Experience Episodes
Hurricane Michael and the Compassionate Captain
If I suggested that you spend nine months away from home and family and sail 32,000 miles around the world the hard way around (ie against prevailing winds and currents), what would you say? And suppose I then told you that eight of your crew had never sailed before and, by the way, Hurricane Michael would be waiting to greet you?
Well, that’s what happened to adventurer, author and - to some - mad person Manley Hopkinson. As one of the skippers in the 2000-01 BT Global Challenge, th…
The Good, the Bad and the TV Anchor
If you ever seriously considered a career as a TV Anchor, you had better listen to this episode first. Elizabeth Pearson Garr has been there. After growing up at Stanford and studying at Harvard, she ventured out to the wilds of Billings, Montana to become a TV anchor for KULR-8, an NBC affiliate. Within a few hours of her first day, the noon anchor went off sick and Elizabeth was reading the news - for the first time! Spoiler alert: it didn’t all go to plan. Listen in to a hilarious day in …
Inhuman Trafficking
WARNING: Today’s episode contains adult themes, specifically sex trafficking and human trafficking, so please take that into account.
Amanda Blackwood is a gem. She’s fun. She’s full of life. She’s also a survivor of human trafficking. Amanda engages in a raw and intimate conversation about her experiences of forced drug prescriptions as a child, subsequent sexual abuse by strangers and relatives, and repeated trafficking by men she thought she could trust.
Amanda talks about…
Twenty-two Black Arrows
In 1958, Sir Patrick Hine was part of a team of elite RAF pilots, the Black Arrows, who broke the world record for an aerobatic display manoeuvre that has never been equalled - and might never be. The Black Arrows performed a 22-plane loop twice in front of a euphoric Farnborough Air Show crowd. Sir Patrick later became Air Chief Marshal of the RAF and Joint Command of the British Forces in the 1990 Gulf War, but looks back at that 1958 feat with great pride and considers it one of his proud…
Our Blue Planet Up Close and Personal
Documentaries such as Blue Planet and The Great Reef have brought new wonder and awareness into our living rooms. Former Royal Navy underwater bomb disposal expert turned submarine pilot Mark Taylor now explores the planet's oceans as an integral part of the subsea documentary filmmaking community. He has seen eels dip into lakes 750 metres under the ocean, witnessed mud volcanoes on the sea floor and come face to face with a giant squid 10 metres long with eyes the size of basketballs.…
Operation Clinker
In October 1988, the Hong Kong police executed Operation Clinker and achieved the largest ever drug haul in Hong Kong history. Bill Renwick was undercover with the team of four who heroically overcame two of the drug syndicate on a ketch somewhere on the edge of the South China Sea. Think of The French Connection meets Popeye with a sprinkling of Keystone Kops, and you have all the ingredients for this fabulous story.
PERSONAL COMMENT
Bill tells an incredible story of derring-do w…
Outback Odyssey
Can you imagine a silence so intense that brushing your teeth could be painful? Argentinian-born Nico Marino is a traveller. It’s in his roots. Having travelled on his bicycle across Europe, Asia and Africa, he decided to settle in Australia. To get to know his new homeland, he decided to go for a bike ride - from West to East - Perth to Sydney - right across the heart of the Australian Outback. An Outback Odyssey. He experienced a heightened awareness of the emotions we take for granted - f…
Vietnam War: Helicopters and History
It's 1968. The Vietnam War is at its fiercest. Robin Bartlett is a platoon leader with the U.S. 1st Air Cavalry Division. Robin’s platoon is deployed on regular helicopter combat assaults, sometimes twice a day. Getting into the Landing Zone is perilous - so is getting out. Robin recounts the day when his helicopter had ascended to 1500 feet, received gunfire and then moments later, the engine cut out. What followed was pure terror.
It was a pleasure to welcome Robin back after …
Donut Dollies
During the Vietnam War, a group of courageous women embarked on an extraordinary mission to uplift the spirits of American troops stationed far away from their loved ones. The Donut Dollies. With unwavering bravery, they ventured into war zones armed only with warm smiles. Their story often goes unheard, but not for my guest today, Penni Evans, who left college at the end of December 1969 to find herself in Vietnam by the March of 1970. She was 22.
Penni had so many stories to tell, …
Parachute Roulette
At 22, Brad, an Aussie thrill-seeker, invited his family to watch his first skydiving experience. It was nearly his last. The thrill turned to panic as the first parachute failed to open. Then the unthinkable happened and panic became terror. The reserve parachute also failed to open. Brad and his instructor were plummeting to earth at terminal velocity.
Brad’s is a miraculous survival story. In fact, he talks about how old Brad died that day. Brad before the accident doesn't ex…
Access Denied: The Kursk Submarine Rescue Story
In August 2000, the Russian nuclear-powered submarine Kursk sank in the Barents Sea, resulting in the loss of all 118 crew members. At the time, the UK Royal Navy's submarine rescue team was one of the best-equipped in the world, and they offered their services to help save the trapped crew. Access was denied. Today’s guest, Mark, was part of that team.
Mark has led a colourful life, which has generally involved putting his life in danger for a cause. He tells his story with unn…
Date Me
Dating can be hard enough. But imagine you had been involved in a life-changing accident, were adapting to a new life in a wheelchair and were ready to pick up from where you left off with… boys. Date Me is such a story of a young girl who experiences the highs and lows of human interaction. Find out how she takes back control.
If you’re feeling a little sorry for yourself right now, listen in to this episode for a pick-me-up. Kristin has endured more than most in her life to date. P…
Repeatedly Dead Fred
Cats have 9 lives. Fred Rutman has at least 20. One night in May 2009, he died - three times. That summer, he died another 17 times. Find out how this incredible story led to a new life of intermittent fasting. You will be surprised at the results.
Fred has certainly gone through the mill in his lifetime. He has managed to turn adversity into something very positive. His discovery of intermittent fasting as a new way of life was fascinating. His eloquence particularly struck me on th…
Double Trouble
Can you imagine what it’s like to breathe through someone else’s lungs? Alastair Henry does. In 2020 he had a double lung transplant at the age of 75. He’s only too aware of his responsibility to the donor, to make the best of this gift of extra life. Alastair shares his story and thoughts on organ donation.
Personal comment:
It was great to have Alastair back on the podcast. You may remember him from Episode No. 9 - Awakening in the Northwest Territories where he shared an extrao…
Secondhand Embarrassment
Have you heard of secondhand embarrassment? Imagine you’re sitting on a train next to a toilet with an automatic opening door. And then, for no reason, it starts to open. Think this could never happen?
If you’re going to ask others to sharing stories, then it is only fair if you share a story yourself. So, here goes - this is my first personal story on Batting the Breeze. I hope you like it.
Next week's episode
[Episode 12] Winston Churchill's Last Bodyguard - Ha…
Awakening in the Northwest Territories
If you’ve retired, are nearing retirement or have ever considered what life looks like after work, you may want to listen in. Alastair Henry provides an alternative to seeing out your days cutting grass and playing golf. And if you haven’t contemplated any of this, well listen in anyway. It’s a charming story.
Thank you Alastair for providing me with a smile and an insight into life well north of the 49th parallel. It's been a pleasure to listen in.
Connect with Alastair…
From Belarus with Love
At the last count, 221 million people have migrated, ie moved from their “country of usual residence”; that’s 3.5% of the world’s population. Of these, just short of 80 million were forcibly moved from their homes as refugees, asylum seekers, or internally displaced. But there are many that move to join their families, to study or to seek a new life. I was lucky enough to catch up with one such person seeking a new life. She’s a gem.
Thank you Varvara for sharing your story with me. …
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
My guest today ran for the UK parliament in 2019. Spoiler Alert - he didn't get in! That was the year when the UK was devouring itself on the subject of Brexit. Listen to his hilarious account of fighting to become an MP and find out what advice he would give to anyone thinking of doing the same. [WARNING: This episode includes 1 expletive at 06:57]
A big thank you to Edward, we had a scream putting this episode together. It just proves that you can inject humour into politics b…
Marsy's Law
Listen to the tragic story of a young man and his family, and how the law fails families like this time after time. Also, listen to his subsequent fight for justice and find out how you could play a small part in helping. [WARNING: Contains adult themes.]
It has been a pleasure and a privilege to talk with David. He speaks with such strength and dignity for a man who has experienced such a devastating loss. I wish him, his family and all the Marsy's Law teams across the USA the …
Misfit in Hell to Heaven Expat
Have you ever had that experience where life was ticking over quite nicely, and everything felt normal? And then something happened, and suddenly life wasn't normal anymore. What about if that something was that you died?
AUDIOCLIP FROM MISFIT IN HELL TO HEAVEN EXPAT
It's hell in there...
You can find an extended version of this episode at:
youtube.com/@battingthebreeze
Thanks to Kathy for sharing a fantastic experience. If you would like to know more …
A Child's Eye View of World War II
On the 3rd September 1939, Neville Chamberlain broadcast the news that Britain was at war with Germany. Accounts of war time have been well documented, but what was it like for the children living under the constant threat of German bombers?
Enid Bottle was five years old on that day. Now eighty-eight years old and living in the South of England, she recalls vivid memories as if they were yesterday.
This was a memorable episode. Partly because it was our first proper episode,…