This checklist is designed to help streamline the foreign yacht clearance process in New Zealand, based on our firsthand experience in September 2025. 

Early and ad-free video for Crew and VIPs!

This guide is designed to help sailors navigate the logistics of cruising in Tonga: from checking in and out, to provisioning, refueling, and more. It’s[…]

An ad-free version of this week’s YouTube video for our beloved Crew and VIPs.

It was a whirlwind of discomfort: enduring bone-chilling temperatures at the helm overnight, battling difficult and rapidly changing conditions, and wrestling with the constant underlying[…]

In this post, we detail the timeline and decision-making process we experienced aboard our sailboat in Tonga during the July 2025 tsunami warning… (read

Ray’s phone fell out of his jacket pocket and into the ocean while trying to start the dinghy. I dove down to retrieve it, and…[…]

Five of our favorite boat-friendly sourdough recipes you can make with minimal effort and equipment!

Ray warned me that the boat could get jostled if the whale decided to nudge us, and “I just need you not to fall overboard,[…]

We paid $115 to check into Tonga at Niuatoputapu. Since the island has no bank, we could not get local currency to pay the fee[…]