July 2019

July 30, 2019August 6, 2019

Back to the Port of Kingston Again!

Every year we head over to the Port of Kingston with the same group of friends, but this year we mixed things up a bit. Normally we leave on Saturday morning, but our group decided to make it a two night visit. Kingston is about 12 nautical miles from Elliott Bay Marina and in our previous boat (Bayliner Ciera 3055) the trip would take us about 35 minutes going 20-23 knots. In Our Happy Day the trip required a little more than hour at 9-10 knots.

Our crew left on Friday afternoon, July 19th, around 4:15pm with calm winds and warm sunshine. The one catch about our departure was that this is also the time that the three cruise ships leave the port in Seattle. We had to navigate (not only tons of crab pots), but we were stuck between two cruise ships. The wake from this cruise ship would sink a kayaker!

There was a lot of activity in the bay as we arrived to Kingston. The Coast Guard was out when we arrived and when we left. Again, be sure to watch out for crap pots – they were everywhere in the bay. I had hoped to see some whales, as they were spotted all over Puget Sound the past few days, but no luck. We did see a few harbor seals, who swam by to say hello.

The marina is easy to get in and out of – especially when your friends are already there. Our boat was in slip 19, Cory & his wife Stacy were next to us in 20 and Ben & Maria were in 22. The catch here was, all of the slips were the same size! Ben’s Sea Ray is 28′ and our boat LOA is 49′. Yep, you guessed it…we barely fit. In fact, the harbormaster made us move the boat back as the anchor platform was sticking over the dock. By doing that, our swim platform didn’t really line up with the dock, but we managed. Even more remarkable was how well Scott docked it in a tight spot!

I should have taken a picture, but as you can see by this photo of the Coast Guard, our neighbor’s dinghy is inches from ours. (Our dinghy has the tower, his is the other one)

The Point Casino in Kingston

On the trip with us, was Scott’s brother Jeff, his wife Michele and Randy who comes every year. Jeff and Michele were celebrating their anniversary, so they were staying at The Point Resort and Casino.

After checking in and enjoying a cocktail, it was time to head to the casino. Here’s a tip! If you are staying at the resort, they recommend making reservations for the shuttle,;however, I also called a local cab company days prior and he said it would be much faster if we called them. (No, they don’t have Uber or Lyft). So I called the cab company and not only did they not answer the phone, they texted back saying they were extremely busy. When I said I had 9 people to go to the casino, he replied “no way, you should have made reservations”. ?? Hmmmm, I just talked to you two days ago, why didn’t you tell me that then? Now what?

Good news is that there happened to be a shuttle already there from the casino, so we hopped on and off we went. The last shuttle back to the marina is at 9:30pm, so you want to make sure you don’t miss it!

The First Night in Kingston

Since we were back early from the casino, we all headed to our boat where we shared funny stories and had some great laughs. One thing about traveling with Ben and Maria – there’s never a dull moment. I think every time Maria and I get together, we laugh so hard it hurts the next day!

We recently bought a new SLR camera. I tried to capture some shots in manual mode of the rising moon, but you really need a tri-pod to keep it steady.

What to do in the Port of Kingston?

Okay, so this is our third time there and there’s not much to do at all. But, what we do love about it, is we can all just hang out on the dock, soak up some sun, have a cocktail and then go to the concert in the park.

We started the day at the farmer’s market right at the marina. Unfortunately, it’s not a very big one and they don’t have a lot going on – but it’s fun none the less.

Of course we did try to mix things up a bit and so we headed into “town”. Town is basically a two block stretch.

The Kingston Pub Crawl

We decided to do a mini pub crawl, but with only a few restaurants/bars, that was hard to do. First stop was Kafe’ Neo, where we sat outside and enjoyed Mango Sangrias. Yum, is all I have to say about that!

Next we stopped at the Kingston Ale House and sat outside soaking up the sun! They had fantastic huckleberry mules that were to die for! We also tried their smoked salmon chowder, which was amazing. The clams were great, but they come with A LOT of garlic!

By now it was only 1pm and nothing else really jumped out at us. So we headed back to the boat, to enjoy some sunshine.

Concerts in the Park

Every Saturday during the summer, the Port of Kingston has a free concert in the park. They do have a wine & beer garden (nothing too fancy) and a few few trucks. We always bring our own dinner and beverages. it’s a very casual event, so bring your blankets, chairs and coolers. The concert ran just a few hours, then we headed back to the boat for a few more cocktails.

What Boating Life is All About

Scott and I love the boating life and the friendships we have created as a part of it. There’s something unique about boaters that brings us all together – we always have a great time. Even if we run out of gas on our way to the Port of Kingston – right Ben? LOL (no we did not!)

Squidding at Night – is that a word?

Last year, Ben and Maria were catching squid with their blue lights on their Sea Ray. So now that they are pros, they did it again! This time, they had a better plan to keep the ink out of the boat. Maria unhooked the jig on the dock, to keep the boat clean. Afterwards, Ben, Maria and Randy cleaned the squid (in the dark) on the dock. I wish I had better pictures!

Too bad this photo is blurry, but you can see how black their hands are!!!!

Another Gorgeous Trip Home

Winds were light and variable for our trip home from the Port of Kingston. Mount Rainier was out, sail boats were everywhere and it truly was one of the best days of the year!

As always, thank you for following our blog! Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter @BoatingJourney. We’ll have a new YouTube episode coming soon with our trip! Next week we are headed to Port Orchard for the first time! #BoatingJourney

Cheers, Scott & Ally

July 18, 2019July 30, 2019

Planning a Caribbean Bareboat Charter

Now that we have taken a sailing cruise in the Caribbean, Scott and I are ready to plan our Caribbean bareboat charter for next Spring. We’ve talked to lots of friends who want to join us and now it’s time to start planning! We are not planning on chartering a sail boat, but instead we want a power catamaran.

Budget

First we have to determine the budget. In talking to numerous companies across boat shows, the cost can vary drastically depending on the size of the boat, location and season. Typically when we have vacationed at Sandals in the Caribbean, we have spent about $5500 per week or $2250/person (all inclusive, but not including airfare).

Using that budget, a four cabin catamaran comes out to over $20,000. I think we can rent one for much less – that’s the goal at least! The one catch about bareboat chartering is the cost doesn’t include fuel or provisions. Most quotes I’ve seen start at about $10,000 for a four cabin catamaran.

Question for our friends – What is your budget? Are you willing to sleep in the salon?

Location

There are a few key places to charter in the Caribbean. The Bahama Islands are beautiful and on my bucket list – BUT, unless you know the islands well, they can be dangerous. The coral-based archipelago is full of reefs and shallow ones at that.

The most popular location is BVI, British Virgin Islands. There are many charter companies and there is plenty to see and do. On top of that, Scott and I have never been to the BVIs. Unless some other place comes to us, we’re planning on the BVI’s for this trip.

The BVIs are east of Puerto Rico and north of the lesser Antilles Islands (which we have been to many times). The weather is fairly constant and stays about 87 degrees on average.

Activities

Our goal would be to explore the marine life and island life on this trip. Top activities for the BVIs are snorkling, visit beaches, check out the baths, great restaurants & bars and island hikes. Scott and I are open to ideas!

Most people anchor when they charter, as you have more freedom and plus it’s cheaper. Guess we’ll need to learn how to anchor before we go. Based on our preliminary research, most charter companies will give you an itinerary and show you where you can anchor and explore.

Charter Companies & Type of Boat

Since Scott and I don’t know how to sail, we plan on chartering a power catamaran. Why a catamaran? Well, they tend to be roomier and have better water accessibility than a regular 50′ power boat. There are quite a few charter companies in the BVIs and now it’s time to do our research on them. Here’s the list:

The purpose of this blog is two fold.

The first, is to find out who is seriously interested in joining us. We’re looking at dates in April, but not during Spring Break. Comment below or text us (for those who have our numbers) and let us know if you seriously want to join us.

Secondly, we want feedback from other boaters on their experiences (good or bad) with any of these companies (or other companies), types of boats, itineraries, etc. This is all new to us, so the more information we can get, the better!

After we gather some more information, we’ll share that in another blog. Thanks for all of your input and for following us! Be sure to check out our YouTube Channel and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter! @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney

Next we head to Kingston for our annual weekend with friends.

Cheers, Scott & Ally

July 3, 2019July 17, 2019

Dock Street Getaway in Tacoma

Earlier this month, we joined Union Marine at their Dock Street Getaway in Tacoma, WA. After being stuck at our dock doing projects the past few weeks, it was nice to finally get away.

Scott and I have not been to Tacoma by boat before, so this was all new to us. The two trips south we have made were to Gig Harbor and we took the Colvos Passage. This trip, we decided to stay in the sound and stay on the east side of Vashon Island. Tacoma is about 27 nautical miles from Elliott Bay Marina, so we estimated it would take us about 2.5 hours going at about 10 knots. We invited Kurt along for the trip and we set off around 3:30pm on Friday, June 7th.

Leaving Seattle

When we had our old boat, we wouldn’t travel in bad weather as it wasn’t that kind of boat. But it could out run it at 25 knots. I had been looking forward to the trip all week, as it was our first big trip in our new boat, so bad weather wasn’t going to stop us.

As soon as we got out of the marina, Kurt and I started bringing in the fenders. We were immediately tossed around by the rough waters. Scott put the boat in gear and headed south. I stayed in the salon and was immediately freaked out! Waves were crashing over the windshield, we were barely moving and I was slightly terrified (okay, a lot terrified). But here’s why.

I don’t know this boat at all and we don’t know how it will do in rough weather. The way we were tossing around in the bay, it would be a rough rescue if we broke down. All I could do is pray for a safe passage – oh, and text my boss and co-workers the entire time!

The weather was so strange this day. On the eastside, it was sunny. On the southwest & northwest side it was black and stormy. In fact, the northern storm chased us all the way to Tacoma. Winds were coming from the south at about 26mph.

Are we there yet?

We were about 15 minutes underway, when I asked “how much longer” and Kurt said about 2 or more hours. Dear God, help us! Then I went upstairs to the bridge and while it was much smoother, no water on the windshield, we were tossing back and forth a bit. I decided I better take a Bonine motion sickness pill, just to be safe!

The seas calmed down once we reached Vashon Island and we had a fairly enjoyable ride. Then we reached Maury Island and suddenly, huge white caps showed up out of no where. Here we go again! That’s when I looked to my left and saw a Sea Ray 330 Sundancer , flying south. He must be with our group and is in a hurry to get there! Turns out this guy took his boat to Alaska last summer! Can you imagine?

No, that’s not a huge wave. It’s a wrinkle in the Eisenglass. LOL

Hello Tacoma!

We arrived at Commencement Bay around 5:30pm and headed into the Foss Waterway. Dock Street Marina is the last marina on the right side.

The Foss Waterway is pretty easy to navigate. Once we arrived at the dock, I went to check the engine compartment to make sure everything looked ok. That’s when I noticed a pink liquid in the bilge. Yep, we had diesel in it and Kurt jumped in to figure out the source.

The fuel came from the fuel filters, shown above. We think that either the knob got loosened on the way down in rough weather or that it was tightened when it was replaced. We couldn’t clean it up that night, but we cleaned everything when we got home.

Scott, Kurt and I spent the rest of the evening relaxing with the group on the dock swapping funny boating stories. Did someone say they fell asleep with a grilled flank steak on their bed?

The calm after the storm

After unwinding with a few cocktails to calm my nerves, the three of us headed to the Social Bar and Grill for a bite to eat. We sat at the bar and the service was great. It was a great way to end the day, after battling the storm on our way down.

Exploring Tacoma

Since the weather had been so blustery the night before, I waited to put up our Union Marine banners on the railings until the next morning. On my way, I passed two guys and dog and one of them (Mark) stops me and asks “Hey, are you Ally?” I reply, yes. Turns out they follow our YouTube channel and love it! It was so humbling and cool at the same time! (Thank you guys!!) I had hoped to get a photo with them later, but we got too caught up in the day’s activities.

I was very impressed with the hospitality from Dock Street Marina! Not only did they provide our group with cold beers the night before, they had mimosas waiting for us on Saturday! In fact, Nick walked from boat to boat with mimosas. Thank you again! (I’m loving this place!) The facilities & restrooms are very nice – they are in the laundry room next to the marina office. On top of that, they offered dock side pump out, water and garbage removal! Wow.

A bunch of us decided to head into Tacoma for breakfast. From the marina, go towards the Museum of Glass (take the steps), which lead you to the Chihuly Bridge across the railroad tracks to Pacific Avenue.

We stumbled up a restaurant called Savor, which specializes in crepes. I’ve never had a “savory” crepe and these were amazing and very filling! Scott ordered the blue berry & ricotta stuffed French toast, which was fantastic.

Museums everywhere!

Tacoma has a vibrant arts culture and there are museums everywhere. At the waterfront, you have the Museum of Glass and the Washington State History Museum. I had been to both and wanted to see something new. So we took the trolly (which is free by the way) up to the Tacoma Dome station and we walked up to the LeMay Car Museum.

You have no idea how big this place is, until you get inside. There are five stories underground, lined with cars! In fact, there are so many cars that after a couple of hours, we called it a day. If you haven’t been there before, I highly recommend it.

It’s an easy 15 minute walk back to Dock Street Marina from the museum.

A beautiful warm night at dock

When we got back from our exploration trip, we hung out with folks on the dock and soaked up some much needed sun. Union Marine hosted a cocktail party at the Social Bar and Grill that evening. It was a great night mingling with other boaters and enjoying great food.

Dock Street Marina made sure our beer cooler was stocked and set up corn hole for us to play. One thing about boaters is we always have a great time hanging out on the dock. With good company and cocktails, how can you not have fun?

The trip home

Our trip back to Seattle was much different than our way down. The sun was out, it was about 75 degrees and calm. We decided to take the Colvos Passage on our way home and take in the scenery. The winds were at about 4 mph from the north and the ride was smooth all the way home.

Considering it was our first trip in the boat, all went great. She handled the rough seas well and was very comfortable. Before we left, we put some Dawn dish soap in the bilge and then when we got back, we cleaned up the diesel with zorbs and it cleaned right up.

I would highly recommend a weekend trip to Dock Street. The marina is fantastic, the staff is friendly and there’s plenty to see and do in Tacoma. Thanks to Union Marine for hosting such a great weekend!

Stay tuned for our next blog – we’ll tackle more boat projects & Scott’s parents join us for the first time! As always, thank you so much for following our blog! Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney

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