Salty Podcast: Sailing

Salty Podcast #49 | Sailing Solo Around the World: Olivia Wyatt’s Golden Globe Race Journey 🌍⛵

• Captain Tinsley | Olivia Wyatt • Season 1 • Episode 49

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Join me as I chat with Olivia Wyatt, who's in full preparation mode for the 2026 Golden Globe Race! 🧭⛵ Imagine this: Sailing solo for 8 months or so, nonstop, around the world in the Southern Ocean, with no GPS, no motor, no satellite, no cell phone, and no boat mechanics. Tonight, we venture into a tale of grit, guts, and timeless seamanship, as I welcome a next-level guest to the Salty Podcast. 

This captivating conversation uncovers Olivia's motivation to embark on a solo sailing adventure, where the sea becomes both a teacher and a formidable opponent. Her story is one of embracing traditional seamanship, driven by a profound connection with nature that turns this race into a personal pilgrimage rather than a mere competition.

Olivia shares her experiences navigating the unpredictable waters during the COVID-19 pandemic, where closed borders and unexpected challenges tested her resilience. The episode highlights her commitment to learning celestial navigation and tackling the demanding logistics of preparing for a tech-free race. Olivia's insights into the wisdom of traditional seafaring communities and her commitment to preserving ancestral knowledge offer a refreshing perspective on life at sea. Her anecdotes about the emotional toll of fundraising, boat refits, and the critical role of family support paint a vivid picture of her path to the Golden Globe Race.

Listeners will be inspired by Olivia's unwavering faith and the collaborative spirit that propels her forward. The episode concludes with exciting plans for future engagements, including live-streaming updates and a unique way to connect with supporters worldwide. Olivia's story, filled with passion and determination, is a testament to the power of perseverance and the beauty of embracing life's challenges. Whether you're an experienced sailor or simply intrigued by the allure of ocean racing, Olivia's journey promises to captivate and move you.

LIVE Wed 1/22/25 at 6 PM Central!  Video Podlink: https://tinyurl.com/SaltyPodcast49

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SALTY ABANDON: Cap'n Tinsley, Orange Beach, AL:
Oct 2020 to Present - 1998 Island Packet 320;
Nov 2015-Oct 2020; 1988 Island Packet 27
Feb-Oct 2015 - 1982 Catalina 25

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Capn Tinsley:

Imagine this sailing solo for eight months or so nonstop around the world in the Southern Ocean with no GPS, no motor, no satellite, no cell phone and no boat Mechanics no boat mechanics. Tonight we venture into a tale of grit, guts and timeless seamanship, as I welcome a next-level guest to the Salty Podcast. She's gearing up for the most epic retro sailing challenge of them all the 2026 Golden Globe Race. No modern tech, just a sailboat, the unforgiving ocean and navigation tools. Christopher Columbus would have recognized Her courage, determination and sheer passion for sailing are enough to make you question why you ever complained about losing Wi-Fi. So grab your favorite beverage for this standout chat about her journey, her prep and what motivates her to tackle one of the toughest sailing races on the planet. But first here's the deal. Please hit all the buttons like share, subscribe and drop your questions in the live chat so olivia can respond during the podcast. I'm Captain Tinsley. This is the Salty Podcast, episode 49. Please help me. Welcome, olivia Wyatt.

Capn Tinsley:

I messed up on the intro. The intro was great. What do you mean? Okay, good, you didn't notice. That's fine with me. How are you doing?

Olivia Wyatt:

I'm doing well. I'm in Thailand getting the boat refit for the race.

Capn Tinsley:

Now, when does that boat? When does the race start?

Olivia Wyatt:

It's like September or something September 2026.

Capn Tinsley:

Okay, Wow, so you're there. This is going to take. You're going to be there until September.

Olivia Wyatt:

No, the race starts in Europe, so I've got to get the boat ready and get over there. Um, I have all of the sea miles that I need for the race, but I need to do, um, I need to do some under celestial navigation, um, so that's the kind of like the last qualifying thing I need to do.

Capn Tinsley:

Oh, so you have to qualify for that for the celestial navigation.

Olivia Wyatt:

Well, you have to have a certain number of offshore miles on the boat that you're racing, and I've sailed my boat all the way from California to Thailand. The majority of those miles were sailed solo. So I have about 16,000 nautical miles with the boat I'll be racing on and I think 14,000 of those miles were sailed solo.

Capn Tinsley:

Wow, Okay, and so yeah, one of my questions is about the celestial navigation. But why don't we start with? Why this race?

Olivia Wyatt:

I mean, okay, um, I I'm not. I've I've raced because you know, racing is a way to to sail and meet other sailors, but I'm not really a big racer. Um, so, for me, I'm not doing this race for the race. Um, I'm approaching it like a pilgrimage or a vision quest. Um, I, I like the challenge of it. I'll start off I I heard about the race and then I read more about it and found out that my boat was already perfect for it, um, that I had the miles that I needed for it and that you couldn't use modern technology.

Olivia Wyatt:

And that was a big turn on for me, that last bit. And then I started talking to people who had been in the previous race, and I talked to Don McIntyre, I talked to Kirsten and I talked to Elliot Smith and you know, kind of told them why I was nervous, you know why I was excited about it, why I was nervous about it, and they encouraged me that I, that I should go for it, and as well as Don McIntyre, who founded the race. And then, for a month straight, I dreamt that I was in the race, and I'm talking every time. I went to sleep and woke up. I was in the race in my sleep and every time I woke up I had such an elevated feeling. You know, it was so sublime that experience in my dreams that it was an indicator to me that this was the next step I was to take in life. I'm really guided by my dreams, so I try to listen. I believe in that too. I think. Yeah, well, I was going to say.

Olivia Wyatt:

One other thing is that when my first solo crossing was from California to Hawaii and that was 23 days, and on that crossing I only had 200 Watts of solar no-transcript. But that voyage had such a bigger impact on me, it was more transformative than any of my other ones. And it was due to the lack of technology, it was due to that deep connection I had to gain with nature to to make to make it to my destination and um. But I'll never do that unless I'm forced to. You know, I'll never choose to go all instruments off. So that's what I liked about this race is that I have, I have to do it without instrument, you know.

Capn Tinsley:

So you were able to turn on your cause. You know, Hawaii is just a little speck in in the ocean, so are you able to turn it on. Turn on your engine every once in a while and make sure you're on track of your chart clutter.

Olivia Wyatt:

No, I couldn't turn on the engine. I lost the use of my engine. Uh, week one together, okay, all together. So I I only had with the 200 watts of solar, you know, I had to, um, because I left in august, which is, you know, the 200 watts of solar. I had to because I left in August, which is the beginning of hurricane season, so I didn't have a lot of bright, sunny days, which is why I couldn't keep the instruments on. I didn't have enough power to run it. So it was like no chart plotter, no fridge, no wind instruments, no speed, nothing.

Capn Tinsley:

So in this rate, were you able to turn it on every once in a while and make sure?

Olivia Wyatt:

you're on track Every once in a while.

Capn Tinsley:

Okay, and of course, in this case it'll be different. You're not allowed to do that, yeah, yeah. So Kirsten told me you have a tank full of gas or diesel, but they'll be measuring it to make sure that.

Olivia Wyatt:

You don't use too much yeah, you can only use. Is it 15 liters?

Capn Tinsley:

I'll have to go back and look at the the rules okay, yeah, and that's so just to charge batteries if you need it right, or just to make sure that it's working, or something yeah, I I don't know when.

Olivia Wyatt:

I mean I don't know when people are choosing to to use it. I mean I lost the use of my engine, because it's really that I'm a terrible mechanic that I've lost, you know. But I lost my engine, also the use of it, um between French Polynesia and Fiji and no sale, just sailed the whole way and when there's no wind, drop the sails and wait.

Capn Tinsley:

And um, well, the good thing is there's not a lot that can break when you don't have all that technology right. That's true, yeah, you, just you just have to make sure the rigging's going and the uh are you going to use what is it? Um, not the autopilot, but the oh, I have a hydrovane wind vane?

Olivia Wyatt:

yeah, yeah, I have. Um, I've been using a wind vane, so I never use my autopilot, so you're already familiar with that.

Capn Tinsley:

Yes, I love the wind vane, it's amazing okay, so, um, for those that don't know, 2026 globe, golden Globe Race. The history is which. There's lots of good videos on the history, and everything happened in 1968. It was so controversial that they decided not to have it anymore and they didn't have it until 2018.

Olivia Wyatt:

Right, and then 2022 or something like that. Well, it kind of turned into the Vendee Globe, the Golden Globe, like I mean. That's my understanding, is that it is.

Capn Tinsley:

Is that it morphed into, like the higher technology racing, but, um, john McIntyre took it back to its original format okay, yeah, because it was very controversial at the time because people in 1968, they weren't even sure it could be done, you know someone circumnavigate, you know, with the technology of the time, um, with no assistance, you know no sleep or very little sleep. But I understand, you guys do sleep, um, I, I do cross, make smaller crossings and I a nap.

Olivia Wyatt:

but the person said she went downstairs, you know, went down and and she took, she went to sleep, no problem, yeah yeah I mean because I've been the sleep thing I'm used to, because I've been sailing, like, uh, you know it's, it's when you're in shipping lanes and when you're near shore you have to be more alert, right, um, and you sleep in, or I sleep in 20 minute segments and, um, that wears on you after time, like you know you're doing that for two months, it's really right wears you down, which I had to do that all through indones and I had a big accident because of it. I had some poor decision making, yeah, but when you're offshore and there's nothing else around, you, just sleep when you're tired, if the conditions allow.

Capn Tinsley:

Yeah, so do you sleep in the cockpit or do you go down into the conditions allow? Yeah, so I. Do you sleep in the cockpit or do you go down into the?

Olivia Wyatt:

Depends. Um, usually I like to be down in the cabin, but, um, if I'm in shipping lanes or if I'm near shore, I'll generally sleep in the cockpit. Um, unless it's pretty rough out, then I'll go down.

Capn Tinsley:

Okay, so tell you mentioned you sailed from California to Thailand. How did that go?

Olivia Wyatt:

Well, so I went first California to Hawaii, Hawaii to French Polynesia, French Polynesia to Fiji, Fiji to Vanuatu, Vanuatu to Solomon, Solomon to Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea to Indonesia. Indonesia to Malaysia, Malaysia, Thailand, Wow.

Capn Tinsley:

And how long did that take?

Olivia Wyatt:

Well, I work as I go, or I've been working as I go, and also I started during COVID or just before COVID, so I had to kind of stop, go back home work, or you know, stop wait for countries to open things like this.

Capn Tinsley:

Okay, yeah, I knew some other people that they had to wait to go from Hawaii to. Was it French Polynesia? They weren't open. Was it French Polynesia? They?

Olivia Wyatt:

weren't open. Yes, I had to wait from Hawaii, but as soon as I saw that it opened, I just went, without even emailing anybody in the government. I got there and they were like what? Oh, really.

Capn Tinsley:

Can that be?

Olivia Wyatt:

done, that can be done. I don't think it was right, french Polynesia is very by the book are they? So how did?

Capn Tinsley:

you manage it. Did you have any grease, any palms or anything?

Olivia Wyatt:

no, I just smiled and prayed they didn't put me in jail.

Capn Tinsley:

No, so here's a comment for you here. Um, this is from hayden and radine. They're're in the Caribbean right now. They were on two weeks ago, or was it last week? Whoops, two weeks ago You're brave, amazing learned to tear down your fuel system, put it back together and get the engine started. A great skill to learn, he knows how to do all that stuff.

Olivia Wyatt:

Well, now, I mean now, at this stage, I can do my, I can fix my engine, but it was, you know, I've learned, I learned as I as I went right. So when I, when I, when I first, I mean I'll tell you this is stupid and I don't think anybody should do it. But when I left for Hawaii, I didn't even really know how to like anchor solo or catch a morning solo. I mean everything. I'm kind of learning as I go. I, I'm a little bit reckless in some ways. I think I don't know.

Capn Tinsley:

I love it. I love it. There's a lot of people that never leave the dock, so I think it's great. Yeah, so okay. Transition to using traditional navigation tools like a sextant. How much have you done that have? Where are you with it?

Olivia Wyatt:

So I did the um celestial navigation through the ASA. Um, but you know that's a thing if you're not doing it every day, it's just going to go right out your head, right? So, um, I, that was the first thing I asked the other racers and, and Kirsten was like, don't worry about it, I didn't know how to do it. Um, you know, I took a course after I signed up for the race. Elliot learned how to do it while crossing the Atlantic to get to the start of the race. Um, so I, I, they, they put me at ease. I've been taking an online course through the Northeast Maritime Institute. They're amazing because they've sponsored me by giving me all the training that is required for the race, like my medical, offshore safety at sea, things like that, and so I've been doing it online. But I am going to take an in-person course as well, just because, um, I learn better that way.

Olivia Wyatt:

And then, of course, I will sail um 2000 nautical miles under celestial before the start of the race. Is that the requirement is? Now? He upped it to 4,000 solo miles on the boat that you're racing, plus, I think, another 2000 miles on the boat, but can have crew, I think? I'm not sure, because I wasn't paying attention to the mileage because I already had it. I need to sail with celestial and so I'm just going to do 2000 just, and also I'm modifying the boat at the moment and I need to just make sure everything I've done is is pretty solid. So I think 2000, it's a good number anyway.

Capn Tinsley:

So you're taking off all your you know, like your chart plotter and all that, or are you?

Olivia Wyatt:

waiting to do that. I am waiting on the instrument so you can keep things um on board, but you have to disconnect it and and um put it in a sealed box like you can keep. You can have an autopilot on board, but but it can't be connected. It has to be sealed so they can check and see. Did you use that?

Olivia Wyatt:

okay, so it goes in a sealed box like yeah, you see, you use, you seal it um, like the cables and everything. You seal it up so they can see if you used it um. But that's I mean, I'll probably and he don recommends, yeah, I keep it on there in case there is an emergency and you know you have to get out of the race and all that.

Capn Tinsley:

So Bruce asked a question Does US Power Squadron offer a celestial navigation course?

Olivia Wyatt:

Oh, I don't know, but let me put that, let me write that down.

Capn Tinsley:

Yeah, good question. I interviewed a guy here on the podcast several months ago and he's not too far from here, and I plan to take an in-person class too. I just learn better, like some people do, captain's school and everything I prefer in-person, especially learning chart plotting and everything. I don't see how people learn that online.

Olivia Wyatt:

I don't see how people would learn that online. Well, all the other stuff I did like for my captain's license, I did it online and then just went in person to the test taking and that was okay. You're smart. But no no, I mean, I make you should see, like the pile of note cards I make to study, Wow, but this was celestial. The online course is amazing. I just want to, I just yeah, I want to do yeah.

Capn Tinsley:

Okay, so I think this would be a good time to bring up that you are doing. You're our fundraising for this, yes, and you. You have a little bit ways to go, so what is. I tried to pull up that link that was on your. Let me go ahead. It didn't work for me, but you know I've got all these protectors on my computer I think it was my phone, though, so this is how you find Olivia. This is on Instagram at wilderness of waves, and there is a link there, and hopefully it's working.

Olivia Wyatt:

And it was just me. Maybe link to to my. Can you link to my website, wilderness of wavescom, and if you go to, there's a ggr section and I've got um, my, you know, my gofundme people can get a tax break too. I have. I'll be making a film of this voyage. Um, right, so I'm rigging the boat with cameras that can be turned on with the press of a button so I can get all the action from multiple angles. Um, and so, through the arkansas cinema society, people can get um a tax deduction for for their donations.

Capn Tinsley:

Here we go Wilternisofwagecom, there's a GGR link.

Olivia Wyatt:

There's a GGR section in the menu. Just go to GGR 2026. Then you talk about the race. If you scroll down, you can see all the links.

Capn Tinsley:

When does this goal have to be met? I'm trying to help you get some money here.

Olivia Wyatt:

Yes, no um so I'm fundraising as I go, I'm I'm also getting um, you know, writing to companies and getting in kind um sponsorship donations, which, which is great, and I'll be able to announce all of those sponsors soon. But yeah, I mean I could use. You know, I'm at a critical stage right now with refitting the boat and funding is necessary to get to the start line.

Capn Tinsley:

Should we mention the amount to give people a sense of urgency?

Olivia Wyatt:

No, I don't know, I listed on there. I also have my sponsorship deck is on the website through the link, and so you can see, you know if you contribute what you can get back. Um, you know if you contribute what you can get back. I can put names on the side of the hole. I can put logos on the sales, um so, and the race has a high roi, um so, yeah, I have all that information and a sponsorship deck on the okay, return on investment huh, yeah, awesome okay.

Capn Tinsley:

Um, all right. Yeah, awesome Okay, all right, okay, what kind of boat is Juniper? And what makes it the right choice for this journey full keel.

Olivia Wyatt:

She's got a cutter rig um. She was designed um by bob perry's apprentice, so he designed all the other pandas but his apprentice, gary grant, designed um the 34 foot panda. Um, so it's very similar to all. Of, uh, you know, like the baba, I would say the baba is the closest sibling. Okay, so it's a full kill.

Capn Tinsley:

That's cool we got. That's what an island packet is.

Olivia Wyatt:

That's what I have yeah, oh, I love the island packets.

Capn Tinsley:

Yeah, our boats are very similar oh okay, yeah, so hayden, who is, uh, sb allen spirit, this guy, he's a boat broker and an island pack. He's on an island pack at 35. He might be familiar with that kind of boat. So, hayden, chime in if you are the guy that's in the Caribbean.

Olivia Wyatt:

Cool. So it's a Tashing Panda 34 foot and the Tashing is the name of the boat yard where my boat was built.

Capn Tinsley:

Okay, all right, and I'm the third owner. And what year is it? 84, 85. Sorry, it has to be prior to 88, right.

Olivia Wyatt:

It has to be designed prior to 86 or 88. Sorry, I can't remember all the things.

Speaker 3:

I just know I put the bill. Yeah, yeah or 88.

Olivia Wyatt:

Sorry, I can't remember all the things, I just know I've hit the bell.

Capn Tinsley:

Yeah. So Bruce Williams says it's a tank, yeah, which is okay, and Hayden says it's a great yacht. Thank, you. Hayden. Thank you, bruce, keep them coming. We want more questions, more words of encouragement, encouragement, whatever you want to send us, um, all right, so juniper is a 34 foot uh to shing panda with a full keel and uh, how long have you had this boat?

Olivia Wyatt:

I bought her 2017 or 18, I can't remember but um, I set sail to Hawaii in 2019. And prior to that sale, so you know, I had to get the boat ready for single handed sailing and practice. You know, I'd never I'd been offshore as crew, but you know I'd never sailed a cutter rig. So people always, always ask, how did you prepare to cross the ocean? And I like to share that. Um, I I took friends with me, uh, during small craft advisories and I went offshore when it was blowing. You know, I mean, I went um sailing around California when it was blowing in the 30s and saw how the boat, you know, handled and learned that way.

Olivia Wyatt:

And then the. The only solo sailing on that boat I had done prior to sailing to Hawaii was I sailed by myself to Catalina Island, which is only like 36 nautical miles. So I'd never been alone at sea at night until I set sail for Hawaii and um.

Capn Tinsley:

I love this. I love this about you.

Olivia Wyatt:

But one thing I did do was I did an overnight sail with there's a man who used to design boat design and build boats for America's Cup, and he came, he helped me install some of the systems I needed.

Olivia Wyatt:

And he helped, he heard what I was doing, was in San Diego and kind of helped train me for that crossing.

Olivia Wyatt:

And he went on an overnight sail with me and he didn't touch anything but he took notes and he said that wasn't safe, how you reefed or if you did this wrong, you know, and he just he never touched anything but he just made notes and told me how I could be do things more effectively and more safely. And then he just made notes and told me how I could be do things more effectively and more safely. And then, um, he just kind of set up my boat Uh, what is the? The trans pack? He, he looked at the rules of the trans pack and he set up my boat. You know, like two knives in the cockpit, this much water, and we, we just set up my boat exactly how they would set it up for the trans pack. Wow, um, and so that was a really that was a great big blessing. I mean, he just you know that was just from the goodness of his heart that he worked with me to prepare me.

Capn Tinsley:

Wow, that's very fortunate. Hayden says how are you so brave off for offshore? Does anything scare you All the time?

Olivia Wyatt:

I'm scared all the time, but I think I really lean into my faith. Um, yeah, I just, she's a Southern gal, everyone.

Capn Tinsley:

Southern gal, Arkansas, that's right Roll tide. Roger McClure says uh, how do you handle provisioning for eight months? Do you carry all yeah?

Speaker 3:

you have to.

Capn Tinsley:

Nobody can give you anything, even when you do your check-ins, right, that's right, and I've never provisioned for that long.

Olivia Wyatt:

So this will be an interesting thing to do, but you know, I think I'll be eating like an astronaut, just freeze-dried. I'll have a lot of freeze-dried in cans.

Capn Tinsley:

Kirsten said that she said in one of if you ever watched her videos during the race, someone said have you run out of anything? She said coffee. I was like, oh my gosh, I always freak out, that's the worst. I'd rather have coffee than coffee. I was like, oh my gosh, I always freak out. Oh, that's the worst, I'd rather have coffee than food.

Speaker 3:

I need coffee, I'm sure I mean oh no.

Capn Tinsley:

No, you got to make sure you need to talk to Kirsten about provisioning for coffee. Yeah, like how much that's going to be a challenge, like the water, the food, um, you know, you've got good people to talk to, thankfully I'm looking to partner with a company that makes, like uh, food for backpackers.

Olivia Wyatt:

You know that's. I've been reaching out to people like that. Um, I think that it's kind of the route to go and I've done a lot of backpacking and things and those meals are great.

Capn Tinsley:

So okay, well, that's a great way to plan because it's all just packaged for you. Every day, bruce says do you fish along the way?

Olivia Wyatt:

I, I. So I brought friends with me from Hawaii to French Polynesia. That was the big sale that I had friends for, and we fished all the time. But when I'm by myself so I've been a vegetarian since I was eight Fish was the first thing I cut out. I will eat it now, but I don't fish when I'm by myself. I find that, yeah, just my body. My body doesn't really crave it, but if it's there and it's fresh gone and neighbor has it, I'll. I'll eat it for sure.

Olivia Wyatt:

And if you're starving, yeah if I'm starving, I can I can I can catch a fish okay and you can clean it and all that right yeah, okay, uh.

Capn Tinsley:

Hayden says um, will you have a water maker? Not allowed, is that allowed?

Olivia Wyatt:

Not allowed. I hold 120 gallons of water. So I have two tanks, two 60 gallon tanks, one on each side, and I've been collecting rain. I've given myself fever, fever or whatever you want to call it three times already through my water system, which is the worst when you're sailing and you've made yourself sick through your water. But anyway, so I make and work. On what filtration system? What did they call it? When you go to what I? There's different words for it fever, fever. What's? When you go to mexico, what do they call it?

Capn Tinsley:

oh, um montezora, what revenge yeah, oh gosh, and so you're cleaning that out, right?

Olivia Wyatt:

well, I clean out my tanks regularly and I also treat them, but some, you know, maybe it hasn't rained and maybe, if I'm along the way I've been sometimes like can stop and get water from a village that's collecting rain or things like that. I don't know what, what's happening, but now I'm making a proper filtration system because I will have to collect water as I go.

Capn Tinsley:

Okay, yeah, so you'll have your 120 gallons plus. You'd be collecting rain and probably have some bottled water too. Yes, and Roger says hayden is married to radine. Um, I did a video with her. Radine can give you, give her provisioning tips, but the problem is, I think radine, I think they eat meat, so but she they came on and did a video about provisioning for the bahamas because it's very difficult like there's not a lot of like, if you want your food when you're going to the Bahamas.

Capn Tinsley:

You spend three months in the Bahamas. You need to take most of what you're going to have.

Speaker 3:

Oh, really.

Capn Tinsley:

It's very difficult there. Yeah, there's not a lot of choices and everything.

Olivia Wyatt:

And are people growing food down there in the Bahamas, like fruits and vegetables you can't get?

Speaker 3:

local produce.

Capn Tinsley:

I'm sure that you can with that um, but well, I think the main thing is like um, meats or uh, or if you have specific needs. You know how in america we have, like, I want my toothpaste to be this and my shampoo to be that, or all the food and all the certain things. So it's best when, when you're going there, to take the things that you like, because you're probably not going to find them there. That makes sense. But yeah, I'm sure Radine would make herself available. I'm volunteering you, radine, so I think she's probably listening.

Olivia Wyatt:

She's right now.

Capn Tinsley:

I think they're in St Martin right now.

Speaker 3:

Oh, I love.

Capn Tinsley:

St Martin. They've come on here like four times and they're very experts. They're experts in the Caribbean so they offer great tips. So when it's time to go to the Caribbean, you can talk to them.

Speaker 3:

Okay.

Capn Tinsley:

Hayden says look into LifeStraw personal drinking filter.

Olivia Wyatt:

Yes, I have one of those. Do they know everything? Do the LifeStraw personal drinking filter? Yes, I have one of those. Do they know everything? Do the LifeStraws desalinate though?

Capn Tinsley:

Oh, that's a good question. Is that allowed?

Olivia Wyatt:

No, you can have it Like I can have a solar distill, okay, yeah.

Capn Tinsley:

I don't know, hayden, can you answer that question? Does it desalinate personal drinking filter um uh, bring dry fruit? Yeah, okay.

Olivia Wyatt:

he says no, yeah see so, but that will help me from getting sick from all the stuff in my tank and he said, writing can help.

Capn Tinsley:

That's his wife. Yeah, I'll give you their information.

Speaker 3:

Oh, bring dry fruit.

Capn Tinsley:

You're meeting new friends here. Can you have a freezer fridge?

Olivia Wyatt:

Yes, I can have a fridge. I don't have a freezer.

Capn Tinsley:

I've been living without a freezer?

Olivia Wyatt:

Yes, I can have a fridge. I don't have a freezer. I've been living without a freezer, but I can have a fridge.

Capn Tinsley:

Okay, let's see All right. So these are all good. Oh, here's more. Bring homemade banana bread Yum.

Olivia Wyatt:

Will you make me some?

Capn Tinsley:

Roger, did you hear that Bruce Bruce, roger, did you hear that Bruce Bruce? So okay, these are great questions. Keep them coming, you guys. So I'm going to go to my list here and see what we have here. Physical how are you training? Are you training? You're young. Can I tell your age? Yes, 42.

Olivia Wyatt:

Yes, I'm 42 have.

Capn Tinsley:

Mine starts with a five. So please, um, what are? How are you doing anything physical? Um get trained to be training non-stop, unique routines or strategies.

Olivia Wyatt:

You probably have some ideas what you're going to do while you're gone, while you're on the journey I need to train for like um some I mean, I've had some heavy weather, but not anything like what I'm probably going to see out there, and uh, kirsten and I spoke recently about her um working with me, training me for for like towing warps and things like that and some of the new sails that I'll be using. So hopefully that works out. We just have to kind of see about our timing aligning.

Capn Tinsley:

She is where is she? Again? She's well, she was doing a delivery last.

Olivia Wyatt:

Okay, that was doing a delivery. Last time I checked, or last time we spoke and she was like oh yeah, I haven't, but I haven't Okay.

Capn Tinsley:

Okay, bruce wanted to chime in. It's easy six ingredients for the homemade banana bread and Hayden's asking about the route, so I could pull something up.

Olivia Wyatt:

But yeah, pull up the map so it's easier people get it. Okay, the visual, all right, do you want me to send it to you, or just look at I?

Capn Tinsley:

actually have it. I took a screenshot of it. Uh, let's see if I can.

Olivia Wyatt:

Okay, first I have Just just Google GGR 2026 map.

Capn Tinsley:

Yeah, it's not going to. Let me go right to my file or I have it, okay, yeah, let me do that GGR map, yeah.

Olivia Wyatt:

Is there yeah.

Capn Tinsley:

Yes, I can share, screen it here, it is All right. So basically it's from France, right? Mm-hmm Starts in France, start in France. First one was in England. Here we go. Okay, so you start up here, mm-hmm, you go down, you hang a left, you go around the world and you come down here and take another left at Cape Horn and go back up and there's three or four checkpoints.

Olivia Wyatt:

Well, they've reduced the media drop points. Okay, so I think there's yeah, two now there's one in Spain.

Capn Tinsley:

right, it was like quick.

Olivia Wyatt:

I think they dropped that one, but I'm not sure I have to check because they just they updated the notice of race recently. I'm sorry, I've been so thick in the refit that I haven't looked at the modifications.

Capn Tinsley:

I think that one was like a couple of weeks or something and I think kirsten was like she just she didn't want to be bothered. It's like let's get on with it. You know, it's like too soon, yeah, but anyway, then there's another one somewhere over, is it here?

Olivia Wyatt:

anyway. Um he they, they there. It shows you on there. Hold on, let me see. But they've changed it. So the rule, the rules of the race, got modified and they've removed some media drop points for safety. So I'm not. I have to look at the the new notice of race.

Capn Tinsley:

Okay, so this may not even be up to date, right here. Yeah Well, it doesn't really tell, doesn't really tell where, but um, so that. So you in Kirsten's videos that the uh I guess the media boat is what you call. It pulls up and she's offshore. So she's not she's, and they'll come up and and ask her questions and I guess take the uh the footage or something.

Olivia Wyatt:

Well, you pull into a port and then that you go alongside and handle.

Capn Tinsley:

I mean that's my understanding. Yeah, you're never actually touching like a dock or anything.

Olivia Wyatt:

No, okay no, okay, yeah, um, so right, uh, you can anchor. You can anchor and rest yeah, you have to.

Capn Tinsley:

You have to stop for at least, I think, six hours. Oh, really, is that leg into the wind? Cape town um, I think you're going with the wind and yeah we are.

Olivia Wyatt:

The wind we're always going to be well depends there's a system. I mean, you know, sometimes the wind will clock okay but as a rule that's the route I mean.

Capn Tinsley:

Typically the trades go with you that way. Okay, and there's doldrums up here. Kirsten was not happy with the doldrums. They're cursing was not happening with the doldrums. They're up somewhere up here, right?

Olivia Wyatt:

by the equator. Yeah, the horse latitudes. They call it because people used to have to throw their horses overboard to reduce weight yeah, so down here in the southern ocean is east yeah, did you watch the um the movie um the weekend sailor the documentary.

Olivia Wyatt:

It's documentary about a team from mexico and they were kind of they had never raced before and they they ended up um winning the the first I think it was the first wet bread. But it's an amazing documentary. But all the guys on the ship they're like I never want to see that again. They just talk about how intense it was sailing there. But that's an amazing documentary if y'all haven't seen it.

Capn Tinsley:

So they don't want to do it again. No, no, the. What's the guy? The Robin? No, who was the guy that?

Olivia Wyatt:

kept going.

Capn Tinsley:

Oh, that was Robert stockton is the one that won in 96. There was a guy that kept going yeah, bernard motissier, yeah, yeah, he, he, he went. He came around cape horn, went north into the atlantic and said you know what I don't want to do, I don't want to go back. And he left his family and everything. And he kept going around and he stopped. He didn't go all the way around, he stopped um somewhere and I and he kept going around and he stopped. He didn't go all the way around, he stopped somewhere and I can't remember where, french Polynesia. Okay, you know, yeah.

Olivia Wyatt:

Yeah, he went and set up life in Aje, which is in the Tuamotus, a French Polynesian. I went there actually and was moored at a pearl farm. There was moored at a pearl farm there and there's a French sailor there who kind of convinced Mautissier to move to Ahe.

Capn Tinsley:

And then he started another family.

Capn Tinsley:

Yeah, I don't know about the personal side of his life, but yeah, it was a little bit controversial, but I think he just had been at sea for something Like the first race took 300 and something days and when Kirsten did it was like 233 days or something. So I guess the modern boats were a little faster. I guess that time at sea he just wasn't ready to go back to the big charade of coming back to all those people, which I hear is challenging. Now kirsten said that it was exciting to her because everybody's like cheering for her and everything I asked, I asked about that.

Olivia Wyatt:

That was my. My biggest concern is like, am I is is because I had a really hard time adjusting after when, when I sailed to haw, hawaii, after I sailed to Hawaii, and people I mean um, noises like just the like I, I heard I was, I was eating lunch with my mom like day two after arriving and um, siren went by and I I ducked under the table Like I mean things were so startling to me and, um, I haven't really had that sense. But maybe that's because that, like I said, that voyage I was very just, it was just me and nature, I mean without any instruments. And and then I had a really hard time being around people. And so I asked Kirsten and Elliot that was one of the first questions I asked like, did you have a hard time adjusting back to life on land? I worried a bit about me in that regard. What did they say? They said they were fine, but they didn't have any issues.

Capn Tinsley:

I've heard that from others. Um, they almost didn't want to go. They be pulling up where they have to come in and they see all the people. It's like sensory overload.

Olivia Wyatt:

You know it's just like it's. What have we created on it? You know you're just like yeah, I don't know. So how long did it?

Capn Tinsley:

take you to acclimate.

Olivia Wyatt:

A while, even when I cause I. I got to Hawaii and I was there for about a month and then I had to go straight back into work and I was at the time I was um the field producer on a on a show, um on on NBC starring Melissa McCarthy, and um, everyone my coworkers just said I said I it was. They said it like I don't know how they described it, but they, they said I was different, kind of like I'd been in a cage or something like I was real jumpy and you're kind of feral yeah yeah wow

Capn Tinsley:

yeah, I know there's a big difference and you'd sailed with Tanya.

Capn Tinsley:

I never know how to say her last name abby abby is how I said abby, yeah, okay, yeah, I thought it was abby, then someone else told me it was abby, but, um, and for those who don't know who she is, she was, uh, the youngest solo in the 80s, prior to all this gps, everything, and I had her on recently, which was an honor and what is. Oh, I read her book and I was fascinated by the being in the moment thing that she talks about, like if you're stirring your soup, you are just right there because you have no distractions, and I can't imagine, I want to experience that in my life. You're going to experience that?

Olivia Wyatt:

Yeah, I've already been experiencing it, but this is going to be like that, you know, on steroids.

Capn Tinsley:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I just can't imagine. In this day and age, it's hard to know what that's like, you know?

Olivia Wyatt:

no distractions.

Capn Tinsley:

Okay, so Hayden wants to know how you manage your beautiful website. It is really good, oh, thank you, I don't know.

Olivia Wyatt:

So I'm a, I'm a creator by by. You know, I studied still photography and then moved into filmmaking and I just built that with WordPress. And then there's some little things that I, you know, some adjustments I wanted to make that I couldn't do. That required, you know, some expert coding and I have a team in India that I work with. That's amazing. And so I can just say, hey, can you modify this? And I can share their contact. If anybody would like it, Feel free to email me.

Capn Tinsley:

That's so smart. I know people that do that. It gets them to do all kinds of things for them, you know, like even the clips or anything. I do all myself, but it would be nice just to hand it over and just make it happen. So if you've got it, I would like to.

Olivia Wyatt:

I would like. Yeah, they're amazing, it's called. They're called leading edge technology. But I mean, I can send you the WhatsApp and I found them on one of the you know work share websites. I can't remember which one, but you know where you can go online and look like Fiverr, one of those types sites. You know where you can go online and look like Fiverr or one of those type sites. Okay, leading, did you say leading edge? Leading edge technology. But if I'll send you their, do you have WhatsApp? Because?

Capn Tinsley:

I can send you their WhatsApp contact. Yeah, I do have WhatsApp, but I used it when I was in Mexico and I kept getting all this spam stuff. So I it so, but I can, I can, but you can email it to me, yeah, and okay. Um, now Bruce is a Contessa 26. I'm not sure why he was um that's the boat that Tanya Abbey sailed.

Capn Tinsley:

Oh yeah, that's right, that's right, it was a 26 foot, that's right. That's right, it was a 26 foot, that's right. Thanks, bruce, he is on top of it there. We have some good sailors on here, all right. So I feel like I don't. There's not any special or extra thing that I've added to my mixture.

Olivia Wyatt:

You know I've I. I don't need to do any sleep training, I already know how to do it. You know my body is already ready for that. Um, physically, right now I'm at this refit. I'm already in month two of it.

Capn Tinsley:

And um you're doing a lot of the work yourself I'm doing.

Olivia Wyatt:

Well, I cannot do all the work myself. I'm doing some work myself, um and, but I have a team of people that I'm working with here as well. Okay, uh, so one of my questions okay, one of my, that's right, one of my questions?

Capn Tinsley:

yeah, okay, one of my, that's right, one of my questions, uh, because it's. I think those, um, some of those videos are on your website. I've been posting.

Olivia Wyatt:

I've been posting on Instagram stories like every day what the reef, what we're doing in the refit, and you can see what I'm doing, what the team is doing. Because, like I cannot, I'm not a carpenter so I hired a whole carpenter team. We had to take off my cap rail and redo my deck to whole joint because I had quite a bit of leaking, okay, and I'd already removed the teak deck. So I knew that wasn't the issue. And I spoke to Bob Perry and he said, if that's not your issue, it's the deck to whole joint. So, um, you know, we took off the cap rail, had to rebuild the cap rail.

Olivia Wyatt:

I, um, some people had, you know, one person in the last race had an issue with their bow sprit. So I had a new bow sprit made, because mine is 40 years old, teak and, um, we looked at, we took it off and inspected it and you know, it was decided by the team that needs to be rebuilt, you know. So, all of the all of the carpentry, and then I've been working with them, like together we're doing the fiberglass and, um, yeah, it's just a lot, a big. I'm almost finished with all the exterior work and now I'm about to get it.

Capn Tinsley:

So they said they have problems with the bow spread. What? What kind of problems did they have?

Olivia Wyatt:

well, I think I can't remember what how Elliot's bow spread broke or something happened and he had to use like chains to try to keep it on. And you can have, yeah, that's a. You know, that's a major point on the boat that you don't want to lose offshore. So smart, yeah. And so I'm getting all new, like I right now I'm having new whisker stays and a new bob stay or dolphin striker, whatever you want to call it made. And the new bow sprit just went on yesterday. Yeah, I've done a lot of the turtle hatch that goes. That's the piece of wood that goes over um, my companionway door. I had to redo that. I mean, I kept the original wood, but all of the um, all of the wood underneath, was totally rotten, but the core was all rotten.

Capn Tinsley:

So wow, that's good.

Olivia Wyatt:

It's a good thing you caught all that, yeah make it a lot less stressful well, the thing I just I knew my boats weaknesses. I mean, I'm essentially like rebuilding her and making her beefier and ready for this new adventure. But I knew, I knew, I knew where she had faults luckily, because I've sailed her so far already and she's always some of these leaks she's always had right, okay, um, so part of that question, uh, about the physical thing also.

Capn Tinsley:

uh, have you thought about what's going to keep you busy after? I mean, I think Kirsten said she would check the boat over every day, you know, look look at everything, go up the mast, and there was a couple of tasks she had every day. Then she had to occupy her mind and just her time. Have you thought about that?

Olivia Wyatt:

Yeah, so when I'm offshore, already, what I do, I do a lot of writing. So I write every day that I'm at sea and my blog is, you know, every day that I'm at sea, I'm writing. So I at sea, and my my blog is, you know, every day that I'm at sea, I'm writing. So I always spend a lot of time writing and I spend a lot of time reading and and yeah, it's pretty I'm thinking about you know, I like to collage, so I'll probably bring a lot of materials for collaging. Okay, well, you got it figured out Now.

Capn Tinsley:

can you do like audio books or anything? Is that allowed?

Olivia Wyatt:

Yeah, you can have a cassette player. Oh, a cassette player? Yeah, but I think Kirsten was learning a new language out there. Oh my God, I started to listen to things recent. More recently, it wasn't until my trip to fiji that I listened to music, but prior to that I I would go without any sound. Be just this, just the natural sound of the ocean and a book. You're ready you're ready?

Olivia Wyatt:

no, but that you know that's 20. You know the longest I've been at sea alone thus far is is 23 days. You know 23 day chunks. So this is wow, this is going to be. You know, I've only, I've only experienced a tenth of that. So of what I'm about to do, Right.

Capn Tinsley:

Speaking of right. What? How long do you think this will take you?

Olivia Wyatt:

Um, I think in the 10 month range. Yeah, I don't know. How can I know? How can I know what? I never know how long anything's going to take me. Right, it's like it should have taken me 14 days to get to Fiji, but I had seven days without wind where I was just, or six days without wind where I was just bobbing, you know so.

Capn Tinsley:

Well, I think. Kirsten did it in 233 days. Yeah, that's. Isn't that 10 months, Right? Is that? Is that eight months?

Olivia Wyatt:

It could take up to 10. Yeah, I think it can take up to 10. Yeah, I think it can take up to 10 months. Oh that's, oh, yeah, oh, my gosh, 233 is 7.6, yeah yeah and um, knox robert johnson.

Capn Tinsley:

What is? What is his full name? Again, robert knox johnston that's it, robert.

Olivia Wyatt:

No, no, robin. Now you're confusing.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, sorry about that.

Olivia Wyatt:

Yeah, robin Knox Johnston.

Capn Tinsley:

Yes. So, robin, right, he they. Back then it was 300 and something days. I can't remember off the top of my head. So, um, like I said, I think the I can't remember off the top of my head. So, like I said, I think the newer boats make a difference. So, hayden is giving you some good, some compliments here on your website, your blog, your photos, everything looks fantastic.

Speaker 3:

Oh, thank you.

Capn Tinsley:

He manages the website and the Facebook page for the Island Packet yacht owners. Oh cool, so he's been doing that for years. I love Island. Packets yacht owners, oh cool, so he's been doing that for years. I love Island Packets. Yeah, I got good votes. I'm kind of partial to it myself. Okay, let's see what else we got here. What's been the most challenging part of getting ready for the race so far Mental, physical, logistical?

Olivia Wyatt:

part of getting ready for the race so far mental, physical, logistical. I mean mentally. It's tough because I have to raise this money to get to the start and you know, it's sometimes it's just like I want to break down. I'm also, you know, imagine I'm doing a refit. I'm by myself in a foreign country using Google Translate, a lot Like you know, and there's so many resources here and so much skill here, but it's yeah, I'm alone doing a refit in a foreign country with not enough money to do the refit. So that is hard, that is really hard.

Olivia Wyatt:

To why am I doing this to myself? I could be on a tropical beach right now just enjoying my life. Right, it's like sometimes you question, sometimes you doubt, sometimes you start to fix one thing and you find other things broken and you didn't account for that and it's taking more time than you thought. You know, yeah, it's, it's hard, it's very hard, and I sometimes break down and and sometimes have doubts. But then you know I'll pray and I check in, am I continue doing this? And then something will happen to show me yes, keep going, keep going. This is the path. So I'm just following it, I'm trusting it.

Capn Tinsley:

Yeah, you're a person of faith, and so am I. We just keep moving forward until if there's a big block in the way, then maybe it wasn't meant to be, but if it keeps going, which it sounds like it is, yeah, and then maybe it wasn't meant to be, but if it keeps going, which it sounds like it is, then it'll be if it's meant to be, you're going to do it.

Olivia Wyatt:

Yeah, I mean, I'm ready to do it.

Capn Tinsley:

Every day. I'm going towards doing it. So, yeah, well, good, well, we're going to, we're going to come back here. Like you said, we were talking before we went on online. We're not done yet, but we're going to come back and, um, and help and try to help you raise some more funds. I'll beg for you, please. Yeah, exactly, um so uh, let's see Okay. Um so uh, let's see, okay, oh, so you know, staying. Basically, the answer to that was staying motivated and not being discouraged. It's a huge life lesson. Um, what excites you about embracing such the traditional tech free approach to sailing?

Olivia Wyatt:

I mean, I guess I kind of um well, okay, I referenced it a little bit earlier about what happened on my first crossing and I, as a filmmaker I'm an ethnographic filmmaker I focus so much wisdom among communities who live symbiotically with nature. You know, I first saw, witness this, I was living in the Amazon one summer and it's like they can, they know which, and you know, there's one tree that the ants eat and it secretes something similar to Novocaine on the interior of the plant. And it's like all this wisdom that it would take, um, you know, modern scientists a long time to to um gain on that knowledge on their own Right, but this is just innately they have it. And then I heard about, actually in Thailand, what my third film was. In Thailand I'd heard about a nomadic seafaring community that all survived the Indian Ocean tsunami which you, if you remember, that's the problem that took everybody by surprise. Nobody knew it was coming. They all knew it was coming.

Olivia Wyatt:

I went back 10 years after the tsunami and um lived in the community. That went to 13 different islands, um, I interviewed all the elders, I documented their way of life and each island I went to they had a different way of knowing, but pretty much their ancestors had told them if you see deep sea creatures coming closer to shore, it means a man eating wave is coming. If you see, if you dream that the sea is turning all red and boats are sinking, it means the man eating wave is coming. You know. So, every everywhere I went, they had their own way of knowing that. They all knew it was coming, either through dreams or observations of nature. And they had enough time, the day that it came, to go and rescue tourists on neighboring islands. And every single one of the Mokans survived, except for one man who was handicapped, and nobody could get him to safety. What their ancestors taught them was if you are at, if you're at sea and you know the wave is coming, you go to deeper sea. If you're at sea and you know the wave is coming, you go to deeper sea. If you're on land and you know the wave is coming, you go to higher land. Um, so you know, this type of knowledge is is is getting lost because in modern society we are separating ourselves more and more from nature.

Olivia Wyatt:

And after I made that film I decided I'd already loved sailing, but I decided to make the sea my home. That's after I made that film. I bought my boat After I made that film. You know it was two years later. I crossed the ocean and I've been going ever since and I'm always on a path, personally, to just keep my connection to nature as solid as I can. Now, what is this film? It's called Sailing a Sinking Sea and it's out on documentary educational resources, so it's taught in universities through them, taught in universities, um, through them, and it's also on, um uh, drag city, which is a record label out of Chicago, um. So we did like a vinyl LP of the music I recorded, plus um music that I had, like a soundtrack that I had made by the band bitch and Baja. So it's like a vinyl LP with the DVD we did.

Capn Tinsley:

Is it on YouTube or anything?

Olivia Wyatt:

No, I had it on YouTube briefly as part of a fundraiser, but no, it screened at the Smithsonian and premiered at South by Southwest. So it did you know people. It was cool to see that much excitement about this way of life.

Capn Tinsley:

Could you put it on?

Olivia Wyatt:

YouTube I cannot because it's through the. I mean it's on Vimeo. You can buy Vimeo on demand and I put it on YouTube briefly, like I said, I had to get permission from my distributors to briefly like I said, I had to get permission from my distributors Um, and I just put it on there very, very briefly to kind of raise money and awareness about the race, kind of like. This is what got me excited about the sea type thing.

Capn Tinsley:

Wow Okay. Um family and friends. What do they think about all this?

Speaker 3:

I think about all this.

Olivia Wyatt:

I think they've learned that I always do things that scare them. You know I mean I come from Arkansas when I first I didn't tell. When I first decided to cross the ocean, I decided a month and a half before I actually crossed it. I sent my parents an email and my mom didn't speak to me. She was really upset with me. For weeks, weeks. My dad would speak to me and I said I was surprised how well he was handling my decision and he just said because I know you.

Speaker 3:

And I know you're going to sorry, I'm crying because he passed away.

Capn Tinsley:

Oh, your dad. Oh, I'm so sorry.

Speaker 3:

Sorry, sorry, but to have his support, you know, he just he made a deal with God that he'd never go back to sea again. He had a got caught in a big storm while deep sea fishing, and so to have his support was really amazing, wow. But he just said I know you, I know you're smart, I know you know what you're doing, and you wouldn't, you wouldn't go out there if you hadn't properly trained yourself to do it. So, yeah, sorry, so yeah.

Capn Tinsley:

Sorry. I didn't realize that's okay. Is your mom still with us? Oh my mom yeah my mom.

Speaker 3:

So she's funny.

Olivia Wyatt:

So she finally spoke to me and now she loves it, you know oh good.

Olivia Wyatt:

I think because the blog. Like a lot of people from our hometown read the blog and you know, one time the mailman knocked on the door and it was like, is your daughter the one crossing the ocean? You know she'll go to the grocery store and so she gets like she's proud, she's proud, she gets a lot of conversation out of it. And, um, I remember I was about to do a crossing to, or when I was about to sail to to Fiji, I was, I was a bit nervous for it and I called home and I was really scared and she was like, oh, you'll be fine, you've done this before.

Capn Tinsley:

I scared my mom too, and um is she's passed away since, but she was she was having a lot of chemo at the time and I think that was why, um, I scared her to death because I was. I lost power and that was when I was pretty green and I wasn't checking the batteries and I lost all all um my instruments. But she was mad at me when I finally made it to shore and, uh, I reminded her she was a pilot. Whoa, she was a private pilot back in the day when she was married to my dad, and I said, well, did grandmother ever get scared when you were flying? And she calmed down at that point.

Olivia Wyatt:

She goes. Yeah, that's so cool.

Capn Tinsley:

She was a pilot, yeah, so it comes naturally to do weird things like this that other women don't necessarily do by themselves because, I like to solo too, nothing like you. I haven't been to made long crossings like you, but it scared her and I think that's normal. But now that we have in reach and everything, will your family be able to track you? I know that's that's normal, but now that we have inReach and everything but you won't, they is will your family be able to track you?

Olivia Wyatt:

I know that the people at the race can track you, we have the yellow brick so people can track us. Um, okay, Our family can, and um you just can't know where you are right. Exactly, okay, yeah, and we do do um monthly or weekly, uh check-ins like podcasts with the race, with dawn, um, so we have a podcast going while we're out there. Um, we're, we have a satellite phone and we can only use it to, to, to communicate with the race committee.

Capn Tinsley:

Okay, so you'll be. You'll be calling in. It'll just be audio. Oh cool. Okay, did they do that with Kirsten? Yeah, is that new? They're all online. Yeah, you can go online and read. I mean listen. Wow, I didn't know that. Okay, mom's uh still happy about you. She's probably she's.

Olivia Wyatt:

I'm sure she gets feedback all the time. She just I think she's. She just says she's trying not to think about it yeah, yeah, um.

Capn Tinsley:

So Hayden says will yellowick report to the web.

Speaker 3:

Yes.

Olivia Wyatt:

I think so. Yes, I didn't, I didn't. I'm pretty sure they're going to have us out there.

Capn Tinsley:

We're 95% sure that yes. Well, so what about your friends and the rest of your family? Or do you have any brothers and sisters?

Olivia Wyatt:

Yes, I have two sisters and a brother brother. And my youngest sister is my race manager. She's. She doesn't know anything about sailing, but she's highly organized. Um, she, she's, uh, manages, you know, for work. She's man, she's amazing. I don't even know how she does what she does, but she's way more organized than I am.

Capn Tinsley:

She's handling the business side of everything. Yes, making paperwork and appointments.

Olivia Wyatt:

And calendars Making calls.

Capn Tinsley:

Oh great, you got to make this deadline for this. Like your celestial navigation, yeah, that's good. It's good to have a family member doing all that, someone you trust.

Olivia Wyatt:

Yeah, that's looking out for you. Yeah, it was. You trust her, I trust her.

Capn Tinsley:

She's like the only person I trust oh, okay, all right no, I mean you know, like, with, with this aspect of me, right, you know yeah, it's all pretty important um is she do it full-time or she's got a she's working?

Olivia Wyatt:

She works, she's I don't know what her title is, but she's like she oversees. You know everything she does. She's overseeing teams of people and you know, running smoothly and she's working with the bank now and now. She had the idea for an app to help people save money and also to keep people organized. I don't fully understand it, but anyway, the bank loved her idea and hired her, and she's now working with them and they're developing her app.

Capn Tinsley:

I just got a statement from Instagram. It doesn't appear here, so I have to look at it separately. Rick Halstead, 1t3, said Yellow Brick will have an app for the race. Yeah, okay, so that's. How is that? How will we all be able to track? Her or is that just?

Olivia Wyatt:

family. Yeah, everyone will be able to see that. Okay, and everyone can hear the podcast that they do.

Capn Tinsley:

And that will be through that. See that okay, and everyone can hear the podcast that they do and that and that will be through that also.

Olivia Wyatt:

The app um. Their podcasts are on the website, I believe, and they are also doing videos. So when we have the media drop points, they're editing videos and putting them on youtube.

Capn Tinsley:

I mean the race is doing quite a bit of media right okay, cool, so, okay, so, um, uh, your brother, you said you're, you have brother and two sisters. Now do they all do things like this, or you're pretty much the only one.

Olivia Wyatt:

You're the only one. That's kind of the adventurous one none of them are vegetarians, none of them, I mean. They all travel. They like to travel, but not the way that I don't think any of them travel the way that I travel.

Capn Tinsley:

You know, Well, it's interesting because when I asked Kirsten about what her I think her parents, you know she did that bike trek from Europe to the tip of South Africa, rode a bike by herself. It wasn't a race or anything, and she said her parents had more of a problem with that, which I can imagine. You're going through all those countries in North Africa just riding along by yourself. They were more worried about that than the sail around the world.

Capn Tinsley:

That's interesting, but she she's hasn't she always sailed, or did she grow up sailing? She's never been in a race and that was the first race. That race was the first race, um, but she's like you, she'd sailed all around, you know. She delivered boats. I think you said you deliver boats, well, but but I didn't grow up sailing.

Olivia Wyatt:

No one in my family says I didn't learn to sail till my 20s. So, um, I think, because my, because I grew up landlocked, so my and and, like I said, my dad went deep sea fishing like somewhere off of flor, and was made a vow never to go to sea again. Right, it was like his one time out there. But, um, so they don't really know the sea, we didn't. Nobody in my family grew up around the sea, right, and so I think, when you don't, you know they would be comfortable with me climbing a mountain or being in the woods. Um, but for them that, because they know that, because that's what is around, I see your point.

Olivia Wyatt:

I see your point like if she grew up sailing yeah, right, they're near the ocean, right, you know the ocean there it's. Yeah, maybe, I don't know yeah, okay, you're, you're dead.

Capn Tinsley:

You were born in Arkansas. He was making you be landlocked. All right, let's see what else I have here. Worried about the risk I already asked you that, crossing the finish line, what's the first thing you'll do, or the first person you'll call?

Olivia Wyatt:

or there's gonna be a bunch of people talking to I hope all the people I would call will be there. If I okay, it's a defendant, you know what I mean. Uh right, I think my family's planning to come to the start and then they'll be there when awesome, awesome, that's perfect.

Capn Tinsley:

Um, uh, let's see this question. Personal traditions Are you going to bring any? What kind of things are you going to bring? Routines? You kind of talked about that Keep you grounded during the race. You talked about reading and blogging.

Olivia Wyatt:

Oh, grounded, yeah, the writing grounds me. I do meditations, like I think it's really hard to stay grounded at sea. I mean, I don't know, this might not even make sense to anybody, but I don't know how to explain it. I have to actively stay in my body. I have to actively, like put root. You know, envision like rooting into the earth. So imagine when you're on the water it's much harder to do that. You know, another way to easily do that is is go barefoot and and and touch the earth, hug a tree. You know like, get, make yourself um one with the earth. And I have a heart. I I tend to. I don't know, sorry, I sound too maybe airy fairy, I don't know how to explain it.

Capn Tinsley:

No, no, I'm fascinated by this. Put your feet in the water. I don't know.

Olivia Wyatt:

Well, so I? No, I just I envision. I. You know, I do a meditation where I uh, roots are. I envision roots coming out of the bottom of my feet and and going down into the earth. But um, um, I have to do that pretty actively at sea okay, and what does?

Capn Tinsley:

what does that do for you when you do that um?

Olivia Wyatt:

it makes me more embodied, like my spirit, more embodied, I guess I, I don't know in the present in the present. It's not that I'm not in the present. I don't know if it's, I don't. It's so hard to describe it. I think because I'm I think because I'm creative. I can very. I don't know it's very. This is too difficult, maybe to explain You're doing great.

Olivia Wyatt:

I'm learning about you. I'm very empathic. Um, I can uh, I can, I can uh feel other people's emotions. I can't you know. I can you know if I'm next to like I can walk into a room of let's? Here's an example a friend of mine, it's a couple. One time I walked in the room I felt I could feel instantly. Something just happened.

Capn Tinsley:

You're very intuitive.

Olivia Wyatt:

I'm highly intuitive. Intuitive people tend to they can go out of their body very easily. I don't know why that happens, and yeah, so I have to actively stay grounded. I have, I have to do meditations where I'm bringing myself back into the body.

Capn Tinsley:

Okay, uh, my um, my camera just started zooming in, so I was trying to stop that.

Olivia Wyatt:

Okay, it's going to do it, I think it's, I think maybe that's too crazy for some people to their heads around. No, no, no.

Capn Tinsley:

There's no rules here. We're learning about you. So last question, Because you already answered the one I was about to ask you If you could give advice to someone considering a solo sailing adventure. What would it be?

Olivia Wyatt:

That's a good question, that's a great question, like only one piece of advice.

Capn Tinsley:

Well, it can be more than one.

Olivia Wyatt:

I don't know, because there's advice for many different parts of it.

Capn Tinsley:

How about for someone getting started?

Olivia Wyatt:

Does that help For someone getting started? I think, with any dream, our fear tends to stop us. Overthinking can stop us, our what ifs can stop us, right, sure, sure. I think when you, when you have a dream, you just have to just keep one step at a time, keep going towards it, don't you know? Uh, like me, like I didn't, I didn't have my full family support. But it's like you, you have to. You, you have to trust yourself. You have to believe in yourself. Don't worry about what anybody else thinks. Like a lot of people get hung up on the, the financial stuff. Well, it's like, okay, you know, when I first went to hawaii, I had um ten dollars in my account, but it's like I knew I could cause. I put all the money into the boat, but then I knew, okay, I'm just going to go to Hawaii, I have all the things I need to have, all the food I need, I'll get to Hawaii and then I'll go back and work. Right, you know it's like, don't get hung up on all of the little things.

Capn Tinsley:

What you're talking about is faith. Yeah, the little things. What you're talking about is faith. Yeah, I am talking about faith, yeah, and like if it's meant to be, it will happen.

Olivia Wyatt:

You just keep moving forward.

Capn Tinsley:

not let fear stop you. If something, if something blocks it, then then so be it. But but if it, you know, you just keep doing one thing at a time, and if it keeps opening up to you, the doors keep opening up. That's that, to me, is faith that's right.

Olivia Wyatt:

That's right. And you know, like, like when I was getting ready to for the Hawaii trip, can I do this? I'm having some doubts. I mean I don't have all the money I need it. I'm having doubts, but I'm just trusting. Trusting, then, a guy that guy I told you about that built boats for America's Cup who heard what I was doing and just came out of the woodworks and said guy I told you about that built boats for America's cup who heard what I was doing and just came out of the woodworks and said can I help you dropped in, yeah, yeah, and it's like that's the.

Capn Tinsley:

That's the you couldn't have conjured that up. That just you couldn't have conjured that up. There's just that gift just dropped out of the sky, and there it is.

Olivia Wyatt:

That's, that's, that's God showing me. Keep going. This is the path, like I ran out of. I ran out of budget the other day. I you know, and I was like what am I going to do? I have to, I have to halt all of my um, the, you know, the refit.

Olivia Wyatt:

But then that same day, some money came and, um, I didn't have the money to sign up for the race. This was really a big sign for me. I did not have the extra money to sign up for the race because it's I can't remember how many euros, like somewhere 10,000 euros or something, and then, if you want sponsors, another amount equivalent to that on top. So I didn't have the money just to even sign up for the race. But I filled out my application and then I go and look in my bank account and something had happened where my grandmother had left me a little bit of money in an account in a bank that merged with my bank that I use. No way, yes, no way.

Olivia Wyatt:

I don't even know how this happened. So I go to my bank account and there's another new account with the exact amount I needed to sign up for the race and I and I called the bank. I was like, how did this get here? And then I then I figured out about my grandmother had left me that money that I didn't even know about. I mean, that's just like goosebumps, right, that right. You are doing this. This is what you are to do. That's the door open right.

Capn Tinsley:

That door opened up and um, my friend Danielle is on Instagram. She says it's your grounding wire.

Olivia Wyatt:

I don't know what she means by that, but uh yes, I'm glad someone I it's hard to explain it, but I'm glad she knows that.

Capn Tinsley:

Yeah, she's a little bit like you. I don't have to just, you know, still use those kind of terms. So, Key West John, who I have on the podcast a lot. He lives on his boat in Key West. He says you're in the zone, You've inspired me. I'm now going to do the direct 78 nautical miles from Key West to Margo Island, which he's done many times. Tinsley knows I'm a lightweight and this is not my norm, meaning he doesn't like heavy weather. He's been sailing his whole life and he knows everything. Okay, so don't get it twisted, but uh, but yeah, you are an inspiration. So that that is very true. And Goose um, who comes on here once in a while. There's no substitute for experience, yeah, but there's also a little bit of just um, got some moxie and I'm going to go and do it. That's you, Uh, but okay. So is there anything else that you want to cover? We want to talk about that website again. She needs some money, money, money, money. Wilderness of wavescom thank you.

Olivia Wyatt:

Um no, this has been great and I hope we, I hope we can do it again. I was thinking to be definitely if we we go live like on YouTube or something, through my channel too.

Capn Tinsley:

Absolutely, we can do that. I think we can do up to three of your accounts.

Olivia Wyatt:

Okay, let's do it.

Capn Tinsley:

We'll set it up ahead of time and you just have to do a free account and we'll go live on my five and your two or three, whatever's allowed. Okay, I love it. And Hayden says cool stories, thank loud. Okay, I love it. And Hayden says uh, cool stories, thank you. What time is it? Where you are? It's nine, 20 Caribbean. It's eight, 20 here. It's in the morning. Yes, yeah, so she's in Thailand. So well, this has been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much for doing this. I'm so glad I I was just ran into you on Instagram. I was like oh, she's cool, I got to, she's doing the GGR, definitely got to, and you, you responded and you were very kind, you were and agreed to do it.

Olivia Wyatt:

So thank you so much, thanks for having me and thinking of me. Yes, we're going to do it again.

Capn Tinsley:

We'll do some more fundraising, but we'll get an update on the fit, on the um, the refit and just everything that's going on. And again, the race starts September 2026. So yeah, oh, that's right, 2026. Oh, you've got a while, okay, good.

Olivia Wyatt:

No, but you think it's a while, but time flies you know Okay, all right yeah. I have a lot in my head to do. Okay, well, thank you so much and we're going to do this again, and I'd like to end by saying salty abandon out.

Speaker 3:

Thank you.

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