One thing Scott and I invested in right away is new carpet for the cockpit after we bought the boat. The one that came with the boat, was so old, stinky and a bit green!
We were referred to Custom Marine Carpet in the Midwest by a number of people and they also have been great followers of our blog on Instagram. We reached out to find out what we needed to do, to get started. First, we ordered a template kit for about $30 and they sent us some carpet samples that we selected.
We knew we didn’t want actual “carpet” so we chose the sample on the left, which is called “Luxury Weave 2”.
Creating the template for the custom carpet
First we had to clear everything out of the cockpit! Scott and I then removed the carpet and took it home so we could create the template in the garage.
They recommend that you outline a larger template than your carpet, then cut around that cut out. From there, take the plastic back to the boat, finalize the size and trim as needed.
Custom Marine Carpet supplies you with a box and a return label. You simply fill out the form, return the plastic and then wait. It took about four weeks – unfortunately, they had a major warehouse fire during this process and lost a lot of supplies!
Installing the new carpet!
They send you the number of snaps you need and we requested fifteen. Now, we had to figure out how to install the snaps. Luckily for me, I was able to borrow two key tools from work. We not only worked on the carpet, but we did some canvas repair as well.
Our first worry was if it would fit! Shockingly, it fit perfect! Scott did a great job and so did Custom Marine Carpet!
We are really happy with how it turned out!! Thank you to Union Marine for loaning us the tools too.
We finished the evening with dinner at Maggie Bluffs and once again, our resident ducks were greeting everyone. Stay tuned for our next blog – chores & entertaining on the boat!
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Last month I (Ally) took a quick trip to Roche Harbor Resort up in the San Juan Islands for work. It was literally a 24 hour trip, but it was my first time visiting so I took plenty of photos as I toured the entire resort.
How do you get to Roche Harbor?
Great question! You have three choices: by boat, by ferry or by float plane. Guess how we went? Float plane of course. Remember my “quick trip” to Belize and the puddle jumper I took? This was exactly the same! We flew out of South Lake Union (where our apartment overlooks) on Kenmore Air. The weather wasn’t great that day, so it was a bit bumpy. Oh, and by the way, I hate to fly! LOL
That’s my boss in the co-pilot seat!
We were on the larger “Orca” plane and it quickly ran across Lake Union and was up in the air in seconds! Yes, I will have all of the footage on our next YouTube episode!
The flight takes about 30 minutes once you are up in the air, assuming it doesn’t stop. We stopped at Fisherman’s Bay on Lopez and then at Friday Harbor before landing at Roche. What’s even more remarkable about this flight, is our captain is a one man show! He lands and docks all at the same time!
So much water & islands below
One thing you quickly realize flying over Puget Sound, is how many small islands and inlets we have. Some would be a hazard in the wrong conditions! If you recall, when Scott and I came through Cattle Pass from Deer Harbor a few years ago, we nearly hit a reef going 25 knots!
Check out this small reef causing the ripple!
Living in the San Juan Islands would be a dream! Beautiful homes line the coast line.
Finally, we’ve arrived at Roche Harbor Resort!
After I “white knuckled” it all the way to Roche Harbor, we arrived 50 minutes after leaving Seattle. The resort is huge and consists of: marina, hotel, condos, suites, village homes, restaurants, bar, shopping and much more!
My boss, Mark and I were doing a site inspection for our company rendezvous coming up in July. Roche Harbor Resort is very historic with some fascinating stories. Once you arrive, you walk through the docks to the Hotel de Haro to check-in.
Limestone History
Roche Harbor is rich in limestone, which is used to build roads and manufacture concrete and mortar. In 1886, Tacoma lawyer John S. McMillin and his business partners in the Tacoma Lime Company founded Roche Harbor Lime Company. The lime kilns are still present next to the hotel.
The Quarryman Hall Suites is the newest building of the resort and Mark and I were each upgraded to our own suite! Thank YOU to Roche Harbor Resort!
Trying to take pictures of the resort, doesn’t do it justice. There’s so much to see and do, which makes it such a great destination to visit by boat!
The Mausoleum
Roche Harbor Resort also has a family mausoleum. In order to get to it, you have to walk through the resort, past the oldest independently owned Catholic Chapel and into the adjacent woods. This includes passing by the cottages that the lime workers lived in (now available for rent).
John McMillin was a member of the Masonic Order and he built the mausoleum recognizing the traditions of the Masonic Order. As you walk through the forest, it reminds you a bit of the movie “Blair Witch Project“. There are some infant & toddler burial sites throughout the forest.
After you walk along the trail for about a quarter mile, you come across a gravel road. Follow that and you’ll come upon the McMillin Mausoleum. To say that it’s a bit creepy, is an understatement. I should note however, that my boss Mark has an awesome podcast, “Chasing Ghosts on Scooters in Bars“. You guessed it, he’s a ghost chaser by night!
There is significant Masonic meaning behind the entire structure, including the steps up to the table and chairs all of which represent the stages of life. Freemasons are very ritual and deliberate about everything the build and encompass. (In fact, my great uncle was a Freemason.)
The McMillin Mausoleum – Afterglow Vista
As we approached “Afterglow Vista”, the final resting place of the McMillin family, there was a stillness in the air. It was as if someone was watching our every move.
The first thing you will notice is huge marble table with six chairs. This represents the dining table that the family gathered around. There is also one chair and one pillar missing. This symbolizes the son that left the family.
Each chair is also the gravestone for key family members and they hold their ashes.
But there’s more! Remember, I’m in the middle of the forest with my boss who’s a ghost chaser. He decides to see if anyone wants to “talk” to us. He has an EMF app on his phone and he laid his phone in the middle of the table.
Immediately there was all kinds of activity. Then Mark said “speak to us”. He said this a few times and I started to get creeped out as I looked around watching for anything to jump out of the trees.
At the same time, I was leaning against one of the grave chairs and resting my hands on the top of one of them.
All of a sudden, a voice came out of Mark’s app that said “Knight”. Notice that I was leaning on the Knight Templar gravestone. Needless to say, I was out of there! LOL So we headed back to the main resort.
The Rest of the Roche Harbor Resort
Yes, there is much more than just the Mausoleum! In fact, when I head back in July, I plan to spend a lot more time exploring the island and the resort if time allows. Walking around the main part of the resort, you really get a sense of the rich history it has to offer.
Of course there are ghost sightings in the restaurant and hotel. We had a wonderful dinner in McMillian’s Restaurant – the food was amazing and you definitely have to have a Pig War Martini! Collect a pig for each martini you drink!
The resort is operated now by the members of the Tarte Family. In 1956, Tacoma and Roche Harbor Lime Company president Paul McMillin, son of John McMillin, sold Roche Harbor to the Reuben J. Tarte family of Bellevue, which developed the town into a boating resort with a marina, a restored Hotel de Haro, an airstrip (on the former site of the farm), and restaurant (in the former McMillin home).
The Tarte family sold Roche Harbor in 1988 to businessmen Verne Howard of King’s Market and Rich Komen of Restaurants Unlimited; Roche Harbor is now owned by Komen and Saltchuk Resources.
Heading Home
We flew out the next morning – so to say it was a quick trip is not exaggerating. We were there less than 24 hours! But it was enough to convince me, that this is an awesome place to visit!
As we waited at the dock for Kenmore Air, we watched a ferry boat bring in a cement truck and other commuters arrive by boat.
Our flight home, was much quicker as we headed straight for Seattle. The weather was sunny with blue skies. As we flew in, we came in over DT Seattle and made a steep dive onto Lake Union. It was definitely scenic, but for me still a bit nerve wracking.
My flight tour is below. Our rendezvous is in July, so I will be sure to share more details about the resort and things to explore on the island.
As always, thanks for following our blog! Be sure to subscribe for future posts. Next blog, we talk about our inverter and the lessons we learned about our circuit breaker on the boat.
Cheers, Ally
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Wrapping up our Caribbean Cruise on the tall ship Star Flyer
Scott and I were excited to be heading to Antigua after our stop in Guadeloupe. We honeymooned there in 2003 and that’s when we decided we wanted to retire in the Caribbean. This was our fourth trip back to the island and we knew exactly where to take our friends, Ben and Maria.
Our ship anchored in Falmouth Harbor, which is just west of English Harbor. Here you will find luxury yachts anchored in the harbor.
We had signed up for the “Swim with the Sting Rays” excursion on Antigua, which wasn’t scheduled until 1:30p. Since we had time to kill, we decided to take Ben and Maria on a quick tour of the island.
Quick Tour of Antigua
A few years ago, Scott and I took an island tour by taxi and we loved it! So we knew this was the best way to quickly show Ben and Maria our favorite Caribbean island. We only had about two hours for a quick tour. Our driver was Willie and super friendly! His first stop was the Blockhouse lookout. The lookout view is spectacular and includes Eric Clapton’s compound.
We then headed to Shirley Heights for a quick look out overlooking English Harbor and Nelson’s Dockyard. Captain Nelson built the Blockhouse, Shirley Heights Fort and Nelson’s Dockyard. He wanted to have a 360 degree view of intruders. It’s amazing to think about the fact that they built these forts high up on hills without machinery.
From Shirley Heights, Willie headed north, taking us to a few beautiful beaches on the western side of the island.
365 Beaches on Antigua
Antigua has a beach for every day of the year! As Willie drove us north, we stopped at a few beaches, including Jacqui O’s – the beach of romance!
After visiting a few beaches, we had about 40 minutes to get to St. John (the capital) for a quick tour. Driving around the island, really gives you a good sense of how the residents live every day.
St. John
We literally had about 10 minutes to spare when we arrived. To really enjoy all of Antigua, you need more than 2 hours! St. John offers lots of shopping and this is where the cruise ships come into port. There is a main shopping market for tourist with hundreds of vendors in the city center.
For some reason, Scott, Ben and Maria had a hankering for donuts! LOL We’ll laugh about this photo for years! Who knew Ben loved donuts so much! 😉
After a quick two hour tour, it was time to head to Pigeon Beach for lunch (hosted by the Star Flyer) and catch our bus to Sting Ray City.
Sting Ray City
Scott and I swam with the sting rays during our last trip to Antigua. I didn’t enjoy it much, as I was neck deep in the water and I was a bit freaked out with slimy fish rubbing by my legs! This experience was completely different and we loved it! We were waist deep and the trainers were amazing. Be sure to watch our YouTube episode (#32) to see Lola kissing me!
An Antiguan Sunset
We finished our day in Falmouth Harbor watching sail boats race in the harbor, drinking rum punch and saying goodbye to our favorite sunset.
After dinner, the ship had a fantastic steel drum band perform for us. It was the perfect ending of a great day!
St. Barths – here we come!
We sailed all night from Antigua to St. Barths. As I was walking around the deck, I noticed in the distance whale spouts. Be sure to see that footage on our YouTube episode.
Our last day of the trip was in St. Barth’s (St. Bartholomew). We had been told that the town was a mini Beverly Hills and drinks were $50 each. Since we hadn’t had any time to relax and lay in the sun, we all took a day off. It was the perfect day, enjoying the Caribbean breezes and warm sunshine.
One thing you will notice about St. Barth’s harbor, is the opulence! Anchored in the distance was Eclipse. Eclipse is the second largest yacht in the world at almost 535 feet. It has two helicopter pads, a mini submarine and three tenders!
All day long we watched expensive tenders drive! It really was quite the sight to see. Be sure to check out our footage on our YouTube channel (check back here) of all of the activity in the harbor.
St. Barth’s Sundowner
We had an amazing sunset on our last night. All of us hung out on the deck, for as long as we could before we said goodbye to the sun!
Traveling with Ben and Maria was great (hopefully they feel the same- LOL). We really had such a fun week and they were a big part of that.
The Star Flyer Events – Last Night
The ship had a nice dinner planned and a mini celebration from the crew. We then finished the evening watching a movie on deck, Around Cape Horn, which was filmed in 1929. It’s amazing that they got this footage – considering how long ago this was!
After the movie, the ship raised the sails with yet, another celebration. They had sparkling wine, music and colored sails.
Returning Home
We sailed all night from St. Barth’s to Sint Maarten. The ship has you place your luggage outside your room at 4:30am and you keep just your carry-on bag. Breakfast was served from 8am – 10am and customs/immigration were on board first thing in the morning
In order to leave the ship, you check-in with Sint Maarten customs/immigration and then they return your passports to you. We left the ship around 9am, but our flight was not until 1:30pm. So Scott and I took a taxi back to Holland House and got a day pass for our luggage. There we enjoyed a few local Carib beers and squeezed in some last minute shopping. There are lots of shops at the cruise terminal, but they don’t open until after 10am.
Though the airport is small, there are quite a few tourists shops there too, for any last minute shopping needs you have. The airport doesn’t have “restaurants / bars” per se, but they do have take-out for sandwiches and beers to go.
Bye Caribbean!
Scott and I are always sad to leave the Caribbean, but we can’t wait to return. How did we like the trip? Well, tune into our YouTube Channel for a full review and feedback about the trip.
Now that the trip is over, we’re anxious to get our new boat into service and ready for boating this summer. Stay tuned for that next adventure!
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Getting ready for Sea Trials, Survey & Inspection!
Tomorrow (Wednesday, February 20th ) is an exciting day for us! We made an offer on a 2002 Bayliner 4087 CPMY (cockpit motor yacht) with an aft cabin and it was accepted! Tomorrow we go to sea trials, survey & mechanical inspection. But let’s go back to how this all came about.
The boat is currently moored at Elliott Bay Marina, which is where we moored our first boat Kokomo. About a month ago, Scott found this listing and suggested we look it while we were wandering around the marina.
Paul of Elliott Bay Yacht Sales, was nice enough to show us the boat that afternoon. Honestly, we expected that we wouldn’t really like it (sounds terrible I know). But we’ve looked at many boats over the past few months and they all have either stunk or were dirty or were way over-priced. On top of that, big tall boats are a bit intimidating to us.
Scott and I jumped on board and were immediately surprised by the tricked out dinghy! I talked about that in our last blog. As we opened the door to the salon, I was not expecting much. But low and behold I was pleasantly surprised by everything. First and most important, it doesn’t stink!! This is huge for us. The galley is large with lots of storage. It has a large fridge, three burner stove AND an oven! Thinking back on how I was preparing meals for six of us in the San Juan Islands on Kokomo now, is frightening. You can actually mingle in the salon and have someone cooking in the galley. LOL The staterooms are plenty roomy too, along with the heads. Once everything is finalized, we’ll give you a full tour!
We made the plunge
Working the boat show, I just couldn’t stop thinking about that boat and neither could Scott. So we made the plunge and made an offer! Our offer was accepted about a week and half ago and we immediately scheduled the sea trials and survey. We are hauling out at Sea View Boat Yard at 10am tomorrow to have the hull inspected and we’ll be along for the trip. This will be our second boat, second sea trial and second haul out. I have to wonder if it will be totally different or much of the same?
As you know, I’m a weather nut and the forecast during the sea trial is snow with a small craft advisory! So this will certainly be a trip to remember. I feel confident it will be smooth, since we’ll have our broker, Steve Thoreson from Union Marine (where I work) with us. Steve is a certified yacht broker with over 25 years experience with yachts and he’ll also be teaching us how to operate and dock the boat too!
Be sure to stay tuned and we’ll give you a full update on the findings and where we go from here! Until next time! Cheers, Scott and Ally
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Hard to believe that we are already one week into 2019! We hope you all had a wonderful New Year. In looking back at all of the things we did last year, Scott and I are looking forward to more fun to come in 2019.
We rang in the New Year with family and friends at our apartment, with yet another great firework’s show on the rooftop. Unlike the July 4th celebration, it wasn’t as crowded, but it was icy and cold! The morning started out with angry skies and soon, the entire city was engulfed in fog.
Every year, we celebrate the new year with our fondue party and casino night. It has always been a small gathering, so moving into a small apartment didn’t have much affect on our party.
Rooftop Fireworks
Scott and I purposely selected this apartment building for the views from the rooftop. Last summer we enjoyed watching the boats on Lake Union every night over a glass of wine. The July 4th fireworks are set off from a barge in the middle of the lake.
We were shocked to see, how many boats were on the lake for NYE!
The Space Needle is southwest from our building, but we still have a great view from our rooftop.
For those of you who don’t know, the Space Needle had a major remodel this year and so they planned a huge fireworks show. Having never seen the show in person before, we were not sure what to expect. The show certainly did not disappoint! It could have been longer, but it was still pretty cool!
What’s in store for 2019?
This should be a very busy year for Scott and I. We’re starting the year with the Seattle Boat Show – this will be my 21st year attending and my first year working! This is a crazy time for boat dealers, as we work long hours everyday leading up to the show and after.
Then we head to the Caribbean on March 7th for our first ever cruise. This is not your typical cruise, as it only has 170 people and we’re sailing on a tall ship.
Star Flyer of Star Clippers
Our annual trip to the Anacortes Boat Show is in May – again, I’ll be working. This will be the theme for the rest of our summer as I attend our monthly boating rendezvous events. Are we shopping for a boat? Yes, but it has to be exactly what we are looking for and that, we are still trying to figure out. So stay tuned! Thank you for following our blog. Our next big update will be a tour of the Seattle Boat Show.
Happy New Year! Scott and Ally
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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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Scott and I are embarking on a new journey. This week has been bitter sweet for us, as we said goodbye to our first boat, Kokomo. As we mentioned in our last blog, we accepted an offer on our boat and we closed on the sale, just a few days later.
On the day of closing, Scott and I headed down to the marina to meet the new owners, Lesa and Mike at the boat. Everything about this transaction has not been your typical process. Normally, the broker handles everything from beginning to end. But we met Lesa and Mike the day they made the offer. They had been following our blog (love!!) and were excited to meet us.
We arrived to the marina around 5:15pm and noticed our yacht neighbors, Doug and Jules were not yet back from Canada. They go out for a few months each summer and we wanted to be able to say goodbye. I texted Jules and found out they were coming home in just an hour! Yay. While we were waiting for Lesa and Mike to arrive, I stood on the bow, watching for Jule’s yacht, M/Y Undaunted.Â
A few minutes later, I noticed coming from the west side of the marina, a very slow moving radar! In the year and half we have been at the marina, we have never had the opportunity to see M/Y Undaunted leave or arrive. It was pretty cool to watch them perfectly dock their boat and using only their engines, not thrusters!
The hand off to the new owners
Soon after, Lesa and Mike arrived to take possession of Kokomo. We took time to show them everything we left for them and where everything was on the boat. They seemed really “giddy” and it reminded me of when we got the keys. Scott and I took one last photo with Kokomo and then with Lesa and Mike.
Scott and I are not only a bit sad about saying goodbye to Kokomo, but we really hate leaving the marina. We’ve made so many friends and they have been so great to us. Plus, the beauty of the marina is something we’ll miss terribly!
Enjoying a Sundowner with Friends
While Lesa and Mike spent time checking everything out on Kokomo, we were invited over to Doug and Jule’s yacht for a glass of wine. What a treat, as Jules opened one of our favorite wines from Garrison Creek Cellars. Jules has boated her entire life and has given us such great advice in looking for our next boat. We watched an amazing sunset as the four of us reminisced about boating stories and our journey that started at Elliott Bay Marina.
Scott and I will be back to the marina and hopefully by Spring. There’s so much to share with you about this and that’s for our blog. As we walked away from the docks, a lone heron sat perched on a rock in the water. A somber ending to a great boating journey.
What’s next and what will the blog talk about?
Our next journey is a big one, so there’s plenty to share. Remember, we sold our home to temporarily live in apartment, to move onto a boat. But we are finding out, it’s not that easy. So be sure to follow us and see what happens next. In next week’s blog, we’ll take you on a tour of the Boats Afloat Show. Cheers, Scott and Ally
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Last Wednesday Scott and I finally moved out of our house and into our Downtown Seattle apartment. What a whirlwind week it has been! On top of packing everything up and keeping the house clean, I was also interviewing for a job.
The first thing we had to do, was get rid of all of our furniture except our couch and bedroom set. We were fortunate that my family wanted most of the furniture and our good friends took the wine cellar.
We hired Super Friends Moving and they did a great job! I highly recommend them. They were friendly, efficient and affordable. The move began on Wednesday around 8:30am and they finished around 3pm. We live on the 8th floor of the Leeward Apartments overlooking Lake Union. Moving from a four bedroom / three bath home into a two bedroom / two bath apartment requires some major downsizing. Luckily, our unit is actually fairly large compared to most in Seattle.
After three garage sales, five trips to Goodwill and our visit from 1-800-Got-Junk we still had over 100 boxes to move. By the time they movers were done, we could barely move in the apartment!
Getting Organized in our Two Bedroom Apartment
If you know me well, you know I can’t stand clutter or a mess. As the movers brought in boxes, I was immediately unpacking them. Scott and I worked hard until about 7pm that Wednesday. Finally, we knew we needed to take a break, shower and enjoy some bubbly on the roof. The only problem was I couldn’t find any of my clothes or toiletries. After about 20 minutes of searching, we got showered and headed up to the rooftop.
The following day, we continued unpacking, trying to find the floor. This required many trips to the recycling bin in the garage, but thanks to our new Collapsible Folding Wagon we bought from Amazon, it was pretty easy!
We made pretty good progress the second day around!
By the end of the day, I think the living room looked pretty good. Scott and I had decided to wait on buying any of our new furniture (tv, book shelf, dining set, etc) until we had a good feeling of the space. We should have everything done in the next week or so.
While we have a killer rooftop deck to enjoy, we also love our balcony. It may not be our deck at home, but we love the view!
On our third day in the apartment, we woke up to a beautiful sunrise. We are used to sunsets, but this was amazing too.
The day finished with a really awesome rainbow over the entire city of Seattle!
Check out this week’s YouTube Episode
Living your dream
As many of our friends and family have said this week, we are living our dream once again! I’ve always stayed true to my goals and I make sure we stay on track. Without a dream or a plan, it’s hard to get anywhere.
While Scott and I missed out on opening day of boating season because we were unpacking, we did get to enjoy a great day on the water later. Stay tuned for our next update!
Thank you for following us along on our journey. Cheers! Scott and Ally
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Finally, after weeks of living in slow motion, we sold our house! The past five weeks have been a journey that I don’t wish to go through again. As you recall, we listed our house on March 15th and immediately got an offer. But that buyer not only fell through, he disappeared in a matter of hours after the ink dried!
That didn’t help our situation and we sat on the market for over five weeks. Last weekend we were scheduled to do a sunset open house Friday night and then another on Sunday. On the Thursday before the open houses, we had a request to view the house. This couple stayed in the house for over an hour – that’s a good sign! They gave us a full price offer that day and once again, we cancelled the open houses. Luckily, they love the house and are very excited to move in.
With our looming deadline of May 9th for moving into the apartment, we’ve decided to take our chances and move before closing. Yes, it’s risky, but we are very confident that everything is aligned and that they won’t back out. That means, we’re moving in one week! Yikes. Now things are getting real.
Remember, we’re moving from a four bedroom house that has three living rooms and two offices to a 1100 sq ft two bedroom apartment! That means, we have to get rid of three couches, two dining sets, desks, chairs, etc. Luckily, my niece and nephew wanted the majority of the items, so we only had to sell or give away a few things – including our 370 bottle wine cellar! As you can see, we’ve been drinking away so we don’t have to move so many bottles!
Now it’s all about the logistics of moving everything out in a week. But luck strikes again and friends took the cellar and the huge dining set. I’m really glad that an old high school friend took the dining set & can continue it’s memories. We have entertained a lot with that set and it’s a bit surreal to see it broken down and ready for pickup.
What we don’t get rid of, we’ll donate to Goodwill. Tomorrow we have 1-800-GOT-JUNK coming to clean up old yard trash and junk from the garage.
We also lucked out that the new owners wanted the majority of our wall art! So glad they want it and will keep it. When you don’t have a lot of wall space, you can’t take much art with you.
Now we’re living the life of the books we’ve read
It’s crazy to think that four years ago I was reading books about other people selling their stuff and sailing away. Now here we are, though we’re simply sailing into a small apartment!
One thing I will say about this entire process is that it has been very cleansing. There’s something about getting rid of “stuff” and simplifying your life. Really, who needs to clean three bathrooms or have ten tubs of Christmas decorations? Obviously, we did at one time. 😉 Since I haven’t been working for the past few months, this process as certainly been easier as I have taken care of the packing and the moving details.
Coordinating a move
If you haven’t moved from a house to an apartment (lately or ever), it’s not as simple as you think these days. I have rented many apartments and just figured I would move when I wanted. Not so fast. This time around, Scott and I ordered a moving company. With that said, we had to work around their availability. Then we had to call the apartment complex and reserve our “move date and time” in order for them to shut down the elevator for us. Luckily, it seems to be working out on both ends.
We aren’t closing until May 21st, so this gives us plenty of time, to come back and clean the house and do some more yard work before they move in. Scott and I are hoping they are able to close early.
Boating life during our move
Last weekend it was gorgeous here in Seattle, so Scott and I spent Saturday cleaning the boat inside and out. We also took the dinghy motor back down and put it on the dinghy.
I was worried about mold or dirt, but really it looked pretty good. I checked the inside cabinets and water heater for any leaks and all looked great.
The cabin wasn’t too bad, we really just needed to wipe things down and vacuum.
Then on Sunday, we will tour the Clipper Around the World sail boats moored at Bell Harbor. Stay tuned for our next blog as we’ll share lots of photos and a tour of the inside. These sailors are truly courageous and inspiring!
Thank you for subscribing to our blog and for your support. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Cheers, Scott & Ally
#KokomoSeattle #BoatingJourney
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that we bought from Amazon. It works great!
