Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 357 is my conversation with Capt. Rick Moore, the sailor behind the YouTube channel Sailing with Captain Rick, which has grown to around 130,000 subscribers. We get into how he started uploading sailing videos when YouTube first launched as the recession was setting in, why YouTube invited him into its early partner program, how he obsessively studied the analytics to grow, and what it takes to build a sustainable life around sailing, chartering, and video.
Listen now: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube · Press play in the player above to watch.
Capt. Rick Moore is a sailor, charter captain, and content creator behind the YouTube channel Sailing with Captain Rick, which has roughly 130,000 subscribers. He sails the waters between the United States and Canada, charters, and has built one of the longer-running sailing channels on YouTube.
Sailing with Captain Rick is Rick Moore's YouTube channel documenting his life on the water, sailing, seamanship, storm tactics, and the realities of sustaining a sailing lifestyle. The channel has grown to around 130,000 subscribers over many years of consistent posting.
Rick started posting videos when YouTube first launched, originally just needing a place to host clips he could not put directly on his website. As the recession set in, he leaned harder into the platform, studied the analytics closely, and was eventually invited into YouTube's early partner program, building his audience steadily over time.
YouTube approached Rick when it was setting up its new partner program because it wanted established creators involved in building the program. His videos were already pulling tens of thousands of views, and he became one of the early creators monetizing through YouTube.
Rick talks about how long-distance sailors sustain themselves, stay safe, and stay sane on the water, including storm tactics and the practical realities of living the sailing life. He shares the freedom he finds in being out on his own and what it took to make it a career.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 357 with Capt. Rick Moore is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and iHeartRadio. The video version is embedded at the top of this page.
I have spent years building audiences online, so I am always interested in people who figured it out early and stuck with it. Rick was on YouTube almost from the beginning, building a sailing channel one video at a time until it reached 130,000 subscribers. I wanted to understand how he thought about the platform when almost nobody else did, how he kept going through the lean years, and how the channel fits into a life actually spent sailing and chartering. Press play in the YouTube player at the top of this page.
Rick started using YouTube simply because he needed somewhere to host videos he could not put on his website. Then the recession hit and the platform became something much bigger. He describes that early period, when a single video could rack up tens of thousands of views, and how he realized this could become a real thing. Listen to that section in the player above.
When YouTube built out its early partner program, it reached out to established creators to help shape it, and Rick was one of them. He explains what that invitation meant, how monetization changed his approach, and why being early mattered so much. If you care about the history of online creators, this is the part to hear.
Rick got deep into the statistics, tracking what viewers watched, where they dropped off, and what emotions drove them to react. He treats audience behavior almost like a science, and he breaks down what he learned about keeping people watching. Press play in the YouTube player above.
Beyond the channel, Rick lives the life he films, sailing back and forth to Canada, chartering, and staying out on the water as long as he can. He talks honestly about how sailors sustain themselves, stay safe, and stay sane, including real storm tactics. Listen to how he describes it in the episode.
Listen to the full conversation: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · or watch in the YouTube player at the top of this page.
What I admire about Rick is the patience. He did not chase a trend, he found a platform early and built on it steadily for years until it became something substantial.
If you are interested in the long game of building an audience, the realities of the sailing life, or just want to learn from someone who has been doing this since the beginning, this conversation is for you.
Press play in the player above, or grab Episode 357 on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
The Tom Rowland Podcast brings you long-form conversations with the most accomplished anglers, hunters, conservationists, and outdoor professionals in the game. Listen to every full-length Tom Rowland Podcast interview.
Capt. Rick Moore · Sailing with Captain Rick · YouTube · YouTube Partner Program · Canada · sailing and chartering
Capt. Rick Moore is a sailor, charter captain, and content creator behind the YouTube channel Sailing with Captain Rick, which has grown to roughly 130,000 subscribers. An early YouTube creator invited into the platform's first partner program, he documents sailing, seamanship, and the realities of life on the water while sailing between the United States and Canada.
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