About this episode
When was the last time you followed a spark of curiosity all the way to some distant shoreline? Kiana Weltzien 's ocean adventures began in 2016 when she left her real estate career in Miami for a year of travel. Along the way, she met a mentor and moved onto his boat; a replica Polynesian double-canoe. She sensed that this was her new way of life. In 2018, Kiana acquired her own boat, Mara Noka, a modern Polynesian double-canoe. Despite her limited sailing knowledge, Kiana navigated challenging passages, often sailing alone to avoid the responsibility of others. Kiana crossed the Atlantic to North Florida in late 2020, to begin her 14-month boatyard restoration of Mara Noka. In 2022, she captained the Women + the Wind North Atlantic crossing , her first voyage with a crew. After that, Kiana sailed through Madeira, the Canaries, and Cape Verde, aiming for Brazil. She completed a 43-day solo crossing from Santiago to Ilhabela. We caught up with Kiana remotely from the cabin of her boat in Brazil (the audio is pretty dodgy at times). She talked us through the making of her forthcoming documentary Women and the Wind , the work of life at sea, what drew her to Wharram craft and the challenge of addressing plastic pollution. Send us a text ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter . You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.