About our boat
S/Y Cloud Nine
Built by Bowman Yachts in 1975
Cloud Nine is 57 feet long
Cloud Nine is a beautiful Bowman 57-cutter ketch. We purchased her in 2014 and have sailed 15,000+ nautical miles during our possession.
Under the ownership of Roger Swanson, Cloud Nine was the first American sailing vessel to complete the journey through the Northwest Passage, sailing east to west in one year, and holds the US record for this accomplishment.
Cloud Nine has sailed around the globe 3 times.
She is one of 14 Bowman sailing yachts.
Using a boat for ministry
Since 2014, we have dedicated ourselves to serving the isolated communities of the South Pacific with our vessel, Cloud Nine. For over seven years, we navigated the remote islands of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, bringing hope and compassion to each community we visited. Now, God has led us to the island nation of Fiji. After 3 years of nearly full-time work on a pretty major refit we have begun serving the remote people of Fiji. We invite you to join us on this significant and transformative journey.
Owning a boat = work
As you can imagine, maintaining a boat in saltwater is no small task. In the Marshall Islands, where marinas and marine stores are nonexistent, we relied on online orders and the support of friends to keep everything running smoothly. In 2021, it became clear that it was time for Cloud Nine to go to dry dock for a much-needed upgrade. After a challenging 23-day sail to Fiji, we began extensive renovations, including removing the teak deck, replacing the rigging, and port holes, and painting the boat, new sails made, all while continuing to do ministry on the island of Viti Levu. Now after a trip to New Zealand, we were able to install a new Beta 90hp engine along with a rebuilt transmission and exhaust system. Although owning a boat is challenging at times, it is the best way to reach the isolated island communities of the South Pacific. For every dollar that comes as a general donation basically 10% of that goes into the boat fund for continued work.
