Ryan Ellison and Sophie Darsy document cruising and boat work through Ryan and Sophie Sailing.
This profile covers earlier videos, boats and journeys. For current voyages and crew updates, refer to the creator’s latest posts.
In this article
People and background
Ryan Ellison
Sophie Darsy
Ryan is from the United States while Sophie is French, and they met in Sweden in March 2015 and 7+ years later, they’re still thriving!
If you want to see Sophie speaking French, then this is beautiful:
Boats and projects
The boats below are part of the channel’s earlier story; ownership and equipment may have changed since those episodes.
Boat details
Ryan and Sophie Sailing own a 2007 Beneteau Oceanis 40 owner’s version. This is slightly smaller than the first yacht Riley had from Sailing La Vagabonde, but it’s still quite roomy inside as they only have 2 cabins.
Refits and equipment
Upgrades to Polar Seal include:
- 400W walk-on solar panels
- New navigation systems
- New 12v system and lithium batteries
- Brand new sails with blue water upgrades
- Their own DIY Watermaker
Fun fact: Sophie broke the exhaust cover on the aft of the boat. 😄
Journeys and notable episodes
Places in the story
These locations refer to earlier episodes, not a live position.
According to Instagram and YouTube, they are at the Annapolis Boat Show:
Ryan has recently done a solo sail across the Atlantic as you’ve seen on YouTube, and they raised $1,000 for the U.N. through sales of their Explore Humanity T-shirts.
Earlier sailing journeys
They have sailed in:
- The Atlantic
- The Mediterranean
- The United States
Every passage and destination has been done together, apart from the Atlantic crossing.
Collaborations
I have seen them on other YouTube channels including:
- Sailing Millennial Falcon
- 59 Degrees North podcast (one of my favorites and definitely worth listening to!)
Notable episodes
Moments in their journey include:
- Deciding against crossing the Atlantic in a motor vessel (a very sound decision!)
- Ryan crossed the Atlantic solo from Lanzarote, Spain to the Canary Islands
- Encountering a migrant raft between the Canary Islands and Africa
This is the most emotional sailing video I’ve ever seen:
Frequently asked questions
Which boat names appear in the story?
S/V Polar Seal whose home port is Stockholm, Sweden.
Is there a verified net-worth figure?
No verified financial disclosure is cited in this profile. The earlier estimate has been removed because a boat’s value, video views and assumed income do not establish someone’s net worth.
