It’s 7am and the sun is already warming the bay off the coast of Paraty, Brazil, where Kiana Weltzien lives anchored aboard her 50-year-old Wharram wooden catamaran, ‘Mara Noka’. For years now, Kiana has voyaged - almost exclusively solo - aboard her weathered wooden friend, the two learning to live together in a form of symbiosis grounded in hard knocks, deep trust, and mutual respect.
Kiana Weltzien. Credit: Alize Jireh/Women & the Wind
We’d pushed this interview back for months now, the preparations for touring Kiana’s upcoming documentary movie, Women & the Wind (which I’ve been producing with the WW team: Kiana, Alize, and Laerke) completely overwhelming both our schedules. In fact, we correspond daily and have been working together for well over a year now. But as digital working relationships often go, it’s been hard to find an excuse to just sit down and have a good ole chat, reminiscent of the kind of non-curated, intimate talks we might have around a campfire.
With Kiana now about to pack up the boat and head off on the movie tour for three months, we got our shit together this morning to finally sat down and commune in this long-form, digital chit chat. For almost two hours we covered a lot - you would think we exhausted all subjects but, alas!, we had to wrap it up (Sahara was returning from creche) with the promise to follow on with a Part Two down the track (recording live in France soon, perhaps?!).
Show Notes
In this raw and unfiltered conversation, Angie sits down with solo sailor Kiana Weltzien to talk about life at sea and living simply aboard her 50-year-old Wharram Designs wooden catamaran 'Mara Noka.' Kiana - speaking from the deck of the boat anchored off the coast of Brazil - shares her experiences crossing the Atlantic Ocean several times (including losing her mast on her first solo crossing!), sailing as creative practice, forming deep bonds with 'Mara Noka', creating the 'Women & the Wind' movie and non-profit Foundation, and where you can catch her IN PERSON at the film's World Premiere Tour (kicking off in April, 2025).
Kiana on the Women & the Wind North Atlantic Crossing. Credit: Alize Jireh/Women & the Wind.
About Fire Pit Talks
Polynesian voyaging canoes (Kiana’s boat is a modern inspired design) boast large, open wooden deck spaces. Some modern builders opt to add deck ‘pods’, but Kiana has kept her deck open and we intend to do the same. A fire pit thus fits nicely in the center, a place to gather around and tell stories at anchor after long voyages. And this is exactly the inspiration behind the name of this new video and audio series, ‘Fire Pit Talks,’ with the guise being a safe and fun space to talk freely.
We are fundraising! You can help support the Floating Stories Lab by buying us a bit of wood, subscribing to our Substack community, donating directly, or becoming a partner. Find out more below.
