Offshore Explorer with Scott Dodgson

I’ve gotten a lot of requests from guys that are trying to convince their wife or girlfriend to go sailing, sell their house, car, and everything else they have and jump on a boat and spend the rest …

As the year draws to a close, Scott and Todd reminisce about the past year of the podcast and some of the most popular episodes. They also discuss the origin of the podcast as well as plans for the f…

I spent 17 Christmases on Virgin Gorda at the Bitter End Yacht Club and Saba Rock. This is not just any Christmas story, this is a sailor’s Christmas story. As a sailor, you’re almost always away fro…

Scott recounts meeting and befriending Al Kassar, a famous weapons merchant. Sailing brings you into many situations, good and bad, but mostly situations where right and wrong is too close to call. S…

I received a few text messages from a couple that has moved from the land to the boat and now they want to move back to the land. Now they are having a crisis about moving forward with their dreams. …

For over three hundred years the world came to America by ship and continues with millions of tons of cargo arriving every day. American ports served as the front door to the world. We tell little-kn…

Scott recounts his re-discovery of romantic poets, Shelly and Byron, while he supervises building a yacht. He draws a connection between the Romantics and sailing. Scott warns about sailcloth weight.…

Desperation causes bad decisions and sometimes bloody ones as well. I can’t recall another group of men who have been so thoroughly evil that have been so incautiously elevated to the status of the l…

Scott explores the link between food and sailing. The desire for spices to preserve and flavor food drives the Age of discovery. That desire to travel further and faster for trade is accompanied by t…

In the tradition of Conrad, Scott tells the story of psychological stress and a captain's breaking point. In the middle of the ocean with little legal tracking of crew members, getting away with murd…

Sitting in Mandraki Harbor in Rhodes Greece in my boat, I was surrounded by layers of history of exhausting effort and mortal combat driven by the conflict over whose God was the true God which belie…

In this second part of buying a boat, we discuss the safety and rescue gear needed aboard a boat, including first aid kits, personal floatation devices, and life rafts.  We also go over the process o…

So you want to buy a boat? Scott discusses some of the parameters you should consider when you are buying a boat. When buying an older boat where do you start? Scott lays out a step by step plan on h…

David Rigsbee is the author of 21 books and chapbooks, including seven previous full-length collections of poems.  In addition to his poems, he has also published critical works on Carolyn Kizer and …

Running Aground occurs when there is no longer deep enough water to float a vessel. This will sometimes be done intentionally, for instance, to perform maintenance or to land cargo, but more than lik…

A new series titled “Dry Port Series.” This is an experimental series in storytelling. We will be telling one story per country we visit.  An experience every cruising sailor knows when visiting a ne…

I had built a life for myself in New York. I was almost a successful playwright. That part of my literary claim teetered on a couple of shows, that were well received, but didn’t make money and the n…

Scott recounts a bizarre set of events when he and his girlfriend/mate are asked to relieve a perfidious captain of his command. What seemed like a simple thing turns into a nightmare. A scoundrel, l…

Scott and Todd discuss various topics, including different types of sailors, the Phoenicians, how to survive a hurricane, the importance of place, sailing history, and some potential upcoming guests …