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He wrote the book on sailing – then he collided | Petter Mowinckel: "The Professor of Sailing"
2 May 2026 · 27 min · 1K views
Damaged catamaran bow rests on beach after collision.
What this video covers
Petter Mowinckel, a naval engineer and author known in Norwegian sailing circles as "seilingens professor," describes a collision aboard his Fusion 40 catamaran during a short coastal passage in light wind on starboard tack.16:10 He had ducked below to check for traffic, seen a sail and assessed it as safe, then went below again — and five seconds later the other boat's anchor punched through his starboard hull.16:46 The other skipper had furled the headsail, started the engine, and left the helm on autopilot, which caused Mowinckel to misjudge the boat's speed.16:46 Separating the two boats took an hour; his bowsprit had also gone through the other boat's cabin roof.17:43 He notes the collision happened in calm, sunny conditions — consistent with accident statistics showing incidents cluster in fair weather when sailors relax vigilance.20:33 The episode also covers his career arc: sailing since 1969, studying naval architecture at NTH, designing Mini Tonner hulls that placed four boats in the top ten at the 1985 World Championship, owning roughly 15 boats including a Beneteau First 456 used for a Caribbean passage starting in 2007, and eventually switching to the Fusion 40 for its stability at anchor and twin-engine maneuverability.1:54 He discusses spade rudders versus skeg rudders, catamaran tradeoffs in light air and tight marinas, and the book and YouTube channel "Alt om Seilbåten."13:22 Complacency in benign conditions, not equipment failure, causes most collisions.
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