A retirement hobby has turned into a successful and growing business for Hutt Valley couple, Margie Petherick and Robert Baldock.
Shipwreck Trading, on the Seaview Marina, sells salvaged marine items and is finding customers all over the world.
Robert and Margie live on an old tuna trawler permanently berthed on Wellington Harbour.
Photo: Supplied
“We retired form our main business and sold it and I asked Margie could we down size onto a boat rather than go to some sort of retirement village
“She agreed to give me one year on a boat and if we survived one year without killing each other we’d carry on.”
A visit to India sparked an idea to expand on the maritime lifestyle, he says.
Photo: Supplied
“I went off to India to have some dental work done and while I had time on my hands I went to the ship yards and started buying up ship salvage.
“When I came back I thought what a great retirement hobby to do, to sell ship salvage from India and Bangladesh and collectibles.”
Although they live on the boat, the business is nearby on dryland. The shop sells maritime ephemera scoured from all over the world, Robert says.
“We sell things like portholes and ships’ wheels and barometers and clocks
“A lot of ships’ lighting now goes into homes because of that industrial feel that people are creating in their homes.”
He says there is a fascination for marine salvage, just recently they sold a 400-year old cannon ball, people are also buying old sextants and they even turn old ships’ flags into cushions.
“We’ve sold some very interesting stuff there was an 1860 French admiral’s hat the other day and an 1890 fire rescue helmet last week.
Photo: Supplied
“We’ve just sold a big model aeroplane to Switzerland things are going all over the place which is great.”
The business keeps them busy which suits Robert fine, he says.
“I don’t know what the word retirement means really, I think living life is enjoying life and having a passion and doing things you enjoy.
If you enjoy working like I do, and we just love the buzz of doing new things, just keep at it I reckon.”
And it’s now five years since they moved onto the boat. Margie has “fallen in love with the lifestyle”, Robert says.
“Seaview Marina’s just an amazing place to be there’s 90 live-a-boards down here, so there’s quite a community around the water.”
Photo: Supplied
