NanoCruising

Posts

⛵ Celebrating Community: Dan Roeder on the West Coast Trailer Sailing Squadron 🌊

If there’s one thing that small boat cruising brings in abundance, it’s community—and Dan Roeder is right at the heart of one of the most active and passionate groups in North America: the West Coast Trailer Sailing Squadron (Florida) . In the latest episode of the podcast, Dan shares how he found his way into the group, eventually becoming a key organizer and advocate. The Squadron may have a modest website, but its heart beats loud and clear through its highly engaged Facebook group, where sailors from all over Florida (and beyond) connect, plan, and share their love of life under sail. In this episode, we cover: Dan’s journey into the world of trailer sailing The wide variety of boats within the group—from Wayfarers to SCAMPs to custom builds Regular events, group sails, and overnighters that keep the community active Favorite cruising grounds across Florida’s coasts and inland waters Why small boat sailors form such tight-knit, helpful, and adventurous communities ...

🎙️ Finding the Current: Trapper Haskins on Building a Boat, Paddling South, and Rediscovering Himself ⛵

In this week’s episode of the NanoCruising podcast, we talk with writer, musician, and small-boat voyager Trapper Haskins , whose journey down the Mississippi became both an epic adventure and a deeply personal turning point. His memoir, Crooked River , chronicles the 2,000+-mile paddle and sail in a hand-built Mississippi Yawl—all the way to New Orleans. But the story goes far deeper than boatbuilding and river travel. As Trapper approached his 40th birthday, he realized that life hadn’t gone the way he’d hoped. The trip—first conceived as an adventure—evolved into something much more: a way to reclaim joy, find peace, and reconnect with his own sense of purpose. In this candid and moving conversation, Trapper talks about: Building the boat with his own hands The highs and lows of paddling to New Orleans How the journey helped him navigate a difficult life transition The writing of Crooked River and how it helped him process the experience This is an episode about m...

🚣‍♂️ Voyaging Far in a Tiny Boat: A Conversation with Stephen Ladd

What happens when you take a 12-foot boat and set off on a journey that spans continents, rivers, and years of your life? This week on the podcast, I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Stephen Ladd , one of the most accomplished and quietly legendary figures in the world of minimalist voyaging. His books Three Years in a 12-Foot Boat and The Five-Year Voyage have become cult classics among small boat adventurers — not just for their incredible scope, but for the raw honesty, humor, and insight they offer into life on the margins of modern travel. In our conversation, Stephen takes us back to the beginning: designing Squeak , his 12-foot microcruiser, and setting out alone to discover how far one man can go with a tiny boat and a big idea. We talk about wild rivers, calm anchorages, violent storms, and everything in between — and how these extreme experiences forged both skill and resilience. We also discuss The Five-Year Voyage , which he undertook with his partner Ginny, c...

⛵ John Welsford on New Designs, Ocean Dreams, and the Future of Small Boats 🌊

If you enjoyed Part 1 of our conversation with legendary boat designer John Welsford , you’re going to love what’s in store for Part 2. In this episode, John takes us further into his world of small boat innovation and adventure. We kick things off with a look at the new 7-meter ocean-going boat he’s currently designing—something he hasn’t talked much about publicly until now. It’s a boat meant to cross oceans with confidence, while still staying true to Welsford’s core design philosophy: safety, practicality, simplicity, and real-world performance. From there, we dig into the story behind his new design “Scallywag,” which was born out of a desire for a microcruiser like the SCAMP—but with accommodations for longer journeys and sleep-aboard comfort. It’s a design many have been waiting for, and it reflects the continued evolution of small cruising sailboats. John also shares some fantastic anecdotes about his designs out in the wild. We hear about a SCAMP in Tierra del Fuego , and...

⛵ From Sketch to Sea: A Conversation with Designer John Welsford (Part 1) ⚓

In the world of small boat cruising, few names carry the weight and admiration of John Welsford . Based in New Zealand, John is known for crafting small boat designs that are not only beautiful and practical, but also rooted in real-life adventure and safety. In this first of a two-part podcast interview, John joins us to share the story behind his career and the boats that have inspired so many to take to the water. John talks about how he first got into designing boats, long before the SCAMP ever hit the water. His background offers valuable insight into how his designs evolved—and why safety, stability, and seaworthiness are always top priorities in his work. Of course, we couldn’t talk to John without diving into the creation of the SCAMP (Small Craft Advisor Magazine Project) —a design that’s become a cult favorite among home builders and NanoCruisers alike. He shares the behind-the-scenes of how SCAMP came to life and why it continues to resonate with such a broad spectrum of s...

🎙️ Canoes, Connection & 24,000km of Wild: A Conversation with Dianne Whelan 🌲

What happens when you step away from the pace of modern life and surrender to the rhythms of nature? In this episode of the podcast, we sit down with filmmaker, author, and adventurer Dianne Whelan , whose deeply moving and award-winning film 500 Days in the Wild chronicles her six-year journey along the entire 24,000 km Trans Canada Trail — from the Atlantic to the Pacific and up to the Arctic Ocean. But this isn’t your average endurance story. Yes, she paddled vast stretches of water by canoe, hiked thousands of kilometers, and endured some of the most remote and wild landscapes on Earth. But the real story is about listening . Listening to the land. To Indigenous elders. To her own shifting sense of purpose. It’s a story of reconnection — with the Earth, with others, and with herself. In our conversation, Dianne shares: How she discovered canoeing — and how it became central to her connection with nature Her shift from seeing the journey as an athletic expedition to a s...