Boating Journey Blog about boating for the first time

January 10, 2018

Fletcher Woodworks Gift Items

Fletcher Woodworks Cutting Boards & Utensils

This past Christmas my brother in-law, Kurt gave us some great gifts from his Fletcher Woodworks business. If you recall, Kurt has helped us out tremendously on the boat, including helping us dock on our first day. He is also a very talented woodworker!

We have a joke in our family that if you want him to design cabinets or counters for you, be patient because he has to grow the tree first. After Kurt retired from the Washington State Ferry system, he started this business with his two sons, Chris and Spencer. Everything they make is handmade with custom wood and gorgeous!

Cutting Boards

This year Kurt gave us a Birdseye Maple cutting board and honestly this picture doesn’t do it justice. You have to see it up close.

Here’s a close-up of the grain:

Cheese Knives & Spatulas

In addition to the cutting board, Kurt also gave us four utensils. The cheese knife is displayed above on the cutting board. The utensils are made out of Leopard wood, also known as Lace wood. The knife has a very sharp edge on it too.

I know what you are thinking……these are way too nice to actually use! However, they are designed to be used regularly. They also have a wood finish that is food safe to use on the cutting board and utensils. Fletcher wood finish is made of organic beeswax and organic flaxseed oil (linseed oil). They chose this mixture over mineral and other oils because of its food safety, rich color and tougher finish. Flaxseed oil naturally soaks into the wood pores and polymerizes with time to form a stronger finish.

Fletcher Name

So you are probably assuming that Kurt’s last name is Fletcher, but in fact it’s not. My sister and her husband live in Ballard and in a quaint neighborhood (one street) called “Fletcher’s Village”. This quaint street has a handful of Storybook Tudor homes that were built in the 1930’s, featuring European style homes with clinker brick & stone work exteriors. As you enter the village, there is a big wooden sign over the street for “Fletcher’s Village”. Now you know where the name comes from!

Fletcher Woodworks On-line Store

Fletcher Woodworks has an on-line store with all of their products available. These are locally handcrafted items from the Pacific Northwest and are great gift items. Of course they would go perfectly on a boat, but also serve great in any kitchen. So the next time you are looking for that unique gift, remember Fletcher Woodworks handcrafted gift items. Check out their website and on-line store at www.FletcherWoodworks.com.

Stay tuned for the end of the month, as we are heading to the Seattle Boat Show! We plan on staying on the boat that weekend for our first winter stay over, so we’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Cheers! Scott & Ally

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January 5, 2018

Dock neighbors helping each other

Dock neighbors are your second set of eyes

When Scott and I started mooring our boat Kokomo at Elliott Bay Marina, we didn’t think too much about the importance of our dock neighbors. With over one thousand boats in the marina and us being moored at the very end, our boat is just a spec among many.

But over the last few months, we have realized that we do care about our dock neighbors and we make sure to keep an eye out on their boats. Being new boat owners, we were not sure about how to connect with the folks we see every weekend. In fact, I’m a bit embarrassed to say that we didn’t meet our neighbor Joe until the Christmas party. We decided then, that it’s important for us to connect with our neighbors and also meet new ones throughout the year.

A Fuel Leak

When we first arrived in May 2017, we did meet our yacht neighbors, Jules & Doug. They own a beautiful custom yacht and are located at the end of our dock, just a couple of boats away.

We didn’t get to see them much during the summer as they left for a few months to cruise British Columbia. When they returned in the Fall, we exchanged numbers in case of emergencies. Of course, I was hoping that would never need to happen. But a month later, we knew they were out of town and we noticed fuel around their stern.

I immediately called the marina and I also texted Jules to let her know. She was very grateful and the mechanics arrived asap, so nothing major happened. When all this was happening, I was nervous about notifying them. No one wants that call, but at the same time I would want someone to call me.

Should that water be running?

Right next door to Jules’ yacht, was an older Chris Craft house boat. It was under major renovation and the owner lived on it part time.

One morning, I noticed that the hose that was hooked up to the boat, was pouring out more water from the faucet connection than probably going in. Turns out she had hooked it up and didn’t know she needed an auto shut off valve and so water was going everywhere. We did call the marina, but they already knew about it. Better safe than sorry.

Should the boat look like that?!

Last week, the PNW had another wind storm and our marina lost power. We decided to go down and check our lines and make sure the heaters were back up and running fine. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were just making a pit stop at the marina.

As we approached our boat, we noticed Joe’s boat across the way and it didn’t look right. (No, I don’t have a photo – we were too concerned with fixing the problem than taking pictures). But here’s one from summer and if you can picture what we saw. First, his bow looked like it was on the dock, but it was because all of his bumpers were ON the dock, not between the boat. What the?? Turns out his stern line had snapped and forced the bow up onto the dock slightly.

We called him right away and fixed his bumpers and secured his stern. Normally the marina staff walks the docks and they would have noticed it too, but it was the day after Christmas so they were on a light staff.

Just as we were done and walking down the dock to leave, we notice the lock box next to us, was completely tipped over. Nope, didn’t get a photo of that either. Will do for the next time. So we went to the marina office and told them about both situations so they were aware.

The Dock is Sinking!

Scott and I follow many cruising / sailing blogs and YouTube channels. Recently, there was an episode on Sailing Ruby Rose. They were sound asleep and were woken up by their neighbors to inform them that their dock was sinking! You have to watch this episode–WATCH HERE! There’s lot to learn should this ever happen to you. Thank God their neighbors woke them up.

The moral of this story is all of us dock neighbors need to be looking out for each other. If you don’t know your neighbors or haven’t exchanged contact information, do so the next time you see them. Boat neighbors are no different than your house neighbors, in fact in some cases this could be their home.

If you have experienced any dock neighbor situations, please share with us.

Happy New Year! Scott and Ally

#KokomoSeattle #BoatingJourney

December 29, 2017February 12, 2018

Looking Back on 2017

A Year in Review 2017 – Looking Back

What a year 2017 has been. Looking back at everything we accomplished, we feel pretty proud. Scott and I have had the dream of owning a boat for over seven years. Each New Year, we would review our lives and make a new plan, but until we sold The Wine Alley nothing could possibly happen, as we were working six days a week. No point in owning a boat when you are working that much.

Scott and I sold the shop in October 2015 and as we began 2016, we were not sure what we wanted to do. We spent that year researching and figuring things out. From boat shows in Seattle to boat shows in Annapolis. Finally at the end of last year, we knew we were searching for a weekend cruising boat. Boating Journey was born!

A New Year, A New Plan

Every year, Scott and I attend the Seattle Boat Show at the end of January. It is the largest boat show on the West Coast. We had a plan and the search began. We had met our broker, Eddie from NW Yachts in the Fall and so we told him what we were looking for, which was a weekend cruiser.

A Trip to the Caribbean

Soon after the boat show, we headed to the Caribbean for our annual trip. This year, we picked a new island, Dominican Republic. The tropical water is definitely gorgeous with lots of great reefs. You can read all about our trip in our blog post.

Boat Shopping in the Rain

When we returned from vacation, we met with our broker, Eddie, who showed us three boats. Ironically, the first boat is the boat we ended up buying. However, not right away. We looked at two other boats, but we didn’t like them at all. While touring the boats with Eddie, it was pouring down rain. Not a fun day at all. Scott and I thanked him for his time and told him we would keep it in mind and keep shopping.

Anacortes Boat Show in April

This boat show is not large, but it certainly makes for a fun weekend with our good friends Nick and Michelle. Scott and I love going to this show and this year, it was bitter cold! We found one boat that MIGHT work, which was a Regal. However, it’s GPS screen was mounted where the steps are to the bow.

Later that day, Scott and I went back to our hotel room and called Eddie. We had looked at over fifty boats since January and we kept coming back to the Bayliner Ciera 3055, Kokomo. We made our official offer and a month later we were finally boat owners!

Boating Tips & Lessons

Within our first weekend of owning Kokomo, we were already learning about owning a boat and maintenance. Captain Scott quickly learned how to navigate and dock a boat! Especially in our tight marina!

In our first year (really only 7 months), some of the things we have learned how to do are:

While these items might not be a big deal to the veteran boater, ask any new boater or novice if they have done any of these things. We would not have learned half of what we did, had we not used the boat almost every weekend. Scott and I are so glad we chose to moor our first boat, rather than trailer it. By doing so, it became our home away from home.

Home Away from Home

Looking back, Kokomo certainly became our weekend getaway this summer and fall. For those that know us well, you also know how much we love to entertain. Boating wouldn’t be as fun without friends and family!

The Boating Journey Evolution

Eventually, this blog became more than just documenting our adventures and lessons. Since I love to entertain, I added a Recipe Page so I could share my favorite recipes. I have figured out how to prep meals in a small galley and make it work. And, as you have learned throughout our blog, storage is a luxury on a boat, including finding a home for your cookware and food.

My objective with the blog this year was to document the lessons we’ve learned and share them with you. Perhaps you are looking to buy a boat or just entertaining the idea. Hopefully our stories are useful and also entertaining.

New Adventures Await in 2018

Scott and I do have a new plan for 2018. This is all dependent on many factors, including my job prospects. But no matter what, the Boating Journey will continue to share its adventures and lessons. We’ll begin the New Year at the Seattle Boat Show on January 27th and we plan to launch our new YouTube Channel beginning that show. Stay tuned for all of the fun ahead!

Happy New Year!

Scott & Ally

#KokomoSeattle #BoatingJourney

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December 22, 2017March 13, 2018

This Holiday Season We’re Thankful For

Thankful This Holiday Season

This past year has certainly been a journey and Scott and I are so thankful this holiday season. When we sold The Wine Alley two years ago, we were not sure what to expect nor what was in store for us. The plan was to buy a boat, but first I had to find a job.

Placencia, Belize

That plan took a strange twist early in 2016, when I was toying with the idea of moving to Placencia, Belize. What?! You didn’t know the story? I had been consulting for a resort that was under construction and they had offered me the position of Director of Sales & Marketing.

I visited the resort (which was a journey) for a few days. (Be sure to read my blog and check out the awesome photos.) In the end, I turned down the job as it would have meant living apart from Scott and Mac, which I just couldn’t do. Two months later, I was back looking for a marketing position again.

Now that I had launched my marketing consulting business, Allison Leigh Consulting, I started doing a few projects for smaller companies that needed help. In May 2016, I took on a huge project for a retail chain developing their marketing program and team from the ground up.

Since we thought we were moving and had began downsizing our home, we kept our plans to sell our house and move onto a boat. Of course that all changed after we went to the Annapolis Boat Show in October 2016. That’s when we decided to hold off, buy a weekend cruiser and see if we like boating first.

Thankful for all of our blessings

Scott & I started the new year at the Seattle Boat Show and our hunt for boat began. It was certainly challenging and as you know from our blog, it took forever. Finally this past May, we were officially boat owners!

We have been so blessed that we could bring our dream of owning a boat to life. This past year, we are thankful that we shared great times with friends and family on our boat Kokomo. That is one of the best things about boating.

The marketing project has ended for me and now I am searching for a dynamic company where I can share my marketing expertise. Over the past few weeks I have met with some amazing companies, so I’m thankful for these opportunities. Stay tuned for what’s next for me.

We are thankful to Elliott Bay Marina, for helping us secure our moorage before we even owned the boat. Spending time on Kokomo and at the marina has become our weekend getaway.

In addition, we are so appreciative of my sister Susan and her husband Kurt for all of their help and advice this summer.

Thank you to all of our loyal subscribers and followers. Now that our boating journey has begun, we are looking forward to sharing more adventures with all of you.

This holiday season, we wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas.

Cheers, Scott & Ally

#KokomoSeattle #BoatingJourney

December 16, 2017August 15, 2018

Holiday Party & Decorating Contest at our Marina

The Annual Elliott Bay Marina Holiday Party & Decorating Contest

This week our marina had their annual holiday party & decorating contest for all of the tenants. The winner gets one month’s free moorage! Of course that is motivation in itself, but as I mentioned last week, no one was going down to M Dock to view our lights.

Scott and I got to the marina during sunset and what a sunset it was!! I only wish we had been on a taller boat to really capture how stunning the sky was.

Mount Rainier looked nostalgic sitting off in the distance.

The Olympic Mountains stood out too. They don’t have a ton of snow on them, as we just had ten days of sunshine and no rain.

It was so festive watching the sunset while our dock neighbor Joe had Christmas music on. Ironically, this was the first time all year that we finally met Joe, even though his boat is directly across the dock from us. After the sunset, we headed up to Palisade Restaurant for a cocktail and an appetizer.

Holiday Party at the Marina

The party was in the harbormaster’s office and we all snuggled in. It was fun to finally meet a few friends from Instagram and also meet other boaters. Most of the people we met were also new boaters this year, so we shared similar stories.

With wine in hand, the four of us headed down to D & E Docks to judge the best boat. There were a few others on B Dock, but we were too lazy to walk over there.

I was amazed as to how many boats were completely decked out for the holidays!

This sailboat didn’t have their lights on, but I bet it looks super cool when they are on.

In this photo, you can see in the distance, a blue Space Needle. We think that it was on B Dock and a boat on B Dock did win an honorable mention.

Here we are with our dock neighbors having a great time judging the boats!

This was on E Dock, so we headed over there. I was certain this was the winning boat, but it wasn’t according to the office. This boat is on the “odd numbered” side of E Dock and the Best Decorated Boat was E66. Waiting to hear from the marina as to what the decorations were on the winning boat.

Not only did this boat have the huge lighted Christmas tree, but the detail on board was amazing! Above you can see a nutcracker soldier.

Then they had a polar bear and snoopy!

On the bow, he had an igloo and penguins fishing! Really, this was an awesome boat!

I think the boat below was across from this boat and it could be E66 (the winner).

Scott and I are so glad we came to the party! It was great meeting so many people and enjoying the festivities of the season. This is just another reason why we love Elliott Bay Marina so much! Thank you to everyone at Elliott Bay Marina for hosting a fun holiday party. Tis the Season!

In our next blog, we’ll share what we are so thankful for this Holiday Season.

Merry Christmas! Scott and Ally

#KokomoSeattle #BoatingJourney

December 11, 2017February 6, 2018

A Winter Evening in Seattle

Spending a Winter Evening in Seattle

Each year, Scott and I love to go into Seattle for a winter evening to enjoy all of the holiday festivities. When we bought our boat Kokomo, we had the intentions of staying on it during some nights in the winter. But with our golden retriever Mac’s health declining rapidly we haven’t been able to do that.

It’s been about 32º-34º during the evening this past week, so Scott and I wanted to go down and run the engines and check on the heaters. (Yes, we do this weekly!) We decided to make a night of it and spend time at the marina and Queen Anne. Originally, we were going to make a big pot of homemade spaghetti sauce, but decided to venture out instead.

Things to do around Elliott Bay Marina

There is a brewery and a distillery just a mile from the marina. We first stopped at Holy Mountain Brewery, where we shared a sampler. The brewery is fairly spacious, but a bit loud. The beers were fantastic and it was a great way to start the evening.

Right next door, is Batch 206 Distillery. I had bought their Elliott Bay Rum as a gift to my brother-in-law Kurt, who has helped us with the boat all summer. He loves Rum and he helped us on Elliott Bay. How perfect!

Inside the tasting room, it’s warm and cozy. Batch 206 has some great gifts for the holidays. Scott and I tried their Counter Gin and it was delicious! Served very cold, this is a sipping Gin. Of course, we ended up buying a bottle of that too.

Their light fixtures were made out of bottles and galvanized pipe! So cool.

Off to the Marina

Scott and I walked down to our boat and honestly we are glad we didn’t bother putting up lights on Kokomo. No one has decorated on our dock. There is a new yacht docked next to us, M/Y Arctic Pride and it was really pretty all lit up.

We started the engines and let them warm up to 175º. The cabin was at 50º with the heater on. We use a Ceramic Heater that has a built-in thermostat and we have it set at the lowest setting. With that said, I was amazed that the cabin was nice and warm. There was no condensation, so that’s good too. After spending about a half hour on the boat, we headed up to Palisade Restaurant for a drink and appetizers.

Holiday Lights at Elliott Bay Marina

Next Thursday our Elliott Bay Marina is having a holiday party and we are also voting on the best decorated boat. The winner will get a free month’s moorage! So stay tuned for our holiday boat tour later this week. Here’s a preview of what’s to come.

Happy Holidays! Scott and Ally on #KokomoSeattle

December 5, 2017December 7, 2017

Boating in December

Did we really go boating in December?

When Scott and I bought our boat Kokomo, we didn’t really have intentions to go boating in December. For those of you following us here and on Instagram, you know I like to check on the boat regularly this winter. Our marina has lost power a few times already and I like to make sure the heaters are all working properly.

This past Sunday, Scott and I went to the marina with the plan to put holiday lights on the boat, since many of the boats are decorated. Once we got there, we realized that no one on our dock decorates their boat. In addition, we are at the very end of our dock, where no one can see us, so we bagged that plan.

No engines? Uh ho

The weather was wet and cold, so not ideal for boating. We had planned on running the engines at the dock and checking on our heaters. After a few minutes, Scott said we needed to take it out on Elliott Bay to clean out all of the carbon buildup in the engines. My concern wasn’t actually the weather, but the engines. It was so cold, that they kept shutting off (which is why Scott wanted to take the boat for a spin). As I was untying the lines, I asked Scott if the engines were warm enough to stay on and he assured me we were good to go.

boating in december — This is our fairway on a sunny day at Elliott Bay Marina

Our slip mate moved his boat to another slip, so we have the entire slip to ourselves right now. As I pushed us off of the dock and we started to enter the fairway, both engines died. Of course, I freaked out as we were just floating there with my pole in hand! Scott started both engines up again and now we were headed between two yachts in our fairway. Just then, the engines died again! Normally, when we go through our fairway, we move very slowly. Scott started both engines and this time, he had to rev the engines up and move quickly between the two yachts. Ugh!

motor yachts blue sleek — Here’s one of the yachts we have to pass to leave our fairway.

Boating on Elliott Bay in December

Scott and I left the marina for a quick spin around Elliott Bay. We left our fenders on, as we literally only planned to go out for ten minutes.

As we came back into the marina, it started to pour down rain and we couldn’t see a thing. Figures. We waited for about five minutes for a break in the skies and we quickly headed back into the marina.

By the time we were securing the boat, we were soaked! Guess that’s boating in December in the Pacific Northwest.

Remember the submerged boat?

A few weeks ago, I shared photos of a submerged boat at our marina. At the time we took the photos, we didn’t realize that it’s hull and bow were located on another dock. So Scott and I headed over to N Dock to check out the remains.

The boat is at the bottom of the bay here. Here’s the video we took:

Moral of the story is, check on your boat regularly if you keep it moored and not “winterized”. Next week our marina is having a holiday party and decorating contest and I will be sure to take lots of photos to share. Stay dry and stay tuned. Cheers, Scott & Ally #KokomoSeattle

November 30, 2017November 30, 2017

Finding our boat slip at Elliott Bay Marina

Finding the Perfect Boat Slip

How did we pick out our boat slip? It occurred to me yesterday, that throughout this entire journey I never really talked much about how we picked Elliott Bay Marina for the home of our boat Kokomo.

Let’s go back to my blog that I wrote in August 2016 about “Live Aboard Marinas“. Scott and I realized that not only were we challenged with finding the right boat, but also finding a place to moor it! I talked about the buying process in our blog “We’re Finally Boat Owners“. The entire process reminded me of when we started our wine shop. In order to get a liquor license you had to have a lease. In order to get a lease, we had to have a liquor license. Crazy.

At the last Seattle Boat Show we attended, we met with Elliott Bay Marina and Fisherman’s Terminal. Both were very helpful and eager to help us in a pinch. In the end, Elliott Bay Marina had nicer facilities, secured docks and the views were unmatched. Yes, the monthly moorage is a bit higher, but worth it to us. They also allowed us to reserve a spot before we owned the boat.

We found the marina, now what slip?

In all of the books I have read, one thing I have learned is the importance of liking your slip and slip mates. Scott and I went down to Elliott Bay Marina on a sunny Saturday and met with Jordan and Brandon at the harbor masters office. They gave us a sheet with available slips and we then walked the docks N and M.

N Dock is the last dock on the east side of the marina towards Seattle. All of the large yachts dock on the outside of N during the summer.

Our objective in looking for a slip

Scott and I had two objectives in finding our slip. One, was to find one with a view of downtown Seattle. We knew that would be tough with all of the yachts on Dock N. What we didn’t know at the time (because they hadn’t arrived yet), was that the cruise ships would ruin that come summer anyway.

Our second objective, was to find a slip that either didn’t have a slip mate or one that had a small boat. Since we were new boaters, we did not want to have to dock next to nice boats. We walked up and dock docks N and M and took photos of different slips. Most of the slips we ruled out due to the slip mates, like this beautiful tug from Ranger Tugs.

The marina had told us that even if the slips were empty, they would be occupied by summer. With that said, we took our chances and selected M95.

If you look really hard, you can see the Columbia Tower in the distance. It didn’t really occur to us at the time, that our bloat slip M95 was a quarter mile walk to the parking lot. Well, at least we get our exercise now. The other thing we didn’t realize at the time, was “how we had to get into the fairway” on our boat. Read all about that journey in this blog.

Eventually, we did get a slip mate (an aluminum fishing boat) about halfway through the summer. That was a funny story too!

Summer is over and now what?

Now that it’s winter time, many boats are gone. It’s like a ghost town at our end of the dock. In fact, our aluminum boat neighbor moved into a boat slip much closer to the parking lot a few weeks ago. I figure, we need the exercise and I still love the view of Seattle. It is definitely hard on our old golden retriever Mac as he can’t walk that far these days. Unfortunately, he is declining at a rapid pace and doesn’t spend any time on the boat these days.

We found out this week that the boats all decorate for Christmas and there is a contest for the best decorated boat. Of course plugging in a bunch of holiday lights freaks me out as you know from my previous blogs. So we’ll just put up a few to be festive. We are looking forward to the holiday party and meeting other boaters. Stay tuned for the photos of the event!

Cheers, Scott and Ally #KokomoSeattle

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November 25, 2017November 26, 2017

What’s That Smell?

Ewwww, What’s That Smell?

Of course there is a song that goes “ewwww, what’s that smell?”. When you own a boat, the last thing you want to deal with is bad odors. Typically these odors are due to musty & damp cabins and stinky heads (bathrooms). Knock on wood, but our boat Kokomo really has no bad smells in the cabin. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, we do keep dehumidifiers and a heater on inside the cabin to help keep it damp free.

Now our head (bathroom) is a slightly different story. When not in use, it doesn’t stink at all. But the minute you pump the head, the waft of stink is overwhelming. With guests on board it’s almost embarrassing, because they think the person using the bathroom made that smell! Yuck.

As some of you know, my position at my company was eliminated in September and now I am back looking for new opportunities as a Director of Marketing. (What does this have to do with that smell?? I’m getting there). Last week, I applied for a role at a new start-up company which makes odor eliminating products called “NonScents“. I had the opportunity to visit their team in Redmond and they gave me a few products to sample. Two of the products are perfect for both boats and RVs–and even around the house.

NonScents Pet Odor Spray

Scott and I took two of the products to the boat. While I knew the cabin didn’t have odor issues, I did know the “waft” from pumping the head was horrible. So we tested out the NonScents Pet Odor Spray, after pumping the head. Keep in mind, the head had not been used in two weeks, so the odor was pretty bad. We sprayed the outside cockpit with the spray (since that is where the fumes come out) and immediately the smell was gone! Usually it hangs out a bit, but we were amazed as to how fast and well it worked! It works so well because it is not masking the odor like other air fresheners, but instead it neutralizes them at the molecular level. Wow! You can buy NonScents Pet Odor Remover Spray at Amazon, by following the link.

NonScents Refrigerator Deodorizer

The other product they gave me was the NonScents Refrigerator Deodorizer (again, you can buy this at Amazon using the link above). Our fridge on the boat is actually very big for our cabin size and is also seventeen years old. We keep ours running all year round, but it’s hard to get rid of that old “fridge smell”. Last week, I put the deodorizer in the fridge and a week later, the odors were gone! I also like that it can’t be spilled (i.e. baking soda container) and it’s compact. This is another product that would be great for both boats and RV’s.

So if you have pets, boats, RV’s or any other odors you want to eliminate, these are great products for you to try! I’m glad I had the chance to try them and now we’re hooked. Enjoy!

Scott & Ally on #KokomoSeattle

November 18, 2017August 15, 2018

Submerged Boat

A submerged boat is not a good thing

Don’t worry, we do not have a submerged boat, but someone in the marina does! I get teased a lot for worrying about our boat Kokomo and going down to check on it every week. After today’s visit, I feel justified!

Elliott Bay Marina lost power last week for almost three days during a very major wind storm we had. I talked about this in my last blog. So we wanted to make sure everything we still secured. As I am typing this, I realized we didn’t notice if our owl bird deterrent was still there. Great.

Today the weather was gorgeous and a great day to go down and check things out. Remember a few weeks ago when I was learning how to dock the boat? Notice that boat docked along the dock there?

Here’s another still shot of the boat, which was called “Morning Wood”. This boat is an old wooden 35′ Trojan. It was making me nervous docking near it.

Notice that there are no other boats along the outside perimeter of “N” dock. That’s because during the Fall and Winter months, the weather is horrible and it’s unsafe to dock your boat there. During the summer months, this dock is primarily used for yachts only.

When things go wrong

Well, today as we walked down the plank way to our dock, we noticed that “something” was submerged where they store small sail boats! Uh ho!

At first, we thought it was two or three of the sail boats that are normally tied up here, but instead it was PIECES of one boat!

This is the bow of the boat and the windshield.

This is the fly bridge. It still had the key in the ignition!

Yep, this is the remains of “Morning Wood”! Apparently, the marina told the owner, not to leave the boat on the outside dock. Despite their warning, he left for a few weeks. Last Monday when we had 50mph winds, it tore the boat apart. The engine is actually still attached to the dock with a boom around it. I didn’t get a photo of the engine this day, but check out our blog from a few weeks later.

Lesson learned! When the marina says “don’t leave your boat on the outside”, follow their instructions. There is so much of the boat floating everywhere. There were lights, cushions, books, you name it, all floating around the marina. What a disaster! Not to mention now they have to deal with environmental issues with the engine.

Luckily for us, Kokomo was just fine. The dingy was still inflated and it was nice and warm in the cabin. Always a good day! Until next time…..we’ll share with you a new product we’re using on the boat.

Cheers, Scott and Ally on #KokomoSeattle