Boats Afloat Show – Where it all began!

It was at the Boats Afloat Show in 2010 where it all began! Scott and I had owned The Wine Alley since 2005 and we decided to head to the show for something to do. As we admired all of the beautiful yachts, we knew those were not in our future. Then headed to the sailing dock and toured a 35′ Lagoon Catamaran. All of a sudden, we knew we would someday retire on a boat.

After the show, we spent time with a local charter company and actually considered investing in a new Lagoon. Thanks to the recession and the fact that we still owned a business, that wasn’t going to happen. So, in the meantime, all we could do is attend shows and work towards our dream. After we sold the wine shop, we started searching for our first boat and bought Kokomo in 2017.

What are we looking for at the Boats Afloat Show?

Now that we own a boat, you might be asking why are we at the Boats Afloat Show? Scott and I are not looking for another boat, but there’s a lot of things we can do to remodel our current boat. Time to look for ideas! In addition, we have found a few of our vendors (Lending Associates, Global Marine Insurance, Color Glo Marine & Pacific Fiberglass) at the show, so it’s a great place to connect with people.

Let’s start with the carpet. Our boat, a 2002 Bayliner 4087 Aft Cabin M/Y has the original carpet and it needs to be replaced. We have talked about replacing it with a wood laminate and it wouldn’t be too costly, except for the stairs. Then we toured the Aquila 44 at the show. How ironic, because that’s what we are chartering in April in the BVI’s!

I immediately noticed that they had Snap-in Carpet for the interior. Interesting. Thoughts anyone?

Scott and I have also been talking seriously about the possibility of living on THIS boat. That was never in the plans, but I would consider it to save money. However, we would need to make some changes to make it more livable and user friendly. Check out these table designs. It would be great if we could lower our dinette table so we could easily relax on the seat and watch t.v.

Galley Remodel

While we wont’ be remodeling our galley anytime soon, it’s on the list if we end up living on it. Here are the list of things we need to change:

Swap out the double sink for a single
Replace the faucet with a smaller, taller, skinnier faucet
Replace the microwave with a microwave/convection oven
Remove the propane stove top and replace with an electric stove top.
Remove the oven and replace with cupboards

Why? Well, we can’t fit pots or pans in the sink. The faucet is so low and huge, it practically is in the sink. To use the stove top and oven, we have to turn on the gas at the tank, turn on the switch at the electrical panel, turn on the switch in the galley and then light it with a lighter! No thanks.

The question will be, is can we find a small enough microwave/convection oven? We have a pretty tiny microwave.

On one sailboat, they had a pretty cool set up for their bbq, but I’m not sure how you could do that after market for a boat like ours.

Check out the galley on this catamaran!

As we toured the sailboat row, Scott and I stumbled upon a peculiar looking catamaran. It was a brand I have not heard AND it was very green. This is a Baracuda X 2013 Chris White Atlantic 47 Catamaran.

At first, I didn’t want to go on it, but am I glad I did. They thought of everything on this boat!

The galley is not on the main level, but down below (similar to the Antares). It’s also massive! There’s more counter space here than my condo has.

Then they built in a “shop” on the other side, where there’s the engine access and the washer and dryer!

By the initial looks of this boat, you could easily do some off-shore cruising. The craziest thing about this catamaran is has patented Chris White Designs MastFoil™. This is a unique combination of modern rigid airfoil technology with proven soft sails.

Other cool things at the Boats Afloat Show

New to the market is the center console from Ocean Alexander. I’ve read about it in magazines, but to see it in person was unreal. Who owns a boat like this? Has to be some huge yacht and they use this as their tender! We saw plenty of them in St. Barths.

With four 350hp engines, this boat can easily go over 50mph! Crazy.

Then we toured a 1990 yacht that is moored in our marina. Everything about this yacht was unique and eccentric. So we had to check out the bridge. Is this a boat or a helicopter?

Check out this Life Proof Boat! It’s made out of a patented Styrofoam. You can stab it with a knife and the pontoons will not deflate!

That’s a wrap of the boat show! What’s next for us?

It was a quick tour of the boat show. When you work the boat show as an occupation, it’s not as fun to tour it anymore. Next up for us is to figure out our leaking holding tank situation. Since we’re hauling out in a couple of weeks, now is the time to fix it. We’re also gathering information for our Moorings BVI bareboat charter, so if you have any tips or suggestions for an itinerary, please reach out.

As always, thanks for following our blog! Please subscribe to our social channels too, on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Not only do we want to share our story & experience with you, we also want to hear from you too! We’re learning everyday!

Cheers,

Scott & Ally

@boatingjourney #boatingjourney

May 25, 2019June 3, 2019

Anacortes Boat & Yacht Show 2019

Last weekend Scott and I attended the Anacortes Boat & Yacht show, up at Cap Sante Marina. As you know, we have attended this show many times and this year was a bit different since I was also working during part of it.

My boss and I arrived on Wednesday, May 15th to set up the POP materials and I needed to decorate the yachts. Our company (Union Marine) had some trailer boats on land and eight boats on the water. Anacortes is Boston Whaler country and the Pilothouse models were a hit of the show. If you want a safe, reliable, comfortable and fast moving boat for the PNW, Boston Whaler is your boat!

We also brought up our Sea Ray Yachts (the L590, 510 Sundancer, 460 Sundancer and the 350 Coupe). What a lot of people don’t realize, is we moved these boats from Seattle. Our poor crew had really rough conditions earlier in the week getting to Anacortes. But our fleet cruised into Anacortes with no issues!

510 Sundancer

The Anacortes Boat and Yacht show has had a slight makeover from years past. This is the 2nd year that NMTA has ran the show. Prior to that it was a free boat display of used sail and trawler boats. Since we want to live aboard & travel the world some day, we are always looking to see what is out there. Scott and I toured the show as “civilians” and checked out some long range cruisers.

A Must See Yacht!

We looked at a few possible liveaboards, but nothing struck us. So we wandered down to the end of C dock and noticed a brand new 76′ yacht by Offshore Yachts. I had never heard of them before, so we jumped on board. Scott and I were immediately taken away by the details and craftsmanship of this vessel.

These are custom yachts from Taiwan and they take about 18 months to build. The story behind this particular yacht, is the owner fell in love at first sight with another Offshore Yacht and wanted to buy it. That owner said no, so he immediately called Best Day Yacht Sales and had one built!

What I love about this yacht, is the owner included so many traditional, but new maritime pieces throughout. My pictures don’t do it justice, so hopefully the video tour does better.

It has a cruising range of 1800 miles at 10 knots. Check out the bridge! I wouldn’t know what to do with all of those electronics! I took video of the electronic switches above, but failed to get a photo. This yacht also comes with an boat indicator alarm system (not sure if that’s the exact name for it, but it is a really cool feature.)

The Comforts of Home on a Yacht

When you tour larger yachts, you’ll notice a few things right away. Hallways are narrow, staircases are steep & skinny and some just are not practical. As I mentioned, this yacht is meant for long range off-shore cruising. What that means, is this is great for traveling up and down the coast line from Alaska to Mexico (not necessarily for crossing oceans). They designed this yacht with all of the comforts of home in mind. As you will see in the video, it has nice wide hallways and spacious living areas.

The upper deck was awesome too!

With joysticks on both the port and starboard side, this can easily be docked with just two people.

The engine room was big enough to do yoga or a have a cocktail party! LOL It had great crew quarters just off of the shop next to the engine room too.

If we win the lottery, this will be our dream boat of choice! Safe, durable, stylish and comfortable with long range offshore capabilities.

What Else Was Cool At The Show?

I love to find the obscure cool things at boat shows and Anacortes didn’t disappoint. First up was the inflatable amphibious boat by SeaLegs. For a mere $100k you too can have this on your private beach. Be sure to check out the footage in our next episode.

Then check out this davit system. I shared it on social media and folks are asking me who the manufacturer is. I didn’t get that info, as it was just a dinghy included with a boat for sale. Bummer. So if you happen to know who makes this, please let us know.

There was another big yacht on display (sorry, didn’t catch what kind), but if you need a foyer with a large porcelain piece and a fur blanket – I don’t think offshore cruising is for you. LOL

Where to Eat (or not to eat) in Anacortes

It seems every year we eat at the same restaurants (Union Tavern, Brown Lantern, Dad’s Diner), so I vowed to mix it up this year. Scott and I went to the north end of Anacortes and decided to have lunch at the Secret Cove Restaurant. Perhaps it was an off day for them, but let’s just say we won’t be back. While the vistas are cool, so was the food. But while we were waiting (and I mean waiting) for our lunch, a ferry boat arrived to pick up a house! We watched the crew for about 20 minutes and then we needed to head back.

Notice the golden retriever! He was helping his dad supervise the entire time!

Fantastic breakfast!

I had read that Mary Ann’s Kitchen was fantastic for breakfast, so we decided to try it out. The restaurant is actually an old house and Mary Ann is the cook. She cooks each order, one at a time. Give yourself plenty of time, but it’s worth it!! It was definitely the best breakfast Scott and I have had in a very long time. She’s not open on Sundays, so make a note.

I ended up being in Anacortes for five days. Working from my hotel room and walking back and forth to the show, I was exhausted when it was all over. The funny thing about being in the boat business now, is my life is now nothing but boats, boats and boats. I market boats during the day and come home and work on the blog. Now with a new boat, we’re busy doing boat projects. And I love every minute of it!

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend and it’s dreary today (Saturday). Scott is busy running new cable for the stereo system and I’m catching up on our blogs and YouTube episodes. Tomorrow is forecasted to be warm and sunny and we’re taking the boat out with family and friends. Since we have to get used to living on a boat, we’ll head down there tonight, make dinner and stay for the weekend. So stay tuned for our next blog as we get new cockpit carpet!

As always, thank you for following our blog! Be sure to subscribe and also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney

Cheers, Scott and Ally

February 4, 2019March 7, 2019

2019 Seattle Boat Show

A Tour of the 2019 Seattle Boat Show

This year’s boat show was a completely different experience for Scott and I. As you all know, I joined Lake Union Sea Ray in September and my company is the largest boat dealer on the west coast. Our portfolio includes Sea Ray, Bayliner, Heyday, Boston Whaler, Lowe, Monte Carlo Yachts, Nautique and MasterCraft. Our 34,000 square foot exhibit was the largest in boat show history by any single dealer featuring over 90 boats. The setup for this show takes five days and as the Marketing Manager, I was definitely busy! The Seattle Boat Show is a nine day event at the Century Link Field Event Center and at South Lake Union.

What’s really impressive is the amount of work that goes into setting up a boat show!

Walking the show

Each year, Scott and I walk the show with a plan – we’re either looking for a boat, researching a marina or buying supplies. This year we only had a limited time to walk it, since I was working the entire time. I did take my badge off, so I wasn’t a dealer walking through other dealer’s display. Not owning a boat right now, we really don’t have a need for any supplies. But we did look at a boat a week ago and if we buy it, we’ll need a few things.

At Century Link Event Center, they have two floors of exhibits. Whether you are looking for a new toilet, anchor, electronics, charter companies or boats, you’ll find it at the Seattle Boat Show. One of my favorite vendors is NautiGirl Apparel – I buy a couple of shirts every year.

What? We looked at a boat last week?

Yes, you heard that right. We’re going back this week to take a second look with Steve Thoreson, our broker from Lake Union Sea Ray. If we feel good about it, we’ll make an offer! But more about that, next time.

Scott and I did check out a few mattress vendors and dinghys. The boat we are looking at, has a heavy duty davit system and the dinghy is stored horizontally. With a 5’ beam, that extends our LOA and slip size requirements. We thought about getting a new system to store it vertically, allowing us in a smaller slip, but it’s not really feasible. I did learn that inflatable dinghies come in two different types of materials – synthetic rubber (Hypalon or neoprene) or plastic polymers (PVC or urethane). Synthetic rubber will last much longer as it is more UV resistant than plastic polymers, but they are twice the price. One dinghy we liked from Waypoint Marine Group was the Highfield Classic 340 Hypalon, regularly $5490.

Dinghy Shopping

I also priced out dinghy motors at the Seattle Boat Show. Our old dinghy only had a 4 hp motor and you can go up to 9.9hp without having to register the boat. Turns out that a motor with an electric starter isn’t that much more than a manual starter. Either way, we’re still looking at spending at least $2000 on a motor. Why all this dinghy shopping? Because the boat we’re looking at comes with this tricked out dinghy that with the motor weighs over 700lbs! We’re a little worried about the aft weight and we’ll see how it cruises during the sea trial.

The funny thing is that this dinghy not only has a tower, but it comes with GPS, VHF and a stereo with a CD Player! Imagine what our marina neighbors will think as we cruise around! Guess we’ll wait until we cross that bridge.

South Lake Union Boats Afloat Display

After checking out a few boats at Century Link, we headed down to South Lake Union. Of course I’m a bit biased as I think we had the best display on the lake! We had six of our larger Sea Rays on the water, including our L590 Fly, 510 Sundancer, 460 Sundancer, 400 Sundancer and the 330 Sundancer.

Sea Ray L590 Yacht

One yacht that stood out, was a Sea Spirit trawler. This was a beautiful classically built boat. Every detail was thought out. The cruising range on this boat is 3800 miles! If we won the lottery, I would consider buying this beauty.

The coolest thing on this Sea Spirit was the flag feature – they have a flag for all of the major countries! If you aren’t familiar with flag etiquette, here’s a great link from our friends at S/V Totem.

It can be yours for only $17,000 per month

Okay, let’s be real. If you need to know what your monthly payment is with financing on a $3m yacht, you probably shouldn’t be spending that kind of money. We thought it was hilarious that this 75′ yacht had a price sign showing its monthly payment of only $17,000 per month! While it was nice, it was not warm and cozy to us.

Coolest feature on a Trawler!

We also checked out Sea Bear a Swift Trawler. While we are not big fans of trawlers, Sea Bear was nicely designed. In fact, it even had a dumb waiter for drinks up to the bridge!

The weather this year, was fantastic for most of the boat show! Imagine doing an on the water boat display in January in Seattle! We were so lucky to have sunny days for most of the show.

Catamarans

It was seven years ago, when Scott and I first toured a catamaran at the Seattle Boat Show. It was a 35′ Lagoon and we were hooked. Since then, we have checked out other catamarans at the Miami and the Annapolis Boat Shows. There just are not that many cats in the PNW – probably because they require such a wide slip.

This year, they had three cats at the show. The first one we toured was the Lagoon. After being on so many cats over the years, this is not our favorite anymore. The cabin/cockpit seems to shallow and small for us.

The next cat we toured was the Nautitech Open 40 which was set up as an “owner’s version”. An “owner’s version” has a full stateroom and head on one side, versus two staterooms. That’s called a “charter version”. It was fairly roomy, but again, I probably would remove the couch feature. This was our favorite cat in the show.

We finished walking the show, just as it was closing on the lake. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous over Seattle.

Stay tuned this week to see what happens with the boat we are looking at. We could be embarking on yet another boating adventure!

Thanks for following our blog! Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Below is our YouTube video of the full tour!

Cheers, Scott and Ally

September 24, 2018October 4, 2018

Boats Afloat Show 2018

The Last Boats Afloat Show for Awhile

This past weekend, Scott and I attended the Annual Boats Afloat Show 2018 on Lake Union. Sadly, it will be the last Boats Afloat for awhile, as the marina and businesses are being re-developed by Vulcan. We first attended Boats Afloat seven years ago when we got the bug to buy a catamaran.

This year was a bit different for me, as I worked the show for the first time. Remember, I just joined Lake Union Sea Ray as their Marketing Manager. One of my job responsibilities is to decorate the boats and make them look top notch. Not only am I lucky enough to be immersed in boating and marketing, but I’m also part of a fun and dynamic team!

Boats, Boats and Boats – What are we looking for?

This boat show is unique and one of the largest floating shows on the west coast. It featured over 225 boats including cruisers, sport boats, fishing boats, trawlers, yachts, dinghies and sailing boats. After attending the show for so many years, Scott and I decided to focus more on what we might be looking for, not what we were dreaming of. (But I captured some of that too!)

I worked on our Sea Ray 510 Fly yacht for a couple of days. Yes, I could work here every day!

Lake Union Sea Ray featured eighteen boats including our Boston Whaler, Sea Ray, MasterCraft and brokerage boats. While I might be a bit biased, I did feel we had one of the best selections of boats for every lifestyle.

boats afloat 2018 — Boston Whaler 320 Vantage

The Hunt for a Liveaboard

Looking at a Trawler

Our dock neighbor Jules has been telling us over and over, that we need to look at trawlers. As most of you know, I do not like trawlers. Of course, if someone were to give me a 55′ Selene or Fleming, then I might reconsider! But those are way out of our price range. Scott and I did look a Selene during the show.

Everything inside was gorgeous, but it just isn’t my style at all. It would be similar to those people who love a really old house versus a super modern house. You just know what you like and what feels right. This is the type of boat that is rugged, yet comfortable and designed for ocean crossings.

Yes, the engine room is adjacent to the master stateroom, but at least you can stand up in it!

Okay, Let’s look at one more

We also checked out a 1998 57′ Nordhavn Trawler. Keep in mind, that both Selene and Nordhavn are highly rated trawlers.

Enter the galley and the first thing I noticed was the boat had a Thermador stove / oven!! Now we’re talking.

It did have a large settee for entertaining too.

And the master stateroom was very roomy and comfortable.

The dream boat

One of the fun things about attending a boat show, is you can tour some of the big yachts. Nowadays, Scott and I don’t waste our time waiting in line for a tour. But on Saturday, there were no lines for Conundrum, so I couldn’t resist. This is a 2007 67′ Regency Yacht and the sales price is only $1,395,000. We could certainly live on this boat! I took a video of it, but no photos. So be sure to watch our tour on YouTube.

We did look at a 2017 70′ Ocean Alexander and it was only $3,195,000. It was beautiful and the door hinge would definitely keep the water out if you capsized!

Here’s another hinge on a trawler!

Scott checked out this trawler. I told him, don’t get any ideas! While it is not my style on the outside, the inside was gorgeous, including the galley.

Other vendors

One thing I always do at boat shows, is visit with the other vendors besides boat sales. I stumbled upon a company called Color Glo Marine.

Basically, if your vinyl is worn out, they will match the color and restore it. In the photo below, he had just restored the left corner of the bench yesterday. It used to look like the middle square!

This year, Boats Afloat had a live band playing and the mood was more festive than in years past. We really lucked out with the weather, as it stayed dry almost the entire time.

What about a Sailboat?

Scott and I still plan on retiring on a catamaran, but we did look at a monohull at the show, just to see what it was like. This sail boat was a 2019 Jeanuneau 490 and it had lots of space. We also liked the fact that the deck was pretty roomy and comfy. To give you some perspective, this 49′ boat new is $519k.

Okay, so we looked at boats – now what?

Great question! I will say that I was a bit distracted this show, as I was working it and not thinking about finding our next boat. But we did use the show to try and open our minds to a trawler – that didn’t happen.

We do have a plan (sort of) and we will share that with you in our next blog. The new owners of Kokomo will be moving the boat from Elliott Bay Marina this week and over to her new home on Lake Washington.

In the upcoming blogs, we’ll also share some of our favorite drink recipes and how life has been living in the city in small apartment. So stay tuned!

Watch Episode #23 below for a full tour of the boat show!

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

#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

May 21, 2018June 1, 2018

Anacortes Boat Show 2018

Attending The Anacortes Boat Show 2018

Every year, Scott and I attend the Anacortes Boat Show with our good friends, Nick and Michelle. It used to be held in the Fall and recently was moved to the Spring. Last year, we had already looked at our boat, Kokomo before the show, but thought we should still check out a few more options. Turns out, Kokomo was still the favorite and we made a offer while we were in Anacortes.

Everyone has been asking us if we are in the market for another boat now. Our answer is that boat owners are always in the market for something bigger. For us, it’s a strategic reason. The reason we sold our house and moved into an apartment, is so we can make sure we like living in small living quarters as we plan on moving onto a live-aboard in a year. (Well, that’s the plan at least). Scott and I hope to find a boat that is about 50′-55′ for our live-aboard, which is nearly twice the length of what we have now (31′).

We would like to find a transition boat around 38′ – 42′ that we can still moor at Elliott Bay Marina. The issue now is, inventory is low because it’s peak season and the marina is also starting to fill up. So our take on the situation is if we find the right boat, great. If not, we still have our fantastic boat that’s ready for boating season!

Fidalgo Island

Did you know that Anacortes is actually on Fidalgo Island? You cross a very small body of water, so it doesn’t really seem like an island. We love Downtown Anacortes as it is small and quaint.

The food is great and the drinks are always flowing. Our favorite pub is the Brown Lantern Tavern. We had a special treat this year with an acapella group performance! Be sure to check out our full episode on our YouTube channel at the end of this post.

This year we stayed at the Sunrise Inn Villas & Suites and I have to say this was one of our favorites for the price. In the past we have stayed at motels, because they accept pets and we always had Mac. While there is the Majestic Inn, we didn’t want to spend $250/night knowing that we wouldn’t be in our room much. The great thing about the Sunrise Inn is that it was walking distance to both the show at Cap Sante Marina and downtown Anacortes.

For breakfast, our favorite place is the Calico Cupboard Old Town Café and if you love donuts, be sure to check out the Donut House. They are open 24 hours and no matter the time, we always make a stop there.

The First Annual Anacortes Boat Show

Okay, I know you are wondering why it says “first annual” if we have been coming for years? Well, this year the show was organized by the Seattle Boat Show and they charged for attending the show (in the past it was free). In the past, they had a small vendor tent and mostly used trawlers & sailboats to view.

This year, they had many more vendor booths in the tent and they had brought in a lot of brand new boats up from Lake Union. Our friends, Nick and Michelle have been smitten with a Catalina sail boat and in fact, found a fantastic one at the show! We hope they buy it and moor it next to us at Elliott Bay Marina!

Looking for a new boat

Scott and I were on the hunt for the elusive 38′ – 42′ cruiser, but to no avail. We did tour two brand new boats from Prestige and Four Winns. But at $500k, they are out of our price range. But it was fun to check them out and see all of their awesome features and upgrades. The funny thing is our own broker, Eddie has three 38′ SeaRays listed and we are going to try and have him show them to us. So stay tuned.

We really lucked out with the weather this year as it was warm and sunny. At 4pm they opened the Wine & Beer Garden and each attendee received a free drink! Anacortes Brewing was pouring their beers and they were fantastic. Cheers to that!

When we toured the Seattle Boat Show, we visited with the vendors at the beginning of the show. Since I didn’t want to walk around all day carrying stuff, I didn’t buy anything from the vendors. One of the vendors there was Nauti Girl and I really wanted their t-shirt. Luckily for me, they were at Anacortes and I got two awesome shirts finally!

Anacortes is only about two hours north of Seattle and we were back home on Sunday by 12pm. It’s definitely a fun show to attend that gets you in the mood for boating season.

Watch our full tour on our YouTube Channel below:

Stay tuned for our next blog as we spend the Memorial Day weekend on the boat! PS Can you believe it was a year ago this weekend that we took possession of Kokomo? How time flies!

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Cheers,

Scott & Ally

#BoatingJourney #KokomoSeattle

April 26, 2018

Clipper Round the World Visits Seattle

Spending the day touring the Clipper Round the World Sail Boats

Last Sunday, Scott and I took a break from packing up the house and went down to Bell Harbor Marina to view the Clipper Round the World sail boats. I’ve been following this race for months and was so excited they were stopping in Seattle!

The race is the brain child of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who was the first person to sail non-stop around the world and this is their 11th race. To learn more about the legs of the journey and their stops, read here. What’s even more impressive is that 40% of the sailors do not have sailing experience! If you click on the link above, you’ll see the conditions they sail in. That is courageous if you ask me!

Touring the boats

What was really cool, is the tour was free! You simply had to wait in line for a guest pass. They had limited guest passes, so once folks were done with their tour, then it was your turn. We toured Sanya Serenity Coast sailing yacht. Each boat has a major sponsor and then multiple smaller ones. This boat is sponsored by the city of Sanya which located in the South of China on Hainan Island. It is making its debut as a Host Port and Team Partner for the 2017-18 and 2019-20 editions of the Clipper Race. They will use this sponsorship to promote tourism and sports.

We were also able to tour the cabin of the boat and it was tight in there. Each boat has twenty crew, with ten on watch at a time. That means the other ten are sleeping in their hot bunks (which are hammocks) or trying to find a place to sit. Also keep in mind that while racing, the boat is usually at a 40 degree angle!

They have two heads on the boat and no shower. They are typically at sea for 3-4 weeks before arriving to a port. How do they shower? They use handi-wipes.

Honestly, as cool as this would be, I just don’t see myself ever doing something like this under these conditions. What was also interesting, is once they get into port they still stay on the boat. If they want to rent a hotel room, they are on their own. If it were me, I would find a cheap room to share with other people. That way we could shower and do laundry for a couple of days.

A great way to break away from the chores of moving

Spending a sunny day at Bell Harbor Marina, touring these awesome boats was a great distraction from our chores of moving! Everyone was in such a great mood and having a great time.

Seattle also has a boat in the race, promoting tourism for our city.

Here’s the video footage we took:

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Thank you for subscribing to our Boating Journey blog! Stay tuned for our move update in our next blog, which will be written from our new apartment in Downtown Seattle! Cheers, Scott and Ally

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February 3, 2018February 13, 2018

Boat Safety & Comfort

Boat Show Takeaways including Safety & Comfort

At this year’s Seattle Boat Show, Scott and I found ourselves talking to different vendors about safety and comfort. If we are going to keep Kokomo for another year, I want to make some changes to help improve these items.

SmartPlug

I had read about the SmartPlug product and we were thrilled that we got the chance to talk with them since boat safety is so important to us. Basically, this shore power kit, replaces not only your power cord, but also the plug in on your boat. The primary purpose of this is to prevent fires (which is one of my biggest fears). Did you know that shore power delivery systems have remained virtually unchanged since they first came out in 1938?!

After talking to the rep, the installation is very easy. Simply remove the four screws on the old plate, cut the wires and insert them into the corresponding slots for each wire. The key here is to make sure the new plate is sealed tightly!

You can buy the entire kit or the parts separately. If we buy the entire kit with the adapter plate, the cost is about $400 for everything, but Fisheries Supply is offering a great sale right now, for about $275. To me, this is worth the cost and we will be swapping out our cord this year.

Side Note on Safety

A few weeks ago, Scott and I went down to check on the boat and run the engines as we have been doing all winter long. I was down in the cabin cleaning and Scott was up in the cockpit. The engines had been running for about fifteen minutes, as we wanted to get them up to temperature. I decided to plug in the vacuum to charge it and laid it on the counter.

All of a sudden, a very loud alarm went off in the cabin! Scott and I couldn’t tell where it was coming from, so I shouted at him to turn off the engines and I unplugged the vacuum (LOL). We kept looking up on the ceiling and finally we found the culprit. Our carbon monoxide detector was up on the shelf in the galley and had been set off due to the engines running. Turns out the curtains were hiding the detector, which you can now see out in the open.

Moral of the story, is make sure you not only ventilate your cabin well while running your engines BUT also make sure you have a First Alert Carbon Monoxide Detector. It works! Boat safety is your number one priority when boating.

Boat Comfort

Okay, back to the boat show! One of our other goals (if we can afford it) is to upgrade our mattress on the bed. Right now, we have a somewhat thin pad. Here’s a photo I took after “prepping the boat for winter“.

Currently, we use two foam pads on top of the bed to help cushion ourselves.

Even these two pads, don’t make much of a difference. So we talked to two companies at the show.

Friendly Foam

These guys have three locations in Seattle, Bellevue and Everett. You can visit their showrooms and try out different pads. They said I could even email them our dimensions and they would give me an estimate. We plan on visiting their showroom, as I wasn’t comfortable laying on their beds at the show!

King Marine Canvas – Handcraft Mattress Company

The other company, King Marine Canvas is located right near the marina on Commodore Way. Again, you can go into their showroom and check out all of their products. They make both mattresses with regular bedding covers or you can do a custom fabric like the one we have on the boat. Josh, the sales rep was super helpful and friendly!

So hopefully, one of these will fit into our budget so we can finally sleep comfortably on the boat.

Needless to say, since it’s February 2, 2018, we are ready for Spring & Summer to arrive. We are anxious to get the boat ready and spend some time on the water. Stay tuned for our next update!

Cheers,

Scott & Ally

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January 30, 2018February 3, 2018

Seattle Boat Show 2018 Tour

Seattle Boat Show 2018

Last Saturday, Scott and I attended the Seattle Boat Show for the tenth year in a row. This is the largest boat show on the west coast. If you recall from my last blog, we planned on staying the night on the boat Friday and Saturday, to have a “staycation” in Seattle. Well, after the weather forecast came out on Thursday, change of plans!

Wait until you see the video footage I took! We are so glad we did not stay on the boat! We heard from marina neighbors that the waves were crashing over the breakwater wall. High tide was at noon and was 11.6′! With gusts of 40mph, this was a very unpleasant day on the water.

Show #1 – Century Link Field

This year, there were three locations for the boat show. The big show is at Century Link and the other two locations were at Bell Harbor Marina and Lake Union. At Century Link, they have two levels with boats on the lower level and vendors on the top.

While we did enjoy looking at newer boats, we actually had a mission for this show:

Look at Toilets – we need to get one with a macerator
Talk to Sea View Marine about hauling out & working on the boat
Find an Isinglass installer and get pricing (we talked to Sea Marine in Port Townsend)
Look for a propeller company to replace our current ones (there were no suppliers at the show!)

Toilets

That’s a fun topic. Not surprising, this booth was packed! Probably because anyone who has a manual flush toilet has toilet envy to the electronic macerating ones. The sales rep was very helpful and said it is somewhat easy to swap out. The only catch is it needs a power supply. Chances are, we won’t be replacing our current one. Back to “no toilet paper” rules.

I know you are asking the question “So are you keeping this boat?”. The answer is, we don’t know yet. We will either keep Kokomo and invest in it. The boat needs to be hauled out, under painted and have the props replaced. If Scott and I find a different boat that is bigger, more seaworthy and within our budget, we will consider upgrading. Right now, we are researching all of our options.

Fun Surprises at the Show

Meeting Wendy Hinman

If you follow our blog & our Twitter account, you know that one of my favorite authors is Wendy Hinman. Wendy’s first book, “Tightwads on the Loose: A Seven Year Pacific Odyssey” fascinated me! She and her husband are from Seattle and they traveled across the globe on a 31′ sailboat! You have to read it!

I met Wendy years ago at the Seattle Boat Show and last year when I ran into her, she had just released her second book “Sea Trials: Around the World with Duct Tape and Bailing Wire“. The title of the book is not exaggerating! This is another must read. Over the past year, we have tweeted and re-shared Wendy’s posts and when we ran into her on Saturday, she was so grateful! Be sure to pick up her books.

Elliott Bay Marina

Scott and I went on a hunt to find Elliott Bay Marina, as they had some kind of activity. Turns out, you had to make ten basket ball goals in 20 seconds and Scott did it! He won a $10 gift card at the Fuel Dock!

Sea View Boat Yard

Most of our boating friends referred us to Sea View Boat Yard to haul out Kokomo. They have two locations, one at Shilshole in Seattle and one in Bellingham. Scott and I talked at length with the sales rep and got pricing for everything we need to do. Then they had a “spin the wheel” contest and we won “10% off Labor”! Woot Woot! At $105/hour, that saves us quite a bit of money!

Show #2 – Bell Harbor Marina

The boat show offers complimentary shuttle service between all three locations. Our next stop was at Bell Harbor Marina in downtown Seattle. The winds were crazy when we arrived! Again, be sure to watch our video for the full footage. It was so windy, that we were getting a bit sea sick looking at a 39′ Carver that we actually loved.

Touring the brand new $11 million Ocean Alexander 100′ MY

I was surprised that we were able to tour this Ocean Alexander yacht without all of the red tape. It truly was a gorgeous boat and bigger than my house! We included a lot of footage in the video, so be sure to watch it towards the end.

Show #3 – Lake Union

Scott and I attend two boat shows a year at Lake Union, including the Boats Afloat Show. We knew that this location would be mostly either larger boats over 50′ or Trawlers. By the time we got to Lake Union, we were starting to get cold and tired. While we didn’t see any boats that would work for our budget, we did look at two really amazing ocean worthy Trawlers!

Sea Lion – Fraser Yacht

Surprising, this yacht only had one engine, but a great engine at that!

Rock A Bye – Precision Trawler

This trawler was heavy duty! Each of the staterooms had locking air tight doors and this vessel is meant to travel a long ways.

Wrapping up the Show

After six hours, Scott and I were ready to call it a day! The Seattle Boat Show offers multi day passes and honestly, that is probably the best way to view the show. That’s how we attend the Annapolis and Miami shows. There are great seminars during the show, along with festivities for families. The show goes until February 3, 2018, so you still have time to go visit – and hopefully during better weather! Check out our next post, as we cover more on the show.

Boating Journey has a new channel on YouTube! Be sure to subscribe for upcoming episodes. Below is the video for the tour of this year’s Seattle Boat Show 2018.

Thank you for following us and sharing! Until next time! Scott and Ally