Ready Sailor One...

If sailing were a game, this is where it would begin. You’d start by naming your character. Selecting a language. And then you’d spawn alongside in a French coastal harbour — boat loaded with history, unfinished systems, hard choices, and a single objective: get ready to cross an ocean. In this video I’m alongside in Cherbourg, berth one, and it feels exactly like that moment. Today the “intro cutscene'. I talk through the real mechanics behind this campaign — the mainsail with five reefs, why its geometry matters, and how far the sail plan has already evolved. I touch on the Global Solo Challenge, the sacrifices that brought me here, and why getting to this point has been anything but straightforward. This isn’t theory or armchair sailing. It’s real-world problem solving: weather, systems, structure, money, fatigue, and decisions that actually matter. Cherbourg has opened up possibilities I didn’t expect, and suddenly the game board looks different. The character is loaded. Let’s begin play. THE MARINER @ PATREON.COM To support the production of this material please consider heading over to Patreon where for $5 a month you can get access to all the extra content, including the narrated version of this video (concentrating on the seamanship, safety aspects & stories surrounding what is going on in this video), livestream Q&A's, free consultancy PLUS merch, and exclusive sponsor sailing trips with CSM. Sponsored Events with the Mariner. If you would like to join me on board the 80 foot Maxi 'Osprey' for the Newport Bermuda Race in June 2026, make contact with me at: CSMtheMariner.com Audio: Mariner's Library Podcast: #254 | 'The Southseaman' | Weston Martyr | Part 3 After reading so many sailing books from the past 120 years I am starting to recognize certain authors who I had never heard of before starting the Mariner's Library who were giants within the sailing community a life time ago. One of the most commonly referenced authors from the first half of the 20th century has to be Weston Martyr, and the book everyone compliments is 'The Southseaman'. Available anywhere you stream podcasts: https://Themarinerslibrary.podbean.com/e/255-the-southseaman-weston-martyr-part-3/ #navy #shipping #ships #ocean #sailing #yacht #themariner