Status Updates From Maxwell's Conundrum Relativity

In the boat reference frame the distance from its back to the dock is contracted. OK, but then he subtracts the boat length to find the distance to the dock. No, the front and back are separate events in space-time. The distance from the front to the dock must be calculated separately. The distances don't add up because they occur at different times. I get the light reaching the boat front before the dock, not after.

I think this example is wrong. A boat travels at half the speed of light toward a dock. Does a light beam from the back of the boat reach the front before the boat reaches the dock? In the reference frame of the dock, the boat length is contracted. OK, but the distance to the boat must also be contracted, not increased by subtracting the shortened boat. There is nothing special about the space occupied by the boat.