Media and Articles
Below are links to our work, articles we’ve written, features, and interviews.
Skipper’s Cockpit Guide
Instant Facts and Practical Hints for Boaters
written by Bo Steiffert & US Editor by Nathan Zahrt
Invaluable for experienced sailors as an aide-memoire, as well as for beginners and students, this essential quick-reference guide covers a wide range of topics such as seamarks, buoyage, pilotage, lights, boat handling, anchoring and mooring, ropes and knots, heavy weather sailing, man overboard, grounding, fire aboard, distress signals and VHF radio. The splashproof pages and spiral binding enable it to stand up to the demanding marine environment. This North American edition covers the IALA-B Buoyage System.
We tacked for the first and only time on our 13-day crossing. The view off Ultima’s bow revealed the alluring sight of not only an approaching landfall but elevation too.
Pico, one of the nine Azorean islands of Portugal, jutted out from the Atlantic. The volcano’s crater and base were exposed, while swirls of cloud encircled the entire midsection. “We can hike to the top,” Nathan suggests.
Our training crew were put to a true test as we tacked toward Rockland, as our biggest challenge was to navigate and sail in thick fog without catching a lobster trap. Peter sounded the horn when boats were near, the others taking turns hand steering. I made sure we were on course, trimming sails when needed.
A Winter Shakedown
by Vivian Vuong
My wife Vivian and I spent years looking for a sailboat to call home. Nomads by nature, twice selling or giving away nearly all of our possessions to go on extended adventures, the thought of buying a house tying us to one place sounded like the dreariest thing we could do. We have been professional sailors for nearly five years, love life on the water, and have a hard time imagining being land-based. But what boat would be the perfect one? Consuming all the sailing books we could get our hands on from Joshua Slocum to John Kretschmer convinced us that a fin keel and a rudder on a skeg was the ideal underbody to provide us with a decent turn of speed, strength, stability and a seakindly motion. During our search, our idea of a perfect boat varied and I like to think that our criteria evolved to meet our current needs
article & story features
You might have a departure day circled red in the diary and be furiously working through a to-do list to get there. Or maybe you’re considering a bluewater sailing adventure in the future and starting to think through the preparations you need to make. You might even have postponed your big trip, and be considering how to make the most of an extra sailing season at home.
Either way, in between the jobs lists of boat upgrades and household admin and everything else, it can be easy to overlook one area of preparation: yourself. How ready, really, are you?
“The offshore skills you need to be bluewater ready”
Yachting World Collab
At first glance, Nathan Zahrt and Vivian Vuong might have seemed like unlikely types to go to sea. The young married couple, hailing from the deserts of landlocked New Mexico, didn’t grow up on the water or around boats. And yet, an adventurous spirit and a willingness to take chances in life led them to the ocean, then to distant shores, and eventually to their own business training fledgling offshore sailors.
“Meet the Crew of Ocean Passages”
for Cruising World by Erin Carey
From the moment I stepped on board, that’s what I tried to do—an admittedly difficult task for someone with my bullish disposition. Our fellow crew were a married couple, Nathan Zahrt and Vivian Vuong, who had sailed with Christian before. Nathan was close to qualifying for his US Coast Guard captain’s license, and Vivian was a professional photographer as well as a great cook. My job was to follow orders and research everything we’d need to know about taking a boat through the Panama Canal—a job Christian was smart to give me, because I could do it well, building up yet more confidence before we set off.
“Leaving My Comfort Zone” for Cruising World by Michael Pschorr
podcasts & interviews
Join us for Captain’s Hour as we kick back with Bradford Rogers and chat about Ultima, business during the pandemic, Vivian’s photo and film webinar and more! If you’d like to listen to Bradford’s HNTS Podcast, click here.
POV: You’ve Signed Aboard
Check out this video our crew, Thomas Haldis made of our trip in 2022 from St. George’s, Bermuda to Marigot, St. Martin. Aboard were Nathan and Vivian, Susan, Alex, & Fred. Bermuda is one of our favorite waypoints and many people have enjoyed this awesome video @SailingHaldis put together. Thanks Tom!
