Michael Beemer's Blog Posts

As I started this engineering report, we were docked in beautiful Nova Scotia at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. From the moment we arrived, we were met with such warmth and kindness that I almost forgot we were in a foreign port — these folks made it feel like home. The onboard engineer (that

September 26, 2025 As I type this entry, we’re already hugging the western Newfoundland coast. Hard to believe—it’s been just three weeks since we left the ice and cold of the Passage, but they’ve easily been the longest three weeks of the entire trip. Nothing broke, nothing failed, and yet this

As I write this, we’re hunkered down in “False Strait,” waiting out a cocktail of wind and snow. Apparently, the Northwest Passage wasn’t about to let us through without one last frosty initiation—snow, cold, wind, and a little bit of “are we sure this was a good idea?” One Ocean continues to prove

Tuktoyaktuk, August 2025 This is what we’ve been planning for: motoring, waiting, weather, and the occasional “are we there yet?” August has been a full month—plenty of excitement, things to see and waiting for ice, plenty to keep us humble. While our other blogs are full of stories, people, and big

July 2025 Reporting live (well, anchored) off Utqiagvik—formerly known as Barrow—where it’s a brisk 15–20 knots of wind and colder than the inside of a refrigerator. The Arctic seawater is also hovering around 38 degrees, and wind chill representing the inside of a freezer. We had a solid run up

Nome, July 2025 This is the big one. From this point forward, provisioning becomes a logistical art form. The Northwest Passage will take us about two months, and while there are a few remote villages along the way, their supplies are limited (and expensive). We’ll make a couple of fuel stops, but

We had an excellent berth at the Auke Bay Marina, Juneau, AK—complete with a view and a to-do list that that was as long as a Costco receipt. Luckily, we had a few days to tackle it all. The big project—the hurricane furnace exhaust upgrade—was covered in the last report. I’m still smiling about how

We Broke a Winch. Yup. That happened. But hey—what’s an adventure without a little drama? On our way to Haida Gwaii, we set out early hoping to sail the full 80 miles before dark. After a quick motor out of the bay (charging batteries, making water, and checking off our checklist), the breeze filled

It’s been just over two weeks since we cast off, and things are finally “settling in” …maybe — which in nautical terms means the chaos is now somewhat predictable. The to-do list is still longer than security lines at SeaTac, but progress is being made, several projects each day. 🚽 Sanitation: A

As I begin my role as the onboard engineer, I’m still in the process of defining what that truly entails. It will likely take a few weeks to fully understand the scope and rhythm of the work aboard One Ocean. My initial responsibility has been to inspect the various systems and assess their