream. In this Oceans Unplugged episode, you’ll get an authentic, behind-the-scenes look at modern ocean cruising - and why so many are drawn to it.

A huge thank you to our core sponsor YB Tracking. None of this would be possible without your help and the service you provide to thousands of people every day.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Welcome to Oceans Unplugged. I'm Lee Gallagher, formal professional sailor, mariner, harbour authority, patrol officer, coast guard officer, and lifeboatman. In each episode I'll be sitting down one-to-one with the people who push beyond the horizon. Ocean racers, explorers, rowers, and the leaders behind the world's most demanding expeditions. We'll expand on the guests as we get into it. Oceans Unplugged is proudly supported by YB Tracking, the global leader in race and expedition tracking technology, helping bring the world's toughest adventures to life in real time. This is our stories, unfiltered and in-depth. So, this week, on this week's episode of uh Oceans Unplugged, we have Paul and Susanna from World Cruising Club. And uh welcome. Thank you very much. So, we're gonna have a chat uh through what World Cruising Club is, uh the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers and all the other events. But to give our listeners and and followers uh an idea of what happens, so imagine it's two o'clock in the morning, uh you're tucked up in bed, and all of a sudden uh the sailor out doing the Atlantic rally for cruisers has got a problem, uh they've been dismastered, punctured a hole into the boat, sinking. What happens with World Cruising Club? Uh, how do they react and and what happens because obviously you're coordinating a major event. How do you reassure your sailors?

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Well, um it does happen from time to time, so the imagination um you know isn't uh you know it's not just imagined, um, but they are few and far between. If we have incidents like that that we need to um help coordinate the response to, um, then it's all everybody on deck um that needs to be there to help go through um what the situation uh is, uh who's affected by it and how we can help. Um we're pretty clear, I think, to our participants that we're not the emergency response, as in the first port of call in that would be uh a distress signal to MRTCs, but certainly we can help MRTCs and we we have done in the past as well. So things like um uh informing MRCCs about who's on board, their emergency contacts, um, and then who else is in the area. We have through YB tracking some really good uh information about uh boats in the vicinity that can be overlaid with MRCC's knowledge of other vessels on AIS that are in the vicinity, and we support that response. And if uh asked to do anything by MRCCs, then um we've got that information at our fingertips. So that's the the immediate response. And then we're starting to think about the the second order uh considerations like the friends and family, who needs to be informed, the crews that are at sea, how do they need to be uh informed and when. Um we're operating in quite a um uh a well-informed and well-communicated uh fleet uh nowadays. So it's that information flow and control that we need to be really aware of uh and um some of that those support functions, that's where we can really jump in and make a difference.

SPEAKER_03 3:12

That's really good. I I know from many a occasion. I mean, I did the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, I think it was back in 2009 on a Fontaine Peugeot 65, I think it was. Um and yeah, to have that sort of safety net uh and confidence uh around you when you are crossing the ocean is a massive thing, um, especially for the friends and family, because they're seeing dots on a map, they don't really know what's happening. So to have that communication going, it must be a a big support and relief for the people that ashore and on board.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

Yeah, and we never know when it's gonna happen. Uh like you say, and and uh just in the last two weeks with another event, we've had that phone call in the middle of the night, and you're there and um you need things at your fingertips um uh information to then um help the situation. And whilst we have procedures written and formats to follow, no incident's gonna be the same. There's always gonna be that um space where our team um think outside the box, think you know, along the handrails to to consider each situation and how we can make a difference.

SPEAKER_03 4:20

Yeah, yeah. And through World Cruising Club, uh each of the teams and the the or the skippers and the owners that enter the event, there's a lot of training beforehand that you offer, isn't there?

SPEAKER_00 4:31

There is, yeah. And at the moment we've uh we're just uh preparing for an event this weekend, um, which is a training and information sharing event uh where we get subject matter experts into a room covering a whole host of uh of uh of areas which should be considered before going on an ocean uh crossing uh event. And um uh and we also have the the the the one throughout the year, maybe just a day and duration, uh, which are touch points for people just uh check in with their own preparations and make sure they're aligned with with best practice. And of course, World Cruising Club team in Cows, they're always there answering questions. Um no question is uh is is too unusual, should we say, in our in our um experience. Um and um it's quite a circular thing with what we do. We survey our participants, we learn from them uh best practice, and it's really important to feed that back into those falling in their wake so that um they have the best experience when they when it's their moment to go offshore and enjoy themselves.

SPEAKER_01 5:32

So it's all about uh preparations, and again that's one of the things that we are doing this weekend together with our um corporate memberships, um talking about uh men overboard, talking about uh uh downwing sailing, uh talking about the choice, uh the choice of boats, talking about uh uh cruise shifts, um how to prepare your boat uh equipment, uh best equipment to have on board on board, uh what are the backups for uh the main equipment uh as well. Um so preparation for then the safety above all.

SPEAKER_03 6:12

Yeah. So so what what's the range of boats that enter? What sort of size, what types, and and what types of sailors, what experiences have they got?

SPEAKER_00 6:23

Well, you've been in Las Palmas yourself, so you you you know, you can see that uh there is a real breadth in in every metric. And I think that's something that's endured through the Atlantic Riot Cruisers, the ARC, uh since the start, that it's an attractive event uh for families, for yacht club friends, uh for double handers. Uh there's a racing division as well. Um, and uh so that's the people and the boats are all different as well: catarans, monoholes, different shapes, different sizes, um, different uh performance uh levels. Um and the motivations and the background for doing it for each of the crews are also different. So I think it's that real breadth of um uh of many metrics uh within each of our events, even a small event in number like our World Arc around the world events, no, they're still represented that that that breadth is there, and that's what makes it interesting. It makes that added bit uh to what would you you could sail on your own, but it's having that community around you and those different boats that make it slightly interesting to to or make it more interesting um than if you were to do it on your own.

SPEAKER_03 7:32

So so what's the the smallest boat that has taken part? And and what's the biggest boat that's taken part?

SPEAKER_00 7:39

Well, we've um we we have in our consciousness of entry uh uh sort of like a a minimum LOA. Uh in the earlier days of the ARC, um there was uh there was shorter boats taking part. We are finding that boats are getting uh bigger and longer uh as time goes on. But we're we're looking at boats from um 30 foot, uh 28 feet uh for participating in the ARC, uh and for our World ARK event around 40 feet um upwards. And that's really just so that we can be uh sure that we can provide the support to that boat and the community afloat can can also, it's within an envelope. Uh and of course we have to put a figure on paper, um, but there are boats around that margin that uh participate in our events.

SPEAKER_03 8:24

Yeah. So for those that don't know, LOA is length overall. Um and and what's the sort of size of the biggest ones? I mean, I've I've seen some stunning boats in Las Palmas. Um and uh so what sort of range or it is the bigger ones at?

SPEAKER_00 8:40

Well, two years ago we had a hundred and five-foot uh yachts. It was the first to arrive um in St. Lucia. Uh and their passage time, you know, they they had a good sail, um, but they were also um would have liked a bit more wind as well, so probably because they could have had a faster crossing time. And they're in the open division, so they're they're they're cruising along to all intents and purposes, maybe a bit of uh competition for the arriving first. Um but yeah, the lovely boat. And and to see for for the rest of the fleet, again, going back to the breadth, to see those boats sharing the same uh departure uh uh with with the smaller boats, family boats, that's what really gets you. It's pretty special. On start day in Las Palmas, um you've seen all those boats together going in the same direction with the same uh uh you know um motivations. That's really special, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:32

Yeah, I must admit, uh being on the uh the key wall in Las Palmas as the boat's leaving the marina with the brass band going, the flags going, so many local people coming out to support it. And also walking around the marina and seeing all of the different boats that have painted their boat name and uh their little uh pictures on the rocks. It's it's a fantastic sight to see. And also the uh local supermarkets, inflatable dinosaur in the middle of the marina. That's always a good view uh for the kids. Uh, but also you get the uh local navy and or Coast Guard involved as start and committee boats. Um so they're firing cannons off as well. That's quite a spectacle as well for people out in the water. It is, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:12

We have uh um a huge support uh from uh Las Palmas, the Gran Canaria, uh being the Navy, uh the customs uh as well. So uh customs boat uh usually does the start of the Arc Plus, uh two weeks before uh the Arc and the Navy uh does uh the start uh of the Arc.

SPEAKER_03 10:34

And the Arc Plus is a more sort of family-oriented event as well, isn't it? In in the lead up to departure?

SPEAKER_00 10:40

It maybe it maybe has become that way, but uh, I mean the the events are equally supportive for for for uh for families, the ARC and the Arc Plus. Um both have a kids club uh which um where we have professional uh uh minders uh monitors in to to provide children's activities for each day, weekday of the the before departure, uh which gives the parents um some break and to uh concentrate on the seminars that might be going on or their own uh activities uh on board. Uh and those that's available for the ARC and the ARC Plus. Um but it's true that over the last few years the ARC Plus um has uh has attracted uh families um more.

SPEAKER_01 11:20

Um a greater number than than the ARC. Um they do extra miles uh because they have to go uh further south uh uh to uh Cape Fiat. Of course they have that extra stop uh there as well, and having in common just uh you know one main pontoon for all the boats, um that makes uh a difference because people have not met others in Las Palmas because they are in different uh uh in different pontoons, although we uh the Marin Las Palmas Marine always tries to put the family boats for the Arclers and for the Ark on S pontoon. Sometimes it's not possible because of uh the LOA or the width of um of the boats that we are talking uh uh about and more and more we have more catarans as well. So it's not uh uh it's not so it's not possible to put everyone on the same. So uh but yeah, Arc Plus got a bit more um attracts more families uh nowadays uh rather than uh than the arc, but the program is there to support the families on both events.

SPEAKER_00 12:30

But those families that do take part in the arc, they really favour the fact that it's um an A to B and you get into that routine at sea with the family and everybody settles down and it's not interrupted by that the the middle um stop. So um it it depends what people's preferences are. Um but there's no reason from a planning and organizer's point of view why should they should be considered any different.

SPEAKER_03 12:52

Oh, okay. So when it goes to Cape Verde, it goes to Mindelo?

SPEAKER_00 12:55

Yes, that's right. Yeah, which is Susanna and I were actually on the first uh ARC Plus event to go to uh Cape Verde's back in 2013. 14 years ago. Yeah, uh and uh 2013 I must remember. Um but it I mean it was quite expeditionary then. We had 44 boats. Um we'd we'd we'd done sufficient recce uh of of of of what we needed to know, but you never know until you've got 40 odd boats and their crews in a small, pretty much developing location, shall we say. Um, having just come from Europe and got used to marina standards in there and also standards of provisioning and touring and things like that. Um and uh there was myself, uh Susanna, and uh uh one one colleague with us, and uh which is a ratio we never have that low nowadays. Um, but it was it was so fun for us um because we were you know what we do in all our events, supporting people, uh enjoying that destination, preparing for the next bit of the trip. Um and um yeah, it was a memorable time. We were exhausted by the end of it, but uh it was it was really good fun.

SPEAKER_03 14:01

Yeah, I I I I've been to Mindelo once. Uh I've stopped in um uh uh Aspergus uh in Sull uh more times. But uh in 2008, I think it was, we stopped in Mindelo and the haul out facilities at the time was literally like a JCB uh digger on the beach, and obviously the the marina has developed quite a lot, and um so I believe that the sort of charter uh firm down there are now handling a lot of agency support for yachts incoming and outgoing, is that right?

SPEAKER_00 14:33

We um we we uh organise our own clearances in and out. We work closely with the marina. Um it's true there's given the remoteness of the location, you might be surprised just what can be achieved by a motivated band of people who um so you know keen to to to support Atlantic um sailors. Um but it's still the facilities there aren't great. Uh we had a cataman that needed some some um work on the hull, and so it was done by flotation devices and basically invited some of the other rally participants to be on the other end of the boats to elevate the other side so they could get access to what they needed to underwater. So yeah, still uh a little bit primitive, but um the determination in the group uh down there normally sees these things through.

SPEAKER_03 15:20

Well, that's what sailing is all about as well, isn't it? It's overcoming adversity, um seeing a challenge and finding a way around it. And that's one of the things I've always learnt from sailing is uh you you never have to sort of follow the path, uh you can always find other ways to do things. Um so besides uh the uh ARC Plus and ARC itself, uh you mentioned World Arc as another event. So uh tell me a bit more about that. Where does that go?

SPEAKER_01 15:48

So World Arc uh uh goes um around the globe from east to west, uh starting in St. Lucia uh every year, um uh through the Panama Canal, uh to the Galapagos, uh French Polynesia, uh Australia, um and then uh Indian Ocean, uh Mauritius Reunion, uh South Africa, uh across uh the South Atlantic, uh via uh Namibia and Santa Helena, uh Brazil, um and then back to the Caribbean, uh finishing again in St. Lucia fifteen months later. Fifteen months. Yeah, so that's um that's uh world arc uh we did have uh our first uh world arc was in uh 2008. Um and then uh it was every other year, and in 2015 we started to run World Arc uh on a on a yearly basis.

SPEAKER_00 16:49

Oh wow. That's how Susanna and I became involved in World Cruising Club was uh through uh event management in the in the locations for for World Arc from 2010 uh onwards. Um and you know that's that's how it all started for us. Uh that we were leading the boats through all those stopovers through the Pacific, uh Indian Ocean round. And at that time, the way that we managed World Arc is with the same team uh with the group of sailors uh leading them through each of the stopovers. Um I arrived in World Cruising Club uh a year before, um and and I was looking at Google Earth and all um pilot books and and all the information I could get my hands on to try and plan ahead um and um and then to like introduce the our 2010-11 uh world arcers uh to the stopovers was was really revealing for us because you know we we'd we'd done our research, but as I said about uh same as Arc Plus, you never know until you go there with a group of votes quite how it's going to be. And it's exciting to be the people that can make things happen if uh to support. Um even nowadays we say in in for our world arc, we are in that difficult space between what the country can offer uh or uh its rules and regulations uh and the enjoyment of our participants on World Arc. Um in some places where that's the the sort of like the bureaucracy is very high, galapagos, or things to do like uh Panama Canal Transit, um uh that that uh country experience can be quite sharp and uh unwieldy. Um and it's sometimes an uncomfortable space to operate. But the satisfaction is that the the two sides should never touch. Uh and uh throughout all of the the uh the the the um experience that our world art skippers and crews just get to enjoy these destinations uh with um uh you know far fewer um touch points with bureaucracy and difficulties in in these countries. Um and of course on top of that we're putting together a social programme and a tour programme which then enhances their um enjoyment of each place they go.

SPEAKER_03 19:00

In in some of your places, some of the social engagement things that you do are also sort of environmental support projects as well. Um tell me about those.

SPEAKER_00 19:09

So um because we're going every year, we get to know the people in the stopovers really well. Uh uh communicate to them th several times throughout the year. Um if there's natural disaster, if there's political uh changes, we're we're keeping in touch about these things. And uh and in some of the places we go, there's um a real um uh you you can see that we as sales can make some difference in environmental projects or support the community projects. So um we've developed that over the years. Um doesn't happen every place every year, but we know where we can we can add value. So uh whilst we don't want to change any of the communities we visit, uh we hope we can positively uh influence them. Uh one of the things we've done recently, in fact, since um Suzanne and I you know uh star um returned to World Cruising Club um was the uh establish the Positive Impact Fund, which is a fund which our participants can contribute to, uh which allows us to make some strategic comp uh contributions to uh environmental projects, uh community projects uh in the places that we visit um to um yeah to to make a difference. Um but it's it's done in a strategic way to make sure that we don't um disrupt the the communities that we visit. That would be a shame.

unknown 20:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:31

You also get involved in some sort of education programmes. I I I recall one pro project of people gathering pens, pencils, colouring uh items, paperback books and even educational books.

SPEAKER_01 20:43

These are a bit of everything, as Paul was saying, uh you know, it's not with the aim to change the communities, but it's to give them uh a bit more uh and a bit better um uh way to access uh things. So um yes, books and pens uh and pencils uh for um for many communities that don't have access at all at all to it. How they write is on the soil with a finger. Um there are things that most of the people in the the comfort of their houses they cannot even imagine. That's how they like, that's how they live, and they have not learned anything different. Um but we also, you know, we do take uh games uh for them uh as well, um football kids around the world uh in the Pacific, they love football. Um then you have um a huge problem, for instance, with eyesight for children and uh for adults as well in the Pacific. Um so they are not put uh uh prescribed classes uh in the Pacific. Uh that's why there are so many uh old people that uh are blind. Um

SPEAKER_00 22:00

Was to take a testing kit uh uh to um Tonga and we did a testing programme whilst the fleet were in port. Uh we were lucky enough to have somebody who had had a professional career and expertise in that area, did this uh clinic, and we also took uh some glasses uh uh uh I think the frame pairs of glasses and they were then uh and it gave such access to young people to see the blackboard at school and for old people just to older people whose eyesight is deteriorating just to to to to to not deteriorate so quick or to to to carry on with their lives. So uh and then that's a problem that that's testing kits is remains there. We can replenish the the the glasses, uh, or we can um we could take that kit to the next place and slowly over a five-year period it can make its way around the world and the glasses follow with it, and then it's back in Tonga again.

SPEAKER_03 22:52

So how do you collect the frames then? Is it sort of uh people who have donated them or is it produced for you?

SPEAKER_01 22:59

We bought it from um uh an American company, uh sells uh on uh uh backpacks, and you basically have uh uh frames in the middle. Um so you have the packs for children and the packs for adults because of the sizes, and then you have uh the lenses on the sides of the frames, and then you just click clack basically the lens to the uh to the frame. Um you do the testing, uh they are the testing there. Um you can do a very quick uh uh course uh online with this American company um to then uh be able to uh to to say to that person what would be the best prescription uh for them.

SPEAKER_00 23:41

Yeah, it's a really nice project to be involved in. Long distance eyesight, um giving back allowing people that access that that that I'd not had or were losing.

SPEAKER_03 23:49

Yeah. I mean, as a glasses where I know the the impact and the change that being able to see uh provides, especially with my recent prescription and change into, as my kids are calling it, old people glasses and very focused. It's educational moving around at the moment. Um but no, that's fantastic projects. So you've also got another event, uh uh uh Arc Europe, is it?

SPEAKER_00 24:13

Yeah. So we're going uh with just uh say let's say 250, 300 boats across the Atlantic east to west each year. Um those boats will stay in the Caribbean for a season or two, some will go through the Panama Canal, um, and there's boats that want to return west to east. So we have Arc Europe, uh, which an event leaves from the Caribbean second weekend of May, uh, and then takes the trip up to Bermuda and then across to the Azores, uh, and then from the Azores, do a little cruise through the Azorean archipelago, and then either the fleet carries on to the Med through Largos, Marina de Lagos, or up to the um Northern Europe, um the leg up to so like um English Channel. Um that's a much smaller event than the Ark and the Arc Plus. We limit that event at 35 boats or thereabouts. Um it's not possible in in Horta or in the Azores to book ahead for space.

SPEAKER_01 25:07

So we've that's a number that we're comfortable with um and um to manage around around the archipelago, uh for people as well to to have a good time because you know we need also to to manage uh all these uh expectations. So uh to give uh people a good uh a good time uh we need to you know to to stick with our numbers.

SPEAKER_03 25:32

And obviously uh the event is growing and you're getting more and more boats and bigger boats. So I suppose you have to manage that expectation and the the arrivals.

SPEAKER_00 25:42

For the for the last three years, probably b pri prior to that as well, our curve's always had a waiting list and um it would be quite tempting as organizers to to increase the number of boats you have on the event, but just it's been responsible to make sure that we can um be more certain of that um uh uh level of service and meeting expectations in in Horta. And I say this, but it's Susanna's been there for the last few years in Horta and being a native Portuguese speaker, you know, having that in-road to try and make the you know the the work very closely with the marina to try and maximize the space um is important. And so yeah, it's an event that's certainly more popular than the s the spaces we can the provide on it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:23

That's very interesting. So also when you get into all of these ports, the and before you depart, you'll always have the very, very famous departure and arrival parties. Uh who comes up with the concepts and the themes for those?

SPEAKER_00 26:39

It's really varied. You know, uh we obviously work in some destinations, particularly on world art routes, um, that's you know, venues and things like that. Sometimes you have to be very creative. Um and uh and um uh the the party would therefore differ depending on what the destination can can offer. Um but we we uh we've we've learned over the years what's what works well, um, but always looking for something a little bit different as well. Uh it was a 20, sorry, it was the 40th edition of the ARC last year, so we made it our mission to do a few extra uh events in Las Palmas to recognise that. And uh we're very pleased how they they they they turned out. Um much fun enjoyed by by everyone. And um yeah, it's it's about engineering opportunities where people can gather together prior to departure and at the beginning of the events, it tends to be environments where people can talk to one another um and share experiences from their preparations and that so they they're not the wildest party every night, but we do have those from for joining the programme. But it's it's it's been recognizing that it's not a one of those wild parties every night, uh, and just uh so low-key sundowner um events where people can just um over drink, uh just have a good chat and a debrief with one another about how they're getting on. Um, and then in the destinations, we need in the destinations, we really need to celebrate those achievements. Um, and so the the parties do tend to be a bit more lively as people um celebrate success, uh maybe decompress a bit after going across an ocean. Uh and um the destinations that we work with uh really do deliver. Um and uh uh and we had some really memorable parties at the end of the 40th edition uh in St. Lucia. Um really, really um good fun. And and rightly so. People have achieved a lot, they've got to celebrate that that success. And uh and people want to gather together to to to to socialise with one another after the shared experience of going across the crossing and start to plan out their next um moves as well, um, visiting other uh islands in the Caribbean or going together through the Pacific or then going on to other World Cruising Club events.

SPEAKER_03 28:52

Yeah. You you said about the the sundowners. I mean, for me that's always been a very useful, especially for YB tracking, to go around and meet some of the skippers and see if they understand the trackers, etc. But I've also noticed, and this goes back to my crossing, that the sundowners have always been a great um uh place to sort of have that sort of relaxed conversation with other skippers, um, also if you're shorter crew, sort of saying who and where, because there are obviously dock walkers going around trying to hitchhike across, um, and uh they're obviously trying to find their rides and getting into all the events. I've also seen some interesting sights of some of the dock walkers trying to get into the cocktail parties. Um so are you seeing an increase of people, or is it still exactly the same sort of numbers of people trying to hitchhike across the Atlantic?

SPEAKER_00 29:43

There's there's always that number, that uh community, let's say, in Las Parbas uh who are there. Um they've probably arrived before the arc. Um, of course, it continues after the arc leaves as well. There's other boats crossing uh later. Um, but I think those hitchhiking particularly for arc boats, they are aware that a boat crossing with a World Cruising Club event has um achieved, uh completed a world uh safety equipment inspection. There's a certain uh um satisfaction for for somebody joining a boat who who knows that's had to have happened. And also uh whilst uh we we provide everything, there's also the the other boats are probably better prepared or they've certainly been exposed to better uh practices of preparations and participating in our events. So that probably um I have a biased view, obviously, but um that probably uh does play on people's minds that going as part of a a um a rally um is uh is possibly the the the the a priority for them. Um so we do have it, I think we see every year numbers-wise, um, it's difficult to comment on because uh even five or ten years ago you it'd be very visible people dockwalking. Now you see a lot more networking online in advance and and very creative ways of of of trying to identify skippers and boats, um, the QR codes at the cafes and things like that, and and people with signs with a QR code on their back and things. There you go. Yeah, yeah. So they're you know, uh, and they attract attention. But um uh we um we we have a um uh you know an open mind to these kind of things because sometimes when you have crew members who are um and skippers who don't know each other in advance, everybody works a bit harder to make that crew relationship work. Yeah, and that's not a bad thing. Sometimes that forget gets forgotten about with a friends and family situation and it's also more difficult to talk about. But if you're as approaching it as complete unknowns, you they're probably do more diligence to form that relationship for the other for the crossing in a better in a better way.

SPEAKER_01 31:55

And also more difficult conversations can take place maybe in an easier way when you don't know the individual. And those conversations are are are important as well.

SPEAKER_00 32:07

And then seeing the outcome of those in St. Lucia or Grenada, uh you know, that there's it's uh uh they're brought on somebody who's maybe not necessarily brought on more because of their sailing skills, it might be because of their character or other skills or whatever that they're brought on board for. And uh that crew has gelled and formed over the course of an Atlantic crossing, and you see them arrive in St. Lucia, and then they're going on for further adventures, you know, as that formed crew. That's really nice to see.

SPEAKER_03 32:33

I did actually meet uh a young lad last year who had just finished his motor mechanic uh apprenticeship and decided he wanted to take a year out. Um never sailed before, and I think he got a ride across because of his mechanical skills. Yeah, and it's obviously going to be a fantastic extra bit of apprenticeship, especially if they're going into the super yacht industry, it's one way of gaining it. Um because there is definitely no definitive path to get into the marine industry or yachting, etc. So um uh as I used to call it, it's mile building and gaining that experience. Um what talking about that, uh do you see sort of a massive range of age and experience as well? That some people have sort of either lived the dream and bought a boat, minimal experience, um, literally got a few qualifications, and then they obviously they have to go through the training. Uh young and old, there's obviously that massive range.

SPEAKER_01 33:33

You have a wide range. Uh so the same with the boats that Paul was talking applies to the people. Uh different cultures, uh different experiences, uh, different backgrounds, uh, different ages. Um and then you have the ones that uh plan uh for these for five years, um, and then you have the other ones that buy a boat, uh get the boat delivered, uh, do their mileage, have done already their their courses and go for it. Uh you you see a bit of everything. So you you have uh I mean we have had babies uh that couldn't uh couldn't even crawl uh yet uh then when they they arrive they are already walking.

SPEAKER_00 34:20

Yeah, definitely. I mean there's a huge diversity. Uh and I think from an organizer point of view, we just uh if there are skills gaps because people are approaching uh saying you know with with with less uh with less experience than then making sure that you you know audit those skills on board and experience on board to maybe get somebody in who's with a with a higher skill level, more experience to fill those gaps to make sure everybody's safe on the crossings.

SPEAKER_03 34:45

Oh that's fantastic. So here we've obviously got uh some of YB tracking's current uh models. We've got the uh brand new Mark III uh YB3, the handheld uh with Bluetooth connectivity, and then we've got the hardwired YB3i, um, which quite a number of your boats use, and they can obviously use it for communication. Um are you finding an an increase or sort of a backup reliance uh to Starlink and using this?

SPEAKER_00 35:15

Yeah, so World Cruising Club Events, uh we either provide a rental unit or or we give to the boat owner a unit which is theirs theirs to keep, uh, and we include in the entry the cost of tracking. So that gives us as organizers huge reassurance about where the boats are and if we need to coordinate response and we can do so more easily by remote control in the frequency of polling and things like that. So, from event management point of view, the position information is it's great for us. Um to answer your question, yeah, I I think people do use it as a as a good uh bit of redundancy uh for communications as well. Um, it's quite uh a developing situation with the access to SATCOMs at a price everybody's happy with. Um it's starting to settle down, but we'll wait for the next uh announcement uh of change. So having something that they can use uh as a backup is is very good. And it's um you know, we have had examples of it being used uh when uh primary systems fail and people can still communicate the nature of the problem with us uh and we can help coordinate a response.

SPEAKER_03 36:19

And you sometimes you have charter boats in uh and the the charter crews can set up their own accounts?

SPEAKER_00 36:25

Yeah, through the YB Connects, um it's a it's a good solution for a charter operator uh to uh fairly distribute some costs that people can then have their own means of communicating with home, completely independent of the group. Um and it's also um done in a way that costs can be monitored or attributed uh very easily. More difficult to do that through a an open satellite connection where everybody's got access to the router and it's just done on you know um uh on a on a shared basis, uh that's more difficult to organise.

SPEAKER_03 36:57

Yeah. And as you said, they're used for tracking, and uh each event uh by B set up a race viewer for you. And uh obviously they've just recently launched their brand new race viewer, the race viewer pro. Um, have you had any feedback at how that's coming across and the integration of sort of uh social media, the pictures and the video and um the sort of 3D modelling? I know that's changed a little bit since it was originally launched.

SPEAKER_00 37:24

I um I think friends and family absolutely love the YB uh uh uh view uh of what's going on in mid-Atlantic. Uh they get some reassurance from it uh and see the boats uh still progressing. Uh they can contact the boat and tell them to go different direction or quicker. Uh and from an event management point of view, we love it as well because it gives us that uh reassurance that uh we know where the boats are. Uh if we have to coordinate response, we can do so. I mean, um it's possible through AS and that that you could also find that out, but this is at our fingertips and is with controls that where we can access uh to change frequencies, etc. So the rate of view works really well uh for for friends of family. I think what we're seeing as well is it's it's been used more and more whilst at sea. Well, Cruising Club used to provide a text-based printout, say, every day of positions for the rest of the fleet. Um the requirement for that, the demand for that is probably uh diminishing because people are more comfortable with accessing higher data requiring uh uh products like the the the YB uh um YB app so they can get a graphical representation of all the other boats over the horizon. They can see who's arrived at the destination already. Um and um and that's the way people are now choosing to uh to to to view the the YB position information. So those viewers um they're good to invest in because I think that they're also being used by by sailors at sea.

SPEAKER_03 38:57

Yeah, we have noticed that uh tactical decisions by some skippers are uh certainly being taken, uh especially with the new race view when you select your own boat, you can see vessels around you and also do that distance bearing calculation and see how their VMG, their velocity made good, was uh in the last transmission period. So yeah, we're definitely seeing uh changes in how skippers are sort of sailing their boats in in mass fleets.

SPEAKER_00 39:24

Yeah. I think um the well most of our events uh um are they're cruising rallies, but we do have an element of fun competition. That's managed in such a way that hopefully it's just encouraging crews to get the most the best performance out of the crew and out of the boat. Of course, there'll be some competitive nature that that creeps in. Um and and it wasn't you know, it's not it's common for the boats when they get the the daily positions to read them out and plot them and see how they're doing versus their their um boats in the in the fleet. Um but it's I think it's uh adds another dimension and uh for crossing an ocean when there's uh times available, uh you know, it gives you some focus in the day to to just see where everybody else is and then maybe tweak a bit of your own performance to focus on getting to the destination a bit faster than you might have done.

SPEAKER_03 40:16

Yeah, as the old meme goes, he blinked, we're racing. All sailors are competitive. I don't care who even if they say no, there's always going to be someone tweaking a sheet. So as we start to wrap up with uh this week's episode, uh so firstly, thank you very much for coming along. But what sort of can we get a sneak peek of anything different changing with uh the World Cruising Club? And Mark, is there any sort of breaking news?

SPEAKER_00 40:42

You heard it here first on this podcast. Um it's been um uh transition for us as we've taken over the ship of World Cruising Club over the last uh three and a half years. What was important for us is to consolidate that uh that period uh and keep delivering the events to the to the high quality uh that we uh they're renowned for, uh, with all the enjoyment, the excitement, and the safety focus as well. So I think we've we've we've satisfied that we've completed that job and yeah, we keep our eyes on the horizon to see what's next. And um well, where there's boats staying on world cruising routes, uh there's um support that we can add, uh there's events that we can deliver in in on those routes. So we'll always have that in mind. Uh, and we'll continue to develop what we've um developed in the last three years with a bit more presence around um in different locations, Europe, the US, uh in the UK, with our shoreside events. Um because we know from 400 yachts, 2,000 sailors going on our events each year, we know what it takes uh to prepare a yacht for a successful, enjoyable uh transatlantic or round-the-world trip, and we can put back into those that are falling in their wake um some really helpful ideas, some good advice through the people that we work with, uh uh subject matter experts, to make sure that when they get set off on their adventure, they're as best prepared as they can be and therefore set up for an enjoyable and successful trip.

SPEAKER_03 42:18

Thank you very much. And uh I'll see you in Las Palmas in November. Thanks for watching.

SPEAKER_01 42:23

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_03 42:24

Thank you.