Sailing Readiness
The readiness of crew and vessel is essential to our sailing success in heavy weather. Paul Exner’s SV Solstice is photographed here traversing Hawaii’s Alenuihaha Channel, flying a balanced sail plan for the gusty conditions. NOTE: Storm Trysail is bent to the mast (see yellow sail bag), ready to be deployed if stronger winds inflict their fury.
Heavy Weather Mastermind — a full-spectrum exposé on heavy weather preparedness for sailboat owners — guided expertly by Paul Exner via virtual bootcamp sessions, accountability-partnerships, and homework actions.
Comprehensive 9-Week Mastermind — open to any sailor seeking to prepare themself to achieve Total Readiness and enhance their sailboat for improved-handling under extreme conditions.
Schedule: Oct. 8 to Dec. 17, 2025 — meets weekly.
Powerful Testimony
MIKE ARNTZ — Alenuihaha / Dec. 2023
“Sailing across Hawaii’s Alenuihaha Channel in heavy weather was by far the most extreme thing I've done.
I've climbed mountains, backcountry skied, navigated open water up in Alaska; but, if you asked me if I'd ever done anything as extreme as this — the answer is no.”
DAVE GOOCH — Mastermind / Fall 2023
“The Mastermind was worth every penny, every hour that I spent — because, it's more than just these twelve weeks, I’ll benefit from this for years to come!
You showed me a lot that I wouldn't have figured out on my own…”
GRANT ARNTZ — Alenuihaha / Dec. 2023
“The Heavy Weather Mastermind has changed sailing for me — I see it completely differently now. Crossing the Alenuihaha Channel was truly humbling — it's not something to mess around with; you wanna take all these steps that you've taught us. If we do end up in a situation similar, we now know how to control ourselves and control the situation as best we can.”
What’s a Mastermind?
A proper Mastermind fosters collaborative-learning among participants who learn from each other while striving individually to achieve a similar objective.
The Mastermind promotes deep-learning and emphasizes the participant’s need to make appreciable progress.
On the other hand, a MasterClass offers fast-instruction taught from hard outlines without participant interaction. MasterClass Sailing Courses only present a cursory overview of a topic, leaving students wishing for more, feeling swindled after paying $99 to join a marketing mailing list.
RICK PAUL — Alenuihaha / Dec. 2023
“It's incredible to experience unrested seas, and see us getting hit by a major wave — a wave bigger than the boat! My nephew was on the tiller in the thick of it with Paul right by his side, which I loved seeing. Paul is a great teacher… Our relationship with Paul should be a relationship we have for the rest of our lives, I hope it lasts for as long as I'm able to live.”
SCOTTY ZIMMERMAN — Alenuihaha / Nov. 2023
“I’m more engaged with everything in my life: conversations, doing my swimming, or just out and about. The Mastermind also helped me find what I am not — and, that's a positive statement being 70 years old.
Crossing the Alenuihaha Channel was a life changing experience. Not just for me, but for everybody at that. We were held to a task and we completed it! The camaraderie that develops between us — we're like brothers — we got each other's backs!”
RYAN WELTER — Mastermind / Fall 2023
“I've read a lot of books, listened to a lot of podcasts; but, the kind of the substance we're discussing in the Mastermind is just massive — it's better — it's interactive!
Being able to discuss this stuff and hear how you think about it gives me a ton of confidence in how to approach getting my Cape George 36 ready to bring back to Southern California from Hawaii.
The Mastermind has been absolutely amazing. Seriously!”
Personal Sailing Everest
“To conquer heavy weather — you must “own” the fundamentals of extreme sailing, found by training vigorously for it, and gained only by taking responsibility for your actions immersed in sea-experience.” Paul Exner
ANDY BUSALACCHI — Alenuihaha / Dec. 2022
“It’s hard to put into words… If I don’t prepare for heavy weather not only do I put myself at risk, but everybody that I’m sailing with too. I told myself: now’s the time to sit down, study, and understand how to thrive in extreme conditions. The Heavy Weather Mastermind really helped me put those pieces together. Now, after crossing the Alenuihaha Channel I feel like I can handle anything.”
TODD TISOSKY — Mastermind / Fall 2022
“We have so many more options now… Looking back, it feels like we weren’t even sailing before going through the Heavy Weather Mastermind; the course opened our eyes to all the possibilities to sail various trips. We definitely learned how to prioritize the refit projects on our Pretorian 35 and make the best use of our time and funds. I’m more prepared to go out there and sail safely.”
ZAC MADDRY — Alenuihaha / Dec. 2022
“I walked into the Mastermind as someone who bought a boat to sail great distances. The weekly sessions motivated me to familiarize myself with Paul’s teachings, knowing I’d be expected to contribute during the sessions at some point. This made me stretch myself and fill-in the gaps in my knowledge. The participants were totally engaged in this advanced topic — directly applicable to my sailing goals.”
Heavy Weather Mastermind
TAKE ACTION — prepare for Total Readiness.
9-Week Mastermind — open to any sailor seeking to prepare themself for heavy weather and enhance their sailboat for improved-handling under extreme conditions.
Leading the way in storm preparedness education — Everest-level attempts to cross Hawaii’s Alenuihaha Channel as hands-on case studies reveal exactly how to apply the learned-methods in practice.
Develop solid plans — participants apply everything learned during the mastermind by undertaking a real-world sailing mission that tests and proves Total Readiness.
LIVE MASTERMIND CASE STUDY: Cross Hawaii’s Alenuihaha Channel w/ Paul Exner
The Alenuihaha Channel is a proving ground for mastermind methods.
The Alenuihaha a place where sailors rely entirely upon their own analysis of the oceanographic circumstances they will face — it’s a place where Gale-driven conditions are typical, and official forecasts are often incorrect.
Sailing Mastermind
Complete training for heavy weather sailors…
Comprehensive 9-Week Mastermind
Schedule: Oct. 8 to Dec. 17, 2025 — meets weekly.
