Autumn at the Marina

PNW Autumn at the Marina

Today Scott and I went down to the boat to take things home in preparing for the winter. The irony is, we HAD planned on spending the weekend on it, but on Thursday the weather forecast was rainy for all days. Sure enough, last night was dry and today it was gorgeous! Oh well.

Later this week, I’ll give you detailed post about our prep work for the boat. For today, I wanted to capture the beauty of the marina. Elliott Bay Marina, is truly exceptional, compared to most. It has lots of foliage, views of the mountains and view of the city. Everyone is so friendly that’s it a bit surreal sometimes.

One of the yachts that came in early in May, is back this week. M/Y Picosa Lady is on the dock next to us. She is a 101′ yacht from the Marshall Islands and gorgeous!

So calm and quiet

The marina was dead calm and quiet. In fact, had we planned ahead, we should have gone out boating today, but it just wasn’t on our agenda! Such a bummer too, because today is probably one of the last sunny days we’ll see in awhile.

Of course, the Holland America Eurodam was back from Alaska today too. That part of the marina life we don’t miss on weekends. Since our dock is so close to the cruise ships and we can hear every announcement.

Making our boat our home

Scott and I do plan on coming down to the boat and staying during a few stormy weekends. I know you are asking the question of why, when we didn’t even stay on it last night! Well, we want to see what it’s like and can we handle it? Remember, we are planning on living aboard, so we have to be able to endure the brutal wet winters of the PNW.

During a storm, we’ll be hunkered down in the cabin watching movies, playing games or reading. It will definitely be cozy! Before we bought the boat, Scott and I would give each other boat themed gifts. For our wedding anniversary, we stick to the traditional gift and this year it was “Ivory”, so I gave him the custom ivory pillow below for our boat.

I do try and make our v-berth “homey” too. Most boaters just sleep in sleeping bags, but I wanted to give it more of a comfy feel.

We wrapped up the day, with lunch at Maggie Bluffs and ate outside for the last time of the season. Just as we paid our bill, the clouds rolled in and it started to rain. It was the perfect day at the marina. Look for my next post about prepping the boat for winter!

Cheers! Scott and Ally

September 28, 2017October 1, 2017

Oil & Grease Buster!

Prepping for maintenance duties

Oil & grease on my shirt already?! Today I ran around picking up oil, a funnel and other supplies that we will need to change the oil on the boat. (I’ll put a blog together in a week or so about everything we are doing to prep the boat for winter….and also since I posted this, we have decided not to use auto oil after all. Stay tuned)

boat maintenance supplies

Anyhow, I visit my local Auto Zone for the supplies and the gentleman is very nice and says that the oil only comes in 1 qt containers, so he’ll get me a box since I needed ten of them. This was just a quick stop on my way to the grocery store. Today we are having another Seattle record heat wave (yes, it is September 28th and it’s 85º). When I left the house, I threw on my favorite sleeveless golf shirt from Lady Hagen figuring I wasn’t doing much other than a few errands.

After I put the box in the truck I happened to look down and noticed I had two HUGE black oil stains on the front of my favorite shirt! You have to be kidding me?! If you know me, this always happens. Because of that, I have every stain remover in my laundry room. Most of the time they rarely work, so I was not hopeful. I decided to try the Oxi Clean Max Force stain remover and OMG, it was gone instantly! No joke! I should have taken a before and after photo, but I was more concerned about getting the grease out of my shirt asap! LOL

This is a must for any boat and anyone working on a boat, as oil and grease seem to show up everywhere.

Here’s a link to Amazon to buy it:
OxiClean Max Force Laundry Stain Remover Spray 12 ounce – 2 pack

oil & grease buster

Another favorite stain remover

While I’m on a roll about stain removers and how they don’t usually work, I do have a favorite for carpet! Since Scott and I were in the wine business for over ten years, it wasn’t uncommon for wine to be spilled anywhere in our house. Yes, we sold many “wine stain removers”, but honestly they don’t really work either.

The only thing that works great for serious carpet stains like wine and pet accidents, is Spot Shot. We keep a can of it on the boat (sadly, we’ve already had to use it for Mac) and a few in our house. They make two kinds, one for regular household stains and one for pets. I like both! The pet stain remover is non-toxic for animals, so we use that one. If you like to entertain, especially with wine, be sure to keep a can of this on hand!

You can buy these anywhere and also at Amazon, just follow my links:

Spot Shot Instant Carpet Stain Remover 14 oz (Pack of 1)

Spot Shot Non-Toxic Pet Instant Carpet Stain Remover 14 oz Aerosol (Pack of 6)

carpet cleaner pets

Okay, so that’s my plug for products this week. In fact, this was a very impromptu post, but I felt as if I needed to do a public service announcement! At least I feel better now that my shirt is stain free. Stay tuned for our next few blogs as we’ll give you details as to what we are doing to prep the boat for winter. Cheers, Ally

This post may contain affiliate links for products I mention.

September 26, 2017September 26, 2017

Favorite Boating Blogs

Thinking back on how this dream of living on a boat started, it all began when I started following other boating blogs. Business would be slow at our wine shop and the weather was miserable. Why not immerse yourself in someone’s journey? The unfortunate part of following other bloggers is that in some cases their boating journey comes to an end. I remember feeling a bit depressed, know that they had to be sad too.

Some of our favorite old blogs were found on Sail Blogs. Here you can search through the list of active blogs and read where they are in the world and what they are doing.

Our Favorite Boating Blogs Right Now:

Sailing Britican – This is a family of three on board their 56′ sailboat and they have traveled over 18,000 miles over the past three years. They share a lot of tips, lessons and advise on their blog.

Quit Your Job & Live on a Boat – Author Ed Robinson wrote his first book “Leap of Faith – Quit your job and live on a boat” which tells the story of how he and his wife left the rat race and are now living on their trawler in Florida. You can follow him on Facebook too.

Sailing Totem – This is a family of five on their 47′ sail boat, which left the Puget Sound in 2008. They are still cruising and both of them co-author many articles in 48º North and Sail Magazine.

Lahowind – This was one of my favorite blogs to follow. Jereme & Kim from Florida decide to leave the rat race for one year onboard their 37′ sailboat along with their dog Oliver. They traveled all over the Caribbean, got engaged and returned home a year later. They sold their boat, married and had a child. Now she blogs about family and raising their baby. Kim is a professional photographer and her photos & videos of the Caribbean are stunning. Check out her photos & video of the pigs in the Exumas!

Jill and Jake Adventures – This couple started sailing in February 2015 from the East Coast down the ICW onto the Caribbean. Be sure to start reading from the beginning to really feel their adventure.

Sailing La Vagabonde – This is a YouTube blog following an Australian couple as they sail on their new Catamaran across the oceans of the world.

I am always looking for new blogs to follow, so if you have any favorites, please share with us! Cheers! Scott & Ally

September 17, 2017September 21, 2017

Cleaning the Bimini Top

Bird Poop!

When you keep your boat in a marina, you are going to have to deal with lots of bird poop! The bimini top on our boat is black canvas and it’s nearly impossible to clean the back end of it during regular washes. This is because we can’t reach it from the front and it’s too tall to reach it from the swim platform.

Scott and I knew we need to address this, as our neighbor’s boat in the marina was covered in heron poop!

The dirty job

We figured we could remove the top and lay it on a tarp on the dock to scrub it clean. In fact, we had purchased outdoor fabric guard by 303 Products, but it has to be absolutely clean and dry before you apply it. Scott thought we just needed to remove one of the rods and slide it out and we would unzip the rest.

The highlighted area shows where the rod is attached to the inside of the bimini

Now what?!

The bimini had to be cleaned and so we decided to unzip the back of it, so the dirty part would hang down into the boat. Can you say “YUCK!”?

This is not “art”, but heron poop all over our canvas! So I moved the tarp into the boat and put a large beach towel on the floor right below where we would be scrubbing to catch any water. (I did take a photo of all of this, but I guess it didn’t take). Scott used a bucket of clean water,Mer-Maids Canvas and Vinyl Cleaner and a scrub brush to clean it. We rinsed it with a bilge sponge with clean water. It wasn’t perfect, but it was certainly better than it was!

Once we were done, I wanted to figure out a way to deter the herons. All of our marina neighbors are laughing at us, as they say there is nothing we can do. They say we just have to clean it regularly. Not giving up, we decided to put up an Inflatable Owl and Bird Repellent Scare Tape. Let’s see if it works!

If anyone has suggestions on what has worked for you. please let us know. We’ll check on it in two weeks and give you all an update!

Cheers,

Scott and Ally

September 13, 2017September 29, 2017

Potable Water on a Boat – How do you know if it’s safe to drink?

Do we have potable water on our boat?

Our Bayliner Ciera 3055 comes with a 35 gallon water tank. Every boater we have talked to uses the water in their holding tank for everything from washing hands to drinking.

I admit, I’m a bit of a water snob and I can only drink bottled or filtered water. When we bought our boat, it had sat on the hard for over two years. This told me that the water in the tank had to have gotten stagnant. However, it never had an odor and was crystal clear. Perhaps it was bone dry?

When Scott and I took possession of the boat, our broker Eddie was cleaning it up and had filled up the water tank.

Friends of ours recommended that we add a tablespoon of bleach to the water tank each time we fill it up. In order to do that, we need to put bleach in a water bottle and then tip it down into the tank. Since the side of the boat is at an angle, this is more difficult than you realize.

We fill up our water tank using a special micro-bacterial hose Teknor Apex Zero-G Hose . We also make sure that the opening of the hoses never touch the dock and when we are done, we connect to the two ends together to keep organisms out. Be sure to drain your hose completely before storing.

When you are filling up your water tank at the fuel dock, those are typically just garden hoses. With that said, if we fill the water tank using the dock’s garden hoses, then I never put the hose directly into the tank because they are just laying on the dock. I let the water run for about 15 seconds and I hold it about 1″ from the opening.

So back to the question – is the water potable?

We do use our water for:

Washing dishes
Brushing our teeth (yet I still use bottled water for that)
Washing our hands and face
Boiling water for pasta and veggies

But I don’t use the water for anything we would consume. What does that mean exactly? Well, for coffee I boil bottled water (it’s a mental thing). When I rinse food like veggies and meat, again I only use bottled water. I don’t mind using it for boiling pasta as all of the germs would be killed and we also aren’t drinking or eating that water.

Recently, we grilled up Salmon and Veggies and I rinsed them at home before we left.

So the answer is really up to you and your comfort level. Since we use our water regularly, the water in the tank stays fresh. Keep in mind, that some marinas (especially around the San Juan Islands) don’t have “good” water and many boaters will avoid filling their water tanks. In addition, many boaters do not recommend using bleach as it can be very harsh. We have only put in about 2 tbsp total all summer long.

Our recommendation is to see if your water is clear and odor free. If it is, then you decide what you are comfortable with. If it is not, then see a boating specialist for recommendations.

Scott & Ally

This post may contain affiliate links for products I mention.

September 12, 2017November 5, 2017

New Favorite Kitchen Gadgets

Every Boater Needs Kitchen Gadgets

When you are occupying a small space on a boat, then kitchen gadgets come in handy. The first weekend Scott and I stayed on our boat Kokomo, we quickly learned that preparing food isn’t that easy.

I had bought a cutting board and a knife set, but the cutting board is either too small or it slides around. The knives got dull very fast too.

Knife Sharpener

Soon I was looking for kitchen gadgets to help solve this problem. Since I don’t mind chopping my own ingredients, I first looked for a knife sharpener. The one we have at home is electric and big – that won’t work on a boat. Then I found, this portable KitchenIQ Knife Sharpener on Amazon for only $5.99! Plus it had over 8100 great reviews! Guess what? We love it too. It’s small and fits perfect in the galley utensil draw.

However, when you are using a small cutting board, it’s difficult to chop a large quantity of ingredients as they tend to fall off and land on the floor. That’s when this awesome gadget comes into play!

Onion (and other veggies) Chopper

The Vidalia Vegetable Chopper by Müeller chops way more than just onions! It has two chopping sizes (1/4″ dice & 1/2″ dice) and it keeps all of your ingredients inside the container! It’s so easy and it works great! I ordered this on Amazon too for just $19.99

I do recommend putting round objects, like onions, tomatoes round side down on the blades for best results.

Here’s a quick video demonstration:

Order your Chopper Here!

Name: Sweet Chopped Kale Salad with Roasted Beets
Prep time: 10 min
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 10 oz bag Taylor Farms Sweet Kale Chopped Salad Kit; .25 cup chopped red onion; .50 cup sliced & peeled English cucumber; 3 small roasted beets, sliced & cut in half (find these in the produce section already roasted)

Cheese Graters

This gadget does way more than grate cheese. It also slices and juliennes veggies. After you are done, simply store all of the graters and slicers inside the entire kit! This is one of my favorite kitchen tools for the boat!

As I continue to find items that work great on the boat, I will be sure to share them with you in our blog. A few items we have already mentioned that we use regularly is our Xpress Redi Set Go Oven (which is now called Xpress Platinum Countertop Cooker) and our Magma Grill.

Cheers! Ally

This post may contain affiliate links for products I mention.

September 9, 2017September 25, 2017

Going through the Ballard Locks for the First Time

Ballard Locks

Scott and I didn’t want to finish the season without going through the Ballard Locks for the first time. They are also known as the Hiram M. Chittenden locks. We invited my college friend Jen and my sister Susan and her husband Kurt to join us as all three have been through them before.

We decided to go through the locks the day after Labor Day, thinking that it would be less busy. Friends of ours have their boat moored inside the locks and this past summer it often took them hours to get through. The weirdest part of the trip was that everything was “orange” as Western Washington was engulfed in ash and smoke from the fires in Eastern Washington.

Before you go through the locks, you do need to have on board, two 50′ lines each with a 12″ eye on each end. These are not cheap and luckily we had our rewards from West Marine that we used to purchase them.

Entering the Locks

As we entered the locks, we immediately saw a huge yacht in front of us. We slowly followed it and what we thought was a fire boat behind it. Turns out it was their tender!

Thank God we had Jen, Kurt and Susan with us, as we had no idea what to do. There are two sets of locks. The large one holds many boats and the outside boats tie up (using your 50′ lines) to the cleats at the locks and then boats inside tie up to one another. In the small lock, you simply tie up to the wall and go through individually. As we got closer to the actual locks, we figured out we were probably heading into the large locks.

Once inside, the lock workers shouted down to us to tie off to the sail boat next to us. We used our own line on their cleats. Make sure your fenders are up high, as you will be locked in tight with the other boats!

Then a few minutes later, they had another 30′ boat tie up to us. Once we were all tied up you can see how tight we all are inside the big lock.

In this entire process, this huge M/Y Spirit, a 178′ yacht came in behind and next to us. She was coming down from Alaska for maintenance work at one of the shipyards. She sleeps 11 guests and has a crew of 13. It’s available for charter for just $270k per week during the low season.

Once all of the boats are tied up, they close the locks and they raise us up to the height of the locks, which is about thirty feet or more.

Our Lucky Day!

We really lucked out on our first trip through the locks as we literally came straight into the big locks without waiting, tied up and then waited a total of fifteen minutes before they filled up the lock. The sailboat next to us had been waiting on the wall for over an hour and a half! Overall, it took us less than an hour from the time we entered the channel to when we left the locks.

You do feel a bit weird having all of the spectators watching you. We felt like we should do the parade wave!

There is not a lot to see as you travel through the Fremont Cut. It is very industrial and there are a lot of large vessel shipyards.

We planned on having lunch at one of the restaurants at South Lake Union , but there was no transient moorage as they were setting up for the Boats Afloat Show next week. When you are at South Lake Union, you do have to be watchful to stay out of the fairway for Kenmore Air.

The crew decided to have lunch at Ivar’s Salmon House located at the north end of Lake Union. They have a nice long dock, with easy access.

Going back through the locks again

After lunch, we headed right back to where we came from. We had no idea if it would be crowded again. As we approached the locks, there was only one small sailboat in front of us. You will see a red or green light at the locks, which will tell you if you can enter or not. Within about ten minutes the green light for the small locks came on and we followed the sail boat.

The locks crew had us use our small lines to tie up to the moving wall. Again, make sure your fenders are up high, so you don’t rub on the wall. After we were tied up, they closed the small locks and the two of us went down about thirty feet and off we went.

I have to say that this journey was one of the coolest things I’ve done in awhile! Originally we were going to moor Kokomo inside the locks. Can you imagine us going through these on our first day of owning and operating a boat?! Crazy. If you have the opportunity to go through them either on your own boat or someone else’s I highly recommend it.

Cheers, Scott & Ally on Kokomo

August 17, 2017August 30, 2017

Boating with our Golden Retriever Mac – Boating Journey

Boating Dogs

Boating dogs are everywhere, but boating with a senior dog is not as easy as you think. When we bought the boat, we just assumed that our 14 year old golden retriever, Mac would love the boat as much as we do. We bought him a life vest and quickly found out on day one that he didn’t even want to get on the boat.

There are many books about sailors and their travels with their beloved fur kids. We also knew many of them had challenges traveling long distances with their pets, but that was because they couldn’t go potty on land. Come to find out, Mac just doesn’t like new environments at his age.

Mac has been healthy his entire life, but when he turned 14 in April 2017 he really began to slow down. Walks could only be on flat surfaces and this is because he has some nerve damage in his spine. Unfortunately, our boat is about a quarter of a mile from the parking lot.

Scott and I found out early on, that since the walk is so long, that the dock has become Mac’s potty area. At his age, he poops a lot (TMI) and we always have doggy bags. We know the importance of dock etiquette and we will use a bucket with water to clean up after him.

Sometimes he makes it all the way to the main land and Elliott Bay Marina is super dog friendly. They have potty stations everywhere and almost all of the dock dogs are super friendly.

On the boat, Mac makes himself at home, especially when we are docked. He socializes with everyone and of course begs for food.

And the cockpit table is just his height! Nothing gets passed Mac. There are two harbor seals that used to taunt another dock dog, Chuck. He sadly passed away in July 2017 and now they have been coming down to our dock. Maybe they are looking for Mac?

Day trips with Mac

When we do go out on the water for a day trip, Mac does not like it. Perhaps it’s the movement or the sounds of the engines. The first time, he jumped up on the cockpit cushions and I was worried he would try to jump out.

After that, we started putting him down in the cabin for his security. He finally found refuge in the aft berth. The first time we put him down there, we didn’t think he would go under there and when he did, he had climbed over the barbecue and cooler to get there! Boating dogs has a cool ring to it, but it’s not Mac that’s for sure.

The tough part for Mac is the steepness of the stairs down to the cabin. He needs help up and down. He likes to sit in the entry way while I’m prepping food in hopes, I will help him down. But as you know, our galley is so small that there is not room for both of us!

At 14 years old (April 2017) it’s difficult to resist his sweet sugar face and I usually always help him down and work around him.

When we are relaxing on the deck, he usually ends of sleeping the entire time. Notice how much hair is on the carpet! We did buy a Bissell Vacuum and it works great (I will share that info on another post), but we do bring our Dyson vacuum from home every few weeks to really clean the carpet.

As Mac gets older on the boat

Knowing that Mac doesn’t like to travel in the boat, we leave him with a sitter when we stay overnight outside of Elliott Bay. We know he doesn’t have much time left with us due to his declining health and we want to make sure that every moment he’s on the boat, he’s happy and comfortable.

Scott and I had another golden retriever, Maggie and we said goodbye to her Memorial Day weekend in 2014. We just are not ready to say goodbye to Mac quite yet, but we also will make sure that we are not selfish this time. Maggie lived about six months too long. Mac deserves nothing but love and comfort in his final months and we will make sure of that.

Cheers, Scott, Ally and Mac

August 4, 2017April 4, 2018

Prepping dinner in a small galley

Galleys are much smaller than kitchens!

Galleys are kitchens on a boat. One thing you will learn very quickly on a boat our size, is that there is NOT a lot of room to make any kind of gourmet meals. I love to cook and entertain, and I couldn’t wait to do that on our boat. Soon I realized things had to be very simple and pre-planned.
This is our “Kitchen”, which has a microwave, two burner stove top and fridge.

We have some cupboards and three drawers for utensils.

With limited space, I’m always looking for efficient kitchen gadgets to make prepping dinner easier. One of my all-time favorite tools is my Mueller Onion Chopper . It’s fast, no mess and easy cleanup! Here’s a quick demo:

If you want to try it out yourself – ORDER YOUR CHOPPER HERE!

Local Shopping

Elliott Bay Marina, is located just down the road from Whole Foods and Wild Salmon Seafood Market at Fisherman’s terminal (great FRESH fish daily!)

We bought a Magma Cabo Adventurer Series Charcoal Grill that fits perfectly on the side of the boat and I’m amazed as to how much food we can cook on it.

Last week we bought “marbled salmon“, which I had never had before from Wild Salmon and it was fantastic! Because it has a higher oil factor, it stays moist when you grill it. The grill does have larger grates, so we typically will use our lava stone or foil to keep things cleaner.

Since we are buying super fresh fish, you only need a few spices on hand. We simply used garlic salt, Italian seasoning and pepper with some olive oil for this salmon.

Pair it with a pasta and green salad, which you can make ahead and you have the perfect dinner for hot weather!

Many weekends, we’ll go down and stay on the boat on Fridays. Since we work on Fridays, we don’t have time to prep for dinner. That’s when we will swing by Alberton’s grocery store (they have the best fried chicken) and buy their six piece chicken dinner with the side dishes. It transports easy and there’s no cleanup!

If you are searching for ideas, two of my favorite cookbooks for the galley are The One-Pan Galley Gourmet : Simple Cooking on Boats and Six Ingredients or Less. Simple and perfect for a boat!

One of my favorite side dishes to make is our Corn, Tomato & Avocado salad. It’s easy to prep and very tasty!

When in doubt and it’s a hot day, you can always fall back on a fresh tomato salad with mozzarella! It only has four ingredients and tons of flavor!

Desserts

For those who know me well, I personally don’t eat desserts, nor do I make them. But when you are entertaining guests, dessert is a must. With limited fridge space and no oven, what’s a good idea for dessert? I love to serve different kinds of chocolates. Super easy and delicious!

Scott and I haven’t been entertaining that much this summer on the boat, since we have such a great restaurant at the marina, Maggie Bluffs. But as Fall arrives, we’ll be spending more time on it and we’ll share some of the great recipes with you!

Cheers, Scott and Ally #Kokomo

Recipes

Sweet Chopped Kale Salad with Roasted Beets Yum

The sweetness of the poppy seed dressing combined with tangy roasted beets is a perfect salad for summer time!

Course

Side Dish

Cuisine

American

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

0 minutes

Passive Time

0 hour

Servings

people

Ingredients

10 oz bag Taylor Farms Sweet Kale Chopped Salad Kit
.25 cup chopped red onion
.50 cup sliced & peeled English cucumber
3 small roasted beets, sliced & cut in half find these in the produce section already roasted

Course

Side Dish

Cuisine

American

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

0 minutes

Passive Time

0 hour

Servings

people

Ingredients

10 oz bag Taylor Farms Sweet Kale Chopped Salad Kit
.25 cup chopped red onion
.50 cup sliced & peeled English cucumber
3 small roasted beets, sliced & cut in half find these in the produce section already roasted

Instructions

Mix all of the ingredients today with the dried cranberries and poppy seed dressing the salad kit comes with. Serve immediately.

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Pesto Pasta Salad Yum

This pasta salad can be served chilled or at room temperature and is perfect for a hot summer day.

Course

Side Dish

Cuisine

Italian

Prep Time

25 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Passive Time

0 hour

Servings

people

Ingredients

1 16 oz box pasta - cooked follow cooking directions on the box
.25 cup prepared pesto sauce use more as needed
.25 cup chopped red bell pepper
.25 cup chopped red onion
1 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes sliced in half
1 cup sliced & peeled English cucumber
.25 cup grated parmesan cheese

Course

Side Dish

Cuisine

Italian

Prep Time

25 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Passive Time

0 hour

Servings

people

Ingredients

1 16 oz box pasta - cooked follow cooking directions on the box
.25 cup prepared pesto sauce use more as needed
.25 cup chopped red bell pepper
.25 cup chopped red onion
1 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes sliced in half
1 cup sliced & peeled English cucumber
.25 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Mix all the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve chilled or at room temperature. We transferred the pasta salad to a ziplock bag for easy storage in our small fridge and it kept perfect for the next two days!

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Heirloom Cherry Tomato Salad Yum

This heirloom tomato summer salad only uses four ingredients and is perfect for boating!

Course

Side Dish

Cuisine

Italian

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

0 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

Heirloom Tomato Salad

1 16.5oz container heirloom cherry tomatoes sliced in half
4 oz fresh mozzarella bocconcini balls - bite size or you can use regular balls and cut them into bite size pieces
.25 cup fresh basil, chopped
.25 cup red wine vinaigrette dressing

Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing

Course

Side Dish

Cuisine

Italian

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

0 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

Heirloom Tomato Salad

1 16.5oz container heirloom cherry tomatoes sliced in half
4 oz fresh mozzarella bocconcini balls - bite size or you can use regular balls and cut them into bite size pieces
.25 cup fresh basil, chopped
.25 cup red wine vinaigrette dressing

Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing

Instructions

Mix and blend all of the vinaigrette dressing. Then add 1/4 cup of the dressing to salad. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Let sit for 15 minutes and serve at room temperature.

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July 13, 2017September 28, 2017

Prepping for the big trip!

Prepping for our first trip to the San Juan Islands!

Next week, we are leaving for the San Juan Islands for a five night trip. My brother, Ron and his wife Patsy are joining us. We’ll tag along with my sister Susan and her husband Kurt, who will be on their trawler. We stayed Friday night on the boat last weekend to relax and then do some prep work on Saturday.

Friday night, we decided to eat at Maggie Bluffs restaurant, as we didn’t want to bother prepping dinner on the boat. What a great spot to relax and enjoy the views!

Mac was once again a trooper. For an old dog, at 14+ years old, having to walk to the boat which is a quarter mile, he does very well. But he doesn’t really enjoy “boating”. So with that said, he will have a dog sitter next week when we go to the San Juan Islands.

old golden retriever boating — Got any snacks mom?

I decided to relax on the bow, enjoy the sunset while catching up with my favorite boating magazines.

We had a full moon and once again, we find that this is certainly a great retreat after a long busy week.

Heading out on our own!

Saturday, was our day to take the boat out by ourselves – our first time!!! We wanted to measure how long it took us to get to Shilshole Bay at 7 knots. It ended up taking us 30 minutes, BUT our boat cannot go that slow. The engines rumbled and were not happy. We were testing that speed, as that is how fast my sister and husband will travel in their trawler. So on the way back, we increased our speed to 14-15 knots and it hummed happily.

This means we will be far ahead of them. With that said, we plan on leaving about an hour after them and catching up in Mukilteo. We will get to La Conner a few hours before them, barring any issues. (fingers crossed!!!).

We were planning on having me practice docking the boat along our main dock where the yachts park, but we had too many rolling waves that were making me uneasy. I want to practice in calm waters to fully understand what I’m doing. I will say, that Scott is doing an AMAZING job operating / docking the boat. He was my instructor!

Our next big test was to bring it back to our slip and this time docking with another boat next to us! I wasn’t sure if I should be on the bow to push off, or on the stern to jump off. I decided to stay on the stern and Scott brought the boat in perfectly, swung the stern to port and we tied off in less than a minute! Wow!!

We spent the rest of the day, taking stuff off of the boat that we wouldn’t need next week, to make room for storage (under the seats, closets, etc). Our plan is to go down for the day this Saturday, get gas, clean, load up anything we can in advance and get things ready.

In order to feed six people and have plenty of food and beverages, we knew our little galley fridge would not be sufficient. Scott and I bought a great cooler, Coleman 120 Quart Coastal Xtreme Series Marine Cooler from Amazon and when we are at port, we leave it on the swim step. Obviously, when under way, we bring it on board.

We are scheduled to leave Thursday, July 20th no later than 10am after we load up! We are headed to the La Conner Marina for one night, then to Fisherman’s Bay on Lopez Island for one night, then to Deer Harbor on Orcas Island for two nights, then to Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island for our last night.

Stay tuned for the stories of the big adventure! Scott and Ally