Trips Archives

May 16, 2021May 18, 2021

We’re finally headed to the USVI!

Our channel wouldn’t be called Boating Journey if we didn’t always have a journey to get to our destination and this trip to the USVI was no exception. After postponing our bareboat charter to February 2022, we opted to keep our flights and visit all three islands in the USVI. The entry requirements seemed fairly straightforward so what could go wrong? We should know not to ask that question!

USVI Travel Portal

Before you’re allowed to enter the USVI, you must fill out the travel portal, upload your negative covid test and be approved to enter. According to the site, we needed a negative covid molecular (e.g., RT-PCR, viral or nucleic acid amplification) or an antigen (rapid) taken 5 days prior to arrival to the territory. Our friends, Ben and Maria were traveling two days before us and all of us were on a red-eye flight. Their airline stated they needed the test taken 5 days prior to departure, but when they uploaded it, it was rejected as it was actually 6 days prior to arrival.

Lots of travelers we know recommended we go to Walgreens for our test, so we made an appointment at the Tukwila location for Monday (5 days from our arrival date). When we arrived, we found out that they DO NOT do the test we needed AND the results would be ready in 7 days! Yikes. The pharmacist recommended we drive to the Burien Walgreens and when we arrived there, we were informed they don’t take same day appointments. Great!

Trying not to panic, I jumped online and immediately booked an appointment for 11am (it was now 10:25am) at Rite Aid and Scott did the same. The test was easy, as you simply pull up to the drive thru window, swap your nose and give the vial back to the tech.

After we handed our tests back, we were informed we would have our results in 7 days! OMG, this can’t be happening!

Trying not to panic now

If you search the web for rapid covid tests, there are many sites that will give you your results in a few hours for a large fee $200 to $350. Scott and I were so desperate, that we were about to sign up for one of these. Then I remembered seeing another rapid test site, called GS Labs. Before I tried booking it, I first made sure that they were CLIA approved by the USVI portal. Thank God they were! The closest lab to us, was back in Downtown Seattle, so I made an appointment for 11:30am. As we drove, I used Scott’s phone to book the appointments and in the process, I managed to book 4 appointments for myself and none for him! Luckily, they took care of everything and after about 40 min, we were all done.

Ironically as I got ready to drive away, one of the workers shouted out my name. Turns out an old high school classmate owns the business and not only that, but he’s close friends with Ben! Now remember, Ben and Maria still at this point hadn’t gotten their results and were scheduled to fly out the next day. So I called them and told them to go get another test at GS Labs (which billed our insurance, so we were not out of pocket). Two hours later, we all had our results and we were good to go! Talk about a journey.

Are we there yet?

This trip has been planned for over two years and we couldn’t wait to finally get on the plane! We flew out on Thursday night around 11:15pm and arrived in Miami the following morning.

The flight to Miami was about 6 hours and we had about a 2 hour layover before our 2 hour flight to St. Thomas.

Finally we arrived around 1:30pm (11 hours later) to St Thomas! Ben and Maria had rented a Jeep, so they picked us up. We stopped by the local Publix grocery store for some drinks and snacks, before heading to the resort.

Though the USVI are a US Territory, they drive on the left with American cars and the roads on St. Thomas are very rough and steep!

Ben took the route that Google gave us. During the rest of our trip, our drivers took a few other different ways, all of which were still pretty steep!

What you don’t see well in the route above were the hairpin switchbacks! Talk about white knuckle drive – on the left side of the road!

We were really impressed with Ben’s driving skills!

Welcome to Margaritaville!

If you do have a car, parking can be limited near the hotel. But they do have golf carts that will take you to your room.

Ben and Maria had a fabulous room up on the hill, overlooking the bay.

Unfortunately, we were not so lucky. We were in the last building and our view was of a tree. Oh well, we were still in paradise!

The rooms were great, as they were kitchenettes that came with blenders! These rooms are actually condos and so we didn’t get housekeeping service. If you want extra coffee or towels, you have to go to the front desk and ask for them.

Time for some food and drinks

After checking in, the four of us headed to 5’Oclock Somewhere for a cocktail and enjoy the view and a few appetizers. Traveling to the Caribbean from the West Coast is exhausting, but worth it in the end.

That night, we took a taxi into Red Hook and grabbed some pizza at the Island Time Pub, which was fantastic! I highly recommend it and I don’t eat pizza! Overlooking the bay at Red Hook, the view is also fantastic!

For the next 10 days, we had a lot on the itinerary and we’ll share that journey with you over the next few weeks! Be sure to subscribe to both our blog and YouTube channel for the upcoming tour!

As always, thank you for following our journey! You can also follow us on social media @BoatingJourney and use the hashtag #boatingjourney. Cheers, Scott and Ally

April 10, 2021April 10, 2021

What I’m Reading During Our Caribbean Vacation

It has been two years since Scott and I have been to the Caribbean and we are so excited about our upcoming vacation. We are headed to the US Virgin Islands in a week and this trip has had many revisions thanks to covid-19. Originally we were flying into St. Thomas to get to the British Virgin Islands LAST April 2020. Sadly, our charter was the first to be cancelled thanks to the pandemic. So we moved the trip to February 2021, in hopes we would be able to get there. Then in December, we knew February was not looking good, so we moved it again to April 2021.

Unfortunately, the quarantine rules were too restrictive for a 7 day vacation, so we moved the trip once AGAIN to February 2022 and kept our flight to St. Thomas. None of us have ever been to the US Virgin Islands, so this will be a new trip for us!

Island Hopping in the Caribbean

Scott and I are traveling with our friends Ben and Maria, who we have the charter booked with. They will arrive a few days before us and leave before us. We’ll be visiting St Thomas first, staying on the Redhook (east) end of the island. After a couple of days, we’re headed to St. Croix and then we’ll finish our trip on St. John. We’re flying to St. Croix on a puddle jumper and we’re taking the ferry to get to St. John.

Snorkeling & Relaxing by the Pool

I’ve booked a few sailing & snorkeling trips for us during our stay. We’re also planning on doing some more off the beaten path explorations of the three islands, so be sure to tune in to those episodes and blogs. Since we haven’t been on a Caribbean vacation (or any vacation for that matter) in two years, we do plan on spending a few days relaxing by the pool. My favorite thing to do while sitting by the pool, is reading books about getting off the grid. We know it will happen some day! I have three new books that I’m excited to read during our trip.

Escape from the Ordinary

Written by Julie Bradley, Escape from the Ordinary is about a couple that retires early, sells everything and sail around the world. Looking at their route, they visited Europe, Africa, Caribbean, Eastern US, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia, Asia and the Maldives (just to name a few! The preface also mentions their battle with raging storms (which is my biggest fear), so I’m excited to dig into this book.

French Silk on Water

Written by Patrick Hill, French Silk on Water is a story about a couple from British Columbia, who decided one day that “Life is Short – Do it Soon – Do it Now”. So they rented their home, bought a sailboat in the Great Lakes and made their way to the Bahamas. Boating down the Great Loop is a bucket list of mine. I’ve already started this book and one thing that jumped out at me, was they joined a yacht club, so they could use sister yacht club moorings. For the most part, that plan has worked, with a few exceptions. This is an easy ready and it has been fun to read about this journey on the Great Loop.

Off the Grid

Written by Captain Mark J. Reinhardt, Off the Grid is a story about how he quit the rat race and now lives for free aboard a sailboat. I wonder what will be our trigger to finally do the same? People often ask us why we don’t and the answer is, we need to be debt free before we can do that. Baby steps. The summary mentions that he was tired of the endless work hours and never-ending debt, so he decided to live rent free off the coast of Key West. I’ll be curious to find out what he did about his debt, because it never goes away. Maybe he’ll have some tips for us?

The Countdown is On!

With only twelve days until we leave, you can bet we are counting not only the days, but the hours! Scott and I have always wanted to live in the US Virgin Islands, so we are excited to see if it is what we imagined. Be sure to follow our journey on social media (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) @BoatingJourney for an inside peek to our trip.

As always, thank you for following our journey! Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel and watch for our upcoming episodes touring the USVI. Until next time!

Cheers,
Scott and Ally

April 4, 2021April 4, 2021

How Dogs & Boats Brought Us Together

Last weekend, Scott and I traveled to Whidbey Island to spend the day with our new “God Dog” Soleil. Ironically, it was dogs and boats that brought us together with Soleil’s parents. For the second week in a row, we took the ferry and this time we were in the very front. The trip from Mukilteo to Clinton only takes about 15 minutes.

Mac didn’t like boating

When Scott and I bought our first boat Kokomo in 2017, we assumed our golden Mac would LOVE boating with us. Unfortunately, it was not his favorite past time. Probably because it was a very long walk to the boat and at 14 years old, he wasn’t into it.

Once on the boat, he did great, mostly slept or begged for food. Mac always wanted to be by our side, so he didn’t venture far. We tried to keep his life jacket on him all the time, because he fell into the water twice. But during the summer, he was just too hot wearing it.

Sadly, we said goodbye to Mac in January 2018 and we still are “dogless”. It broke our hearts and we’re still not completely over the loss.

Could Mac be channeling his spirit?

I have had four goldens during my lifetime and they have a special place in my heart. Though I grew up with black labs, there’s something about a golden that makes you smile. Fast forward to 2019, when I was working at our Roche Harbor Rendezvous for work. It was a hot summer day and I was busy on the docks. Imagine my surprise, when a Sea Ray pulled up with a golden on the bow. I dropped everything and ran over to greet them.

I immediately fell in love with Tiller and she kept looking for me the entire weekend. Something about Tiller, reminded me so much of Mac. Her mannerisms and personality, were a clone of Mac. It was as if he was channeling his spirit through Tiller. Her owners, Marshall and Lauren agreed with me, as she would do things they hadn’t seen before (i.e. paw at me). After that weekend, I kept in touch with them and followed Tiller’s adventures on Whidbey Island and boating around Puget Sound.

Last summer, during our trip to Blaine to tour a Navigator, Lauren and Marshall, took a quick detour so I could see Tiller. What a special treat that was! It made my day! I was glad that Scott got to meet her too and see how much she acted like Mac.

The bond between dogs and boaters

There’s something unique about boat dogs and boaters. We have a bond, that others don’t understand. Perhaps it’s the challenges of dealing with a dog on the dock, or watching them take in the salty air as you cruise? Whatever it is, I love that boating introduced me to the Corson family and Tiller.

Sadly, she left for the Rainbow Bridge early this year due to cancer. I’m sure Mac was waiting to say hi and romp around. When you lose an animal, especially your heart dog, it’s devastating. I’ve always said, that new animals, don’t replace the ones that left us. They are instead, an addition to our family.

Meet Soleil

Having such a strong love for goldens, Lauren and Marshall welcomed a new golden puppy named Soleil. Scott and I were so honored to be asked to be her “God dog” parents and we headed over to Whidbey Island for a day at the beach.

I bought her a dental chew toy and Mac’s favorite woobie, a hedgehog. I think she approved.

In memory of Tiller, I had a blanket made with her on it. My niece and nephew did the same thing for me and I knew I had to do one for Lauren & Marshall. (You can make your own at Shutterfly).

Exploring Langley for the first time

First we grabbed lunch at Mukilteo Coffee Roasters and I have to say, it was one of the best sandwiches and burgers we’ve ever had. Plus, they are dog friendly! Scott and I took turns babysitting Soleil at the table.

From there, we checked out the Langley Marina. I had tried making reservations for our Bayliner 4087 a couple of years ago, but they were full. After seeing the marina and how tight it is, perhaps that turned out to be okay!

The four of us, then headed into Langley to explore a bit. Right as we pulled in, it began to pour down rain. Still, with pup in hand, we ran into Callahan’s Firehouse Gallery to check things out.

The store features all kinds of hand blown glass art pieces and gifts. We ended up buying two wishing stones – hopefully our wish comes true!

Dogs & boats, the perfect blend

Unfortunately the rain continued and it was getting too wet for all of us, including Soleil, so we called it a day when we left the gallery. Thanks to Facebook, we’re able to stay connected with Lauren and watch Soleil grow. I love that dogs and boating brought us together. Lauren and I discovered a few other small world ironies that involve goldens, bonding us even more.

Now they see Tiller channeling her spirit through Soleil. As I said earlier, a new member never replaces the ones lost, they simply are an addition to the family & the story. Thank you to Lauren & Marshall for sharing Soleil with us. It was truly a special weekend.

As always, thank you for following our journey! Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel (video below) and follow us on social @BoatingJourney. We leave for the USVI in three weeks and we’re so excited to share that journey with you. Cheers, Scott and Ally

March 25, 2021March 25, 2021

Weekend Getaway to Snug Harbor

While Scott and I might be boatless right now, that didn’t stop us from visiting Snug Harbor Resort on San Juan Island. If we learned anything during the pandemic, it would be how much we appreciate and relish being able to travel. The PNW is one of the most beautiful destinations in the country and the San Juan Islands is top on our list.

Another thing we have learned from the pandemic, is the value of friendships. While our circle of friends is not wide, we cherish those friendships that we have. That includes our friends, Ben and Maria, who we have traveled with the most. It’s not often that you find another couple that makes traveling fun and memorable, so we are thankful to them for their friendship.

We miss cruising Puget Sound

Scott and I haven’t been out on the sound since last September during our San Juan Island charter. We really miss being “on the water”, so last weekend, we took the ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor.

The weather was beautiful, although it was very chilly crossing the Rosario Straits.

The ferry ride was about an hour and half long, because we had one stop at Lopez Island. Note in the photo below, those cars are actually loading onto the ferry backwards.

Arriving in Friday Harbor, we walked around town and grabbed some lunch at Herb’s Tavern, the oldest tavern in Friday Harbor. After lunch, Maria and I headed to the Trading Post to buy myself some gloves and a hat. Turns out, I failed to read the email from the whale watching company, that we needed to “bundle up” for the trip and I wasn’t prepared. From there, we drove across the island to Snug Harbor Resort & Marina, which is about 15 minutes from Friday Harbor.

Snug Harbor Resort and Marina

Snug Harbor Resort is a small compound made up of 18 cabins with a small marina. If you want to get away and escape it all, this is the place for you. While they do have Wi-Fi, it is not a place to work remotely. In fact, the cabins don’t even have telephones. This is where you go to unwind, reflect and take in the scenery.

We rented a one bedroom waterfront cabin and it came with everything you need. It had a grill, oven, microwave, fridge, galleyware and cleaning supplies. The cabins do have coffee, sugars, salt & pepper and a lighter for the grill. The freezer does have ice trays, but due to the pandemic, they were empty, so we bought ice from the gift shop. One thing to note, is if you are bringing your own food, be sure to bring Tupperware or Ziplock bags to store your food. Luckily, we were able to buy some at the gift shop. Ben and Maria’s cabin was just three cabins away, so it was easy to get together.

The “fireplace” is controlled by the thermostat and it really gives the cabin a cozy feeling.

Amenities at Snug Harbor Resort & Marina

There is a small coffee shop and a very nice gift shop. The gift shop has some very unique items, plus they offer all kinds of snacks, frozen foods, pre-made sandwiches and beverages, including wine and beer. Another note, the office is only open 9am to 4pm, so plan accordingly if you think you will want to buy anything. Snug Harbor Resort has kayaks you can use to explore Mitchell Bay. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time on this trip.

The Snug Harbor Marina, has brand new docks and is home to a number of permanent boats. There are some transient slips available, however, you must rent a cabin in order to dock your boat AND you may not stay on your boat. Unfortunately, they are also not pet-friendly. It is a fantastic place to get away from life and simply unwind for the weekend.

Lime Kiln State Park

Having arrived about 1:30pm, our cabins were not yet ready, so the four of us headed south to explore Lime Kiln State Park. Set on a rocky bluff at the west end of San Juan Island, Lime Kiln Point is considered one of the best whale-watching spots on earth. Here you can watch porpoise, orca and gray whales enjoying Puget Sound.

This 41 acre park, includes a 1919 vintage light house, a lime kiln and an interpretive center (which is open from May thru September). You do need to purchase a Discovery Park pass to visit the park.

Our first night, the four us grilled up some steaks, celebrated birthdays and finished the night sharing stories around the fire pit. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Exploring Roche Harbor

The next day, I had scheduled a whale watching tour at 1:30pm, so we had time in the morning to do a little bit of exploring. The four us grabbed a quick breakfast at the Lime Kiln Cafe at Roche Harbor, which is about 9 miles away. We then took Ben and Maria up to the McMillan Mausoleum, as they have never seen it. Funny thing about that Mausoleum, is that I have now been there five times in the last 20 months.

Whale Watching on Maya’s Legacy

Maya’s Legacy whale watching tours depart from Snug Harbor Resort and also Friday Harbor. This inflatable boat is a NAIAD design from New Zealand, built by Armstrong Boats in Port Angeles. She has three 250 Yamaha motors and holds approximately 24 people. Captain Jeff and his first mate April did a fantastic job during the tour.

Leaving Snug Harbor we set a course north to begin our search. First, we stopped by Henry Island to watch for the Peregrine Falcon, but we didn’t see her. As we headed north to Speiden Island, we spotted a number of porpoise. See our route below.

Spieden Island

From Henry Island, we headed north towards the southwest side of Spieden Island. This is a uninhabited privately owned island that is 516 acres. Due to the topography of the island, the southwest side is mostly baron with grass and the north side is heavily wooded. The island has a very interesting history. In the 1960’s two brothers who were taxidermists, purchased the island to create a hunting game reserve for exotic non-native game animals such as Mouflon sheep from Corsica, Fallow deer from Europe, and Sika deer from Asia – along with approximately 2,000 exotic birds such as African guinea fowl.

This outraged locals due to the cruelty to animals and the danger to nearby residents on San Juan Island. Walter Cronkite made it his mission to put the brothers out of business. The island became a marine conservationist center in the 1990’s.

The deer and sheep continue to live on the island, which is still uninhabited.

Now the island is owned by James Jannard, the founder of Oakley sunglasses and RED Digital Cinema. He purchased the island in 1997 for $22 million dollars. We were told that he has it for sale for $40 million dollars.

Lambing season in in full swing with such cute newborns following their moms everywhere. Harbor seals were basking in the sun, mouflon rams were grazing and fallow deer were doing some of both.

Steller sea lions made sure itches were scratched before getting back to their naps, while bald eagles had found lunch around the point on the north side of Speiden.

Over on Flattop Island we found a pair of bald eagles near their nests and black turnstones were foraging in the surf.

Stuart Island

Continuing our search through the islands took us west to Turn Point on Stuart Island (the Northwestern most spot in the Continental US). Here you will find Turn Point Lighthouse, which is active to aid navigation for ships. If you stay in Prevost or Reid Harbor, you can hike to the lighthouse. Be sure to check out our blog about Stuart Island here.

This area can be a busy place for whales so we scanned the waters while taking in the point and Mount Baker. Unfortunately, it was not to be our day with whales on this trip.

We turned south from there to scan further and made a stop at Henry Island to scan for our peregrine falcon. Sure enough, she was in a lower branch of a near by Douglas fir checking on her nesting area. Peregrine Falcons are the largest falcon over most of the continent, with long, pointed wings and a long tail. They can dive up to 240mph to capture their prey.

The whale watching trip was about three hours long. It did get very chilly and I highly recommend bringing lots of layers and your best camera. They do allow food and beverages, but our hands were too cold to try and eat! A few other tips about the tour to keep in mind are: they prefer cash or check for payment and if they do a great job, please remember to tip the crew. Crews on excursions work very hard and the tips go directly to them. After the trip, April sent us some photos and descriptions, which we have included in this blog.

Our trip to Snug Harbor comes to an end

It was a quick 48 hour trip, but we enjoyed every minute of it. When we got back from our tour, we relaxed with a great bottle of Champagne and headed off to dinner at Roche Harbor. Not wanting to drink and drive, we arranged for a taxi with San Juan Taxi Service to take us to Roche. Don’t expect a fancy town car and your van might be a bit smoky. However, our driver Larry was very nice and got us safely home.

The four of us lucked out on the whale watching trip, as the next day the weather forecast called for 40mph across the Rosario Straights. Let’s just say it was a very bumpy ride home on the ferry!

Snug Harbor Resort is a great place to get away and reset. In fact, we would return in a heart beat! Thank you to the entire staff for your hospitality and wonderful time, we’ll definitely be back!

As always, thank you for following our journey! Be sure to watch the full tour below and subscribe to our channel. Follow us on social media @BoatingJourney and be sure to use the hashtag #boatingjourney Cheers, Scott and Ally

February 13, 2021February 14, 2021

Swapping out the BVIs for the US Virgin Islands

Back in 2019, we booked a bareboat charter to the BVIs (British Virgin Islands) for March of 2020. We were the first group to be postponed due to the covid pandemic and it was probably a blessing as we may have been stuck down there. The four of us (Scott and our friends Ben & Maria) rescheduled the trip for February 2021. We were thinking that surely the pandemic would be over by then, right?

Opening up the islands to tourists

In October 2020, many of the Caribbean Islands started allowing tourists back, but under very strict guidelines. The BVIs implemented one of the strictest policies making travel there near impossible. First you had to have a negative covid test before boarding your plane. Then you received another test when landing and would then need to quarantine for four days. After four days, you take another test and if that is negative, you are allowed to tour only certain (non-tourist) locations on the island for another four days. After that, you were allowed to visit approved mooring fields and marinas on day nine.

Since our charter is only for five days, these rules would not work for us. As a result, we moved the charter to April 2021, in hopes they would ease up on the restrictions. That has not happened and it looks like they are here to stay for most of 2021. In addition, all water ports are currently closed and we were arriving by ferry from St Thomas.

Change of plans

Since we had our airfare booked (arriving in St. Thomas), the four of us decided to continue the trip and visit the US Virgin Islands. Ironically, Scott and I have traveled to many Caribbean islands, including the Bahamas, Jamaica, Antigua, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Dominica and St. Maartin, but never the US Virgin Islands.

Our plan is to stay three nights on the east end of St. Thomas, then take a flight to St. Croix. There we are staying on the northeast end for four nights. We were going to take a ferry to St. Croix, but in the end the flight was easier and much faster. From there Scott and I are heading to St. John for three nights, so it is a stretched out trip.

Boating in the US Virgin Islands

Looking at the excursions that are offered, there are a lot to choose from! Kayaking at night looks interesting and they also offer an eco kayak trip. We definitely want to go sailing and snorkeling a few times and squeeze in a sunset cocktail cruise too. If you have any recommendations of “must do” excursions in the US Virgin Islands, please let us know!

Scott and I have wanted to retire in the USVIs for a long time, so it will be interesting to see if this destination meets our expectations. We could have moved our Moorings departure from Tortola to St. Thomas now that they have a base there. But honestly, we have been waiting for years to do the BVIs and we didn’t want to swap that out for the USVIs. Maybe after we boat around in April, we might regret our decision. We’ll see.

Our trip takes off on April 23rd for ten days. We do have to complete an online profile for covid and provide a negative test before we can enter the islands. For this trip we did buy trip insurance, as things can change at any moment.

Tune in next week for a tour of a Bayliner 4788. Please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel (see Star Clipper video link below). As always, we thank you for following our journey!

Cheers, Scott and Ally

December 14, 2020December 14, 2020

Packing for the BVIs

Last Christmas, we were getting ready for our trip to the BVI’s and many of the gifts I gave Scott were for our trip. Unfortunately, the trip was postponed due to covid and now is rescheduled for next April. In this week’s blog, I’ll share with you many of the items I bought him (affiliate links are in this blog).

Since we have never chartered a boat outside of the US, we’re not sure what to expect. If you have chartered a boat in the BVI’s, please let us know if we are on the right track or if we’re missing something.

Drinking Water

I’m a water snob, as many of you know from our multiple posts about potable water and our drinking water episode. Our first boat had terrible water and I never even brushed my teeth with that water. On our second boat, we used a special antibacterial hose, with an external filter to add water to our fresh water tank. Then we had a drinking faucet with a 3M filter which provided us fantastic quality water.

Having no idea what the water quality is on the charter boat, I bought two things for drinking water. First, I bought Vapur ShakeFilter packets (what I thought were filtration packets) for drinking water. But the more I look at the product, it’s doesn’t say anywhere that it removes bacteria and that is one of my biggest concerns. (Glad I have 75 packets!!)

Next, I bought the world’s smallest water filter in a straw, called Clean Sip! These straws filter up to 200 gallons of water and they remove bacteria. I ordered one for each of our crew members for the trip.

Travel Guide

If you have ever traveled outside of the US, you have most likely used a travel guide from Fodor’s. I bought the Fodor’s Travel for the US & British Virgin Islands for our trip and I love it. It not only has all the travel info for hotels, restaurants, mooring balls, etc., but it also has information about the types of reef life, health information and currency. This guide is not only light weight, but the cover has a coating that protects it from moisture.

Phone Protectors

When Scott and I were at the Annapolis Boat Show a few years ago, we stumbled upon a cool new product for your phone & credit cards, called the Ugo wear wallet. The cases are made out of scuba gear material and zippers and they float. We love using these for dinghy rides or kayak trips.

For this trip I also bought us a waterproof bag from Earth Pak, for our longer trips to the beach. This pack also came with a waterproof phone pouch which we use all of the time when we go out crabbing.

Body Protection

While I love being in the sun, Scott does not because he burns so easily. For our trip to the BVI’s I bought him a Baleaf SPF 50 long sleeve shirt that we can wear out in the sun. It’s light weight and very comfortable.

Head Light

When I bought Scott a Cobiz LED head light last Christmas, I didn’t necessarily think we would take it with us on our trip. But after all of the issues we had on our last charter, we might want to rethink that. This is a great head light, with multiple functions. It also comes in a hard carrying case.

Mini Tri-Pod

I admit, we have a lot of tri-pods for all of our camera equipment. But when we are traveling by plane, we need to stay as light weight as possible. I found this great lightweight tri-pod from Pasavant. It only weighs a few ounces and it comes with a travel pouch.

Portable Camera

Last Christmas, Scott bought me all kinds of camera equipment including our drone and DJI Action Camera (all of those links can be found under shop our gear tab). One camera I love and will definitely take with us, is our DJI Pocket. It comes with a gimbal, it’s lightweight and really easy to use. Plus, when you are filming yourself in public, you don’t have this huge camera in your face drawing attention to yourself.

What’s the latest update on our trip?

I wish we were actually packing for our trip, but unfortunately we’ve moved it from February to April of next year. The BVI’s were open and they just closed again until January 21st. Before they closed again, their restrictions were so strict (4 covid tests, 8 days of quarantine, restrictions on to where you could travel), that it wasn’t worth going in February. As a result, we moved the trip to April, but we may very likely have to move the trip again. With vaccines on the horizon, perhaps we might make it.

If there is anything we’re missing here that we should take on the trip, please let us know. As always, thank you for following our journey! You can find us on social at @BoatingJourney. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season! See our YouTube episode below!

Cheers, Scott and Ally

November 26, 2020November 26, 2020

Thankful this Season

Though 2020 packed a lot of punches, we’re still thankful this season for everything we experienced this year. While Scott and I are celebrating this Thanksgiving as a party of two, so are many others. When we owned our large house, we hosted Thanksgiving every year for up to 27 people and even after downsizing, we continued to share the holiday with my family. This year is different, thanks to the covid pandemic.

How can we be thankful this year? Well, considering the shutdown, we still had a fantastic year. Yes, our trip to the BVI’s was cancelled, but we were able to spend time on the water with family and friends all year long. Considering we sold the boat in July, we were very fortunate.

During the shutdown, we were still able to take the boat out and anchor for lunch.

Scott and I used the shutdown to get more projects done on the boat and work on the dinghy. While we may not have been able to visit marinas that were shut down, we were thankful to be able to spend quality time with family and friends on the boat at our marina.

Remember, when the gray whale swam down our fairway?

Making the best of it

Once the restrictions started to lift, we managed to visit a lot of places this past year. Though it was obvious things were different with the pandemic in place. Port Orchard was quiet, Camano was distanced and the crowds were few. My motto is, “you have to work with what you have and make it great”.

When we were in Port Orchard, our favorite restaurant has this sign outside of the restrooms. How ironic, right?

The beauty of the PNW

While we were stuck at home for most of the shut down, we also are thankful that we have such a great place to live with an awesome view.

Our last trip on the boat was a trip to Des Moines with my close friend Jen. We headed down for the day simply to get fuel. Not a bad day on the water.

With family and friends on Camano, there was never a shortage of time at the beach or on the water.

Our annual family photo for July 4th certainly had a different feel this year though.

No shortages of dogs either

Scott and I miss our two goldens, Mac and Maggie, everyday. So when I have the chance to love on one, I never miss a chance. This year, we were so lucky to have so many encounters. My favorite one, was getting a visit from Tiller, who I met a few years ago at our company rendezvous. She reminds me of Mac and I sometimes think he’s come back as Tiller.

The Journey is part of the Fun

Scott and I finally met one of our Instagram followers, Jeff from MV Why Knot, who lives on his 32′ Nordic Tug!

Looking for our next liveaboard, we traveled to Anacortes and were finally able to “getaway” for a weekend.

Wanting something longer, we decided to charter a yacht and cruise the San Juan Islands. It certainly wasn’t the trip we were expecting, but then it wouldn’t be a journey otherwise. Plus, we’re thankful we didn’t sink.

At the end of the day, we can honestly say we’re thankful for how everything turned out for us this year. It could have taken many different turns and we’re truly blessed on how the year unfolded. Take a moment this season to give thanks and appreciate what you have. It could be gone tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families and thank you for following our journey. Follow us on social at @BoatingJourney and please subscribe to our YouTube channel (see our latest episode below)

Ally & Scott

October 25, 2020October 25, 2020

2006 Meridian 411 Yacht Tour

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

The tour

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

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

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

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

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

Linens for the Meridian Yacht charter

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

Which is the Master Stateroom?

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

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

Overall Impression

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

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

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

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

Cheers, Scott and Ally

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

October 18, 2020October 25, 2020

Getting to Friday Harbor & Back Home

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

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

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

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

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

Arriving to Friday Harbor

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

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

Check out their dinghy dock!

Exploring downtown Friday Harbor

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

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

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

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

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

The technician finally arrived!

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

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

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

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

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

Dinner in Friday Harbor

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

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

Heading back to Anacortes

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

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

Returning the Boat

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

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

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

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

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

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

October 11, 2020October 11, 2020

Anchoring Overnight at Stuart Island

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

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

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

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

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

Entering Prevost Harbor

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

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

Time to explore Stuart Island

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

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

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

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

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

Time for cocktails and a sunset cruise on the dinghy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wish we could have stayed longer

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

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

More things to see

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

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

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

Off to Friday Harbor

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

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

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

Cheers! Scott and Ally #BoatingJourney