PNW Boater is someone who lives around the Puget Sound area of Washington State

September 17, 2018October 4, 2018

A New Journey for Us

A New Journey for us as we say Goodbye to Kokomo

Scott and I are embarking on a new journey. This week has been bitter sweet for us, as we said goodbye to our first boat, Kokomo. As we mentioned in our last blog, we accepted an offer on our boat and we closed on the sale, just a few days later.

On the day of closing, Scott and I headed down to the marina to meet the new owners, Lesa and Mike at the boat. Everything about this transaction has not been your typical process. Normally, the broker handles everything from beginning to end. But we met Lesa and Mike the day they made the offer. They had been following our blog (love!!) and were excited to meet us.

We arrived to the marina around 5:15pm and noticed our yacht neighbors, Doug and Jules were not yet back from Canada. They go out for a few months each summer and we wanted to be able to say goodbye. I texted Jules and found out they were coming home in just an hour! Yay. While we were waiting for Lesa and Mike to arrive, I stood on the bow, watching for Jule’s yacht, M/Y Undaunted.

A few minutes later, I noticed coming from the west side of the marina, a very slow moving radar! In the year and half we have been at the marina, we have never had the opportunity to see M/Y Undaunted leave or arrive. It was pretty cool to watch them perfectly dock their boat and using only their engines, not thrusters!

The hand off to the new owners

Soon after, Lesa and Mike arrived to take possession of Kokomo. We took time to show them everything we left for them and where everything was on the boat. They seemed really “giddy” and it reminded me of when we got the keys. Scott and I took one last photo with Kokomo and then with Lesa and Mike.

Scott and I are not only a bit sad about saying goodbye to Kokomo, but we really hate leaving the marina. We’ve made so many friends and they have been so great to us. Plus, the beauty of the marina is something we’ll miss terribly!

Enjoying a Sundowner with Friends

While Lesa and Mike spent time checking everything out on Kokomo, we were invited over to Doug and Jule’s yacht for a glass of wine. What a treat, as Jules opened one of our favorite wines from Garrison Creek Cellars. Jules has boated her entire life and has given us such great advice in looking for our next boat. We watched an amazing sunset as the four of us reminisced about boating stories and our journey that started at Elliott Bay Marina.

Scott and I will be back to the marina and hopefully by Spring. There’s so much to share with you about this and that’s for our blog. As we walked away from the docks, a lone heron sat perched on a rock in the water. A somber ending to a great boating journey.

What’s next and what will the blog talk about?

Our next journey is a big one, so there’s plenty to share. Remember, we sold our home to temporarily live in apartment, to move onto a boat. But we are finding out, it’s not that easy. So be sure to follow us and see what happens next. In next week’s blog, we’ll take you on a tour of the Boats Afloat Show. Cheers, Scott and Ally

Thank you for following us! Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel below.

September 10, 2018October 4, 2018

Boatless in Seattle

It’s Official! We’re Boatless in Seattle

Our boating blog is all about our boating journey and now we are officially boatless in Seattle! Last week, Scott and I accepted an offer from a fantastic couple for our boat Kokomo. It was important to us that we find someone who will take good care of her and really enjoy her the way we have.

They plan on mooring it on Lake Washington and our broker will help them go through the Ballard Locks on the way to her new home. This happened so quick and it looks like we’ll be closing as early as this Tuesday! Since the moorage is paid for this month, we told them they could keep it in the slip if they need time to move it.

Now we have to get it ready for possession

When we bought Kokomo a year and half ago, I shared all of the details and steps in buying a boat. That included not only the documentation and financing, but also buying all of the supplies for it. Here’s that blog.

Luckily, selling the boat hasn’t been as time consuming, but we definitely had to take care of things. We sent our broker all of the documentation including our receipts from the haul-out and our survey. I also made copies for the new owners, as our previous owner kept detailed maintenance records.

Then I had to notify Elliott Bay Marina that we were leaving, as they require 30 days notice. They are sad to see us go and we know we’ll be back sooner than later (I’ll talk more about that later).

What stays and what goes?

We told the new owners that almost all of the supplies, would go with the boat. This included the bedding (except our pillows), all of the galley dishes, utensils & pans, the bbq, cleaning supplies, first aid kit, emergency kit and life jackets (except our inflatable ones).

We had been storing extra cushions and carpets at our storage unit, so we grabbed all of that and headed to the boat last Saturday. Then we had to remove our personal items and food. Turns out we had a lot more stuff than we realized!

What’s next?

Everyone keeps asking us “what happens next?” This is a loaded question really. As I mentioned in our blog about liveaboard marinas, buying a boat that needs moorage is the same dilemma as “what came first? the chicken or the egg?”.

Why do I say that? Well, you can’t buy a boat without having a slip for it and you don’t want to reserve a slip without a boat. Marinas in the Seattle area (especially Elliott Bay Marina) have long wait lists for boats over 50′. Scott and I are not looking for our liveaboard yet. Ideally, our next boat will be around 38′-42′. Since Elliott Bay Marina has a 3-4 month waitlist for 40′ slips, we got on the list right away.

At the same time, we’ve talked about taking the winter off, so we don’t have to pay for moorage. But if we found a boat we could enjoy during the winter, we would definitely buy one before winter. It’s all very complex! Next week is the Boats Afloat Show on Lake Union and so we’ll check out a few things while we’re there.

Saying Goodbye

Oddly enough, it was very somber to clean everything out and say goodbye to Kokomo. This boat gave us some amazing journeys and memories that we’ll never forget.

It’s amazing to realize how much fun we had with family and friends in just eighteen months!

summer night in Kingston — Even with broken fingers, Randy had a great time!

So stay tuned for our next journey! Next weekend, we’ll give you a tour of the Boats Afloat Show! Thank you for following us. Please be sure to subscribe to our blog and YouTube Channel.

Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

Cheers, Scott and Ally

#BoatingJourney

September 6, 2018September 6, 2018

Ballard Locks for the Second Time

Going through the Ballard Locks and touring Lake Washington

Scott and I have never toured Lake Washington on our boat. Last year, this same weekend Scott and I went through the Ballard Locks for the first time. It was a cool experience, but not that fun of a day as Seattle was engulfed in smoke and ash.

One of the things I wanted to do this summer was go back through the locks and enjoy Lake Washington. So this past weekend, we invited our friends Dave & Kathy to join us. The weather was great and not too hot. The Ballard Locks are about 30 minutes from Elliott Bay and the entire round trip, including lunch took about 7 hours as we only traveled 7 knots the entire time.

We left Elliott Bay Marina around 10:45am and as we approached the entrance to the locks, we had a red light, which meant we had to wait. The locks are made up of two locks: Large and Small. Last year we went through the large locks and we were tied up with two boats and there were about twenty boats in the locks with us.

pnw boater hiram chittenden locks — Going through the large locks for the first time 2017

Going through the Locks Again

We only waited about twenty minutes to get into the small locks. We entered with one sail boat and we were the only boats inside the locks. Unlike the large locks, where you need 50′ lines that you throw up to the handlers, the small locks have moving walls. You simply wrap your bow and stern line around the cleat number they assign you and tie it off back at your own cleat.

Once everyone is secured to the wall, they close the gates and begin to fill up the locks. The wall moves up with your boat and you want to keep all hands and fingers away from the wall. Be sure to make sure your bumpers are at the widest point of your boat to protect it (not dock level).

The small locks fill up in about ten minutes and then the handlers will instruct everyone on who can leave first. Since there were only two boats, we all quickly exited and began going towards Lake Union through the Fremont cut.

Going through the Fremont & Montlake Cuts

The speed is limited to a no wake zone through the Fremont Cut, Lake Union and the Montlake Cut. This actually made it a very pleasant trip.

Going thru the Fremont Cut — Going under the Aurora Bridge

It was fun to see everything on Lake Union from the water (versus our apartment). There is so much activity on the lake ranging from Pirate Ship tours, to electric boat rentals and party boats. Lake Union is lined with yachts on all sides too.

Each time a sailboat with a tall mast (like the boat above) goes under a bridge, they sound their fog horn to have them raise the bridge. Most of the footage I took of our trip to Lake Washington was video, which you can watch on our next YouTube episode at the end of this post.

Lunch in Kirkland

The four of us decided to cruise the north end of Lake Washington around Hunts Point and check out the beautiful homes.

Now it was around 1:45pm, so we decided to head to the Kirkland City Dock to tie up and have lunch. Luckily, there were only a few boats on the dock, so there was plenty of space.

We had a great lunch at Cactus and I had an awesome watermelon froze’.

Time to head back

After lunch, we headed back through the Montlake Cut to the locks. Since it was Labor Day weekend, we were not sure if we would have a long wait to get back out. There was a lot of traffic in the cut and as we came around the bend into Lake Union, a giant old ferry was headed right for us! Turns out this boat, Hiyu, is available for rent! How it fit through the Montlake Cut I don’t know!

Just as we passed the ferry boat, we also passed by my new office! Drum roll……I’m so excited to be joining Lake Union Sea Ray as their Marketing Manager. I get to combine my two passions – boating and marketing and I couldn’t be happier!

We arrived to the locks around 4:30pm and just as we arrived, so did the Argosy “Good Times” tour boat. They get first dibs on the small locks, so we had to wait for them to go through first. This took about a half hour. We went in with two other boats and it was a piece of cake!

What a great day!

Scott and I couldn’t have asked for a better day! Great weather, great company and our boat Kokomo did awesome!

This is what boating in the PNW is all about. The beauty of our surroundings and the magical scenery makes everything worthwhile.

As many of you know, our boat Kokomo is for sale and we do have a tentative offer on it. We will be doing a sea trial with the buyers. So stay tuned on our next chapter! (I have to save something for the next blog! LOL)

Here’s Episode #20 of our trip through the locks:

Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Please subscribe to our blog and YouTube channel to stay up to date. Thank you for all of your support! Cheers, Scott and Ally

#BoatingJourney #KokomoSeattle

August 23, 2018August 26, 2018

We Broke Down Inside Our Marina

Our Boat Broke Down Inside Our Marina

This past weekend Scott and I took the boat out for a quick spin on Elliott Bay then it broke down inside our marina! More on that later in this blog. Originally, we had hoped to take it through the locks with friends and spend the day on Lake Washington (Thank God we didn’t do that!). Due to the smoke and haze from all of the forest fires, we decided it wouldn’t be that great of day on the water. So we have been staying in and making dinner at home.

Since it had been a couple of weeks since we had been on the boat, we wanted to clean it and take it for a ride on Elliott Bay, just to keep the engines happy. The waters were so calm – my only caution, is you have to watch for logs! Going across the bay towards West Seattle, there is always a trail of logs (that’s where we hit a huge one last year).

We were almost to Alki Beach, when we were surrounded by logs, so we turned around and traveled towards Harbor Island and Downtown Seattle. Just as we were crossing in front of Harbor Island, a huge freighter was coming in at full speed. It was time to get out of his way and head back to the marina.

Returning to the marina

Scott and I have the same routine (as I’m sure other boaters do) when we come back to the dock. We’ll pull into Smith Cove just outside Elliott Bay Marina, lower our fenders and then head slowly into the marina. We had just entered, when the starboard engine died. (X marks the spot).

To give you some perspective, here’s a photo of what that fairway looks like. This is exactly where we were when the starboard engine quit.

When one of our engines die, an alarm goes off. He immediately attempted to restart it, but it wouldn’t start. It sounded like it was choking – or not getting enough gas. This makes me think it might be the fuel line. Okay, back to the drama! Now we’re in the middle of a busy fairway and we’ve lost an engine AND our power steering. There’s no way, we are going to attempt the “S curve” back to our slip on one engine and no steering. Notice the rocky breakwater wall!

Drama in the marina

Scott managed to turn the boat around and head back to the cove. There we decided to try dock it on the “yacht” dock, the outside of N. Since we have stern drives and no rutter, it was really hard to steer the boat. Scott did a great job approaching N Dock and then lining up the port side to the dock. My job was to catch a cleat with the pole. That sounds easy, until you are traveling fast and trying to stop a 11,000lb boat!

Yes, I did have my Crewfit 35 Sport USCG Life Vest on – safety comes first. As I hooked the cleat, the force nearly threw me overboard so I let go. Great! Luckily, the pole floats and we had another. I knew there was no point in attempting it again without help. At this point, I called the office at Elliott Bay Marina and Jordan the harbormaster answered. I have been working with Jordan on another project, so it was a bit embarrassing to call him about our situation. He immediately sent out a dingy with two dock guys to help tow us to N dock and get the boat secured. A big Thank YOU to the guys for being so quick and helpful! (Again, another reason we love Elliott Bay Marina!).

We also didn’t have a bad neighbor! Check out

Who do you call now?

If you are a smart boater, you have towing insurance with Boat U.S. The first thing I signed up for when we bought Kokomo, was the Unlimited Saltwater Towing Membership – $149/year! Trust me, it’s worth every penny! They asked where we were, what slip were we in and then said they would be here in an hour. Trust me, he arrived exactly 60 minutes later!

While we were waiting, we were entertained by all of the harbor seals. In addition, we could see how rough the waves get when docked on N Dock. Our boat was bobbing wildly. Remember the story about the boat that exploded during a wind storm?

Tim pulled up and told us he wanted to check out our slip first and then come back for us.

When Tim returned, he needed us to turn the boat around. He grabbed our bow lines and I kept the stern lines loose, but secured. Then he secured the port side to the tow boat and Scott jumped on board to the bow. Once we were ready, I jumped on the stern and pushed us off. We both had poles, ready to push off any objects.

Slowly, he moved us into the marina and towards our slip. Tim had called the dockmaster and had help waiting for us at our slip. I tried to video tape the whole event, but I also needed to be safe. So I only got a little bit of footage. The entire feat was truly impressive. Not only did he tow us through the “S curve” fairway, he literally brought us directly into our slip, where we threw the lines to the guys on the dock. In about 5 minutes, we were secured!

Fixing the boat

First thing on Monday, we called Paul, the mechanic who worked on it last Spring during our haul out. He said it sounded like a fuel line issue, but he was booked until September 1st. Since the boat is for sale, we can’t wait that long. Scott then called Lake Union Sea Ray and they sent out a mobile technician on Tuesday to check it out. Lake Union Sea Ray is one of the only Mercury service departments in the area.

Scott called me at work with the news and said it wasn’t good! I braced myself for the bad news and grabbed my checkbook. What do you think was wrong with the engine? Well, to find out, be sure to watch our YouTube episode below. Such is life of a new boater!

We have some more exciting news, so stay tuned for our next blog for a full update. Until then, have a great week and thank you for subscribing to our blog.

Cheers,

Scott and Ally

Be sure to like us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube @BoatingJourney

August 15, 2018August 16, 2018

Boating Journey on YouTube

Did you know we have a YouTube Channel?

Many of our followers don’t realize that we also have a YouTube channel. Scott and I will admit, that we are certainly not “YouTubers”. The objective of both our blog and YouTube channel is simply to document our journey. Along the way, we decided to share it with friends, family and many more.

At the same time, I’m a perfectionist and want to update our channel with higher quality videos and productions. In fact, for my birthday last week, Scott gave me a really fun tool for taking videos with my phone! It’s a DJI Osmo Mobile 2 Handheld Smartphone Gimbal Stabilizer Ultimate Travelers Bundle, which allows me to take more stable videos! I’m so excited to try it out.

Creating our Channel

At first, we posted our early videos on my personal channel and then we created our own channel for Boating Journey. We are trying to grow our subscriber base to over 100, so we can get a custom channel. So please subscribe, if you haven’t already.

Thanks to other videos on YouTube, Scott was able to learn how to change the oil, winterize the dinghy motor and a few other maintenance items. Our goal with our channel is to share operating tips, but also information about different destinations we visit.

Our first videos

When we first posted videos, we hadn’t planned on creating “episodes”. They were merely informational and quick clips, starting with our first trip through Deception Pass.

Scott and I went through Deception Pass for the first time last summer and everyone told us horror stories before hand. So we were pretty nervous, but as you can see it was very smooth.

When we posted our video going through the Ballard Locks for the first time, we decided that would be episode #1. Unfortunately, there was so much smoke, that the video has an eerie feel to it.

Originally, I had posted the video of me docking for the first time on my personal channel and it has over 2000 views! Eventually, I added it to Boating Journey, where it actually belongs. It was such a great day of practicing and I’m glad we decided to capture it. (Notice the first three videos all say “for the first time”?)

Watching episode #2 is why I wanted the Gimbal Stabilizer. This video doesn’t do the scenery justice as it was so incredibly beautiful and festive that night.

Creating Content Videos for Our Viewers

Starting the new year, one of our goals was to make our videos more informative to our viewers. That began with the Seattle Boat Show, which was definitely a rough first attempt to say the least. Again, using the gimbal stabilizer will make such a big difference!

Our most viewed videos have been our haul out series, beginning with our haul out with a broken prop, then checking on the status and bringing the boat home.

After moving into our new apartment, our content changed a bit. We shared videos of our move, getting ready for boating season and touring Seattle.

Destinations

This year, we visited only three ports: Poulsbo, Gig Harbor and Kingston. You can checkout our footage of each of them on our channel. One of our favorite destinations is always Kingston, as it’s close to Seattle and they offer a free concert on the lawn.

So thank you for following our blog and please subscribe and “Like” our videos on YouTube. See the Like and Subscribe Buttons below – simply click on them.

Our next goal is to buy a high quality drone to take more awesome videos too.

Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @BoatingJourney. Stay tuned for the next update – so much is happening right now!
Cheers, Scott and Ally

#BoatingJourney #KokomoSeattle

August 10, 2018August 10, 2018

Our Boat is For Sale!

Our Boat is For Sale!

Scott and I announced yesterday that we officially put our boat up for sale and folks are asking so many questions. So we wanted to address those and also give some information about Kokomo.

Let’s go back to where it all began about two years ago. We have always wanted to sell our home and move onto a liveaboard. But then I realized that Scott hadn’t ever slept on a boat, so we decided to get a “weekender” first. That’s when we bought Kokomo. It was merely temporary, as is our new apartment.

More than a “Weekender”

I must admit though, this boat has been more than just a weekender. I suppose you could live on it, as it has a place (many actually) to sleep, a kitchen, full bath with shower, television with digital antenna and outdoor dining. What more do you need in a home? (Just kidding of course).

But this has been such a great boat for Scott and I. We have traveled to many ports in Washington with friends and family, creating awesome memories. If we weren’t planning on buying a liveaboard, we would keep this boat for a long time.

But we put so much money into it this year?

This past March, we hauled out and did a lot of work to the boat. We wanted the bottom painted along with the stern drives. We put brand new propellers on it and zincs.

We had the engines tuned up and the trim tabs adjusted. It needed to be done, whether we kept it or sold it. Honestly, this boat is in much better shape than when we bought it a year ago, considering it is 18 years old.

Scott and I also added a few things, like new speakers, brand new 150 quart cooler, Magma grill and all of the accessories for the galley.

What is our timeline?

By selling the boat now, someone can enjoy her until early November. Scott and I went boating all last Fall. In fact, I learned to dock the boat last November.

Remember, we did a lot of prep work for the winter and checked on it almost every weekend. We did all this because we wanted the boat to be in perfect shape come Spring. But if we are buying another boat in February or March, I would rather not have to worry about a boat I won’t own. Selfish, I know.

Here is the official listing with NW Yachts and our broker Eddie Sauthoff. He has truly helped us throughout this entire journey, beginning back when we first met at the Seattle Boat Show years ago.

CLICK HERE:

Please feel free to share this blog with any friends and family that might be looking to buy a boat. Stay tuned for the next chapter in our journey!

Thank you for following us! Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Cheers, Ally and Scott

August 5, 2018August 15, 2018

A Summer Night in Kingston

Spending a Summer Night in Kingston

Scott and I had so much fun in Kingston last summer, that we decided to head back there again this past weekend. They host free concerts on the lawn during the summer and their Farmer’s Market runs from 10a-2p on Saturdays. The weather forecast was hot and sunny, which was perfect for an outdoor activity. Our good friend Randy was joining us – cast and all. Just two days before our trip, he had to have emergency surgery after breaking a few fingers. What a trooper! Then a few days before our trip, we found out that friends of ours on each of their boats, were also coming to Kingston!

Friday night was gorgeous and so we stayed the night at Elliott Bay Marina. There’s nothing better than grilling up dinner on deck and watching the sunset. Plus, it was the century’s longest lunar eclipse Friday night, so the setting was breathtaking. The photos really do not do it justice.

Heading to Kingston

Kingston is just west across Puget Sound about a 30 minute boat trip from Seattle (if you are traveling 24mph).

I called the Port of Kingston around 11am to see if we could check-in, but the previous boat had not yet left. Check-out is at 12pm, so we planned on leaving our marina around 12pm.

Just outside of our marina, was a huge cargo looking type ship. Turns out it was the USNS Bob Hope; the lead ship of her class of vehicle cargo ships for Army vehicle prepositioning. It is a naval ship of the United States named after Bob Hope, the entertainer. I’m not sure why it was anchored out there, perhaps it was here for the SeaFair celebrations.

The trip to Kingston was smooth and fast. The only issue we ran into (literally) was all of the algae. It was in full bloom everywhere, especially across the sound. We kept a vigil eye out for logs hiding in the algae. Here’s a photo of the algae at our marina at the “Yacht Dock”….yuck!

Farmer’s Market & Lunch “Downtown”

The Port of Kingston crew were very friendly and it was easy to get in. Our friends, Ben & Maria arrived just shortly after us (they were just in Poulsbo with us). The three of us headed up to the Farmer’s Market, which was located on the main lawn where the concert is. This was more of a craft fair market, rather than a farmer’s market. Don’t expect to walk away with a bunch of fresh vegetables – jewelry, yes!

One booth we ran into and were excited to talk to was Beacon Small Batch. They are working on their distillery license, but in the meantime, she is hand making awesome mixers! We bought the bloody mary mix. Be sure to check them out!

The three of us, walked around town (which is all of 3 blocks) and grabbed some lunch. While the service and food wasn’t very good, the view was great! As were the bloody mary’s!

Poor Randy always looked like he had a question!

Hanging out on the dock

For the rest of the afternoon we all hung out on the boat and we baby sat our friend’s dog Buddy. It was such a relaxing afternoon!

I noticed across the rocks from us, this beautiful sea bird. He stood there and watched us for over an hour.

The concert started at 6pm and we headed up to grab our spot on the lawn. Everyone brought a picnic and beverages. The funniest thing we saw was a dancing cockatoo during the concert.

The temperature was perfect Saturday night and we all soaked up the beautiful sunset.

The best part of the night, was watching our friends Ben and Maria fish for squid. Be sure to watch our YouTube video for the full episode. Basically, you do need under lights like Ben has on his SeaRay. This attracts the squid, but be careful because they do shoot out ink. All that black you see is ink!

Heading back home

The trip back home was uneventful and very pleasant. Being only 30 minutes away, it was almost too quick. But Scott and I had some boat chores and needed to get home.

Check out our blog about our YouTube channel!

Lots of things are happening right now with us and our boat – so be sure to stay tuned. We should have an update later this week. (ooooh, the excitement right?!) Thanks again for following us and feel free to share with your friends and family.

Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

July 26, 2018August 5, 2018

Summer Update!

Summer Update from Us!

July is almost over and I figured I better give everyone a summer update from us. After we spent the July 4th Celebration on Camano Island, we headed to Gig Harbor on July 14th. Our brother-in-law, Kurt was also heading to Gig Harbor, so we followed him. Scott and I stayed on the boat Friday night to soak up the sun and enjoy some marina life. It was a gorgeous night and even the jelly fish came out!

Off to Gig Harbor

We visited Gig Harbor last September and had a blast. So we were looking forward to visiting the town again. This time, we reserved a slip at Arabella’s Landing Marina (last time we stayed at the Port of Gig Harbor city marina). We’re so glad we were able to stay here and will share more later in the blog!

The weather was warm and gorgeous that weekend. Gig Harbor is about a one hour trip south from Seattle. Most people go through Colvos Passage which is between Vashon Island and the peninsula.

There is a very strong current traveling north and we had 10mph winds from the north. This made for an interesting trip. While it looked windy, it was a very smooth ride.

Scott and I arrived to the Gig Harbor entrance early (check-in for the marina is 1pm), so we decided to continue on and check out the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The Narrows Bridge opened in July 1940, but collapsed four months later when it experienced 42mph winds. It was blustery just going under it and then turning around to head back north. I can’t imagine what it was like when it collapsed!

Entering Gig Harbor

As I mentioned the last time we visited Gig Harbor, the entrance is VERY difficult to see at first. Then add boat traffic and shallow depths to the mix and entering the harbor is interesting.

On top of those obstacles, there is a lot of marine traffic – both boats and personal water craft everywhere! Arabella’s Landing is on your left and easy to see, as they have a small gray hut like building at the end of the dock. The fairways are nice and wide and there is virtually no current.

The marina and facilities are very nice, yet a bit of a walk from the dock. But we all need our exercise right? Kurt arrived about an hour after us and the three of us headed into town.

What to see in Gig Harbor

As the three of us walked into town, we basically repeated exactly what we did last time. Just a few blocks from the marina is the Sk ansie Brother’s Netshed. The netshed was built in 1910 just after Andrew Skansie built his home in 1908. He immigrated from Croatia in 1907 and was one of the first settlers in Gig Harbor. This is now maintained by a non-profit organization and it was full of historical items. Unfortunately, they close at 3pm, so we missed it.

Next stop was at 7 Seas Brewing, then For the Love of Spice and last stop was Heritage Distillery. I love the shop, For the Love of Spice! You can sample all kinds of vinegars and oils. Plus they have great gifts and wine tastings on Saturdays!

We finished the evening at the infamous Tides Tavern. Unfortunately, the service was terrible and the food was just ok. Next time, we’ll hunt out a more quaint restaurant.

The sunset was amazing that evening from the marina – you really couldn’t ask for a better night. I highly recommend visiting Gig Harbor, since it’s so close from Seattle.

Heading home we had 10mph winds from the north, so we were beating into the waves pretty good. I highly recommend keeping a watchful eye on this route as there are A LOT of logs. We had so many near misses, it was a bit stressful. Then about three quarter’s of the way, we see something in the middle of the passage and it was a kayaker! Crazy!

Summer’s Almost Over – Any Big Trips?

Scott and I get asked that a lot these days. Both Gig Harbor and Poulsbo were short overnight trips. We are headed to Kingston this weekend on Saturday night and are joining two other boats. They have live music on the lawn and it’s a great place to bring a picnic.

Okay, back to the question! After moving into our apartment in the city and spending time exploring new things, our schedule has just been too busy to plan any big trips. On top of that, I don’t have any vacation time and when I do get it, we’re headed to the Caribbean! So no big trips this year. Seems odd to some people considering how much money we put into the boat, but we just don’t have the time.

Last weekend, we were in Chicago for a family reunion so that ate up a weekend. I do have one bucket list item yet for this summer on the boat, which is to go back through the Ballard Locks and spend the day on Lake Washington.

What’s Next?

Soon summer will be over and boating season will end in October. Scott and I are weighing our options as to what to do next. We might try and sell the boat before summer is over, so we don’t have to maintain it over the winter. Only time will tell – so stay tuned in. Things will be happening in the next 7 months, one way or another! Exciting times! We are heading to Kingston in a couple of weeks, which is always a great time!

Be sure to subscribe to our blog and to our YouTube Channel for future updates. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter too! Here’s Episode #17 A Quick Trip to Gig Harbor

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Cheers, Scott and Ally

July 6, 2018August 5, 2018

July 4th Celebration at Camano Island

July 4th Celebration at Camano Island

Every year Scott and I spend the July 4th weekend with my family up on Camano Island. This year, July 4th was on Wednesday, so we went up the previous weekend.

Unfortunately, not only did some of our family not come up, but it was cold and wet. But if you know us, we’ll figure out to make it fun! You’re at the beach, how bad can it be?

Ever since we bought our boat, we have talked about taking it up to Camano and tying it off of their buoy, but it’s too long of a trip for just a couple of days. (More on that at the end of this blog though!!). My family’s home is located on Tyee Beach on Camano Island. Camano is about an hour and half drive from Seattle.

I was surprised by how low the tide was and the fact that mooring balls were on the beach! Be sure to check out last week’s post about the extreme low tide!

Crabbing Season

Crabbing season started on Saturday, June 30th. It’s a very short season here in the PNW, so we always jump on it. Saturday, we got four crabs and Sunday, we got another three or four.

We were a little worried when Scott and my uncle Dick went out in their dinghy to get the pots, as they were pretty low in the water. Luckily, we were watching them closely with the binoculars!

Everyone cooks (kills) crabs differently. My brother-in-law Kurt, kills them with a sharp knife thru their brain (yuck!). We tend to throw them in boiling water. Either way, I try not to think how they came to be on my plate! LOL

We always have a seafoodfest of fresh crab and grilled oysters. Dick grills up fresh oysters with his special wine sauce and they are a hit! I’m not an oyster fan, but I will eat a few of the super small ones.

Sunday, Scott grabbed one pot from Dick and it had one crab in it. Not being a fan of reaching in to grab the crab, he attempted to pick it up with small tongs. So funny!

The Beauty of the Beach

Even though it was cold and dreary on Saturday, the evening brought us gorgeous skies! That’s one thing we love about the Pacific Northwest – the skies are always beautiful.

We hung out with good friends & family enjoying great wine by the fire. That’s a pretty typical summer night in the PNW. Because it wasn’t July 4th, no fireworks were allowed until July 3rd. It was actually a very peaceful weekend.

Have you ever heard the story about finding a rock with a ring around it? Neither had anyone else, so don’t worry! Anyhow, the myth is that when you find one on the beach, hold it tight, make a wish and throw it in the water. They are called wishing rocks. I found two of them, so hopefully my wishes come true soon!

Drama After a Very Windy Night

Sunday night, NOAA was forecasting the winds to be 22 knots from the north. By 6pm, there were white caps and it wasn’t safe to take the dinghy out to check on the pots.

Let’s go back to taking the boat up to Camano. Aside from it being a long trip, (about two hours from Elliott Bay Marina), we also are not comfortable anchoring. In fact, we have yet to anchor the boat anywhere. That’s definitely on our to-do list this summer, if even for the day.

We do have buoys out in front of the house at the beach, but I have always worried about their ability to hold our 11,000lb boat. They haven’t been serviced or checked in years. My nephew has his new 18′ fishing boat on it, but it’s much lighter than ours.

Monday morning, my aunt woke us up to say we had a “situation”. Turns out our neighbor’s mooring chain broke and his motor yacht floated south in the bay and snagged our ball and got hung up on Jake’s boat. Yikes! The irony here is, I always said this would happen some day. BUT it was my family’s mooring ball that held both boats in those winds!

My aunt called the motor yacht and he quickly came out to his boat and untangled them. Turns out the chain broke at the shackle, which was the one spot he didn’t use a safety backup wire. Lesson learned. Sadly, Jake’s boat did sustain some damage, including a broken rail and fiberglass damage.

Celebrating July 4th!

While we might not have been at the beach on July 4th, we certainly were not missing anything! Our apartment has a stunning view of Lake Union and the fireworks show. I have been out on Lake union boating on July 4th many times, but I forgot just how crazy it is. Remember, at the end of the night, most of all of the boats go home in the dark! It’s quite the journey.

Our apartment hosted an awesome classic barbecue and we had the chance to meet so many new neighbors. It was a great way to celebrate the holiday, especially mid-week!

Next weekend, we are heading to one of our favorite ports, Gig Harbor . So stay tuned for our next update!

Cheers, Scott and Ally

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June 30, 2018July 6, 2018

Extreme Pacific Ocean Tides in June

The Pacific Ocean Tides in June 2018

A few weeks ago, Scott and I headed out to Poulsbo for a quick overnight. As you might remember, this was a last minute trip. Being an avid weather watcher, I checked the National Weather Service and saw they were predicting high winds and small craft advisory.

The National Weather Service is a great resource for boaters. It will tell you what is forecasted for the coastal region and for Puget Sound. For our trip on June 16th, it was looking rough.

We kept a good eye on the weather and luckily the forecast for us, stayed out in the ocean. However, that was NOT good for any boats out on the Pacific Ocean, especially near Washington & Oregon.

Tragically, a local couple who had circumnavigated the world over 17 years on their sailboat S/V Kelaerin hit horrible weather and lost everything. They were fortunate to be alive. Here’s a link to her terrifying story and Coast Guard video below. It’s another reminder, that even the best sailors can run into bad weather. What I would take away from this tragic event, are the lessons she shared with us.

Some of those include, keep your wallet, I.D., (important documents) in your ditch bag and easily accessible. Upload your photos & videos to a cloud. Make sure everything is tightly secured to prevent injury. And most important, stay on top of the weather.

“Epic Boat Loss” – Read the story HERE

Video of the boat as they abandoned it HERE

Extreme Tides

What added to the tragedy above, was the extreme tides on June 17, 2008. In our blog about Poulsbo, we told a story about a 58′ yacht that came down the fairway to get gas, only to find out they were in only 4′ of water. Not a good idea. While we could certainly see the bottom of the marina, it didn’t really occur to us, how low the tide was.

Scott and I headed back to the marina on Sunday, June 17, 2018. We washed the boat and headed home. It wasn’t until we were about halfway down the dock, that we realized how LOW the tide was. At 7:25am the tides were at 10′ 2″ and by 2:20pm the tides were at -2′ 2″! Here’s a quick video below of the footage we took:

The lesson here is pay attention to the weather before heading out anywhere on a vessel. You might not be dealing with winds, but instead the tides. Stay tuned for our next blog as we are heading up to Camano Island for the July 4th celebration.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

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