Refit Diaries: 10/26/2025 - 11/2/2025 Their attention to detail and precise prep work paid off when the crane arrived and removed the generator, boom, and mast in under an hour. It could not have gone smoother. We now have... (read more)…
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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 gaping hole it will eventually reside in. Unfortunately... (read more)…
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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. This allowed Ray to precisely cut a space for them to sit under our bed. We promptly shipped the shells back to them to be filled with the actual b…
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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 screws he could access, but because the bed was put together before it was put into the boat, many of... (read more)…
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This checklist is designed to help streamline the foreign yacht clearance process in New Zealand, based on our firsthand experience in September 2025.…
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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 based on our firsthand experience visiting in 2025.…
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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 fear that we were making the wrong decision… (read more)…
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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 more)…
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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, Holly.” 😂 What an incredible moment! The whale slowly swam around our bow, eventually disappearing into the darkness… (read more)…
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