A smiling Skipper Tapio holding a joyful baby on a sailboat with sails and blue sky in the background.

Tapio Lehtinen is a lifetime sailor and
keenly in love with the Oceans of the World.

I was born 1958 in Helsinki and have been a lifetime sailor since getting my first Optimist dinghy in 1965. I was a keen dinghy sailor during my school years, finishing 4th in the first ever Youth Worlds in 1972 - "I have a bright future behind me". During those years, I also learned keelboat sailing as the family spent summer holidays cruising in the Finnish Archipelago.

As an exchange student in Newport Beach, CA, I also got my first taste of offshore racing, which continued in my late teens in Finland. During my studying years, I sailed my first circumnavigation as the watch captain in the first Finnish Whitbread Round the World entry, Skopbank of Finland, in 1981 and continued ocean racing in double-handed Round Britain and Ireland race, TwoStar transatlantic, and Azores and Back races in the 1980s.

While studying, I also worked as a sailing instructor and charter boat skipper. After graduating, getting married, and subsequently widowed as a young man with two kids, I had limited possibilities for an ocean racing but raced and cruised our classic Six Meter May Be IV for 35 years, sailing only occasionally offshore in the Gotland Runt or Bermuda races.

As my kids grew up, I got heavily involved in youth sailing, e.g., coaching Finnish Opti Worlds and Europeans teams and organizing the imports of 450 Oppies to Finnish sailing clubs and serving a number of years in the board and as commodore of HSS, the second oldest sailing club in Helsinki. My kids ended (for the time being) their active racing careers in the 2012 Olympics, getting graduated and married in their turn. Currently, I am the happy grandfather of three aspiring sailors under 6yo.

In 2018, I got back to ocean racing by participating in the Golden Globe Race nonstop single-handed handed round the world race. In 2022, I competed for the second time in the same race with my boat Asteria, sinking suddenly in the Indian Ocean. In 202,3 I skippered Galiana in the Ocean Globe Race around the world with a young team, selected and trained out of 107 applicants.

You can read about these three races and my sailing career in my three books, "On the Belt of Foaming Seas", "The Last Voyage of Asteria" and "Polestar and Albatross" available through Amazon. And coming onboard Galiana to sail with us, I'll tell you the salty stories of my own and of others as long as you want to listen. I also have a long experience of instructing and coaching and am glad to share the knowledge I have with ones interested.

I claim to have a pretty complete library on sailing and studied those books with much bigger passion than my books at the University of Technology. Speaking of which, I graduated as an M.Sc. Eng, majoring in Production Economics, worked in various positions, companies, and organizations, towards the end of my career as a consultant, mostly facilitating strategy processes and helping in their implementation - to put it in the professional jargon. In practice, working together with people to understand the challenges and possibilities of the companies, making plans of action, and seeing that they get done.

Since 2017, I have been a full time sailor and sailing entrepreneur, enormously enjoying the time spent at sea and also meeting the smart and fun people coming out to sail with us. I have enjoyed nature both at sea and on the oceans, but also in the Finnish Archipelago or Lapland throughout my life. After my first solo circumnavigation in 2018, I have become an ever more fierce environmentalist, having witnessed first hand the state of nature loss in the world's oceans. In my racing projects, I have partnered with companies and organizations that are part of the solution in our transition towards a digital, safe, carbon-neutral world.  

Hear the full story from the man himself!

Tapio is an inspiring speaker for your event.

Tapio has had a successful career as a M.Sc. Eng, Production economies with experience in strategic planning and leading teams in various organisations. He is a lifelong sailor with three and half circumnavigations done and one more planned. He’s been around, so to speak. Tapio sure knows something about being remote, alone, and isolated as well as managing challenging situations.

Always be prepared for the worst. Be scared beforehand, so that you don’t have to be when the going gets tough. Trusting your team, sharing common goals, adapting to new challenges, and finally making your dreams a reality. These are just some of the themes Tapio will be touching on. Not to forget his first-hand experience on the global state of the environment. Tapio has devoted his future to the future of our common planet.

The presentation can be delivered in English, Finnish, or Swedish.

Tapio's Books

  • On a Belt of Foaming Seas: Sailing Solo Around the World via the Three Great Capes in the 2018 Golden Globe Race

    This compelling narrative chronicles Tapio Lehtinen's participation in the 2018 Golden Globe Race, where he faced mechanical breakdowns, weather extremes, and a barnacle infestation that slowed his speed to less than a walking pace. Despite these challenges, Tapio completed the 30,000-mile course in 322 days, finishing fifth. The book offers readers an extraordinary tale of one man's ability to overcome extreme hardship and adversity.

    Available in English on Amazon: On a Belt of Foaming Seas


    Available in Finnish: Yksin seitsemällä merellä

  • The Last Voyage of Asteria

    Description goes hereTapio's second book, co-authored with Ari Pusa, details his 2022 Golden Globe Race experience, which ended dramatically when his boat, Asteria, sank in the Indian Ocean. The narrative delves into the events leading up to the sinking, his survival in a life raft, and the subsequent rescue. This gripping account showcases Tapio's resilience and unyielding spirit.

    Available in English on Amazon: The Last Voyage of Asteria

    Available in Finnish: Selviytyjä - Asteria-veneen viimeinen matka

  • Pole Star and Albatross

    Tapio Lehtinen's latest book, "Pole Star and Albatross," tells the story of passing on the legacy of sailing to the next generation. The book follows Tapio and a crew of young sailors as they prepare and participate in the Ocean Globe Race 2023 aboard Galiana WithSecure. The narrative highlights the challenges, learning experiences, and shared moments during the voyage, offering an inspiring perspective on how experience and passion blend with youthful courage.

    Available soon on Amazon.

    Available in Finnish: Kippari Lehtinen ja uusi sukupolvi