Salty Dips podcast badgeSalty DipsA Black Wolf Racing podcast

Salty Dips // live RSS feed

Episodes

Sailing stories, sailing interviews, and conversations about racing and the people who make it happen.

Back to the home intro
Episode 7

Sailing, Racing, and Preparation with Ben Mumford - E7

Ben Mumford of Royal Vancouver Yacht Club joins Chris Maier for a conversation about sailing, racing, and building high-performance Corinthian programmes. Ben traces his path from Nanaimo dinghy sailing and one-design racing through the Star class, match racing, Six Metres, IC37s, and the Santa Cruz 70 All of It. He discusses coaching, youth development, crew building, and the racing preparation required to move sailors from smaller boats into serious keelboat and offshore racing programmes. The conversation also covers Ben’s 2025 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational campaign, where his team overcame a collision, a major boat change, and a long night of preparation to finish third. Ben and Christopher discuss the 2026 Swiftsure, Stuart Dahlgren’s navigation, the future of distance racing, and the 2027 Transpac. A practical conversation about racing preparation, offshore racing, coaching, resilience, and building the next generation of Pacific Northwest sailors. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/salty-dips/donations

Aug 20, 202655 min
Read episode notes: Sailing, Racing, and Preparation with Ben Mumford - E7
Episode 6

Sailing Distance Races with Peter Salusbury of Longboard - E6

Join Peter Salusbury, winner of the 50th PNW Offshore, on Salty Dips Episode 6. Explore the technical prep of the Riptide 35 'Longboard,' the 2010 Southern Straits watershed, and why a sailor's eye still beats technology offshore. Preparation isn’t a spring project—it starts in November." In this episode, Chris Maier sits down with ocean racer Peter Salusbury, fresh off his overall victory in the 50th Pacific Northwest Offshore. As the skipper of the Riptide 35 Longboard and the Event Chair for the Southern Straits, Peter brings a masterclass in what it actually takes to manage a high-performance offshore program. We dive into: The Second Lesson of Racing: Why Peter starts his refit and preparation process six months before the start line. Safety as a Culture: Reflections on the 2010 Southern Straits storm and how it redefined safety standards in British Columbia. Technology vs. the human element: Using Expedition software to find trends while relying on human judgment to make the final call in big sea states. The Salty Dip: A harrowing account of a Brooks Peninsula storm that saw a 40-foot yacht lose its mast and the Coast Guard intervene. The Feeder System: How the Melges 24 fleet is bridging the gap for the next generation of offshore talent. Whether you're an aspiring offshore sailor or a seasoned veteran, Peter’s "no fluff" approach to preparation and leadership is essential listening. Stay Salty. riptide 35 safety at sea southern straits van isle 360 salty dips offshore racing yacht racing bc sailboat preparation Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/salty-dips/donations

Jul 20, 202653 min
Read episode notes: Sailing Distance Races with Peter Salusbury of Longboard - E6
Episode 5

The Value of Doing Hard Things with Bert ter Hart - E5

More people have walked on the moon than have done what Bert ter Hart achieved: a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the globe using only a sextant and paper charts. No GPS. No chart plotter. Just 265 days of raw discipline and mental toughness. Also, we try to look into what makes a racer in sailing. In this episode, host Chris Maier sits down with Bert to dive deep into the philosophy of "Doing Hard Things." From his background as a platoon commander in Canada’s Special Service Force to facing the chaotic wave trains of the Southern Ocean, Bert explains why he never plays "what if" games and why he views maintenance as a "Black Box" of safety deposits. We also talk about his next "beast" of a voyage—sneaking around the world in a faster hull to outrun storms— and his upcoming paddle from the Alberta border to the Arctic Highlights include: The Moon vs. The Sea: Why solo traditional navigation is a rarer feat than space travel. The "When" Philosophy: How to plan for disaster without being paralyzed by it. The Salty Dip: A harrowing 7-hour session steering backwards in a flooded cockpit in the Tasman Sea. Small Decisions: How breaking a massive task into tiny, "harder" choices leads to success. Guest Bio: Bert ter Hart is a record-setting sailor, author, and adventurer. He is the first North American to complete a solo, non-stop circumnavigation via the five great capes using traditional navigation. A graduate of Royal Roads Military College, Bert’s adventures span from the world's most dangerous oceans to paddling across the width of Canada. Keywords: Sailing, Yacht Racing, Solo Circumnavigation, Traditional Navigation, Sextant, Resilience, Bert ter Hart, Salty Dips, Black Wolf Racing, Pacific Northwest, Adventure, Military Discipline. Links Mentioned: Bert’s Circumnavigation: the5capes.com Cross-Canada Adventure: KaiNani.ca Bert’s Projects: bertterhart.com Black Wolf Racing: blackwolfracing.ca Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/salty-dips/donations

Jun 20, 202668 min
Read episode notes: The Value of Doing Hard Things with Bert ter Hart - E5
Episode 4

The Art of the Regatta with Paul Ulibarri - E4

What does it take to manage a race on the world’s biggest stage? In this episode, we sit down with four-time Olympic Race Officer Paul Ulibarri to go behind the scenes of elite-level regatta management. From his humble (and accidental) beginnings as a Hobie Cat dealer to overseeing the most prestigious starting lines in the world, Paul shares the tactical precision and cool-headedness required for international race officiating. He has overseen racing at all levels from the Pacific Northwest around the world. We dive into the "Art of the Regatta" and hear some harrowing dips (Sea Stories) from some truly epic races. Olympic Race Management, Regatta Strategy, Professional Race Officiating, High-Performance Sailing Logistics, International Sailing Standards, Olympic Yacht Racing, Race Officer Insights, Grand Prix Regatta Organization. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/salty-dips/donations

May 20, 202659 min
Read episode notes: The Art of the Regatta with Paul Ulibarri - E4
Episode 3

Cascadia Sailing with Joy Dahlgren - E3

In this episode, we sit down with a powerhouse of the Pacific Northwest sailing scene. Joy Dahlgren joins us to talk about the movement sweeping our waters. She is a racer, a business owner, and a community builder. Joy is now with North Sails in Victoria after her time with UK Sailmakers. She also leads the charge for women in high-performance racing. We dive deep into the Cascadia sailing movement and what it means for our region and look ahead to the road to the New York Yacht Club. See the show notes here. Cascadia Sailing Women's Sailing High-Performance Racing All-Women's Team NYYC Women's Championship Pacific Northwest Sailing Sailing Community One-Design Racing IC37 Racing Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/salty-dips/donations

Apr 20, 202652 min
Read episode notes: Cascadia Sailing with Joy Dahlgren - E3
Episode 2

Coaching with Steve McBride - E2

We finish up our conversation with Steve McBride that we began in Episode 1. In this conversation we talk about Steve's coaching and his thoughts on the art and science of encouraging performance from sailors (and hockey players?). Show notes, blog entries and lots more can be found here; www.blackwolfracing.ca Follow us: www.instagram.com/blackwolfraces/ Sailing, Racing, Coaching, Prairie Sailing, Sailing in Canada, Pacific Northwest Coaching, Dinghy, Laster, Fireball, Paralympic Sailing Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/salty-dips/donations

Feb 4, 202657 min
Read episode notes: Coaching with Steve McBride - E2
Episode 1

Sailing with Steve McBride - E1

We meet up with legendary sailing coach Steve Mcbride to talk about sailing and his experiences. Steve talks about getting into sailing with his dad on Falcon Lake in Manitoba. We chat about Fireballs, Lasers, Optimists, and of course 49ers and skiffs. A paralympic coach and well known in Canadian high performance sailing and the Paralympic sailing movement. Seve talks about 'Doing it Scared' Show notes, blog entries and lots more can be found here; www.blackwolfracing.ca Follow us: www.instagram.com/blackwolfraces/ Sailing, Racing, Coaching, Prairie Sailing, Sailing in Canada, Pacific Northwest Coaching, Dinghy, Laster, Fireball, Paralympic Sailing Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/salty-dips/donations

Feb 3, 202653 min
Read episode notes: Sailing with Steve McBride - E1