Letters from the Dock Adak: Video Tour Just before leaving Opua, I filmed a tour of Adak while she was still empty and legible. The refit was finished, the interior had not yet disappeared beneath daily life, and it felt important to record the boat before we moved aboard.
Letters from the Dock Farewell Opua Over 51 days in Opua, New Zealand, an entire community helped transform Rosemary from a recently purchased sailboat into an offshore-ready expedition vessel. This is a reflection on the people, craftsmanship, uncertainty, and effort behind preparing for departure into the Pacific.
Letters from the Dock The pre-purchase survey Yesterday, I reluctantly decided to replace Rosemary's anchor. It never came up in the survey. That decision helped me understand something I had missed at the time: interpreting a survey may be the most challenging and least understood part of buying a boat.
Letters from the Dock Rosemary is in Good Hands A note from Rosemary’s former owner captures something difficult to express: the long, uncertain process of learning a boat, and the quiet responsibility of becoming its custodian.
Letters from the Dock The Boat is Up. The Mast Down. On March 30th, Rosemary came out of the water at the Bay of Islands Marina. The hull was dirty, the rigging had to go, and the mast ended up below the keel. The world felt upside down — but then again, we are in New Zealand.
Letters from the Dock I Got a Boat. It Feels Like a Mistake Closing day on a used sailboat isn't what you'd expect. No boardroom, no keys, no instant gratification. Just a 50-page survey report, 108 items to address, a 60-day deadline to leave New Zealand.
Letters from the Dock Viewing at the Dock A quiet first encounter at the dock becomes something larger: not excitement, not certainty, but the sudden awareness that once something becomes real, responsibility follows.
Letters from the Dock What is a Yacht Delivery? From time to time, boats need to be moved, not cruised. The undertaking is never trivial.
Letters from the Dock Meet Rosemary A custom aluminum expedition boat from the Joubert-Nivelt / Meta lineage, closely aligned with the Ice Frontiers mission.
Letters from the Dock Bluewater Sailing: When Insurance and Taxes Set the Course I expected the weather to set the course. I didn’t expect insurance and taxes to do it first.
Letters from the Dock Nine Signs an Owner Is Not Ready to Sell Their Boat The boat of an emotionally unavailable owner is not for sale.
Letters from the Dock Breaking up with Monica A boat’s history determines its fitness for its next missions.
Letters from the Dock Making an Offer An emotionally loaded transaction that almost feels like proposing
