Salty Podcast #102 ⛵ Cecilia Potts: Baja, Sailing & Island Packets

If you’re an Island Packet owner, there’s a good chance you know my next guest. And if you’ve had any experience with her at all, I’d bet it was a good one. Joining me for her second appearance on The Salty Podcast is Cecilia Potts — sailor, adventurist, surveyor, and Island Packet enthusiast. Cecilia was first featured on Salty Podcast #3, where we mainly talked about her surveying work. But during that interview, she casually dropped some hints about the incredible sailing she’s done, and I knew I had to have her back. Cecilia and I first met through a pre-purchase survey she did for me in 2020 on a boat I did not end up buying. Then the very next week, she surveyed the boat that would become my current Salty Abandon boat — my 1998 Island Packet 320. We became friends and have stayed in touch ever since. In this episode, Cecilia shares stories from sailing down the Baja coast to Mexico, overnight passages, close calls, solo sailing, and how those adventures eventually led her into the world of marine surveying. We also talk Island Packets, boat ownership, upgrades, and what she looks for first when surveying a boat. If you enjoy sailing stories, practical boat talk, and a little Baja adventure, this is a fun one. ⛵ Salty Abandon is Cap'n Tinsley from Orange Beach, AL Oct 2020 to Present: 1998 Island Packet 320 Nov 2015 to Oct 2020: 1988 Island Packet 27 Feb 2015 to Nov 2015: 1982 Catalina 25 👕 Salty Podcast SPF Sailor Shirts: https://saltypodcast.myshopify.com 🫶 SUPPORT THE PODCAST: http://patreon.com/SaltyAbandon 💨 AIRLOCK: Get rid of those boat smells with $30 off with code SALTY30 here: https://airlockusa.com/SALTY30 🛠️ PODCAST TOOLS 🎙️ STREAMYARD: Go live like a pro with an easy, browser-based studio for podcasts, interviews and livestreams. https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608 ✂️ OPUS CLIPS: Turn long videos into short, shareable clips fast. https://tolt.link/saltypodcast ▶️ Salty Podcast YouTube Playlist: https://saltyabandon/SaltyPodcastPlaylist #SaltyAbandon #SaltyPodcast #Sailing #IslandPacket #cruisinglife CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Episode Teaser 00:47 - Welcome Back, Cecilia Potts 01:40 - Cecilia’s Sailing Background & First Boats 05:12 - The Baja Sailing Adventure Begins 07:07 - Ensenada, the Baja Ha-Ha Route & Sailing South 09:44 - Turning Off the Phones: “Send Out the Search” 13:27 - Turtle Bay & Bahía Magdalena 15:31 - A Whale Hits the Boat 18:34 - Trading Kraft Singles for Lobster 21:39 - Sailing Into Cabo in the Middle of the Night 25:24 - Favorite Mexico Anchorages: San Blas & Tenacatita 30:54 - Zihuatanejo, Magic Jack & Calling Home 32:17 - Leaving the Boat in La Cruz 35:10 - Ending the Mexico Cruise & Selling the Islander 36 39:04 - Cecilia’s First Island Packet 27 41:30 - Chainplate Failure: “It Sounded Like a Gun Went Off” 43:22 - The Island Packet Factory Refit 46:14 - Restoring Island Packet 380 Triple Stars 49:47 - More Island Packets, Hurricane Sandy & Boat Projects 51:49 - Becoming a Marine Surveyor 53:03 - The Island Packet Community 55:03 - Upgrading & Maintaining Salty Abandon 59:27 - Mack Yacht Services, Colin Mack & Chainplates 62:12 - The Speed Round 65:12 - Ellen MacArthur & Favorite Sailing Inspiration 69:27 - What Is a Phenolic Hammer? 70:16 - Cecilia’s New Podcast Idea: Roberts Radio Hour 72:29 - Dream Cruise: The Inside Passage to Alaska 74:22 - Cecilia’s Marine Survey Business 75:43 - Closing