October 2020

October 25, 2020October 25, 2020

2006 Meridian 411 Yacht Tour

In our last blog, we wrapped up our four day charter trip on a 2006 Meridian 411 yacht through the San Juan Islands. While we were anchored at Stuart Island we did a quick tour of the boat, so you can see what kind of layout this Meridian has.

The tour

Scott and I have been wanting to buy a Meridian yacht for a few years. We are interested in Meridian yachts that are 45′-50′ long, so this yacht was a bit small for a liveaboard. The outdoor space was great and the salon offered comfortable seating.

(Unfortunately, I also didn’t think to take official photos of the heads or flybridge, so be sure to check out our YouTube episode for the video tour.)

The galley was a bit small, but we did like that the sinks had covers, so you could make additional counter space. The fridge was a bit small and the stove top only had two burners (which were really small too). We made it work though. For breakfast, I cooked up the sausage ahead of time and kept it warm on the grill, while I used the same pans to make the eggs.

The microwave is also a convection oven, but it took up a huge part of the counter. We ended up using the top of it to store our plates and napkins. However, each time we were underway, we had to put everything away that was on the counter.

One part of the settee seat is reversible for the captain’s chair. The settee was also very small. It barely sat four people and that meant that one person always ate on the couch for each meal.

Linens for the Meridian Yacht charter

When we first got on the boat, I was surprised to see towels and linens stacked in the salon and on the beds. While your charter does come with linens and towels, the charter company now leaves them for the guests thanks to covid-19. Their sheets were not fitted, so it took us a bit longer than normal. We had also brought our own towels due to the pandemic.

Which is the Master Stateroom?

Scott and I went around and around on which room was the master on the Meridian 411 yacht. The mid-ship cabin was big, had a full walk around, a small sitting couch and two big closets. However, not only was the day head connected to it, but you could not stand up in it!! (Be sure to watch our last video for the tour of the stateroom).

The v-berth was also a queen size bed, but you have to hop up into it. It had a private head, so we finally determined that it was the master. With all of the drawers under the bed, we ended up using those to store all of our food.

Overall Impression

This yacht was definitely nicer than the Carver we had originally been booked in. It is a great cruising boat for a couple with small kids. My brother-in-law Kurt ended up sleeping on the couch in the salon and he had plenty of room.

We also like that it had somewhat good storage. Since the boat came equipped with pots, pans, utensils, etc, it took up a lot of the storage space we would normally use.

Would we rent it again? Not for more than four people. It was just too snug and difficult to prepare meals for everyone. Be sure to tune in next week, as we take you on a quick tour of Stuart Island and anchor for the first time overnight.

As always, thank you for following our journey! Be sure to subscribe to our blog and YouTube channel for future episodes. Follow us on social media @BoatingJourney.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

Click on the video below for a full tour. In hindsight, we should have recorded the tour before things go messy inside. That is easier said than done, because the tour was the last thing on our mind when we arrived to Anacortes.

October 18, 2020October 25, 2020

Getting to Friday Harbor & Back Home

Last time, we anchored overnight at Stuart Island and planned to head to Friday Harbor the next day. The boat still had a leak of unknown origin, so we decided to take a direct route to Friday Harbor (versus stopping to explore) to meet the technician early in the afternoon.

Around 11am, we pulled up the anchor. Luckily it only had a small amount of seaweed on it.

The weather was fantastic, with light winds coming from the south.

Our plan was to travel around 10 knots, stop after 15 minutes and let the mid and forward bilge pumps pump out the water. Interestingly, the high water alarm came on after going faster at 12 knots for about 10 minutes. Could there be a correlation? We wondered if going faster was putting more pressure or torque on something causing it to leak faster.

Kurt headed down to the engine room again and took off the cover over the dripless shafts. Then we put the boat into forward and sure enough, the port side seal on the shaft was leaking pretty badly. At least now we knew where the leak was coming from.

Arriving to Friday Harbor

We hobbled into Friday Harbor and they assigned us our slip on the inside of C Dock. There was literally one 60′ space between two boats and Scott had to parallel park the boat to dock (this is not a photo of our time in Friday Harbor). He did a fantastic job docking and everyone was impressed! Luckily the wind was coming towards the dock, so it pushed us right in.

I called Anacortes Yacht Charter to let them know we made it safely and that we found the source of the leak. The technician was supposed to meet us at 1pm, but he rescheduled for later in the afternoon. With that said, we headed into town to explore a bit.

Check out their dinghy dock!

Exploring downtown Friday Harbor

Downtown Friday Harbor is located steps away from the marina and there are quaint shops and a few restaurants. Unfortunately due to the pandemic, a lot of businesses were still closed or open with limited hours.

It was pretty warm, and soon we were all parched. Time to stop for a cold beverage. We stumbled into Herb’s Tavern, the oldest in town. This is a very cool bar, with a lot of character!

I was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t find a great souvenir shop. I hadn’t liked anything I saw along the trip, so I was hoping Friday Harbor would have a gift store. They had one that sold a few things, but I didn’t like anything they had.

The gang then ventured back to boat to relax and get ready for dinner. On our way back, we ran into Susie’s Mopeds again! Definitely on my bucket list for next time.

We stopped by Downrigger’s restaurant to make dinner reservations; the earliest we could get in was 7pm. Glad we made them, because they were nearly full.

The technician finally arrived!

Though Scott told the tech where the leak was coming from, he still wanted to take the boat out for a sea trial that afternoon. I explained to him that there was no way, we were going back out to troubleshoot this.

We told the tech where it was leaking and he maneuvered the shaft seal hoses around and sure enough, a huge stream of water shot out!

Be sure to tune into our YouTube episode to see all of the footage! It was pretty shocking to all of us.

He then said we should be fine heading back to Anacortes, if we go slow and pump out. Here’s the catch – he forgot to bring a new aft bilge pump! I told him he needed to install the pump and he replied saying he didn’t think we needed one! WHAT?! Are you kidding me? We’re taking on 500 gallons of water with only two working bilge pumps. I insisted he go get the new pump to install.

Around 5pm, the tech headed back to the shop and returned with the new pump. Hallelujah! Time for cocktails and a nice dinner after all that!

Dinner in Friday Harbor

It was a beautiful warm night and we sat outside on the deck at Downriggers.

One note of advice is if you sit outside, they have no lighting. so by the time our dinner arrived, it was pitch dark. Tracey had to shine her phone flashlight on our food so we could see what we were eating! But we had an amazing dinner with great friends, so we couldn’t ask for a better night.

Heading back to Anacortes

Before heading back to Anacortes, we walked back into town to grab breakfast. We found the Rocky Bay Cafe and the food was great! The portions were so huge, they could feed two people!

Anacortes is just under 20 miles from Friday Harbor and we figured it would take us about two hours. Unlike our trip leaving Anacortes, the boat ride was comfortable and enjoyable.

Returning the Boat

One of the requirements of the charter company is you have to fill the boat up with fuel. We all debated on doing this, as we wanted an option should they not refund our money. But I told the group that we need to do our part of the agreement to show good faith. Luckily, there was only one boat waiting to fuel up and we got in about 10 minutes later.

Once we finished fueling up, we notified Anacortes Yacht Charter that we were heading to the dock. When we arrived, they had a dock hand ready to help us. He even brought down carts. The only other requirement the charter company has is you have to remove your trash and strip the linens. They do everything else. The charter company does do a walk through to ensure there is no damage.

We loaded the truck back up (how did we have more than we had coming here?) and headed to the office to talk to the GM.

Turns out that the GM wasn’t in when stopped by. We ended up talking to the senior service manager, showed him our video and he assured us they would take care of us. The next day, Scott and I had a lengthy call with the GM about the situation. I told the GM that the charter company was very lucky that we were experienced boaters. We probably preventing the boat from sinking. He said he needed to talk to the owner of the boat and his boss to see what they could do for us.

Stay tuned for our next blog and video to find out what they ended up doing for us. We’ll also give you a tour of the boat and breakdown our costs of the charter. Please be sure to subscribe to our channel to see future episodes. Link at the bottom of this blog.

As always, thank you for following our journey! Follow us on social media @BoatingJourney. Cheers, Scott & Ally

October 11, 2020October 11, 2020

Anchoring Overnight at Stuart Island

In our last blog, our crew left Roche Harbor and headed about 8 nautical miles northwest to anchor at Stuart Island. We originally wanted to visit John’s Island along the way, but dealing with a leak it was best to get to the anchorage right away.

It took us about 45 minutes to get there, because we had to stop every 15 minutes to let the bilge pumps catch up and dump out the water that was in the engine room. Even after that, the high water alarm still triggered twice along our way.

There are two anchorages at Stuart Island: Prevost Harbor and Reid Harbor. Based on Kurt’s recommendation, we chose to stay in Prevost Harbor over Reid Harbor because he thought it offered a better sunset and a prettier anchorage. It did not disappoint.

One thing to note is when you charter with AYC, they will give you a “hazard” map. On the map, they have marked in red, areas that you should not enter (if you do and you run aground, you’re not covered by insurance). With that said, we chose to go clock-wise around the island to Prevost Harbor.

As we entered the Rosario Strait, we noticed the smoky haze forming in the islands from the wild fires in Oregon & Washington.

Entering Prevost Harbor

As you approach Prevost Harbor, pay close attention to your depth and your charts. There have been numerous stories of boats hitting rocks entering the bay. There are parts of the channel that are only about 25′ deep.

Scott and Kurt picked a spot next to Satellite Island that gave us enough room to swing without hitting the shore or boats nearby. We dropped the anchor and five minutes later we were hooked! That was easy! Let’s hope it’s that easy when we are cruising the BVI’s in February!

Time to explore Stuart Island

Kurt, Scott and I jumped into the dinghy and headed up to the mooring dock to do a little exploring of Stuart Island. The dock is only 128′, but it does allow for overnight moorage.

As you walk up the hill from the dock, you’ll come upon the state park campground. From there you can walk over and check out Reid Harbor. The two harbors are literally separated by 500 yards of land.

Stuart Island is known for its’ one room school house and I had hoped to check it out. Looking at the trail information, it looked like we would have to find the county road to get to the school house.

We have seen plenty of YouTube videos about exploring the island, but didn’t know exactly how far away the schoolhouse was. So we decided to skip it and walk the Prevost Loop instead. Be sure to wear tennis shoes or shoes suitable for the trail – I did not! Lesson learned.

If you look closely at the shoreline below, you’ll realize that the “waves or logs” are actually rock, worn from the water!

Time for cocktails and a sunset cruise on the dinghy

Just as the three of us were heading back to the dock, Cal called me to say there’s another alarm going off. I could hear it in the background, so we hurried back. We also knew it wasn’t the highwater alarm, because it wasn’t a high pitch alarm.

Turns out it was the low voltage alarm on the GPS. Not sure why the GPS didn’t turn off when we turned off the electronics? After another round of “drama,” we were ready to relax and enjoy the view.

One warning to other boaters coming to visit, there were tons of yellow jackets and they were annoying. Now we know why our charter yacht came with a bug zapper!

The anchorage was like glass, so once again Kurt, Scott and I hopped in the dinghy for a sunset cruise. Having never stayed here before, I was in absolute awe of the natural beauty of the area.

We headed south and decided to cruise around Satellite Island (which would take us out to the Salish Sea). As you can see, it was dead calm and we couldn’t have asked for better weather!

As we came back into Prevost Harbor, we had a lot more boats anchored in the bay. One of which, was a Bayliner 4087! Could that be our old boat? Of course, we had to go check it out.

It wasn’t our old boat, but we did have a nice talk with this couple. They are heading up to Alaska next year and they love their Bayliner 4087!

Wish we could have stayed longer

Scott grilled up some fabulous steaks that Cal had sous vide‘d for us and they were delicious. There’s nothing like cooking at anchor and enjoying the ultimate scenery.

One thing we were grateful for is the boat had a generator, which allowed us to run the fridge and the A/C. Definitely worth it. We only ran it for an hour or so during the day, so we didn’t disturb our neighbors. With that said, at 3am another alarm went off! I recognized the sound and headed up to the bridge. Sure enough, it was another low voltage alarm for the GPS. Every time the boat was running off of batteries, the alarm would go off and I would have to turn off the GPS again.

More things to see

The next morning, Kurt, Cal and Tracey headed up to the Lighthouse Road dock, to explore the island. We wish we could have joined them, but the dinghy only held 3 people and we also felt the boat should be watched after taking on water.

As they walked up Lighthouse Road, they came upon the Ralph Ericksen yak farm!

From there they walked along the road and came upon the infamous Boundary Pass Traders “honor system souvenier store.” They each bought a shirt. You then mail in your money. Be sure to click the link above for more information.

Off to Friday Harbor

Our stay at Stuart Island was definitely too short. There is so much to explore and we definitely plan on coming back. If you are planning a visit here, we recommend staying at least two nights.

While Scott and I were waiting for them to return, we watched a 58′ Meridian pull up their anchor on which they had a massive ball of seaweed! It took them 30 minutes to remove it. Would we have the same thing? Let’s hope not! Be sure to tune in next week to find out and see if we made it safely to Friday Harbor.

As always, thank you for following our journey! We’re committed to making our blog and YouTube channel informative and entertaining, all the while we’re searching for our liveaboard boat (and slip!). Be sure to subscribe to our channel and follow us on social @BoatingJourney. Our latest episode is at the end of this blog.

Cheers! Scott and Ally #BoatingJourney

October 5, 2020October 5, 2020

Exploring Roche Harbor Resort

Despite taking on water as we arrived to Roche Harbor, we were determined to still explore and have fun. The technician arrived after a few hours and he couldn’t find the source of the leak. He told us he would bring us a new bilge pump in a couple of days when we arrive in Friday Harbor. That meant, we would have to deal with the leak for the next 48 hours! Awesome. Since there was nothing we could do about it, the five of us, set out to explore Roche Harbor.

This was my third trip to Roche Harbor and Scott’s first. I had a work function here last year and I wrote a blog about the history of the resort and family. Check it out here.

Once we secured the boat, we headed over to the marina office (which is also where U.S. Customs is located) to pay our moorage for the night. They have all of the covid procedures in place and are operating business as usual.

Walking around “town”

Okay, so there is no town. But the resort is set up like a mini town, offering everything you might need. This includes a fresh fish market, souveniers, grocery store and spa. The fish market offered fresh crab, shrimp, clams, oysters and a variety of fish. It was a bit on the pricey side, but at least it’s fresh seafood!

A bit of history

Roche Harbor is rich in limestone, which is used to build roads and manufacture concrete and mortar. In 1886, Tacoma lawyer John S. McMillin and his business partners in the Tacoma Lime Company founded Roche Harbor Lime Company. The lime kilns are still present next to the hotel.

Next to the lime kilns, is the diesel-fired generator plants. I missed this the last time I was here. These generators were used up until the 1950’s to power the entire island.

Trekking into the woods

The resort is also know for the McMillin family mausoleum and the sculpture park. So the five us trekked off into the woods. Again, be sure to check out my last blog about Roche, for all of history behind the mausoleum. The founder, John McMillin, was a member of the Masonic Order and he built the mausoleum recognizing the traditions of the Masonic Order. As you walk through the forest, it reminds you a bit of the movie “Blair Witch Project“. There are some infant & toddler burial sites throughout the forest.

After about a 15 minute walk through the forest, you’ll come upon the family mausoleum and monument. There is significant Masonic meaning behind the entire structure, including the steps up to the table and chairs all of which represent the stages of life. Freemasons are very ritual and deliberate about everything they build and encompass. (In fact, my great uncle was a Freemason.)

Some people say they feel spirits while visiting the mausoleum. I will say the last time I was there, a creepy voice said “knight.” Who knows where that came from?

San Juan Islands Sculpture Park at Roche Harbor

From the mausoleum, we headed to the sculpture park. This was the first time I had walked through it and each art piece is for sale!

Could you imagine putting this bear in your front yard!? It takes about 45 minutes to walk the entire park (or longer if you check everything out). They do accept donations at the entrance, so be sure to support them if you can.

Enjoying a Fall evening in Roche Harbor

After a fun afternoon, we were ready to head back to the dock and relax before dinner. The weather was beautiful and we couldn’t ask for a more scenic setting.

The five of us had dinner at the famed McMillin’s Dining Room and it was fantastic! This is the nicest restaurant in the resort, but we were able to dress casual. We did make reservations when we arrived, otherwise, we would not have been able to get in.

Roche makes a specialty martini, The Pig War Martini, that you must try. This cocktail doesn’t contain a speck of bacon, but rather is a boozy tribute to the 12-year standoff between British and American troops over the sudden death of a foraging pig. At Roche Harbor, they serve this cocktail with a mini pig on the edge of your glass.

McMillin’s dining is known for their prime rib and fresh seafood. We all had an amazing meal!

The sunset was amazing and though our arrival to Roche was full of drama & stress, our evening ended perfectly. With great friends and scenery, Scott and I couldn’t ask for more (well, okay, perhaps a boat that wasn’t leaking!).

On to Stuart Island

The following morning, we threw off the lines and headed to Stuart Island to anchor overnight for the first time. Be sure to tune in to our next YouTube episode and follow our blog for updates on that trip.

As always, thank you for following our journey! Please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on social media @BoatingJourney. Until next time!

Cheers, Scott & Ally