59° North Sailingvideo
James Evenson // Sailing Zingaro & What is Seam'nship?
October 21, 2025 · 1h 22m · 734 views · Annapolis, Maryland
What this video covers
James Evenson — known on YouTube as Sailing Zingaro and nicknamed "Captain Crunch" by his audience — describes his sailing history, several near-disasters, and his thinking on seamanship in a face-to-face interview with Andy Schell recorded at the Annapolis boat show.6:01 Evenson started sailing after a Navy career as a submarine navigator, where he learned dead reckoning because GPS doesn't work underwater.12:20 His best friend from the Navy drowned in a Kona storm off Hawaii, which prompted Evenson to buy his first sailboat.12:20 He sailed roughly 45,000 miles on a plywood catamaran before its rear main beam failed in heavy seas on a passage from Tahiti to Hawaii via Kiribati and the Line Islands in December — cyclone season, with systems threatening from both hemispheres.23:09 The sea anchor collapsed repeatedly under load; Evenson suspects a Fiorentino parachute anchor with a steel retaining ring would have prevented the capsize.33:14 He declined a Coast Guard helicopter and saved the boat.38:04 He also describes an Oyster that nearly sank from a failed through-hull.1:01:58 The conversation centers on where seamanship ends and recklessness begins, how remote miles and difficult conditions build competence faster than logged distance alone, and how Evenson shifted his YouTube channel from lifestyle content to educational content to attract a more engaged audience.21:05 The Orca tablet navigation system is mentioned as a sponsor.0:14
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