Boating Journey Blog about boating for the first time

June 17, 2019June 17, 2019

The Oven & a Drone on Memorial Day Weekend

What does an oven and drone have to do with Memorial day weekend? That comes later. LOL

It is hard to believe that it was just two years ago, that we spent our first Memorial Day weekend on a boat. Scott and I barely knew our old boat Kokomo, yet we invited an entire crew for a full weekend. That particular weekend was HOT in Seattle and a great start to summer.

Not the case for this year.

The weather forecast was dreary for Saturday & part of Sunday. On Saturday morning, Scott headed to the boat to re-wire the stereo system, which took him most of the day. I stayed home to clean the condo and get organized. I was looking forward to having a relaxing night at home with a movie. But when he got back from the boat, he said to me “Okay, are you ready?”

Ready for what I wondered? That’s when he reminded me that we made a commitment to stay on the boat every weekend, no matter the weather. Crap. Change of plans. Then I tell him that I was planning on baking pasta for dinner and his reply was “we have an oven.” Oh yeah.

The Oven……

Everyone who knows me well, knows that I am very cautious when it comes to boating safety! You can’t be too safe. I’m already a bit uncomfortable cooking with propane on the stove top and it turns out our oven is also propane. While some ovens simply have an ignition switch, ours does not. You have to light the pilot light , then hold the heat control knob to light the burner and hold for 15 seconds. Blech!

One thing I will say is that our boat (and most I assume) has great built in safety features in regards to our LPG system (liquid propane gas). In order to use it, you have to turn on the LPG switch at the panel, open up the propane tank and then turn on the switch in the galley.

Prepping Dinner

Okay, back to making dinner! Since it was cold and dreary, I decided to bake some pasta. Keep it simple (and yes, I will share the recipe in another blog). First thing I needed to do was boil up some pasta. That’s when I realized I only have two skillets! When we sold Kokomo, we gave a way a lot of the galley items, including the pasta pot. So I ended up boiling the water in a skillet!

I then baked the pasta at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes and it came out perfect!

When we are done using the stove/oven each time, I turn off not only the switches, but I also close the valve on the tank. About every few uses, we also spray the valve down with soapy water to check for leaks. You just can’t be too safe.

Just as with our old boat, prepping dinner on a boat is not the same as in your home. Space is tight and counter tops are limited. Since my brother-in-law Kurt makes cutting boards, I asked him to create something that would cover the sink. This would allow for more usable space and we can’t wait to see how it turns out.

A Drone Visitor

The next day we invited Scott’s brother Jeff, his nephew Justin and our friends Nick & Michelle out for a cruise on Elliott Bay. Luckily the weather broke up and the sun started shining. Justin also owns a DJI Mavic Pro drone, so he brought it along to get us some footage of the boat. Justin has never flown it out on the water, so this was going to be an adventure.

While drone footage is always so cool, it’s also a bit creepy and weird to have some weird flying thing videotaping you!

The footage turned out great – the funny thing about this is, we cleaned the bimini the next day!

Scott and I plan on getting a new larger drone soon. We have two smaller ones, but nothing that would have the distance or technology like the DJI Mavic. But we just invested in some new camera equipment, so that will have to wait for now.

A Great Send-Off to Great Friends

Our friends Nick and Michelle are moving to Scottsdale, AZ next week and we wanted to invite them for one more trip. They have been on this journey with us for over seven years, so it was great they could join us for the weekend. They just happened to be on the boat two years ago over Memorial Day weekend too! We have traveled to the Anacortes Boat Show with them numerous times and we will miss them terribly! Hopefully they will join us on our charter cruise next Spring in the BVI’s.

The Bimini

You might recall our last “cleaning the bimini” post – what a mess. The top was nearly white from all of the heron poop, so we decided to remove it to clean it. But when we got started, we realized we had to take apart the entire rack structure in order to remove the canvas. That didn’t happen! Luckily for us, our new bimini is zippered into the rods, so it was easy to remove.

Always use a tarp on the dock to protect the canvas. We used 303 Cleaner to clean it. After rinsing it thoroughly, we hung them over the bow railing to dry completely. Once they were dry, we sprayed them with 303 Marine Fabric Guard to protect and repel liquids on the canvas. Scott and I were a bit worried about getting the bimini back on easily, but we had no problems at all.

Since we were busy doing boat chores, I decided to tackle our lines. Not only do I not like the set-up (our bow line is also used as a spring line), but the lines are as stiff as a board. I cleaned each one in Dawn and rinsed them thoroughly. They look and feel great now!

Overall, it was a great weekend on the boat. I’m glad we headed down on Saturday after all. The more time we spend on it, the better we will know it.

Stay tuned for our next blog – we’re entertaining all weekend and doing more chores! Boats are never boring, that’s for sure!

As always, thank you for following & subscribing to our blog. Please follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney

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Cheers, Scott and Ally

June 8, 2019June 17, 2019

Cocktail Hour Cruise in Port Madison

A few weeks ago, we invited Kurt, Cal and Tracey for a cocktail cruise to Port Madison. Since Scott and I have only taken the new boat out about three times, we need to get as much experience as we can driving and docking it. We have also made a decision to stay every single weekend on the boat, no matter the weather or our activities. This is so we can get used to living aboard.

We’ve been to Port Madison a few times. It’s a great day trip from Seattle. The weather was stunning and Elliott Bay was as calm as can be! Port Madison is NW of Elliott Bay Marina and takes about 30 minutes at 10 knots. We took it nice and slow, as it’s more relaxing for us.

nautical route seattle bainbridge cocktail cruise

Port Madison’s waterway goes quite a way, but it’s very narrow and shallow.

What is happening here?

When we arrived to the entrance of Port Madison, there were two things happening at the same time. First, there was some kind of sailing boat clinic going on.

Then some guy was pulling a creosote covered log. All was fine, until he headed towards the group in shallow water. Next thing you know, the log up-righted itself and got stuck in the mud. LOL

Scott wanted to take us on a tour into the inlet, but it was low tide. Our draft is 4′, but what we don’t know is if that includes the propellers. See our boat is different than most, as the propellers are below the hull.

As we approached the opening of the inlet, we were suddenly in 7′ of water. It was freaking me out and we didn’t NEED to be in there, so I had Scott turn around.

mooring balls pnw bainbridge island cocktail hour cruise — Port Madison

We ended up idling out in the bay, enjoying cocktails and some snacks. It was a gorgeous night and really the perfect setting.

Cruising back to Seattle

After about an hour, we left Port Madison and headed back to Seattle. It was dusk and I didn’t want to do our first “night docking” since we barely know this boat in the daylight. Scott put the boat in full throttle (which it needed anyways) and we cruised back at about 16 knots. What was interesting was how much our wake changed from 10 knots to 16 knots.

Diesel engines need to burn off their carbon every few trips, so this was not only a great night to be out on the water, but the engines needed it too.

We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful night for a cocktail cruise! This is one of the best things about being a cruiser in the PNW – no matter where you go, you are always surrounded by the beauty of the PNW.

As we came into Elliott Bay, we passed by this freighter!

If you zoom in, you will see all of the vehicles AND BOATS on top of it!!!! Very strange and it seems a bit unsafe. LOL Certainly added some fun to our cocktail cruise.

We wrapped up the evening with wine, great stories and a beautiful view! What more could we ask for!

Stay tuned for our next blog – Memorial Day Weekend! We have drone footage of the boat, we took off the bimini – and much more!

As always, thank you for following our blog! Please subscribe for future posts. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney

Cheers, Scott & Ally

June 4, 2019June 10, 2019

Opening Day of Boating Season 2019

Opening day of boating season in Seattle is a weekend full of activities, mainly in Portage Bay for UW crew events. Originally, we planned on spending the day on a wine cruise with Upsidedown Winery and our friends Ben & Maria (who we went to the Caribbean with this year).

Just a week before, we got notice that the cruise was cancelled! So instead, we invited Ben and Maria to come join us on our boat for a “maiden voyage”. At this point, we have only taken the boat out twice on our own, so this was “maiden” to us!

A gorgeous warm day!

If you know much about Opening Day of Boating season in Seattle, you know that it typically always rains! Surprisingly, this day was perfect. I made some appetizers and had wine chilling in the fridge. The four of us, set out about 2:30pm for a quick cruise around Elliott Bay.

Scott and I have traveled with Ben and Maria to Gig Harbor, Poulsbo and Kingston, but sometimes it nice to just do a simple cruise and relax back at the dock. It was fun to be able to to cruise with them on our new boat.

Entertaining on this boat

I have talked lately about how different it is to entertain on this boat. When Scott and I searched for our first boat, we decided we wanted one that was fun for day cruising and socializing in the sun. This boat is more of a destination cruiser and liveaboard. While it has three separate “gathering” areas (the fly bridge, cockpit and salon), it’s doesn’t have super great spaces for entertaining.

The fly bridge has great views at high tide, but no table. The salon is too warm and only really seats four people. So the cockpit will have to do. Over the past few weeks, we’ve configured a few different ways to entertain on it. Since it was just the four of us, we put the food on our locker and simply gathered around.

I will say one thing about this couple – we never have a dull moment! We laugh so hard every time we get together and isn’t that what boating is all about? Fun and friendship?

Our first night entertaining on the boat was a success and it ended with a perfect sunset!

Next time, we’ll take a quick trip over to Port Madison!

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

Cheers, Scott and Ally

May 25, 2019June 3, 2019

Anacortes Boat & Yacht Show 2019

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

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

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

510 Sundancer

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

A Must See Yacht!

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

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

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

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

The Comforts of Home on a Yacht

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

The upper deck was awesome too!

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

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

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

What Else Was Cool At The Show?

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

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

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

Where to Eat (or not to eat) in Anacortes

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

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

Fantastic breakfast!

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

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

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

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

Cheers, Scott and Ally

May 22, 2019October 5, 2020

Quick Trip to Roche Harbor Resort

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

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

May 3, 2019May 22, 2019

Learning About Our New Boat

Learning all about our new boat

Scott and I got back from our Caribbean sailing cruise on March 16th and we took possession of our new boat the following day. This boat is a 2002 Bayliner 4087 Aft Cabin MY. Our broker, Steve Thoreson from Union Marine (formerly Lake Union Sea Ray), gave us a tour of the boat and reviewed the electrical panel. I was smart enough to video tape it–that would come in handy a few weeks later. Learning about our boat will take some time.

It was really windy that day with winds coming out of the north at 10 knots. Yet Steve felt Scott could practice backing out the boat and docking it. He backed out, turned around in our fairway and headed out. Then we turned around and Scott docked it perfectly!

Practice Docking

The following weekend, we took our supplies from Kokomo and went down to try to organize the boat.

My brother-in-law Kurt and his brother Cal came down to check it out too. Since it was a nice day with calm winds, we decided to take advantage of our “crew” and head to the fuel dock. Let’s just say, it was far easier having thrusters than with our old stern drives.

Quick note about fuel. In the state of Washington, you can get a refund for the road tax you pay when you fuel up a boat. EXCEPT, if it is diesel.

After we got fuel, we decided to take the boat over to N Dock so I could practice docking. I made a couple of runs and yes, it was easier. Mainly because our (handles) move smoothly. On Kokomo, they were stiff and stuck all of the time. See video from before below:

Since the new boat is much taller, it is also easier to see what you are doing.

Yes, we will have the footage of me docking on our next YouTube episode.

Once we got back to the dock, it was time to see if the dinghy ran. So Scott and Cal started it up and off they went! We were thinking about selling it, but we’ve decided to keep it for a year and have fun with it.

Taking the Boat Into Service & Back Through the Locks

Based on our survey, we decided we should address some of the recommendations:

Replace all of the batteries
Change the oil & filters
Change the transmission fluid
Replace the heat exchanger zinc
Replace the twin Raccers with compliant heat shield
Clean and inspect the starboard intake valve
Replace the belts
Replace the fuel lines

I work for Union Marine (formerly Lake Union Sea Ray) and we took the boat to our service center to have work done. We scheduled the appointment for the following week and since we had to go thru the Ballard Locks, we enlisted Kurt’s help for the trip. The entire trip took us about an hour.

We lucked out on the weather, once again! It took us about 30 minutes to get to the locks and we immediately got shuttled into the small locks. (Thank God!) we were the only boat in the locks, but we it was a bit nerve wracking tying up to the wall. I was worried Scott would crash into it and I also had troubles hooking the knob (or whatever it is called. All went smoothly and we made it through the Fremont Cut in about 20 minutes.

Our First Night on the Boat!

It took about three weeks to do all of the work. We scheduled to pick the boat up on Friday afternoon, April 12th and had more help on the return trip. Kurt, Cal and Tracey joined us for a beautiful sunny trip from Lake Union back to Elliott Bay Marina.

That evening, Scott and I stayed on the boat. We went out to dinner and when we came back we had a scary, but funny moment! Our new dock is fairly dark and just as we approached our boat, a dark huge figure appeared and stood up. Turns out it was a sleeping seal and we scared him, he stood up and barked and we screamed. Then the three of us froze – we weren’t sure if he was going to charge us, but he ended up jumping in the water. LOL

While I will say our bed is much more comfortable than the last one, it was a bit of a restless night. We sleep in the aft-cabin and the cockpit is above us, so any noise in the cockpit is annoying. That’s especially true if you forget to secure the snaps on your canvas and a blustery storm moves in around 3am in the morning!

Needless to say, we left the boat as soon as we woke up. During this entire time, we have also been packing up our current apartment as we were moving at the end of the month. Nothing like moving out of an apartment and into a new one AND onto a boat at the same time!

Now that we’re moved, we’re looking forward to getting out on the boat with friends and family. Stay tuned for my next blog, as I take you on a flight to Roche Harbor Resort and Marina!

Cheers, Scott and Ally

Check out Episode #34 Taking Possession of Our Happy Day

In our next blog, Ally takes a quick trip to Roche Harbor!

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @BoatingJourney

March 1, 2019June 14, 2019

How did our sea trial go?

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:

Cheers, Scott and Ally

February 20, 2019June 14, 2019

Sea Trial & Survey Tomorrow!

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

Thank you for following our blog! Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney #PNWBoater

January 21, 2019January 21, 2019

Tourists in Seattle

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!

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

Cheers! Scott and Ally

January 14, 2019January 21, 2019

Buh Bye Viaduct

It’s time to say goodbye to Seattle’s Viaduct

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

Cheers! Scott and Ally