Though Scott and I didn’t buy a boat this year, we still had an amazing year in 2021. We figured out how to stay on the water and create some fantastic memories even without a boat of our own. The year started with the virtual Seattle Boat Show and luckily I’m in the boat business, so we still got to tour a few yachts.
In March, we took a ferry up to San Juan Island and stayed at Snug Harbor for a whale watching trip. While we didn’t see any whales, we saw lots of other wild life and cruising the San Juan Islands is always so beautiful.
The following month, we took another ferry ride to Whidbey Island to meet our God Dog, Soleil. We shared our story last April about how boats and dogs brought us together.
Cool & Unusual Boats
Throughout the year, we got up close and personal with some pretty cool boats. We started the year with a tour of the 1909 MV Lotus Edwardian Yacht, which is a historical yacht moored on Lake Union.
Scott and I rode on an electric Nautique GS22E tow boat on Lake Tapps and it was wild as you can’t hear the engine.
Every year, Seattle hosts the classic yacht show and now we are looking forward to next year’s event! So many cool old boats.
How do go boating when you don’t own a boat
As we got into summer, we got pretty creative on how we would stay boating. First we went sailing on Seattle’s Tall Ship on Elliott Bay, where Scott was able to get hands on.
Thanks to my job (Ally), we experienced the PNW debut of Sea Ray’s first 37′ Outboard cruiser on Lake Washington. This is such a cool boat and it has so many fun features!
Then we rented an electric Duffy boat on Lake Union! It was so much fun and affordable!
Maybe for 2022 we’ll rent a hot tub boat? Let us know what you think!
Our BVI Bareboat Charter Trip
In 2019, we booked our first bareboat charter to the British Virgin Islands which was set for March 27, 2020. Unfortunately, our group was the first one to be cancelled due to the pandemic. Originally, we moved the trip to October 2020, but the pandemic was far from over. So we moved it again to February 2021, only to learn that in order to arrive into the BVIs you would need four tests and quarantine for over eight days. This time we moved it to February 2022 and we are still on schedule for this trip! As a result, the four of us decided to keep our flights and visit the USVIs in April 2021 instead.
Scott and I visited all three territories: St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix. It was truly an epic trip! We took a catamaran to Buck Island, we rented a dinghy on St John and explored all of the islands.
What’s it like to live on a boat?
Scott and I need the experience of living on a boat, before we buy one. Though we owned a larger yacht, it wasn’t set up well for a liveaboard. Solutions? First, we interviewed a great couple, Scott and Laurie who live full-time on their 50′ Vista on Bainbridge Island. They shared some great info with us! Be sure to check out that video here!
Next we rented a tiny home for four days. That was a great trip and a learning experience. On a boat, you have separate “rooms”, but not in a tiny house. We actually survived and had a great time!
Then a couple of weeks ago, we rented a 50′ Ponderosa for the weekend. Another great experience living aboard. The weather was cold and wet, yet we had an awesome time!
Our New Year’s Resolution
Our resolution this year is to buy a boat! With inventory levels at an all time low, it may be another full year before we can find a boat, but we hope that’s not the case. We may have to buy another boat and keep our condo. We’ll see. Otherwise, we’ll continue our boat tours and figure out cool ways to go boating. If you think about it, we spent a lot of time on the water this year even without a boat.
In the first quarter of 2022, we’re attending the Portland Boat Show and the Seattle Boat Show. After that, we’re finally heading to the British Virgin Island and St. John. Stay tuned for that epic trip! There’s a lot we have to do in order to get into the country, so we will fill you in.
As always, thank you for following our journey! Be sure to subscribe to our channel (click on the video below) and follow us on social @BoatingJourney #boatingjourney.
Happy New Year Everyone!
Cheers,
Ally and Scott
