A bit over 10 days ago, my participation in the Global Solo Challenge came to an abrupt and unfortunate end when I dismasted in the South Atlantic Ocean. I had just written a downtrodden and somber blog entry a day or two before where I expressed how challenging and...

More than a week since rounding the infamous Cape Horn, I find myself slowly climbing up an Atlantic Ocean that has been very unkind to me and to Shipyard Brewing. I say this not to complain or to say ‘poor me’, but in the context of writing in this blog or in...

As I write this, Shipyard Brewing and I have just recently passed Point Nemo and are less than a Transpac to Cape Horn. For those that are not avid sailors, Point Nemo is the mythical and imaginary point in the South Pacific Ocean that is renowned for being the most...

The first blog entry of the New Year sees, as always, a number of milestones to celebrate onboard Shipyard Brewing in the Global Solo Challenge. There’s the passage of halfway, the entry to the Pacific, Christmas, New Year’s and more. For me, those almost all...

The last couple of weeks have been by far the most difficult for me of the entire race. Smack dab in the middle of the Southern Indian Ocean, i’ve begun having repeated gear failures, one after another that have forced me to make running repairs and throttle back out...

There are a number of milestones to be celebrated and reflected upon in this entry. I have now been out here at sea for more than a month. Shipyard Brewing and I have now passed the 1/4 way mark in this long journey of ours; on the theoretical route at least. I am now...

Shipyard Brewing blog Thursday November 24 - 0000 As the clock has just rolled over to midnight and signaled the beginning of a new day, it is now Thanksgiving Day; a day to contemplate all that i’m grateful for. And today, most of all, i’m just eternally grateful for...

Shipyard Brewing blog Tuesday November 14 - 1400 Aloha from the Southern Hemisphere! At 0349 UTC this morning, myself and Shipyard Brewing crossed the equator headed south. The first major milestone in this journey around the globe, this milestone is the accumulation...

Shipyard Brewing blog: Thursday November 2, 2023 - 2100 - Approaching the Canary Islands This has to be one of the nicest parts of a round the world sailing race. Read any Vendée Globe book or other solo sailing story about a race like this, and the tales all ring...

Wednesday November 1, 2023 update from Shipyard Brewing - 1400 - Shipyard Brewing and I have now been at sea for just over three days and are beginning to settle into this long and challenging adventure after a difficult start. Today is the first day of very nice...

We’re now entering the final ten days before the October 28 start of the Global Solo Challenge. What began as a pretty full-on project more than a year ago is now down to the final push to the starting line. Fortunately, you can still get a lot done in ten days, and...

Press Release from arriving into Spain on Shipyard Brewing! Blog update to come soon. Marco Nannini photo A Coruña, Spain - The Open 50 racing sailboat Shipyard Brewing has arrived to A Coruña, Spain after a successful Trans-Atlantic delivery that began in Portland,...

As of this writing, Shipyard Brewing is less than 750 nautical miles from A Coruña and making steady miles in mostly the right direction. My crew mate Ed McCoy and I should be in to A Coruña by some time on Wednesday or on Thursday. It looks like we’ll encounter some...

September 2, 2023 – 0200 – I type this from the cockpit of Shipyard Brewing (formerly Sparrow), as we are on a deep broad reach across the Gulf of Maine towards the southern tip of Nova Scotia. The moon is full, the seas calm and glistening, and the boat is flat and...

Shipyard Brewing Company and Ronnie Simpson Racing have come to an agreement that will see Shipyard Brewing Company become the title sponsor of the Open 50 racing sailboat Sparrow in the Global Solo Challenge sailing race. A single-handed, non-stop and around the...

The area where the crask was found is inside of the green tape. The cracked fiberglass was ground out, and then the core was filled and reinforced before new glass was laid up on the entire area (brown) area that was prepared for glassing. I wish I could report that...

Sparrow went back into the water two days ago on July 25. For those keeping score at home, that's a bit less than a month in the shed. We were mostly just doing the bottom job and the vinyl wrap, but of course there were several other jobs taken on during this time as...

  I've now had the boat out of the water and in the shed at Maine Yacht Center for almost two weeks to begin conducting our re-fit before heading over to Europe. The people at Maine Yacht Center have been awesome to deal with and I am very grateful for them and...

Sparrow and I are in Portland, Maine after successfully completing our 2,000 mile qualifier! After rounding Bermuda we had a relatively wet and bumpy ride back to New England. I sailed in fairly close to Newport, Rhode Island (about 45 miles out) and then tacked back...

It was a windy and bumpy close reach back to the US east coast from Bermuda, but it was relatively quick! As I write this, I am now 1,639 miles into my 2,000 mile solo qualifying passage for the Global Solo Challenge. It's been a heck of a journey - longer than I...

LINK TO TRACKER - https://share.garmin.com/5Q64H As I write this, I have just crossed the 500 nautical mile mark in my 2,000 mile solo qualifying passage. It's been a struggle in really light and inconsistent breeze, but I am currently making quick and efficient miles...

Hard to believe it's already been a month since I arrived back into Annapolis. Like other places that i've allowed myself to get comfortable in, I wish I could stay here longer and just chip away at boat projects and enjoy the stellar local sailing scene. But I can't;...

The mighty Sparrow, back on a mooring ball in front of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Spring has sprung here on the east coast of the USA and Sparrow is back on the high seas! As of this writing, there are now less than six months to get myself and...

After more than four months in Beaufort, NC, it's time for Sparrow and I to cointinue on our way towards that not-so distant starting line in A Coruña, Spain in just six and a half months. When I first got to Beaufort, I had no idea how long i'd be here; maybe a few...

I am super stoked to be able to finally make the official announcement that Elvstrøm Sails and Challenge Sailcloth have come onboard the campaign with the sponsorship of a full inventory of new racing sails. This is a massive sponsorship and really helps me get so...

While my time in North Carolina hasn't involved much sailing, it has been quite productive. I have been tackling some large projects that I see as being a very high priority to sort out before real training, or a qualification sail can take place. The boat was in good...

January 13 - Beaufort, North Carolina "This town sorta sucks you in" is a fairly common sentiment among people who live in Beaufort, North Carolina. And it does. It's pretty ideal and a bit perfect in many ways. Quiet, safe, beautiful... lots of inland waterways and...

Just after Thanksgiving, Sparrow bit off her next chunk of the US East Coast as myself and two crew delivered about 400 miles south to the charming town of Beaufort, North Carolina. Not to be confused with Beaufort, South Carolina, the North Carolina version of...

Lots going on, check it out! I have just been featured on the 'Offshore Sailing and Cruising' podcast with Paul Trammell. Check out the interview out wherever you get your podcasts or at the link here: https://www.paultrammell.com/podcast-season-6 Also, check out our...

Another week, another podcast... Super stoked to sit down with my mates down under for the 'Bar Karate' podcast. For those of you that don't know this podcast, it's one of the best racing and sailing podcasts out there and i'm honored to join the list of legends that...

I was recently featured on the Latitude 38 magazine Podcast called 'Good Jibes'. You can listen to this episode of the podcast at this link: https://goodjibes.libsyn.com/ronnie-simpson-on-the-global-solo-challenge Or you can get it wherever you get your Podcasts, just...

I've been in Annapolis for nore than two weeks now, and it's again been quite the whirlwind adventure. In some ways Annapolis now feels like home, but as the seasons are changing and the clock is ticking, it also feels like time to go and keep on moving. The boat show...

As of this writing, Sparrow is now in Annapolis, Maryland and will soon be on display on the docks at the nation’s largest boat show. Sponsors are coming onboard, new gear is being installed and we had a great run down the coast from New York so needless to say,...

After a long upwind beat, Sparrow is now in Jersey City, New Jersey; just across the Hudson River from Manhattan and about 1.25 miles from the Statue of Liberty. Being here is a huge highlight for me, I haven’t been here since I was a child and the energy of this...

Newport, Rhode Island – Just two weeks after our initial week of sea trials in Maine, s/v Sparrow has now made her way south to Newport, Rhode Island! The first offshore leg of this entire campaign, myself and two crew sailed Sparrow about 300 nautical miles from...

Portland, Maine – The newly formed Sparrow Sailing Team successfully conducted their first week of sea-trials for next year’s Global Solo Challenge race last week, just offshore of Portland, Maine. Based at the Maine Yacht Center, the Open 50 class racing yacht has...