On the third day of our Caribbean Cruise on the tall ship, Star Flyer, Scott and I arrived in the port of Terre-de-Haut in Iles des Saintes. The Îles des Saintes, or Les Saintes, are dependency islands of Guadeloupe, a French overseas territory in the Caribbean. The main island, Terre-de-Haut, is known for Pain de Sucre Beach’s coral-rich waters and palm-lined Les Saintes Bay.
There were no excursions for this island, so most of the passengers took the tender to town to explore. It was a quick 5 minute trip to the dock, where we arrived to a quaint French town full of shops and restaurants. They only take the Euro, so we had to find an ATM to get cash for some items at the grocery store (water, beer).
Tour of the town
Terre-de-Haut consists of only a few streets. Lots of tourists were renting scooters to explore the island. It’s a fun little beach town, but very expensive. Scott and I stopped in a shop to buy a couple of nice shirts and our total was over $150 Euro ($180 US)!
If you want to have lunch, they have beautiful cafes, but they require reservations. Who uses Open Table when you’re out in the middle of the ocean? Sadly, some the restaurants were rude about it. We did sit down in one restaurant, that was literally along the shoreline and dinghy dock. But after 20 minutes, they never came to take our order, so we headed back to the ship.
The beaches of Terre-de-Haut
We grabbed a quick bite on the ship and then changed into our swimsuits to head over to the beach. The cruise line has a partnership with Hotel Bois Jolie. Simply buy a beverage from the bar and you should be able to get a beach chair. However, they don’t have a lot of chairs, so we ended up on a beach towel. You can snorkel right off of the beach, but they have tons of sea urchins, so make sure you wear your water socks!
Sun-downer in the Caribbean
Since we were in the Caribbean, we assumed we would have amazing sunsets each night, but it really depends on where the cruise ship is anchored. Isles des Saintes did not disappoint! The weather was warm, the breeze was light and the scenery was magical.
Day 4 – Guadeloupe
We arrived in Guadeloupe in the morning. This island is also a French colony. While we were waiting for customs to allow us off the ship, guests were allowed to climb up to the mast. Ben was ready, along with Fred – an 89 year old Coast Guard Veteran!
In case I didn’t mention it earlier, when you arrive on the ship, sign up for the excursions immediately or you will miss out. There were some for Guadeloupe we wanted to do, but we were too late. So we decided to head into town and visit the De Deshaies Botanical Gardens. The tender ride is about 10 minutes, as we were anchored pretty far out. Once you arrive at the dock, there are taxi drivers waiting for tourists to drive them to the gardens (which are up a steep hill-about 1 mile)
The Gardens
Guadeloupe is known for it’s lush and tropical scenery. The Botanical Gardens tour takes about an hour and they do have a restaurant inside. However, it was very buggy and Maria and I started to get eaten alive by “no see-ums”, so take bug spray!
The views from the gardens are stunning and definitely worth the trek. Plus they had a variety of birds AND goats! They were the highlight of the tour.
Though we made arrangements for our taxi driver to come back and get us, he never showed. So we had no choice, but to walk back down to the marina. It took about 20 minutes, but you walk on the road, so be cautious of cars.
We were all so exhausted after walking all day in the heat and humidity that we turned in early after dinner.
Watch our full episode on YouTube below:
Where to next?
Next stop is Antigua! Our favorite island in the Caribbean. Stay tuned for our next blog for a full island tour and swimming with the sting rays!
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Everyone has been asking us, what made you go on a tall ship cruise on the Star Flyer? Well, Scott and I have always wanted to book a charter boat in the Caribbean, but we’ve hesitated for a few reasons. One, we don’t know how to bare boat & we were not sure if we would like sailing for seven days straight. The best alternative was to book a sailing trip with Star Clipper vacations, on the Star Flyer. This tall ship holds about 180 people and does not have the same luxurious amenities as a large cruise ship. My girlfriend from college cruised o this ship in the Mediterranean and loved it!
The Itinerary
This cruise was a 7 night cruise, visiting a new island every day:
We left on Thursday, March 7th on a red eye flight out of Seattle and arrived in Sint Maarten, on Friday, March 8th around 12pm. We chose to arrive a day early, in case we had any flight issues.
Scott and I knew that the island was still in recovery mode from Hurricane Irma two years ago. The airport was nearly destroyed and now the airport is almost back to normal. Customs and Immigration took us about an hour and was a bit chaotic. The drive to the hotel (Holland House) which was in Philipsburg took about an hour too. As we drove around the island, we saw numerous abandoned boats and buildings damaged by Hurricane Irma. Traffic can be bad driving around the island. So plan accordingly.
It was our wedding anniversary on March 8th and the hotel upgraded us to a suite – oh my, what a treat! Located right on the beach overlooking the bay, this is the place to stay!
Things to do
Sint Maarten is known for its airplane beach “Maho Beach”. Here jets fly directly over beach goers as they fly in. Scott and I couldn’t pass this opportunity up, so the following day we took a taxi to the beach to check it out. I will say, it was packed and loaded with people! There are two bars and they also have the flight schedules. Planes come in about every 20 minutes and we were there between 11:15am and 12pm. It is definitely a unique experience and I do not recommend standing directly behind a plane when it takes off. We were standing to the side and still got sand blasted. Be sure to watch our video on our YouTube channel for all of the footage.
Downtown Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Our friends, Ben & Maria were joining us on the cruise and they arrived about the same time we were at Maho Beach. We instructed them to go to Holland House, get a day pass for their bags and meet us for cocktails. The hotel is located on Fontstreet, which is the main shopping district. The outdoor bar is located along the beach boardwalk, which is full of restaurants, shopping and bars.
After a few cocktails, Maria and I headed to the Saturday Market for some souvenirs. One thing I will say about Sint Maarten, is that the residents are so friendly – probably one of the friendliest islands in the Caribbean.
Around 3:30pm, the hotel lobby was full of guests heading to the cruise terminal. Check-in for the cruise was between 4pm – 7pm, so we decided to hang back for an hour to avoid the crowds. This turned out to be a smart decision, as we flew through the terminal check-in.
The Star Flyer – Departure Day
Check-in on the ship was pretty fast (if you wait an hour). First you meet the purser, who takes your passports. If you know anything about traveling by boat to other countries, you know that the captain maintains your passports for check-in authorities. The same is true for large cruise ships. In return, you are given an “official ID” card from the cruise line – this allows you to enter and depart each country. Next we were given our keys and off we went (oh, with our welcome cocktail too).
Because the ship was swaying right away in port, I immediately put on my Sea-Band and took a Bonine motion sickness pill. Both worked like magic! After we dropped our bags off, we headed straight to the library to sign up for our excursions. These fill up FAST, so don’t wait too long. We missed out on a couple, but were able to get the Sting Ray Experience on Antigua.
We stayed in room 302 – which was located on the bow . Our room was nice a roomy and were told it was bigger than most. We do know that some of the top end rooms had couches and Jacuzzi tubs too.
One thing we didn’t think about though, was our room was near the top deck and it swayed not only side to side, but up and down. If you get motion sick, don’t pick this room! Every night from 5p – 6p, the cruise ship has light snacks and then dinner begins at 7:30pm. We were scheduled to leave port around 10pm after dinner and set sail. This was a pretty cool experience.
As we set off into the pitch darkness, they began raising the sails and also played the theme song, Conquest of Paradise each time. After spending about an hour on deck, it was time to head to bed.
Quick Note about Wi-Fi: The boat has it, but it’s $10/hour, so we never used it except on the last day. We waited to get on land and find bars that offered it for free.
Day one – Nevis
Since Scott and I were not used to sleeping on a moving boat (that went up and down all night long), we had a rough first night’s sleep. Scott and I headed to breakfast around 9am and we were still sailing (try going thru the buffet line while at a 15 degree heel). Finally we arrived in Nevis around 11am and dropped anchor.
The reviews said there wasn’t a lot to do or see on Nevis, so the four of us decided to relax on deck and soak up some sun. Keep in mind, they have two very small pools on deck meant to just cool you off.
To get to shore, our life boats (tenders) are dropped into the water and passengers use the gangway steps to climb down the side of the ship to the tender. It was pretty rough in the bay, so it was interesting to watch people maneuver both.
Our days on the ship consisted of the same activities each day – breakfast, lunch, cocktails, light snacks, cocktails and then dinner.
Each morning, the activities director will do a briefing of the new island and give instructions on what to do, type of currency and times of departure. Every evening, the ship has different activities at the tropical bar each night. This bar is the only bar and is the hub for all meetings.
Day two – Dominica
Each night the ship puts the next day’s itinerary in your room. Our next stop was Dominica, which is a very small rustic island. Dominica is the northernmost of the Windward Islands (though it is sometimes considered the southernmost of the Leeward Islands). They are a French colony.
The excursions for the island included river rafting, which we didn’t want to do, so we planned on checking the island out on our own. Before we arrived, we had a scheduled sail with our sister ship, The Royal Clipper from 9am – 10:30am. This was a really cool and beautiful experience. I was surprised to see so many people on the bow plank though!
What to do in Portsmouth, Dominica
There were two things to do on your own – you could go to the beach or go to the Fort. Scott and I love old Forts, so we headed in that direction. It’s located in the Cabrits National Park, about a 10 minute walk straight up hill.
We loaded up in the tender, which is scary at first. The ship is moving up and down about a foot and then you have to gracefully get on board.
The ride to the dock, was about 5 minutes and we immediately noticed the damage from Hurricane Irma. Dominica was nearly destroyed during the hurricane and they are still recovering.
Check in at Prince Rupert’s Tavern to buy your pass (I think it was US $5/pp) and this gives you access to the Fort and also the hiking trails.
I wasn’t up for any hike, so we just checked out Fort Shirley. You can explore the different buildings and the view look-outs over the bay.
After our hike, we headed back to Prince Rupert’s Tavern for a cold beer. They have free Wi-Fi when you buy food or drinks. We bought two beers and they came out of the freezer (almost slightly frozen). It was so hot that day, that these were the best beers we’ve had in a long time!
We returned to the ship a few hours later and discovered where they store all of their booze! They keep it in the belly of the ship and use a cargo net to bring it out.
Sundowner
We wound down the day with a cocktail watching the sunset. No matter the day, you can’t beat a warm Caribbean night with good friends, cocktails and an amazing sunset.
Next we head to Isle des Saintes. Stay tuned for our next update and be sure to check back for our episode on Day 1 – 3. As always, thanks for following our blog! Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @BoatingJourney.
Sea Trial, Survey, Mechanical Inspection & Haul Out
Last Weds, February 20th, Scott and I had the sea trial, survey and mechanical inspection scheduled for the Bayliner 4087 we made an offer on. Seattle has been experiencing record breaking snow levels and conditions this month and once again it threatened to snow on Wednesday! Based on the weather forecast, I was nervous. You know me, when it comes to weather, I’m a nut. The last thing I wanted to do was haul out in the snow! Here’s a picture that our boat yard shared the week before!
We hired Chuck Solarek, of CSW Surveyors and I highly recommend him! Chuck came in with loaded guns. Not only is he SAMS accredited (Society of Marine Surveyors Society), but he has twenty-four years experience as a naval submarine engineer. He had so much equipment with him, that I thought he had other members on his team. In the end, his survey and mechanical inspection was so detailed and thorough, we couldn’t have asked for more.
Let sea trials begin
Scott and I asked my brother-in-law Kurt to join us for the sea trial. He is a retired Washington State Ferry engineer and a life long boater himself. You will recall, he helped us out many times with Kokomo – especially during our trip to the San Juans Islands.
Also along on the trip, was our broker Steve Thoreson, from Union Marine and the captain, who was hired by Elliott Bay Yacht Sales. (certainly different than when Ed the owner of Kokomo took us out!
We all met at the marina around 9:15am and by then Chuck had been on the boat for a bit doing his inspection.
We left Elliott Bay Marina around 9:30am and headed towards Shilshole Marina and Seaview Boat Yard. Low and behold, the weather was perfect! We had calm seas and a slight mist, but that was it!
On our trip to Seaview, we motored at about 11 knots, which was a very pleasant pace. Unlike Kokomo, we could talk and hear each other. However, at this pace, it would take us eight hours to get to the San Juan Islands, versus three on Kokomo. Scott took the helm at the bridge on the way up and I sat down below in the salon. During that time, Along the way, Kurt and Chuck were checking different systems.
Arriving at Seaview Boatyard
If you remember from the last time we hauled out, I was scared to death to climb out of the boat while it was in the slings. Well, this time it was just as bad, if not worse! I still can’t believe this is how they do this!! So unsafe. Each passenger, walks out to the bow, steps over the railing (that’s great if you are tall), reaches for the WET ladder that is about a foot or two away and starts to climb out. Don’t mind that you are 15′ in the air!
I was so worried my foot was going to slip or my hand would lose a grip. My heart was racing when I landed on the pier. I then told everyone, they were picking me up on the dock when we were done! LOL
Hauling out the boat
We had one hour to have Chuck inspect the hull, drives, propellers and trim tabs. Since I won a free power wash at the Seattle Boat Show, I had them power wash the bottom, so we could get a clearer picture of what it looked like.
Remember what Kokomo looked like when we hauled out? Not only did it need to be painted, but all of the zincs were shot! (see below)
Well, shockingly this boat was in perfect shape! (still seems odd to me, since they say the last time they hauled out was in 2014!) So strange, but that’s great news!
Poor Chuck was soaked from inspecting the hull while they pressure washed it!
Time to head back for home & sea trials
An hour and $425 later, it was time to put the boat back in the water.
Remember, I wasn’t going back the same way I came! Watching the guys, they don’t look thrilled either.
We left Seaview boatyard around 11:15am and headed out to Elliott Bay. Once out in the bay, Chuck had Scott run the engines, while he checked them. Remember, these are twin Cummins diesel engines. From our cruising speed of 11 knots/1000 RPMs, Chuck had us increase the RPMs to 1500, then to 2000 and then to wide open at 2500 RPMs. You would never run a semi-displacement boat at that speed, as it’s not only not good for the engines, but you would get terrible fuel consumption. For the best fuel consumption, between 1000-1200 RPMs is ideal.
What we did learn about diesel engines is three primary things:
Never ever run out of gas (remember our story from September?)
When cruising with diesel engines, it is important to run at 80% of your max RPM during your last 20 minutes of cruising. That’s important to remember if you plan on only cruising the bay.
When docking, leave the engines running at idle for about 5 minutes to allow them to cool off. Unlike gas engines, diesel engines cool off while running versus after they shut down.
Once back at the dock, the last thing to check was the infamous tender – did it run? Steve dropped it (sort of) into the water, then Scott climbed into it haphazardly and was able to start it. The running lights work, but maybe not the CD Player. LOL
Survey results?
Well it wouldn’t be a boating journey story if there wasn’t a snag right? Remember when we trying to close on Kokomo and the owner kept going out of town, so it took a month? Let’s hope that’s not the case this time.
Long story short, the survey and inspection came back pretty good. We do have to some work, nothing too major and Lake Union Sea Ray Service Department can do all of the work. Scott and I have accepted the survey and now we wait to go to escrow next week – we hope! Our lender requires our boat be documented with the Coast Guard. We are waiting for the documentation reports to make sure it’s not a stolen boat before we can go to escrow. Guess what? The Coast Guard is a bit back logged due to the government shutdown.
Then we are scheduled to close on Weds, March 6th – but Scott will be in Miami, FL. This title company doesn’t like to use “power of attorney” signatures, so he either needs to find a notary in Miami or be present. So our hope is that we move it to Thursday, March 7th if the Coast Guard docs come back in time – the night we fly out to the Caribbean on our tall ship cruise. If that doesn’t happen, it will have to be postponed until we return, mid-March.
Then what?
Once we take possession, our broker Steve will spend time with both us teaching us how to dock it and back it out of the slip. Everyone says it will be much much easier than our old boat, so let’s hope so. Since we will be taking it to Lake Union Sea Ray for service, we’ll go thru the Ballard Locks with Steve that same day and get some time under our belts (he can dock it at the shop though) 😉
So stay tuned! Our next update will most likely be our trip to the Caribbean and not about the boat! We have some work to do on it, both mechanically and aesthetically and we’ll share all of that with you too, once we are official.
As always, thank you for following our blog! Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube @BoatingJourney #boatingjourney
Watch our full sea trial and survey on Episode 29 on our YouTube channel here:
We might as well be tourists while living in Seattle
Seattle has so much to offer and last weekend we decided to be tourists in our own city. After checking out the waterfront, we headed to the Space Needle to see its remodel. The Space Needle underwent a major renovation last summer, removing the restaurant and replacing it with a rotating glass floor observation deck.
While waiting to get to the top, the lobby ramp tells the entire story of the Space Needle.
Since it’s not tourist season yet, we were able to get up to the observation tower in just a few minutes. You start at the very top and then move down to the floor below (where the restaurant used to be). Now they serve wine and beer, along with snacks and small bites (hot dogs, nachos, etc).
Amazing 360 degree views
It was absolutely beautiful last Sunday, so our views were amazing! Imagine if you were a tourist in Seattle seeing this for the first time!
Olympic Mountains and Elliott Bay MarinaDowntown SeattleMount Rainier in the distanceLake Union (where we live)
After a few minutes, we both got the courage to stand on the actual glass floor. The glass bottom observation deck also rotates very slowly.
If you haven’t taken a tour yet of the newly remodeled Space Needle, I highly recommend it. It was pretty awesome and a fun thing to do. Next week, the Seattle Boat Show starts on January 25th – so stay tuned for the full tour and update on our boat search. As always, thank you for following our journey! Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. @BoatingJourney #boatingjourney
On Friday, the last car drove across Seattle’s Viaduct as they get ready to close it after 66 years. The viaduct is a two level highway (99) that ran along Seattle’s waterfront – it has gorgeous views of Elliott Bay and DT Seattle, but it is also very old and wouldn’t last in a major earthquake.
A tunnel will replace the viaduct, which is set to open around mid-February after eight years of construction. There is a lot of history and politics behind the tunnel, as not everyone agreed with replacing the viaduct with a toll tunnel that offers less lanes. Read more about there here.
Exploring Seattle’s Waterfront
The weather was gorgeous this weekend, with record temps reaching almost 60 degrees. So Scott and I decided to head down to Seattle’s waterfront to get some exercise, soak up some sun near the water and see what the viaduct looks like now.
The first thing we noticed, was how QUIET the waterfront is now that there are not thousands of cars driving on the viaduct. The scenery was beautiful as we walked from pier to pier. One thing we miss the most about not owning the boat anymore, is spending time on Elliott Bay.
Wings over Washington
There are two attractions on Pier 57, Wings of Washington and the Great Wheel.
I’m terrified of heights, so I have no desire to ever go on the Great Wheel. But we did decide to check out Wings of Washington. It was very cool, but not for the faint of heart. You are strapped in and then the seats go up into the air and you experience an aerial adventure over Washington State. It lasts about 10 minutes, which is about all I could handle!
From there, we walked up to Pike Place Market to see what the viaduct looked like from above.
It really is surreal to have no cars flying by. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. One thing Scott and I love about living in DT Seattle, is being a tourist for the day. We truly live in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Tomorrow we’re planning on spending the day on Lake Union, so stay tuned! Thank you for following us. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter too @BoatingJourney
They say time flies as you get older and 2018 flew by for us. Sadly, we started the year, by saying goodbye to Mac on January 18th – the same day my dad died in 2002. We have been through some tragic times and I have to say that this was one of the most difficult things Scott and I have dealt with. Mac really made an impact on so many people.
This was just the start of the changes we would experience in 2018. Next, we began the hunt for an apartment in the city and purging our belongings. It’s one thing to “talk about your plans”, but it’s another thing when it actually happens! As we were selling our house, we were also hauling out our boat for the first time. What an experience that was!
City Folk
Scott and I have been talking for years about downsizing and living on a boat. Finally, 2018 was a our year to make the move! And what a crazy time this was for us. I was interviewing, we were working on the boat and the house and preparing to move, all at the same time! When it finally all came to fruition, it was a bit surreal, but we were ecstatic. We love our new digs!
With all of our activities living in the city and traveling this summer, Scott and I didn’t get a chance to go on as many boating trips as we would have liked. Living in the city, we took advantage of the sights nearby. Soon after we moved in, we took our annual trip to the Anacortes Boat Show with our good friends Nick and Michelle. This is smaller, intimate boat show and a fun getaway.
2018 Boating Season
Scott and I did start boating season on a trip to Poulsbo in June with our good friends Ben & Maria and what a start it was! We had historical record tides and 22 knot winds. Yet, we made it through Agate Pass and at the marina (yet a bit banged up.)
One of the perks of living in our new apartment, is the view of Lake Union – especially on July 4th! Though we owned a boat, we had no desire to join the mayhem of the lake party. Honestly, I can’t imagine being around that many boats at one time! LOL
Where else did we travel to?
As summer was underway, Scott and I planned a couple more trips. Next was Gig Harbor and this time we stayed at Arabella’s Landing. This is such a nice and easy trip from Seattle and there’s so much to do in Gig Harbor!
We squeezed in another trip to Kingston this summer and traveled with some of our great friends, Randy, Cory, Stacy, Ben and Maria! Kingston offers concerts on the lawn at the marina, so it’s always a great time!
Once we returned from Kingston, we put Kokomo up for sale. We had only planned on owning the boat for one summer, as we prep for moving onto our live-aboard. Over Labor Day Weekend, we went through the locks one more time and enjoyed Lake Washington before we said goodbye to Kokomo.
Going under the Montlake Bridge
Of course, this was right after we broke down in our marina! LOL That’s a funny story in itself. Why? Well, because I had just joined Lake Union Sea Ray and I called them to go diagnose the issue. Find out what happened here.
Good Bye to Kokomo, Friends and Elliott Bay Marina
Within a few weeks of listing Kokomo, we got an offer from a really nice couple. Now was time to say goodbye to not only the boat, but all of our friends at Elliott Bay Marina. It’s funny how close you all can become in just a matter of a year. We know we’ll be back soon, but it was still a pretty emotional day for us.
Olympic Mountains
As the year comes to end, Scott and I are thankful for all of the great memories we had on Kokomo. We are continuing to look for our liveaboard and more importantly, a slip that will hold a 50’+ boat. In the meantime, I am loving my new job at Union Marine and gearing up for the Seattle Boat Show in January. Then we are headed to the Caribbean on a 7 day cruise through the Leeward Islands on the tall ship Star Flyer with our good friends Ben and Maria in March! We can’t wait.
Just this week, we learned that our blog has been selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 20 Boat Blogs on the web. How cool is that!
Keep following us for new updates in the New Year! Thank you for all of your support this year and we look forward to sharing our journey with you. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Cheers, Scott and Ally
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Last weekend Scott and I wanted to get out and enjoy Fall, so we headed to Snow Lake Trail at Alpental on Snoqualmie Pass. It is about a forty-five minute drive from Seattle and the scenery was beautiful!
To get to the trail head, simply follow the signs to Alpental ski area. We arrived about 10:30am and the parking lot was packed!
There were some serious hikers in the lot, with their walking poles and gear. Only wearing tennis shoes and sweats, I got a bit worried. The hike is about 7.2 miles round trip with about 1100 feet elevation. As soon as you leave the parking lot, you start inclining right away.
Note the switchbacks towards the end of the trail – they are many of them and it’s a hike up!
A moderate hike
That was the description on the Washington Trails Association website. The trail starts out with a mild incline through the woods.
Because we have had such a dry summer, the trail was pretty clean. However, if we had any amount of rain the day before, the trails would have been really muddy.
I will say there were a lot of dogs and elderly people on the trail, but it was extremely rocky and I wouldn’t recommend it for either. Soon after you begin your ascent through the wooded part of the trail, the trail turns pretty rocky. You really have to watch your step, so you don’t twist an ankle.
But the vistas are gorgeous has you ascend up the mountain.
How long does the hike take?
The hike took us about two and half hours to get to the top and two hours to get down. We hike slow, so you could trim some time off of that.
Just as you approach the summit, you will come across some stairs.
These lead to the summit and rocks overlooking Snow Lake.
The guide says the trip is 7.2 miles round trip, but my Fitbit only said 6.3 miles. We think this is because the trail continued down to the lake. It would have been great to go see it, but that would have meant we would have to come back up!
We got to the top, now we have to get back down
While the views and vistas were amazing, the hike itself wasn’t that relaxing. The trail is so rocky that you really needed to watch every step you took, as to not twist an ankle.
At the end of the day, it was a fun hike. Just be sure to wear comfortable shoes and honestly, walking sticks would be smart too. Below is Episode #24 with our full tour.
If you are new to our blog, you are probably wondering why we are talking about hiking when this is a boating blog. Well, a month ago we sold our boat and now we are taking the winter off. We’ll start shopping for our next boat come February. In the meantime, we’re exploring sights around Seattle and the PNW.
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When Scott and I moved to Downtown Seattle, we knew that we would be exploring the city and we’ve been amazed at how many things there are to see around Lake Union.
Our apartment is on Dexter Avenue and we face east. Directly across from us is St. James Cathedral and above it, is Volunteer Park. Neither of us have ever been to the park, so we decided to explore it.
Volunteer Park
Volunteer Park is a 48 acre park that includes a conservatory and the Asian Art Museum. The history of the park is fascinating and told by different placards in the water tower observation deck. In 1885 the city had planned to make it a cemetery, but that was overruled and it became Lake View Park. By 1909 the Olmstead brothers began adding improvements including gardens, a children’s pool and a performance stage. The Olmstead brothers were dedicated nature and creating parks throughout the city. It’s pretty cool that they were so committed about nature and ecology back in the 1900’s.
There is plenty of parking inside the park and there are walkways throughout. We parked and headed towards the Asian Art Museum. Unfortunately it is closed for renovation and will open next summer.
The photo above is actually the children’s wading pool. I wouldn’t recommend using it today. Scott and I then headed towards the Water Tower Observatory. The water tower is reportedly haunted and I will tell you, this is the last place I would want to be at dusk or at night!
There are stairs that take you up both sides and it’s a climb!
What’s really cool about this water tower is that not only is it still being used today, but that they enclosed it in brick to make it look better! That’s a lot of work just for a water tower. Remember what our water tower looked like in our driveway of the house we just sold? LOL
History of Seattle Parks
Once you get to the observation deck of the water town, you have a 360 degree view from Bellevue to Seattle. You can also read about the history of the planned parks in Seattle by the Olmstead brothers.
The statement above is so true!! It’s one of the reasons we love living in the Pacific Northwest.
From the water tower observatory, we walked the grounds to enjoy some fall scenery.
The conservatory was closed, so we didn’t get to go inside. Right outside the conservatory, is a statue dedicated to Henry Seward – who knew his importance to Seattle? So fun!
If you haven’t visited Volunteer Park, I highly recommend it for a fun afternoon!
Borealis Light Festival
The following weekend, MOHAI (Museum of History and Industry) hosted the Borealis Light Festival. This was an international contest and it was one of the coolest things we’ve seen in a long time! It’s too bad it wasn’t here longer. We tried to capture as much footage as we could, which you can watch on our next YouTube episode.
Stay tuned for our next blog and we’ll update you on our boat search and hopefully our plans for the Spring! As always, thank you for following us! Be sure to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Since selling the boat two weeks ago, everyone keeps asking us, “no boat, so what now?” We wish we had a definitive answer, but we don’t. What we can tell you is, we are trying to figure that out and hope that soon we’ll have an answer.
If you recall two years ago, Scott and I were at the Annapolis Power Boat Show, looking for a liveaboard. After the show, we decided it would be in our best interest to buy a weekend cruising boat first to make sure we like spending time on a boat. As we began our search back then, we realized that finding a slip was an issue. Luckily, we were able to secure one at Elliott Bay Marina, a month before we had found our boat.
Fast Forward to Today
When Scott and I sold our boat, we were given lots of advice on what to buy next. Remember, we sold our home with the intention of moving onto a 50-55′ boat. That’s why our lease in our new apartment is only for one year (with only 7 months left). Wow, we’re right on track, so let’s start shopping! Not so fast……..
Turns out that plan has a HUGE hiccup in it. We have checked with our own marina and all of the other main public marinas in Seattle and all of them have a 3-5 year waitlist for boats over 50 feet! Guess we didn’t think about that, even though we kept hearing “you better get on a list”. On top of all of this, we love Elliott Bay Marina and we don’t want to leave, but they also don’t allow liveaboards. Great, now what, you ask? Just for kicks and giggles, we asked about the availability for 40′ and 46′ slips at Elliott Bay. Those are 3-4 months on a waitlist. Just to be safe, we are on the waitlist for those.
Basically, we have three options.
We can buy a 37 – 43′ boat and keep our apartment for another year. But that wasn’t originally in our budget or plan.
We can hope that we find a liveaboard that comes with a slip already.
We don’t buy anything
The last option sounds so drastic and not part of any of our original plans. However, one thing Scott and I have agreed upon and that is “we will not buy a boat simply to get a slip in our marina”. If we find the right boat and we feel really great about it, then we’ll know it was meant to be. So we are searching every day and of course, with me working at Lake Union Sea Ray, everyone there knows I’m searching for a boat too.
So no boating journey?
Of course not! Remember, this blog started in 2013 long before we had a boat. Scott and I are committed to staying very active on the water some how or another. This includes kayaking, sailing on Lake Union, chartering a boat to the islands, canoeing, you name it.
We’ll also continue to share tips, videos, books, recipes and vacation information along the way.
Exciting Sailing Trip in the Caribbean!
Just this weekend Scott and I booked an exciting trip in the Caribbean. We have never been on a cruise (and have no desire to either), but we have heard wonderful things about Windstar and Star Clipper. There are many charter companies in the Caribbean and we’ve talked about finally signing up (but that seems risky not knowing the other four passengers). So we opted to go the larger group route!
We booked an 8 night Leeward Island Cruise for next March and we used our BoatUS membership for a discount! The vessel, Star Flyer, is 360′ long with a 50′ beam. Unlike a formal cruise ship that typically has thousands of guests, this vessel only holds 170 passengers with 72 crew. It also doesn’t have fancy restaurants, casinos or theaters. Instead, it is set up as a casual sailing experience in a more intimate setting.
The itinerary will visit the Leeward Islands (funny, our apartment complex is called Leeward) and the only island we have visited before is Antigua.
Once we get more information about the trip, we’ll be sure to share that with you. I’m a bit nervous about getting sea sick, as there will be a lot of movement up and down on the boat (especially our room, as it is up front). The booking agent recommended that we take Bonine as it works much better than Dramamine. Guess we’ll find out!
In our next YouTube episode, we’ll sit down with you all and talk more about our plans and what we have on our agenda.
Thank you for following us! Please be sure to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel and also follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Until next time! Cheers, Scott and Ally
Going through the Ballard Locks and touring Lake Washington
Scott and I have never toured Lake Washington on our boat. Last year, this same weekend Scott and I went through the Ballard Locks for the first time. It was a cool experience, but not that fun of a day as Seattle was engulfed in smoke and ash.
One of the things I wanted to do this summer was go back through the locks and enjoy Lake Washington. So this past weekend, we invited our friends Dave & Kathy to join us. The weather was great and not too hot. The Ballard Locks are about 30 minutes from Elliott Bay and the entire round trip, including lunch took about 7 hours as we only traveled 7 knots the entire time.
We left Elliott Bay Marina around 10:45am and as we approached the entrance to the locks, we had a red light, which meant we had to wait. The locks are made up of two locks: Large and Small. Last year we went through the large locks and we were tied up with two boats and there were about twenty boats in the locks with us.
Going through the large locks for the first time 2017
Going through the Locks Again
We only waited about twenty minutes to get into the small locks. We entered with one sail boat and we were the only boats inside the locks. Unlike the large locks, where you need 50′ lines that you throw up to the handlers, the small locks have moving walls. You simply wrap your bow and stern line around the cleat number they assign you and tie it off back at your own cleat.
Once everyone is secured to the wall, they close the gates and begin to fill up the locks. The wall moves up with your boat and you want to keep all hands and fingers away from the wall. Be sure to make sure your bumpers are at the widest point of your boat to protect it (not dock level).
The small locks fill up in about ten minutes and then the handlers will instruct everyone on who can leave first. Since there were only two boats, we all quickly exited and began going towards Lake Union through the Fremont cut.
Going through the Fremont & Montlake Cuts
The speed is limited to a no wake zone through the Fremont Cut, Lake Union and the Montlake Cut. This actually made it a very pleasant trip.
Going under the Aurora Bridge
It was fun to see everything on Lake Union from the water (versus our apartment). There is so much activity on the lake ranging from Pirate Ship tours, to electric boat rentals and party boats. Lake Union is lined with yachts on all sides too.
Going under the Montlake Bridge
Each time a sailboat with a tall mast (like the boat above) goes under a bridge, they sound their fog horn to have them raise the bridge. Most of the footage I took of our trip to Lake Washington was video, which you can watch on our next YouTube episode at the end of this post.
Lunch in Kirkland
The four of us decided to cruise the north end of Lake Washington around Hunts Point and check out the beautiful homes.
Now it was around 1:45pm, so we decided to head to the Kirkland City Dock to tie up and have lunch. Luckily, there were only a few boats on the dock, so there was plenty of space.
We had a great lunch at Cactus and I had an awesome watermelon froze’.
Time to head back
After lunch, we headed back through the Montlake Cut to the locks. Since it was Labor Day weekend, we were not sure if we would have a long wait to get back out. There was a lot of traffic in the cut and as we came around the bend into Lake Union, a giant old ferry was headed right for us! Turns out this boat, Hiyu, is available for rent! How it fit through the Montlake Cut I don’t know!
Just as we passed the ferry boat, we also passed by my new office! Drum roll……I’m so excited to be joining Lake Union Sea Ray as their Marketing Manager. I get to combine my two passions – boating and marketing and I couldn’t be happier!
We arrived to the locks around 4:30pm and just as we arrived, so did the Argosy “Good Times” tour boat. They get first dibs on the small locks, so we had to wait for them to go through first. This took about a half hour. We went in with two other boats and it was a piece of cake!
What a great day!
Scott and I couldn’t have asked for a better day! Great weather, great company and our boat Kokomo did awesome!
This is what boating in the PNW is all about. The beauty of our surroundings and the magical scenery makes everything worthwhile.
As many of you know, our boat Kokomo is for sale and we do have a tentative offer on it. We will be doing a sea trial with the buyers. So stay tuned on our next chapter! (I have to save something for the next blog! LOL)
Here’s Episode #20 of our trip through the locks:
Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Please subscribe to our blog and YouTube channel to stay up to date. Thank you for all of your support! Cheers, Scott and Ally
#BoatingJourney #KokomoSeattle
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The statement above is so true!! It’s one of the reasons we love living in the Pacific Northwest.
