Kayleen VanderRee is a commercial diver by trade and has spent most of her adult life pursuing her love of sailing.
Hailing from British Columbia, we talk about her diving work, what she’s learnt from being captain of her own sailboat, and her personal experiences dealing with frustrations, overwhelm and anxiety in sailing.
Get set for some great adventure stories too. Kayleen sailed her 42’ sailboat to Mexico and back via the Clipper Route, which took 44 days. Most recently she attempted the Race to Alaska with a friend in her Santana 20’ yacht, and shares what it’s really like trying to navigate a treacherous 750nm race from Washington to Alaska, in a non-motorized boat.
To cap off her adventures, we hear about her experience with her partner, taking out second place in The Amazing Race Canada.
In amongst this, Kayleen shares the encouragement she received from her Dad – her greatest sailing mentor, and some of his best life advice.
Join us and be inspired in your own adventures.
Connect via Instagram: @fromsnowtosail
YouTube: All About Spray
Connect with Saltwater Journal: @saltwater_journal
Website: Saltwater Journal
EPISODE NOTES | Kayleen
01:20 Commercial diving
05:40 Mentors
07:11 Sailing with Dad
08:45 Approaching boat jobs
09:22 Owning and maintaining her own boat
11:19 Figuring it out when things go wrong
13:40 Solo-sailing
14:42 Offshore with Dad
15:30 Sailing from childhood
17:19 Rock climbing
17:56 Current boat
18:50 The Race to Alaska
22:48 Challenges on the race
26:06 The Amazing Race Canada
29:55 Slow is smooth, smooth is fast
33:48 A break from racing
35:19 Giving it a go
37:18 Where to start with mechanics and electrics
38:47 Crossing the continental shelf
40:00 Raw vlogs on YouTube
41:04 Anxiety with sailing
44:22 Strategies for anxiety
46:22 Great advice from Dad