A boat can carry years of work, journeys, friendships, and family memories. Letting it go can be about much more than finding a buyer.
We’re building a way for owners and families to find people who want to care for, restore, maintain, and use a vessel. And when a boat cannot reasonably be restored, we want owners to have a clearer path toward responsible retirement.
The owner’s choice stays at the center.
No public asking-price inventory. No bidding. No boat-transfer commission. Just thoughtful introductions, honest information, and room for owners to decide whom they trust.
How This All Began
OUR STORYI first learned to sail in the U.S. Virgin Islands with friends who were experienced captains. Eventually, I joined them for a voyage of more than 500 nautical miles through the Caribbean.
I still remember the moment the diesel engines shut down, the sails filled with wind, and everything went quiet. Just the sound of the water against the hull and the wind moving us forward. I was hooked.
Ever since, I've dreamed of finding a boat of my own, bringing her back to life, and eventually sailing her across oceans.
But somewhere along the way, as I started searching boatyards, talking to owners, and looking at boats that had been sitting for years, something occurred to me.
Behind many of these boats is a story. Years of adventures, hard work, memories, and someone who once loved that boat enough to make her part of their life.
And sometimes, for one reason or another, that chapter comes to an end.
I started wondering how many of those boats might find a second life if the right person simply knew they existed.
That's where Pass the Helm came from.
The idea is simple: help good boats find people who will appreciate them, care for them, and take them somewhere new.
Because sometimes the best thing you can do for a boat you've loved is pass the helm to someone who will love her next.