Refit Diaries: 10/19/2025 – 10/26/2025 Despite being the exact same model number, it has slightly different dimensions. We drove to the boat to evaluate the[…]

Refit Diaries: 10/12/2025 – 10/19/2025  We mapped out a spot for three 24V 340Ah LiFePO4 batteries by NZ Lithium using the empty shells they shipped us.[…]

Refit Diaries: 10/05/2025 – 10/12/2025 After waiting on the carpenter for several weeks, we decided to complete the owner’s cabin demolition ourselves. Ray removed all the[…]

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

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[…]

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

Although it was spectacular to witness, there can be negative environmental implications, like disrupting marine food chains and clogging intakes for cooling systems in… (read

The sea state began to calm down the following morning. As the wind died, we dropped the sails and started our engines. A pod of[…]