Salt & Tar: Ep.360- Good News

Across more than a decade of maritime exploration and timber craftsmanship, Salt & Tar has chronicled an inspiring return to traditional wooden boatbuilding and unhurried coastal voyaging. Helmed by Garrett and Ruth Jolly, the odyssey began on an overgrown hillside in Washington state, where the couple spent seven years hand-building Rediviva, a 35-foot gaff-rigged ketch crafted from Pacific Northwest Douglas fir, copper, and bronze. What originated as a shoestring ambition to construct an authentic ocean-going working vessel gradually evolved into an inspiring passage along the Pacific coast and into the remote anchorages of Mexico’s Sea of Cortez.

Following eleven years of continuous public documentation that commenced with their first online transmission in September 2015, Garrett and Ruth reached a profound personal and maritime crossroads. Navigating intense family loss, achieving complete sobriety, and committing to parenthood compelled the artisans to reevaluate their cruising lifestyle. Rather than abandoning their hand-hewn ketch, the sailors engineered an inspired two-boat voyaging expansion: preserving their beloved vessel while acquiring a classic offshore cruiser for their growing family.

Catalyst for Change: Sobriety, Renewal, and Family Foundations

Garrett and Ruth Jolly of Salt & Tar reached a defining milestone that reshaped their commitment to their hand-built wooden boat Rediviva and their maritime homeport near Port Townsend and Puget Sound in Washington, United States. Caring for Garrett’s father through his final illness over two years served as an urgent wake-up call regarding health, longevity, and life priorities. Stepping away from cruising in Mexico to work land-based jobs revealed how exhaustion and alcohol had quietly drained their momentum, prompting Garrett to choose total sobriety, with Ruth joining him a month later.

Now well over a year sober, the couple regained physical energy, emotional clarity, and a renewed devotion to their marriage. An arduous engine refit in Puerto Peñasco and a rough passage against seasonal Nortes proved to be their most rewarding cruise yet. With clarity came purpose: Ruth’s long-held dream of motherhood took center stage, and the couple committed to starting a family immediately, recognizing that voyaging and parenthood could harmonize.

The Rigors of Tradition: Working Deck Hardware on a Gaff-Rigged Ketch

For Garrett and Ruth of Salt & Tar, sailing their 35-foot wooden boat Rediviva across Puget Sound and the breezy maritime passages of Port Townsend, Washington, in the United States has always demanded unflinching physical seamanship. Built by hand, the traditional gaff ketch features heavy block-and-tackle halyards, solid Douglas fir spars, and running backstays that must be shifted manually on every tack. The physical exertion required to manage such a rig is considerable for two agile adults but presents severe safety and logistical challenges when caring for an infant or young toddler at sea.

Belowdecks, Rediviva’s open-plan layout functions as minimalist camp cruising. Without separate cabins, closing doors, or dedicated nursery space, managing an active baby while handling heavy lines on a pitching foredeck is impractical. Offshore voyaging with a family requires protected watch positions, reliable shelter, and a more forgiving sail plan that allows one parent to safely operate the vessel alone.

Timber Preservation: Douglas Fir Longevity Across Changing Climates

The shipwrighting philosophy practiced by Garrett and Ruth of Salt & Tar centers on timber science developed while building their wooden boat Rediviva in Port Townsend, near Puget Sound, Washington, United States. Sourced from local forests, Rediviva’s Douglas fir hull and sawn frames thrive in cold, moist northern climates. However, maintaining native softwood planking in hot, high-salinity waters like the Sea of Cortez accelerates seam shrinkage and risks teredo worm infestation, demonstrating the principle that wooden hulls endure best in the climate where their timber grew.

Preserving a carvel-planked hull requires constant attention to cotton caulking, pitch seams, and annual antifouling. Returning Rediviva to the cool Pacific Northwest will keep her planking properly swelled, reducing maintenance burdens and preserving her structural backbone for decades to come.

Introducing Victoria: An Offshore Teak Cruiser Built for Blue Water

Expanding their fleet while safeguarding their hand-built wooden boat Rediviva, Garrett and Ruth of Salt & Tar acquired Victoria, an offshore ketch designed by William Garden, the revered naval architect closely associated with Port Townsend and Puget Sound in Washington, United States. Built in 1975 at the renowned Robin Fung yard, Victoria is a Porpoise-class ketch constructed of solid old-growth Burmese teak over tropical yakal framing, fastened with copper rivets and Monel keel bolts. Garrett was captivated by this exact design at nineteen years old in Mexico, and Victoria now provides the private staterooms, bunks, and standing headroom needed for family cruising.

Discovered in Ensenada during a birthday road trip, Victoria passed an exhaustive survey haul-out with flawless marks. Her dense tropical timbers are naturally impervious to equatorial heat and marine borers, providing an ideal, durable platform for global ocean voyaging.

Two Vessels, Two Climates: Designing a Dual Cruising Strategy

Rather than selling their beloved wooden boat Rediviva, Garrett and Ruth of Salt & Tar created an inspired two-vessel cruising strategy linking Port Townsend and Puget Sound, Washington, United States, to equatorial cruising grounds. Rediviva will return north to serve as a summer cruiser and floating cabin in the woods, exploring the scenic fjords of British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. Meanwhile, Victoria will carry the family on blue-water voyages across the Pacific toward Indonesia.

Before bringing Rediviva north, Garrett and Ruth will complete her refit in Puerto Peñasco and depart in November for a final celebratory season in the Sea of Cortez. This balanced fleet model honors their boatbuilding roots while giving their future family boundless maritime horizons.

Fleet Telemetry and Maintenance: Rediviva Versus Victoria

Comparing structural telemetry and maintenance schedules illustrates how Garrett and Ruth of Salt & Tar balance their wooden boat Rediviva alongside Victoria across operational theaters spanning Port Townsend and Puget Sound in Washington, United States, and tropical waters. The table below outlines key dimensions, timber species, rigging configurations, and maintenance cycles for both traditional craft.

Frequently Asked Questions

Key factual answers regarding Garrett and Ruth Jolly of Salt & Tar, the ongoing preservation of their wooden boat Rediviva, and their dual-vessel lifestyle bridging Port Townsend, Puget Sound, Washington, United States, with blue-water cruising worldwide.