Podcast Maré Sonora ® video

Cabinho and family: The Fantastic Adventures of Maitairoa

October 27, 2024 · 1h 28m · 664 views

What this video covers

Brazilian sailor and boatbuilder "Cabinho" (of the Little Capel family, now based in Australia) joins hosts Marina Guedes and Fábio Tosi for episode 200 of Podcast Maré Sonora to discuss the book *As Fantásticas Aventuras do Maitairoa — Odisseia Brasileira no Atlântico Sul*. The Maitairoa was a double-ender multihull, approximately 26 feet on the waterline but sailing closer to 30 feet, built in Itaipava and launched at Marina da Glória in Rio de Janeiro. Its construction used a novel two-halves mold technique, and it carried a gas stove and originally a Finnish Viri engine that was later sold after flooding with mud. The boat's voyages covered three legs: Rio de Janeiro to Cape Town, back to Brazil, and then to the Falkland Islands, where the crew received critical local assistance after a serious incident — without which the boat would likely have been lost. A stop at Ilha da Trindade, described as remote and inhospitable, included diving in waters with exceptional marine biodiversity under then-unrestricted conditions. After the voyage, Cabinho sold the Maitairoa, used the proceeds to build the Multichar 28, and lived aboard it for two years. The Maitairoa itself later sailed to the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, where a subsequent owner raised a family aboard it. Cabinho, now 87, is credited with founding cruising sailing culture in Brazil from 1965 onward and designing widely built production hulls including the Paraty 1, praised by Amyr Klink as the best boat ever built for him.

Watch on YouTube

More from Podcast Maré Sonora ®

Sailboat Forel series: Greenland geopoliticsAug 2026Sailboat Forel series: Life in GreenlandAug 2026Sailboat Forel series: The GreenCORE projectAug 2026Forel sailboat series: The chefs aboardAug 2026

From Podcast Maré Sonora ® — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analyzed video.

The Sailing Directory Newsletter

One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.

Report an issue