A LIFETIME at Sea - Lessons Learned over 300,000 Bluewater Miles | With John Kretschmer
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- Опубліковано 8 кві 2020
- I had the opportunity to sit down with the legend John Kretschmer to discuss the lessons he has learned over the last 40 years logging more than 300,000 bluewater miles! in more than 60 boats (accrued during his time as a delivery skipper).
Among his many sailing accomplishments is the doubling of Cape Horn in his Contessa 32 named GiGi (with is the subject of John's first book - Cape Horn To Starboard).
About John from his book "Sailing to the Edge of Time": John Kretschmer is sailing's practical philosopher - as much a doer as a thinker. And that is the overarching theme of this chronicle of sailing life. Often amusing, sometimes poignant, occasionally terrifying but always inspiring, his deeply personal account is a welcome reminder of the good life waiting at sea.
With hundreds of thousands of nautical miles under his keel, John's adventures have taken him several times around the world, with challenging crossings of the Atlantic and the Pacific, a narrow escape from a coup in Yemen, an unlikely deliverance from a coral reef off Belize as well as more serene, introspective passages where trade winds are blowing and stories are flowing. His crew has included CEOs, actors, writers, teachers, kids - in essence, everyone.
John's narrative is interwoven with practical tips and advice in seamanship, but also, and just as importantly, his hard-won insights about making the most of our lives. He truly believes we find out who we really are, and what we are capable of, far from the shackles of land, when we find a place where time changes shape - days may merge into one another, but minutes are memorable.
To live adventurously is to live more fully, and that is the life John Kretschmer continues to live. In this book, he shares his simple profundities that will inspire those who live to sail, and those seeking something more rewarding from life.
John has authored a total of seven books, and innumerable magazine articles and boat reviews.
These days he and his wife Tadji spend their time conducting training passages and seminars aboard his Kaufman47 named Quezal.
You can find out more about John in any one of his books or at his website
WWW.Johnkretschmersailing.com
Video Content Timestamps.
00:06 - about John Kretschmer
01:28 - How does someone go from not sailing to 300,000 Bluewater Miles?
01:57 - Johns favorite Sailing authors
02:25 - A deal with Mumma Kretschmer
03:20 - What prompted you to look into sailing literature?
05:50 - So you've got the bug and the boat. What then?
07:17 - Thoughts on Qualifications Vs Experience?
09:56 - The journey from your first boat to GiGi (contessa 32)
10:17 - Celestial Navigation
11:30 - Launching dreams your not prepared for.
13:40 - How do you rationalize the risks?
16:56 - the 79-year guarantee conundrum? and Captains Hour.
21:24 - Rounding of Cape and Horn what happened next?
24:26 - 15 minutes of fame.
25:32 - I became a delivery skipper
26:31 - How did you start out writing boat reviews
28:00 - The journey from Delivery captain to Instructor
29:34 - Top 3 attributes that are key to the sailing life.
30:28 - I made a great discovery about people
31:19 - Leadership, Captaining, and Crew management
33:06 - How do you keep a cool head?
38:25 - How do you manage anxiety and stress?
40:45 - Essential traits of a good captain?
43:35 - Things you have to keep in check?
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Hi there! John and Tracey Cerul here, m/v Pairadice. John Kretschmer is my cousin. He taught me to sail on Lake Sinclair (Michigan) when we were 16 years old. I am one of his biggest fans! I was kinda down today, feeling isolated due to the virus. We recently returned to Las Vegas after spending 260 days cruising from Portland, OR to the Sea of Cortez. We barely got across the MX border in time. I can’t emphasize enough how delightful and rewarding watching this video was! Made our day.... waiting for part two! Happy Easter, All the Best (or as JRK would say, “Fair Winds”) Tracey
Wow sounds like you’ve had a fantastic sailing adventure! Good to hear you returned safely 🙂 I’m pretty sure that everyone is having an off day here and there (us included!) so I’m glad we managed to put a smile on your face 😊 thanks for watching!
Wow, very small world...to hear that John Kretschmer had been in Michigan and more specifically showing family the ropes on Lake St. Clair. I live 25 minutes from Lake St. Clair, have fished it many times, our son is a multi-year volunteer Watchstander with the Coast Guard several years at St Clair station, now on Belle Isle station in the Detroit River. No volunteer access to Coast Guard now due to Covid. My daughter's Director at work lives on & sails Lake St Clair currently. Adam & Khiara you are an incredible couple and have elevated the art of cruising and showing us all the joys & trials!!
I don't often leave a comment, but John seems like a legend and this is gold.
I will sail with this skipper every day and twice on Sunday.
He touched on something that Jared my memory.
I once read something, I don't remember who wrote this. But he said " 5 years from now , you will be at exactly the same place, doing exactly the same thing , except for the books you read and the people you meet".
When you read a book , you become smarter or I should say more knowledgeable . And when you meet great people you become a better person. I am so grateful for watching this video. It has moved me . Thank you skipper. Petty officer 2nd class US NAVY.
What a legend! I'm a former student of Tadji's, found your channel through her recommendation. Used to hear stories of my teacher's husband being a sailor, never really thought much of it in middle school. Now I can't stop watching others sailing adventures on UA-cam and wish I had asked her more about it when I was younger. Love your channel!
Aubree Rivera OMG...Aubree, that’s such a great comment. We can chat anytime. Hope you’re doing well. xoxo
I'm not a sailor, but I enjoyed this interview a lot. What a wise and humble person. A philosopher as well as a psychologist. So much to learn from people like him.
Mr. John Kretschmer, what a legend, hanging on his ever word! And thank you so much for the interview Adam, you yre really good at it, a pro Pal.
I’ve recently invested time in not only watching your videos but, listening equally.
This episode, by far, is your best.
I’m 73 now and feel as I’ve “missed the boat”. I loved John’s comment about crushing someone’s dream; I’ve
Had to grieve over two dreams in my life and now .... I think you probably understand.
Keep up the excellent work on the documenting of your lives.
More of this genre would be very much appreciated.
Fair winds and following seas!
That was one of the greatest interviews about sailing I have ever watched. Can't wait to watch the second part
One of the reasons I love this episode is that pilot berth you are sitting in front of was my home for ten days. I think when I found John in St. Thomas and he assigned me a berth, he looked at me and said, "You look pretty agile, how about you take this pilot berth." His safety briefing is a great model to follow, especially in terms of assigning tasks in the case of the need to abandon ship. I was assigned the task of following John around and doing what he needed to have done. I've never been sure of how I should interpret that. John really is a fabulous captain and his trips are worth every penny. I also wanted to say how impressed I am at your interview skills, Adam. That was as professional an interview as I think I've ever seen. Great, great job.
Wonderful discussion 100% enthralled!
You need to do more of this, your interview technique was first rate. Thoroughly enjoyable, thank you.
This is the real deal life experience, thank you.
Yes
Adam, please pursue a series of dialogues with pillars of our community. You seem to be well prepared, ask valid questions and make the speaker feel relaxed and open at the same time. The interview with John was outstanding- I look forward to more!
What a treat - what an amazing guy. There are two types of people in the world! 1.The person who introduces me to them - and their ego and opinions - the person caught up in their own self importance and 2. The person who introduces me to the world with all its joy - concepts - adventure and possibilities . John is the latter and he taught me about the great risk.... love it....
I could listen to him all day
More, more more!
That was the most engaging conversation I have heard in the sailing shows I watch the man (John) is has a very calming influence about him and very knowledgeable no wonder he gets the best out of people. I wish I could be just half as calming as he Thanks guys cannot wait foe part 2
A breathe of fresh air thank you really enjoyed the interview so far and cant wait for follow up. Many gems of insight
I want to sail with John...
what a down to earth man. very accomplished yet humble... thank you for bringing him into my world.
Incredible. Thanks for the interview.
Thank you! What a pleasure!
Great interview and great questions :-) He "John" brought back memories... In 2007 I was crushed by a 2500 lb. steel I-beam. I suffered a broken back, 5 broken ribs and a lot of internal damage and bleeding (muscles, etc.) While it was happening, I had visions of being Cut in Half... "Relax" was the word of the day... I had to direct traffic as everyone around me was freaking out and running in circles... I realized that the only way I would survive was to tell people what to do and how to do it. My supervisor came by and was clearly distraught. I looked at him and said, "I think I'll take the rest of the day off." His laughter settled everyone down... Lesson: When everyone is freaking out, make them laugh... To think straight, in any difficult situation, the mind needs to be Relaxed... Period. I'm sure John would agree... :-)
Thanks for interviewing him. I read Cape Horn to Starboard and Flirting with Mermaids and highly enjoyed them.
THANK YOU !!!
👍👍👍👍👍
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
legend! so much on leadership, not actually that much on sailing, john for president! luv from canukistan
I put this on while working on laundry, and immediately got sucked into the stories and advice. This was one of the better interviews that I have listen to. The questions provided a great storyline for John to tell his amazing life story. Thank you so much for sharing this! I can't wait for part 2 :) Stay Safe and Stay (mostly) Sane.
Adam... wonderfully done, a wonderful life moment. The mutual admiration between the two of you is very apparent. The “discourse” is truly exceptional. He is obviously a very intelligent and experienced person, but your questions were equally well-thought and built the captivating discussion that unfolded. Thank you for preserving the legacy of this man in such a special way.
Please do interrogate more sailors. I thoroughly enjoyed both parts of your conversation with Kretschmer. I was totally engaged and smiling throughout. Super interesting. Thanks!!
John is a very interesting interview subject, but blown away by your interviewing skills! Looking forward to part 2.
That was a great interview. I've read four of John's books and his philosophy on life and sailing are so grounding. He's the guy you want to have beers with and pick his brain. Can't wait for part II. Well done Adam, having him as a friend and mentor should be cherished.
Fantastic video, there's not many videos that can hold my attention for 47 minutes.
Excellent. Thank you. We look forward to Part 2.
Thoroughly Enjoyed this Interview. Thank You, Adam, Khiara and of course John for taking the time.
Yes, I enjoyed the conversation with John. It made me think a lot about a lot of things, and I’m looking forward to seeing the second half.
This is one of my favorite sailing videos ever, a great experience just to watch and listen to John. Outstanding.
Good job with the interview. Nice to see you were prepared. Also looking forward to the next installment.
All I can say is What A Legend!
Enjoy 😊 sailing ⛵️ adventures! 😀⛵️😘 Mike from Missouri
JK is the real deal. I’ve read all of his books and did a passage with him several years ago. It’s tough to get a spot on one his passages as they sell out so quickly, but it was an awesome experience for me. I would suggest anybody that has any interest in near-shore or offshore sailing, or who just wants an adventure, book onto one of his passages.
Loved it! Hit home. Thanks!!!
Excellent discussion and a reminder that you don’t need to be on a boat to share your power with others.
Incredable interview. Thank you very much.
Hello from an 89 yr old in Winnipeg. A most fascinating interview and I look forward to Part 2. A childrens author got me started during WW II in the 1940s. I went on from there in Vancouver. I enjoy your channel too.. I miss the sea and your experiences are a great remembrance aud. Keep 'em coming!
Nothing short of OUTSTANDING! Highest respect to you for the way you conducted yourself. I look forward to the follow on part two of the discussion with John! Being a retired US Navy sailor, I want to say how much I appreciated your statement of the Captains job is the crew and the crews job is the boat. Fair winds my friend!
Great interview Adam. Thank you. I think one of the best things you did here, is listen to John. You made the interview about him, not you.
I hope you get millions of views. All the best to you
Very well done. One of the best guests you could book. Listening a second time. If you continue, ensure you duplicate on Spotify, Sticher, etc. You'll give Andy Schell a run for his money. Actually, the marketplace is big enough for both of you. We need more of this! Less babies, bars, and babes. More interviews please!
Mate, that was great, thank you.
Nice to hear from someone not afraid of making mistakes!
Man, this guy is just a fountain of wisdom! I can definitely relate to many of the stated reflections.
Looking forward to the next one.
Brilliant..... great interview. John is amazing. I'm looking forward to part 2.
I loved this. As a Yacht Master Offshore guy, I prefer wet socks to bits of paper. The major red flag to me, is meeting someone who thinks they have more to teach than learn.
They had to teach me to sail again when I did my level 3 RYA dinghy course. I learnt so much.
Thank you for interviewing this guy. He says exactly what I feel, although he's doing it from an experienced perspective.
My wife gave me Sailing a Serious Ocean when we bought our first family sailboat in 2013. It was on the advice of a co-worker who neither sailed nor had aspirations of sailing but loved the book. I then devoured all the rest of the Kretschmer corpus, except Cape Horn which we just got on audio book. The few video fragments of John I found online didn't match the person and voice in the books. But your interview did!!! Thank John again for doing this and thank you for being your thoughtful self and letting that shine through in the interview questions. I hope social isolation has you on the hook in a beautiful bay with nothing to do but edit this content up for us and dream about your next interview. And thanks for the honesty of all your content -- now I'll have to consider patronage I guess...
Stumbled across "Serious Ocean" a few years ago and have since read all his work. Fantastic interview and I look forward to the second half.
Ditto!
I really enjoyed this first half of your discussion/interview with John Kretschmer, even after happening on the second one first. I would encourage you to do more of these. It is the stories that people share with each other and pass on to younger generations that make our world really connect with its history. Perhaps, even more than the history we learn in classrooms. Sail On!
I lived on and sailed my own sailboat for months prior to taking two ASA beginner courses. It helped with two things being a complete novice prior to buying my boat: I learned to dock quite well, without a motor and I learned how the boat worked, and the simple mechanics of sailing which just articulated what is done in a simple to understand manner. It also helped me understand how a boat rights itself, etc. After that, I never looked back. The classes were helpful and a good jumping off point. I was always glad to have taken them. So, I guess they just clarified simple, but at the time, muddled concepts and procedures.
Calmly waiting for part II.
I actually skipped this one the first time, but today, I watched your latest video and this one came on. I watched the whole darn thing. What a great guy, with exactly the attitude that I would look for in a sailing instructor. And a human being for that matter. Cheers! It was a fantastic conversation.
Never left a comment before anywhere, but that was really really good.
Stumbled on you guys About episode 8. What I like about the channel is the mixture of you both obviously enjoying what you do, but the great insights that you occasionally drop. When I have spent 2days trying to remove a rusted bolt in a deep bilge with no room and slightly bodgy tools, and I watch you guys, there is a level of empathy that develops. PS I went and bought a gear puller from total tools after watching Adam with the prop. All the best from oz, take care.
Haha love that we’re not the only ones cursing in our deep bilge after dropping yet another tool down there! As much as we hate doing the grotty boat jobs, when boat owners get together it’s mostly what we seem to talk about... everyone seems to know what you’re going through!
Again, awesome interview with a legend ................ Yes more of this type please
Not normally what I look for, but I enjoyed listening to the entire episode. I appreciate Mr. Kretschmer imparting some of his knowledge, wisdom, and philosophy during this interview. Wish I was as well spoken as Mr. Kretschmer.
Great work Adam, nice questions and interview. As a ginger beer I'm naturally attracted to the techy bits, but as a hubby, dad, captain John gave Gold on leadership and the human side of sailing.
WOW! Adam you have amazed me, l have enjoyed watching you and Khiara for some time now, but this interview kept me listening so closely to you and your guest. I must purchase his book as soon as l get a chance, This conversation between you and John was absolutely the best, looking forward to part two. Great job.
A really worthwhile way to spend some time, thanks Adam and John!!!!
Throwing in my vote for more interviews...and just content experimentation in general. A lot of the sailing/cruising channels start to sound the same. This stands out. Cheers!
Adam this is a brilliant discussion. I just started listening to your podcast in my efforts to prepare myself for full time cruising. Thanks so much.
I was really getting into the interview and it just ended, So sad. But can't wait to hear the rest. Yes you do have a knack for this sort of thing, At least better than the reporters I see on TV lately.
Wow! What a great seaman. Thank you for sharing this conversation. Much to learn from him and a pleasure to know a pint of his knowledge. Saludos , suerte.
Really enjoyed the interview. John is a great well spoken ambassador of sailing. It's good to be reminded of the greater risk. Looking forward to the second instalment.
This is my second time watching this interview, and it’s so Important that these lessons are kept for future! I am learning more the second time around. Thank You both for doing what you’re doing!
I’m a recently retired welder and and a new sailor. I absolutely loved this interview with John Kretschmer. Thank You 👍
Your interviewing really bought out the best of this and it was all best.....and it was well worth watching. You impressed me greatly.
Awesome interview, can’t wait for part 2!
I really hope my husband and I can sail and learn from John!! Thanks for this, soooo pumped!
I really enjoyed this too. It’s fascinating to learn about the nuts and bolts that go on between the ears of such a sailing luminary. Looking forward for the second part. Two thumbs up for more interviews.
Great interview, well done. It was great to see the Kaufman 47 down below and differences between our Lazy Lightning II.
Love this man, what a great human!
You are a great interviewer... You actually listen ! Yes, do some more.
The master and the apprentice, beautiful to watch. I sense a special bond happening there. Excellent work Adam, loking forward to part 2.👍
Fantastic conversation! I could listen to John until the manatees come home. What a fascinating man whom I've never heard of but am eager to learn everything I can. Please do more of these types of videos. Waiting, with great anticipation, for part 2. Great job!👍
Brilliant interview
such a great interview for both of you, I really enjoyed it. thanks such much to both of you.
James
Excellent interview. That 47 mins just flew by!! Looking forward to the rest of it. Adam, throughout the entirety of SVMF, I've always been impressed with how articulate you are and this attribute is even more apparent during this interview. I think you'd be well found to pursue more of these types of videos (as a side project, of course).
I really enjoyed it, looking forward to the next session. Cheers Rustie.
Thank you so much for the time, effort and talent you put into this video. A newfound respect foe John and his adventures.
Thanks so much! That was awesome!
Love it! Thank you. Keep it coming...
John seems extremely humble in spite of all his accomplishments
Yep, great content, passion, experience and helpful perspective.
Awesome, awesome, awesome!!! John K is one of my FAVORITE sailing authors, so "THANK you" to you and John for doing this interview. It's great to hear him speak from the heart and share with you regarding the very well-orchestrated topics (kudos, Adam). Terrific discussion and discourse. Perhaps a Tadji/Khiara sequel? ;-) Can't wait for Part 2!
This is just great! John is a legend. I just wish you'd let him talk more without interrupting. It seemed like he had a lot more to say.
I really enjoyed this. I had never heard of John. Looking forward to part 2 and I hope they beers kept flowing well into the night!
Fantastic interview, I’ve read 3 of Johns books and have the utmost respect for his knowledge. Please find more of the true seaman of today’s era to ask the most pertinent questions that you are asking.
Wow! enjoyed it so much. Yes, do more like this. Good job!
this is one of the best things I have seen on youtube. Thanks, Adam
Brilliant interview. Thanks a lot for that.
awesome interview looking forward to the rest of it thank you
Absolute gold, fantastic quality interview and the interviewer was pretty good too!
Just got around to looking at this video. WOW! Totally blown away. I had to keep stopping the video to look up the books mentioned, check out John's website (and offered cruises), e-mail friends to get them to watch it, etc... Finally finished it and now cannot wait for part 2. Great job all around
I could watch this for hours! Super pumped to watch part 2!
Great Job Adam. Love these types of videos.
What a rich topic of conversation,I thoroughly appreciate this level of fellowship among fellow seaman. Keep the conversation going. you are good at it.