59° North Sailingvideo
Ben Soofer // Making a career in sailing
10 March 2026 · 1h 2m · 255 views · Baja California
What this video covers
Ben Soofer built a sailing career starting at Camp Seagull in North Carolina, where he sailed Sunfish dinghies and Lightning-class raceboats for 11 years before working there as an instructor.10:13 His first offshore passages came aboard a vessel carrying 36 scuba tanks, a dive compressor, and an environmental science curriculum on a voyage halfway around the world.0:04 He joined 59 North in 2018 doing podcast post-production alongside Lee Cumberland — art, uploads, guest relations — before transitioning to paid work pitching sponsors and guests.16:22 His first offshore passage on Isbjørn ran from Annapolis to the Caribbean under August Sandberg's first captaincy, with celestial navigation a focus alongside Mark Jablow, who could work spherical trigonometry by hand.17:37 After that, Soofer sailed as mate and medical officer for Seamester on Argo during COVID, completing a circuit from Mystic, Connecticut to the Azores, Canaries, and back to the Caribbean while rarely leaving the boat.30:16 He then captained catamarans for Broadreach in the Dutch Caribbean out of St. Martin, running 12-to-21-day sailing and diving programs for high school students at age 23.31:24 That catamaran experience — including single-engine docking — later proved critical during a delivery when he brought a disabled cat into Morro Bay.32:50 He then spent five years as a NOLS instructor running 30-day Sea of Cortez expeditions on 22-foot open yawls.4:07
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