That's when I was introduced to the world of wooden boats, and I was immediately taken with them, smitten with them, boat struck, you might say.

This season of On the Wind is sponsored exclusively by Dakota Lithium, a lithium battery company based out of North Dakota where the winters can get cold.

Up there on the Great Plains, the landscape can be unforgiving, high winds, deep snow,

long nights. Dakota lithium was born out of this rugged landscape, a battery designed to endure

to help you do what you love longer, a battery made to last. Dakota lithium has harnished the power

of lithium chemistry and combined it with North Dakota grit to build you a better battery. Their lithium chemistry is the Lifepo4, sometimes you've seen it referred to as. It's basically

lithium iron phosphate, which is different from the batteries in your phone or computer and safer

for use in marine applications. In fact, I just put 200 amp hours of Dakota lithium batteries on Spica, our little boat here in Sweden,

and we are gearing up to do a lithium battery conversion on Ice Bear sometime over the next year or two whenever we can fit it in our season.

So check out Dakota Lithium.com. They have an interesting origin story and it's an American company and really cool

people to work with. We've enjoyed working with them on Spica and on Ice Bear. Thanks again to

Dakota Lithium for sponsoring this season of the podcast. Again, check them out at dakotalithium.com.

You're listening to On the Wind, the podcast about offshore sailing.

I'm your host, Emma Garshaghan.

Nat Benjamin is a sailor and yacht designer who owns and operates Gannon and Benjamin

Marine Railway,

an iconic haven for wooden boats in Martha's Vineyard.

Nat and his partner Ross Gannon founded the Boatyard in 1980, where they have built everything

from 8-foot tenders to a 65-foot schooner, all made with traditional plank-on-frame construction. I was lucky enough to work at the boatyard a few years ago, and I got to talk to Nat this week.

And I like to start these by just asking you to describe the setting of where you are, like where you're sitting, just what it looks like around you.

Sure.

I'm at home in my little design office here.

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