Good Jibes #48: Nicki Bennett Chats With Ronnie Simpson

Welcome to Latitude 38‘s weekly sailing podcast, Good Jibes. This week, host Nicki Bennett talks with Ronnie Simpson about finding fulfillment in sailing and Ronnie’s coverage of this year’s Pacific Cup, which is running for the first time in four years.

Ronnie is an Iraq War veteran who discovered sailing after being wounded, and has since sailed well over 100,000 miles. He is a cruiser, racer, sailing journalist, media guy, delivery captain and charter captain who is pretty much always around a sailboat. Ronnie has contributed to Latitude 38 as a writer since 2010 and specializes in Hawaii and offshore racing coverage. After living on sailboats in San Francisco Bay for several years, he has spent most of the last decade based in Hawaii and Fiji, with no shortage of ocean crossings and cruising in between.

Hear how to find community in sailing, how it can lead to so many great things in life, what viewers can expect from this year’s Pac Cup, about the perks racing has over cruising, and his favorite racing stories.

This episode covers everything from racing journalism to the best parts about sailing. Here’s a small sample:

• How did Ronnie’s injury inspire him to get into sailing?
• What is the Pacific Cup?
• How does sailing help heal trauma?
• Why race vs. cruise to Hawaii?
• When did Ronnie race the Pac Cup?
• What is the course record?
• When does Ronnie set sail?
• Short Tacks: What’s his bucket list sailing destination?

Learn more about Ronnie on Instagram @CaptainRon_Official and the Pac Cup at PacificCup.org and social media.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast spots – follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re feeling the Good Jibes!