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A seven-hour U-turn at the border, a raw water pump that turned engine oil to gray sludge, and a squall that flipped the wind from 15 knots to 35 in minutes—this catch-up with Lizzie and Billy is the kind of salty storytelling that turns lessons into confidence. We reconnect in La Paz to trace their route from Drake’s Bay down the California coast, through the Channel Islands’ magic mix of breeze and flat water, and along Baja’s remote anchorages where AA batteries can buy you fresh lobster.

We dig into the decisions that matter: how to time capes like Point Conception, when to tuck in as nor’westers pulse down the Mexican coast, and why reading multiple forecast models beats trusting a single number. They share the gear that changed their margin of safety—AIS, Starlink, an EPIRB now and a life raft next—and the small systems checks that prevent big headaches. When seawater invaded the oil, they diagnosed the raw water pump, rebuilt it with spares on board, and ran repeated oil flushes with a heavy-duty extractor to get back underway. It’s a masterclass in pragmatic seamanship.

Provisioning and community come alive in this stretch of the Sea of Cortez. We talk customs snafus, Ensenada check-ins that smooth the way, and the reality of importing boat parts into Baja. The cruiser network—from WhatsApp groups to radio checks—keeps people safe when the wind pipes up, the dinghy is small, and the anchorage gets bumpy. Looking ahead, they’re targeting a late-March window for the Pacific, aiming for a calmer ITCZ and safer trades en route to Nuku Hiva, then letting weather and wisdom shape an island-hopping path through French Polynesia and beyond.

If you love real-world sailing—weather routing, squall tactics, anchoring strategy, and the art of going slowly on purpose—you’ll feel right at home here. Tap play, subscribe for more bluewater stories, and share this with a friend who’s dreaming of that first crossing. Got a must-stop island between the Marquesas and Fiji? Tell us where you’d go next.

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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

SALTY PODCAST is LIVE every Wed at 6pm Central and is all about the love of sailing!
YOUTUBE PLAYLIST: https://tinyurl.com/SaltyPodcastPlaylist
Wanna create a Livestream?: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608

GEAR FEATURED IN MY UPCOMING VIDEOS:
🛟 Boat Fenders → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08S1PXKKR
⚓ Dock Lines → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS4BNYR9
🧽 Exterior Cleaning Kit → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BL533KR7

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What if your diesel’s lifespan is mostly in your control? We sit down with sailor and mechanic Vanessa Lindsley—who has hand‑cranked everything from classic Yanmars to race‑ready engines—to unpack the habits that keep a marine diesel reliable for thousands of hours. No fluff, just the precise routines that prevent glazing, carbon buildup, overheating, and charging headaches.

We compare diesel and gas under real cruising loads, then map out a practical RPM strategy: run low and steady, bump to max rated RPM briefly to clear the exhaust and injectors, and always warm up and cool down to protect bearings and seals. Vanessa explains how alternator sizing, belt profiles, and pulley alignment affect lithium charging, why a simple zap‑stop can save your diodes, and how a mismatched cog by a millimeter can shred belts at the worst moment. We dive deep on fuel: Racor bowl truth‑telling, algae control, when additives help, and how inline polishing keeps long‑range tanks clean. You’ll also hear how to read oil with a white paper towel to catch fuel dilution early and when to pop‑test injectors for spray pattern and pressure.

Cooling and hardware get the same treatment. Use the coolant your manufacturer specifies—color signals chemistry—and service heat exchangers before they clog. Choose pre‑formed hoses, carry vacuum‑sealed impellers that match your pump, and consider Johnson raw‑water pumps for easier service. On the drivetrain, we cover transmission checks, motor mount torque ratings, alignment with a feeler gauge, and the cheap orange drive saver that can protect your gearbox from pot lines and dock ropes. Planning a passage or a purchase? Pull oil and transmission samples; the three‑day lab report is inexpensive insurance.

If you want a diesel that starts when it matters, this conversation gives you a clear checklist: correct coolant, clean fuel, balanced charging, proper RPM under load, and the right spares on board. Subscribe for more hands‑on cruising advice, share with a sailor who loves their engine, and leave a review telling us your smartest maintenance habit.

Support the show

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

SALTY PODCAST is LIVE every Wed at 6pm Central and is all about the love of sailing!
YOUTUBE PLAYLIST: https://tinyurl.com/SaltyPodcastPlaylist
Wanna create a Livestream?: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608

GEAR FEATURED IN MY UPCOMING VIDEOS:
🛟 Boat Fenders → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08S1PXKKR
⚓ Dock Lines → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS4BNYR9
🧽 Exterior Cleaning Kit → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BL533KR7

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The sky stayed gray for most of 26 days and the wind rarely dropped below 30 knots. That’s the stage for Olivia Wyatt’s non-stop crossing straight from Sumatra to northern Madagascar—3,400 nautical miles on a 34-foot full-keel cutter, riding the edges of tropical depressions and threading the risk lines of the Mozambique Channel. We invited Olivia back to unpack the tactics, the fear, and the strange, luminous moments that carried her across the Indian Ocean.

We talk route design, including why she left early in the season and chose a direct line instead of the common island-hopping path. Olivia breaks down her “no motoring offshore” mindset, how long she waited for trade winds, and the day her weather router told her to turn south fast to slip under a wall of convection stretching from Madagascar to Sumatra. From there, it’s raw heavy-weather seamanship: two reefs holding in 40-plus, sleeping on the cabin sole, wrestling rainwater out of a sagging main, and deciding when one knot of progress with engine assist is better than heaving to in a nasty tide-against-current trap at Cape d’Ambre.

Safety is more than storm tactics on this route. Olivia shares what she’s learned about the piracy and crime risk zones in northern Mozambique, why governments advise staying 100–150 miles offshore, and how she handled a chase near Bazaruto by using steep seas to her advantage. We also look at practical prep that paid off: re-bedded deck-to-hull joint, reinforced mast step, rebuilt tanks, and new comms (VHF, handhelds, SSB). She’s now adding a third reef and wants a storm jib after weeks of big breeze and little sun. And yes, we even get into the haunted-boat lore—cabinets that open, lights that flash, and the Fijian ceremony that quieted it all.

If you’re planning an Indian Ocean crossing, curious about heavy-weather tactics on a small boat, or just love honest, unvarnished sea stories, this one delivers. Tap play, then tell us: would you take the straight shot or island-hop the trades? Subscribe, share with a sailing friend, and leave a review to help more mariners find the show.

Support the show

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

SALTY PODCAST is LIVE every Wed at 6pm Central and is all about the love of sailing!
YOUTUBE PLAYLIST: https://tinyurl.com/SaltyPodcastPlaylist
Wanna create a Livestream?: Https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5430067749060608

GEAR FEATURED IN MY UPCOMING VIDEOS:
🛟 Boat Fenders → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08S1PXKKR
⚓ Dock Lines → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS4BNYR9
🧽 Exterior Cleaning Kit → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BL533KR7