Boating Journey Blog about boating for the first time

March 27, 2022May 30, 2022

Arriving into the British Virgin Islands

On February 25, 2022, Scott and I finally arrived in the British Virgin Islands after a week of testing and waiting. We took a red eye flight from Seattle to St. Thomas, via Miami. The total travel time was about 12 hours. Our flight had been changed a few times, arriving into St. Thomas later than we had expected. As a result, we chose not to take the last ferry to Tortola as we might miss customs. Instead, we booked a hotel at the Windward Passage hotel, which The Moorings recommended. It’s located directly across the street from the Charlotte Amalie Ferry Terminal.

I will say the location was great, but the rooms were not very clean. Good enough for one night though. After checking in, we were hot and hungry, so we headed down the main boulevard to find dinner. Lucky for us, we stumbled upon the Green House. We grabbed a view table and made ourselves right at home. The food and service was fantastic and a restaurant we would recommend in the Virgin Islands.

Heading to the British Virgin Islands

The following morning, we had a reservation at 9am to head to Tortola. We checked our bags and then grabbed breakfast next door to the ferry terminal at the Petite Pump Room. Just like last year, the service is a bit slow, so plan accordingly. There are three ferries that work out of this terminal and we had reservations on the Road Town Fast Ferry.

Just like last year, this ferry had an upper deck. The weather was great, so we were happy to grab a seat up above and enjoy the view.

The ride takes just under an hour. When you to the Tortola Ferry Terminal, you can either scan their QRcode to get tested for covid at the terminal, or show your negative test results at the check-in desk before customs. Scott and I got thru customs and immigration within 20 minutes. Maria and Ben had arranged for a taxi to pick us up and they were waiting for us when we arrived.

The Moorings British Virgin Islands Base

The base is about 10 minutes from the ferry terminal, so it’s a quick trip.

The front desk is located in an open air lobby and they have a few shops around the base.

Check-in for the boat was not until 4pm at the earliest, so we stowed our luggage in the large room next to the lobby.

From there, we went to the bar on the base and grabbed a drink and a quick bite to eat.

Provisioning in the Virgin Islands

When our crew put our provisioning list together, there were a few items we knew we had to get locally. Luckily the Rite Way grocery store was a short walk away.

As we mentioned in our video, we chose to have The Moorings deliver the heavy stuff like bottled water, wine, beer, vodka (mostly our beverages).

I had noticed that many provisions had been sitting in the sun while we were walking around the base waiting, so I was anxious to see how ours would be. We ended up “hanging out” at the base all day and in hindsight, I wish we would have explored Tortola during the day.

We checked with the desk right at 4pm asking if our boat was ready and she said “no, in fact, you may not get your captain’s review tonight”. That made me raise my eyebrows, as we were paying almost $1100 for a sleep over so we could take off first thing in the am. Instead of being nasty, I pleaded with them and finally at 5:30pm our boat and captain were ready! Yea.

As soon as we got on board, I started to put the food away. Sure enough some of the lunch meat was warm and not edible. Bummer.

On Board “Cool Change”

Our Leopard 433 PC was named “Cool Change” and was a 2020, so we were surprised we got a newer boat when we were scheduled to get a 3-5 year old boat. I will say the boat was in fantastic shape, but the heads did stink. We’re thinking the heads must have used salt water and that’s why they stunk. During the review, we found a few things, so a technician came down to fix them right away. Just like last year, I recorded his review, so we could easily go back and see what he said. We highly recommend this, especially when it comes to the generator and how to empty the holding tanks.

Quick Tour of the Leopard 433 PC

This Leopard 433 PC from Moorings is what they call an “owner’s version”. There are two types of catamaran builds: charter or owner. In a charter version, you have four staterooms, two on each side with a shared head. On an owner’s version, the starboard side is all for the owner, so it has much more space. We gave Ben and Maria the owner’s version and then used the extra stateroom for our luggage. It was tight, no doubt still.

The salon / galley offered lots of space for everyone!

We picked the aft stateroom on the port side, which was actually slightly bigger than the forward one.

The forward cabin also has another “berth” in the far forward V (see the pillow?). No thanks! I think most sailors use that for storage.

After putting everything away and unpacking, we were ready for dinner. The Moorings base has two restaurants, including one wood fired pizza restaurant. So the four of us grabbed a quick bite and came home with left overs for the next few days!

Needless to say, we were anxious to wake up and leave the next morning. However, we were still missing our inverter and we needed to go back to Rite Way and grab a few provisions, that they missed.

Stay tuned and see how our first day of cruising went in the BVI!

As always, thank you for following our journey! Please subscribe to our blog and our channel (link below) and follow us on social @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney. Lots of exciting things are happening right now, so stay tuned!

Cheers, Scott and Ally

March 19, 2022March 20, 2022

We’ve Moved to Fort Lauderdale!

If you have been following our social media accounts, you may have noticed that Scott and I are on a new adventure. Well, it’s much more than a new journey – we actually have moved to Fort Lauderdale, FL. I accepted a position in the marine industry in Florida about a month ago and so we began packing our condo before we left for the BVI.

Moving to Fort Lauderdale

Scott and I visited Fort Lauderdale last July, but other than that trip, we haven’t spent any time here. I booked my temporary housing through VRBO and then picked an apartment via the internet only. So how did we decided where to live? Downtown Fort Lauderdale has a district called “Los Olas” along the riverfront and it is packed with restaurants and shopping all within walking distance.

Sonder at Society in Fort Lauderdale

I am staying at a Sonder property, called Society along the riverfront. It is a furnished apartment and offers all of the necessities I need to live. Scott flew down with me and stayed for the first week. If you know anything about us, you know we have never checked bags on an airplane. Needing to live for about five weeks on my own, we checked a number of bags and a box!

After traveling for almost eight hours, we finally arrived on Sunday night to the Society. The photos actually make it look a bit fancier than it really is. It has some odd features, including no towel racks, no toilet paper, no liquid dish soap or sponge. The complex is also packed with college kids visiting on spring break. Awesome!

The view from the balcony is awesome and very entertaining!

Enjoying Fort Lauderdale’s Riverfront

As a I mentioned, Los Olas is lined with great restaurants and it also has a grocery store within a few blocks. You can walk along the riverfront and get your steps in. After your walk, stop by a local bar and enjoy the scenery!

Be sure to stay tuned on this adventure and our upcoming British Virgin Island charter. There’s lots going on and soon I’ll be moving into our new apartment. As always, thank you for following our journey. Be sure to subscribe to our blog, vlog (link below) and follow us on social @BoatingJourney #boatingjourney.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

March 12, 2022March 12, 2022

Finally Heading to the British Virgin Islands

After three years of planning, Scott and I finally are heading to the British Virgin Islands. Thanks to the pandemic, our bareboat charter was postponed three times since 2020. We could have taken the trip in 2021, but the entry & quarantine requirements were too restrictive. Finally, a few months ago, the BVI government changed the requirements and removed the quarantine.

What Charter Company Did We Choose?

When we decided to do a bareboat charter, we wanted only a powerboat. That left us two options in the BVI, Marine Max and The Moorings. I reached out to both companies with inquiries and ironically I never heard back from Marine Max after a few attempts. So we chose The Moorings. Since our crew was only two couples, we picked the Leopard 433 PC.

I reserved everything online and spoke to our vacation specialist, primarily via email. When our original charter was postponed, The Moorings gave us a credit instead of refunding our money. In fact, a refund was never an option. However, they did lock in our pricing, which was great because the prices did go up significantly.

Let’s Talk Costs

A lot of people have asked us about the costs, so let’s break down the trip. I should mention that once you book an inquiry, The Moorings will send you a full quote before you pay. Our invoice looked like this:

5 Nights $6839 (reg $8000)
Sleep Aboard $1087
VSIR Contribution $8
Damage Insurance $345
Fuel $325 (we chose the fuel package so we wouldn’t have to fuel upon return)
Wi-Fi $125 (necessary to take the proctored covid tests)
BVI National Park Permit $25
Paddle Board Rental $140
Inverter $30
Winter Cruising Tax $120

Obviously you can see that things add up quickly. We had originally booked the Mariner Inn at the base for $300/night, but then our flight was scheduled to arrive later in the day on Friday and we wouldn’t be able to catch the ferry in time. As a result, we ended up reserving a room at The Windward Passage hotel in Charlotte Amalie, that The Moorings recommended.

Provisions & Extras

You have a few options for ordering provisions. You can order directly from The Moorings, you can use an outside source (click here for a list) or you can provision yourself at Rite Way.

Not knowing when our provisions would arrive to the boat and not having a way to store our perishables, we chose to have Moorings do our provisioning. They have a great portal and the prices were similar to what you would expect (and some were cheaper). They do offer a “starter kit” for $110, but after looking at the list, it included items we would never use like ketchup, mustard, etc. Our group chose to purchase what we wanted a la carte.

The boat did come with snorkel fins, but if you wanted snorkel masks or anything else, you had to order those as an extra. We ordered a paddle board from The Moorings and then some water toys from BVI Water Toys. Again, we were able to order everything online.

Testing & Portals

Just like last year , we had to take a covid test and upload to a portal. This year, was a bit more complicated. For starters, Scott and I flew to St. Thomas before arriving to the British Virgin Islands. We took a covid home proctored test five days before we arrived. The proctored process was super easy and convenient. After 30 minutes we uploaded our results to the USVI Travel Portal and waited for our approval. Another thing to note, is my first test was not usable. The adhesive was missing and they would not allow me to use it. Luckily, we had ordered lots of extras, so it was not a big deal.

If you use the Emed tests, you will get your test results via a pdf. That pdf will be password protected. It’s very important that you print a copy as a pdf (not save as) and rename it, before you upload it to the portal. My first submission to the USVI travel portal was denied because my test was not accessible. Once approved, we received a green QRCode allowing us entry into the territory.

On top of that, the British Virgin Islands required a negative covid test 48 hours prior to arrival and we were told they would not accept a home test. We found a local lab in Seattle that gave us our results in 15 minutes. There is no portal for the BVI, you simply need to bring your negative test results with you when you go through customs. The British Virgin Islands also had testing available at the airport and ferry terminals for $65/pp.

It’s Time to Leave for the British Virgin Islands

Tune in next week to see how our arrival process was for both the British Virgin Islands and The Moorings. Our goal for our blog and vlog, is to help other travelers using the lessons we learned during our first bareboat charter experience. As we have also mentioned, we have big changes coming in our personal lives, so be sure to subscribe and follow us on social media.

As always, thank you for following our journey. You can subscribe to our YouTube Channel (link below) and follow us on social @BoatingJourney. Cheers, Scott and Ally

February 13, 2022February 13, 2022

Seattle Boat Show 2022

After a two year hiatus, the Seattle Boat Show 2022 happened last week. As you know, I work for Union Marine, who is the largest exhibitor in the show, with almost 40,000 sq feet of space.

This is one of the longest boat shows in the US, spanning nine days and two weekends. Why you ask? Well, a ways back, Seattle had a major snow storm during the boat show and sales were a bust. After that, they voted to span the show over two weekends to make up for any loss traffic due to weather.

With the pandemic still in place, we had no idea what the traffic would be like. In order to enter Lumen Field, you needed to either be vaccinated or get a covid test within the last 72 hours. Surprisingly, traffic was busy with serious buyers. At the same time, dealers are experiencing an all time low with inventory. So what would the show look like? As you can see, it looked like any other normal year.

Cool features at the Seattle Boat Show 2022

Just like the Portland Boat Show, the Seattle Boat Show 2022 had a classic boat section. This wasn’t nearly as big as Portland, but they did showcase some cool things.

On display, was the Pay n Pak hydro dating back to the 1960’s.

The show also featured this futuristic boat, called a Waterbug peddle boat. It was so weird and I can’t imagine being on rough water in it.

There were only a few large yachts at the show, including this 44′ Fontaine Pajot catamaran. Scott did tour it, so tune in to our YouTube channel next week for a tour.

New features of the boat show

Axopar made their debut at the show, including this cool teal green model. Axopar is very popular in Scandinavia and are taking off here in the PNW.

Thursday night was “Dogs on Deck” and the show was wall to wall with cute dogs everywhere!

The vendor section was very light, but those that attended, had fairly large booths.

This was definitely a brief summary of the Seattle Boat Show 2022. I guess after attending this show for 20+ years, there’s not much to add about it. During this show, some exciting things transpired for Scott and I, so stay tuned as we have some big news we can’t wait to share with everyone.

In the meantime, we leave for the British Virgin Islands next week for our bare boat charter (finally, after three years of planning!). So be sure to subscribe to our blog and vlog to stay updated on our journey.

As always, thank you for following us and be sure to follow us on social too @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

January 30, 2022February 2, 2022

2022 Portland Boat Show

Last weekend, Scott and I attended the 2022 Portland Boat Show for the first time. This was really the first large in-person indoor show we’ve attended since the pandemic began two years ago. Not knowing what to expect, we stayed open minded. Thanks to Trey, with O’Loughlin Trade Shows, for providing us with media passes to the show. We wanted to make a weekend out of it, so we decided to take the Amtrak Train down to Portland.

We reserved coach tickets and we were surprised by how roomy the seats were. There is a “club car” that offers snacks, sandwiches, beverages and cocktails. If you sit on the side of the train looking west, you’ll get a nice water view for most of the trip. We didn’t know that and ended up looking east on the way down.

I love that train stations are so grand and full of history. You certainly won’t find an airport that looks like this!

My advice to anyone attending a show at the Portland Expo, is that you don’t need to stay near the Expo. The train station is downtown Portland and we took an Uber to the Courtyard near Hayden Island. There’s nothing near that area that is walking distance, so in hindsight, we wished we would have stayed near restaurants because we had to Uber to the Expo anyway.

The Portland Boat Show

Unlike the Seattle Boat Show, the Portland Boat Show is only indoors featuring boats under 35′. If you are looking for a runabout, a towboat, a fishing boat or personal watercraft, this show hasyou covered!

One of our favorite features of the show was the classic boat section. They had about twenty classic runabouts, dating back to the 1940’s including Chris Craft and Tollycraft models.

Check out this cool tourist boat! Maybe we check this out next summer?

There were not as many vendors as we expected, but we did run into a few that had some pretty cool things.

The first one was ewinch 2 and they were demoing an electric winch wrench. This wrench is lighter than a hand drill and really easy to use! Be sure to tune into our YouTube episode and see how easy it was for me to handle.

Crabbing and Clamming Made Easy

Scott and I don’t normally stop at too many of the vendor booths, but we stopped at CrabHawk and they were selling two cool things. First was the crab cracker tool called “Crack-n-crab”. Now, if you recall in one our Camano Island blogs, we discussed the two different ways to kill and cook crab. One way, is to boil them immediately before gutting them. Others like to kill them first, gut them and then boil them. The crab cracker tool is used for the latter method. Again, check out our YouTube episode for the demo (link at the bottom of this blog).

They were also selling the “Clam Gun”. Apparently, this “gun” works like a straw and when you shove the gun into the sand, with your thumb over the suction hole, it keeps all of sand and clams in the gun. Then you shoot it out and grab your clam. Who knew?

We arrived to the show at 10am and we were done by 11:30am, so you can do the show pretty quick. Scott and I toured two brand new cruisers from Jeaneau and Cutwater during the show. These were really well laid out and we’ll take you on a tour of both of them next week.

Exploring Portland, OR

Since we had time to kill on Saturday, we headed into Downtown Portland for lunch and to explore a bit. I used to live in Portland in the late 1980’s and hadn’t returned in years. We headed first to Huber’s for lunch, which is the oldest restaurant in Portland. Founded in 1879, Huber’s is a Portland tradition that has been serving up its famous specialty drink, Spanish Coffee, from its second location for 108 years. Huber’s Cafe was first founded as the Bureau Saloon in 1879 at SW 1st Avenue and Morrison Street. It moved to its present location – 411 S.W. Third Ave – in 1910.

After lunch, we decided to visit the Oregon Maritime Museum, which is located on an old river boat on the Willamette River. Scott and I were disappointed to discover it was closed. So we spent the rest of the afternoon, walking along the boardwalk and enjoying the fresh air.

In front of the steamship, was a pile of loose logs. As we looked closer at the garbage field, we started to find all kinds of things, including a boat, a dock, a cooler and then we decided to make game of it. What do you spot?

The boardwalk along the Willamette River is a working dock when they have festivals. In fact, Navy Ships will tie up to the board walk during the Rose Festival. Check out these cleats! To give you some perspective, these are about two and half feet tall!

Well, it was nice to get out and attend an in-person boat show even if it was for a short visit. The Seattle Boat Show starts this Friday and I’ll be working the show every day. If you are in the Union Marine booth, look for me (Ally).

As always, thank you for following our journey. Be sure to subscribe to our blog and channel for future updates on our search for our liveaboard boat. We’ve got some exciting things in the works for 2022, including our BVI bareboat charter in less than four weeks! Be sure to follow us on social too @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney.

Cheers,

Ally and Scott

January 1, 2022January 1, 2022

What an amazing year 2021 was!

Though Scott and I didn’t buy a boat this year, we still had an amazing year in 2021. We figured out how to stay on the water and create some fantastic memories even without a boat of our own. The year started with the virtual Seattle Boat Show and luckily I’m in the boat business, so we still got to tour a few yachts.

In March, we took a ferry up to San Juan Island and stayed at Snug Harbor for a whale watching trip. While we didn’t see any whales, we saw lots of other wild life and cruising the San Juan Islands is always so beautiful.

The following month, we took another ferry ride to Whidbey Island to meet our God Dog, Soleil. We shared our story last April about how boats and dogs brought us together.

Cool & Unusual Boats

Throughout the year, we got up close and personal with some pretty cool boats. We started the year with a tour of the 1909 MV Lotus Edwardian Yacht, which is a historical yacht moored on Lake Union.

Scott and I rode on an electric Nautique GS22E tow boat on Lake Tapps and it was wild as you can’t hear the engine.

Every year, Seattle hosts the classic yacht show and now we are looking forward to next year’s event! So many cool old boats.

How do go boating when you don’t own a boat

As we got into summer, we got pretty creative on how we would stay boating. First we went sailing on Seattle’s Tall Ship on Elliott Bay, where Scott was able to get hands on.

Thanks to my job (Ally), we experienced the PNW debut of Sea Ray’s first 37′ Outboard cruiser on Lake Washington. This is such a cool boat and it has so many fun features!

Then we rented an electric Duffy boat on Lake Union! It was so much fun and affordable!

Maybe for 2022 we’ll rent a hot tub boat? Let us know what you think!

Our BVI Bareboat Charter Trip

In 2019, we booked our first bareboat charter to the British Virgin Islands which was set for March 27, 2020. Unfortunately, our group was the first one to be cancelled due to the pandemic. Originally, we moved the trip to October 2020, but the pandemic was far from over. So we moved it again to February 2021, only to learn that in order to arrive into the BVIs you would need four tests and quarantine for over eight days. This time we moved it to February 2022 and we are still on schedule for this trip! As a result, the four of us decided to keep our flights and visit the USVIs in April 2021 instead.

Scott and I visited all three territories: St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix. It was truly an epic trip! We took a catamaran to Buck Island, we rented a dinghy on St John and explored all of the islands.

What’s it like to live on a boat?

Scott and I need the experience of living on a boat, before we buy one. Though we owned a larger yacht, it wasn’t set up well for a liveaboard. Solutions? First, we interviewed a great couple, Scott and Laurie who live full-time on their 50′ Vista on Bainbridge Island. They shared some great info with us! Be sure to check out that video here!

Next we rented a tiny home for four days. That was a great trip and a learning experience. On a boat, you have separate “rooms”, but not in a tiny house. We actually survived and had a great time!

Then a couple of weeks ago, we rented a 50′ Ponderosa for the weekend. Another great experience living aboard. The weather was cold and wet, yet we had an awesome time!

Our New Year’s Resolution

Our resolution this year is to buy a boat! With inventory levels at an all time low, it may be another full year before we can find a boat, but we hope that’s not the case. We may have to buy another boat and keep our condo. We’ll see. Otherwise, we’ll continue our boat tours and figure out cool ways to go boating. If you think about it, we spent a lot of time on the water this year even without a boat.

In the first quarter of 2022, we’re attending the Portland Boat Show and the Seattle Boat Show. After that, we’re finally heading to the British Virgin Island and St. John. Stay tuned for that epic trip! There’s a lot we have to do in order to get into the country, so we will fill you in.

As always, thank you for following our journey! Be sure to subscribe to our channel (click on the video below) and follow us on social @BoatingJourney #boatingjourney.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Cheers,

Ally and Scott

December 19, 2021December 19, 2021

Tour a 1985 Ponderosa 42′ MY

Scott and I booked a weekend stay on a 1995 Ponderosa 42′ MY in Gig Harbor last weekend. We found this yacht on VRBO and it turns out the Gig Harbor Marina is the host. If you visit their website, you’ll find four vessels you can stay on. Next spring, we’re planning on staying on the Nordhavn they have.

Our friends Ben and Maria joined us for the weekend, so we could watch the Christmas Boat Parade on Saturday night. Tune in next week, as we’ll share what we did in Gig Harbor.

Scott and I have never toured a Ponderosa MY before, so we didn’t know what to expect. Right away, we noticed that you need dock stairs to board the boat. This brings up the same issue I had with the Sea Ray 44 last week – what do you do when you visit a new port?

On this Ponderosa, they do have steps on the stern and when you have the dinghy propped up, you are protected from falling over.

Check out the cockpit and walk arounds

Entering the cockpit, we did notice the doorway was very narrow. In fact, we ended up using the Pilothouse door to load our gear and cooler. We immediately loved the spaciousness of the cockpit and it’s built in bar.

Another great feature in the cockpit was the walk around access are doors, versus zip up canvas. Again, another must for a liveaboard.

The flybridge was nicely appointed and had plenty of entertaining space. The visibility from the bridge is fantastic and you could also probably use the hard top to relax on with chairs.

Spacious Interior

Scott and I were shocked by house much storage is on this Ponderosa 42′! It was everywhere and this blog doesn’t do it justice. Be sure to tune into the video below to see what we are talking about.

Stepping into the salon, you’ll find an inviting living area with plenty of space for entertaining. We invited another couple to join us for cocktails and with six people, we had plenty of room.

Since this is a rental, they had signs and instructions through out the boat telling guests what they could touch or not touch. The interior helm station had a plastic cover over the control panel to protect it. The boat has built-in heaters in each area and it was toasty!

The Galley

This boat does have a down galley, which would be a drawback for a liveaboard boat for us. But we would still consider it. In fact, we would definitely live on this Ponderosa 42′. It felt much bigger than 42′.

The galley was equipped with a large fridge, propane stovetop and oven, convection microwave, and a compactor. We just had a simple continental breakfast and some cold appetizers, so we didn’t use any of the appliances. The boat yard did equip the galley with everything you would need from dishes, plastic wrap, coffee, creamer to dish soap and sponges.

It was definitely a one person galley, but so was our last boat. I loved how much counter space this galley had.

Ponderosa 42′ Staterooms

Moving forward, you will find the day head and island berth stateroom. Each head came with all of the amenities you would expect from a hotel, including lotion, shampoo, wash cloths and towels. This day head came with a bathtub! We’re not sure of the size of the water tank, but I don’t think we would ever take a bath on a boat.

Moving to the aft of the Ponderosa 42′, you’ll find a washer/dryer combo (not available for guests) on your right in the hallway.

Scott and I were pleasantly surprised by how large the master stateroom was. It had built in dressers, a makeup station (could be an office) and a huge locker that was easily five feet long.

The master head did not have a bathtub, but it had a very deep shower (about 1′ deep) and plenty of storage.

This Ponderosa 42′ MY comes with twin Yanmar diesel engines. We don’t know the hp, but the engine room was very clean. It might be a bit snug though, trying to work on them.

Overall, this was a fantastic liveaboard boat. Too bad it’s not for sale! Again, be sure to check out the full tour below on our YouTube channel.

As always, thank you for following our journey! Next week, we’ll share our fun in Gig Harbor. You can also follow us on social @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney.

Have a great holiday!

Scott and Ally

December 12, 2021December 12, 2021

Tour a 1991 Sea Ray 44 Aft Cabin

Scott found a 1991 Sea Ray 44 Aft Cabin for sale on Craigslist and we decided to go down to Gig Harbor to see it. The ad said it came with a liveaboard slip in Seattle, so we were very interested. The photos of the boat looked great too and it was in our price range at $69,999.

Why are they selling their 1991 Sea Ray 44 Aft Cabin?

So the story is, they lived on this boat with their infant, but then moved onto a Bayliner 4087! How ironic, since that is the boat we sold last year because we didn’t think it would be a good liveaboard. They have been on a waitlist at Shilshole Marina and finally got in, so they are subletting the liveaboard slip. Why? Because they are moving to Florida. Interesting.

Right away, just boarding the boat gave me pause. You have to have dock steps and I have to ask, how does that work when you are at a guest dock?

The swim platform was very narrow and if you have the dinghy back there, you would have no room to board the boat from the stern.

Is this Sea Ray 44 a good liveaboard?

The living space was open and spacious in some areas, including the cockpit and salon.

Going up to the flybridge, I did not like the steps. They were skinny and definitely needed to be replaced.

The flybridge helm didn’t have any electronics and was definitely showing its’ age. The canvas and Eisenglass not only needed to be replaced, but the moldings were coming apart too.

The walk arounds were a little narrow, but I liked that this Sea Ray 44 had side doors versus zip up canvas. The bow had plenty of room to lounge and relax.

What does the interior of the Sea Ray 44 look like?

Surprisingly, the carpet was in fantastic condition – it almost looked new. The salon had a huge sofa that has storage under each cushion.

They also had installed a huge flat screen television.

There is an interior helm station (which we never use), but it too did not have any electronics. There is space to add them however.

One thing that was strange, was the settee had been removed. See what it would normally look like in the following photo.

What the settee would normally look like

What I did notice was water stains where the settee would have been. Perhaps there is a story behind that?

How about the rest of the boat?

The galley was nice and roomy. It had a built in blender in the counter and a Black & Decker can opener! Wonder if they still work? I like that there was plenty of counter space. The fridge is fairly large and it had a Princess stovetop.

This boat does come with a washer/dryer combo, but it looked pretty old. Perhaps original with the boat?

Sea Ray 44 Staterooms

This Sea Ray 44 Aft Cabin comes with only two staterooms and two heads. The guest stateroom is a v berth and the bed took up most of the space. There did appear to have a bit of water damage in that stateroom too.

The day head had access from the forward berth and the door was a sliding barn door. This allows for more space in the head. Unfortunately, this is a wet head.

Moving to the aft cabin, we found the doorways very narrow. The bean on this boat is only about 13′. Guess that means we need to go on a diet!

The master cabin had a full walk around bed and two vanities on either side. Plenty of liveaboard space. It also has a huge locker!

The master head did have a separate shower and had plenty of storage, however the door was a bi-fold, which we are not keen on as it takes up space.

I didn’t get any photos of the engine room, but you can see the tour of it on our YouTube video below. Unfortunately, the bilge had quite a bit of standing water and that was a red flag to us. In addition, the engines were gas, not diesel which we are not a big fan of.

Overall Impression of this Sea Ray 44 Aft Cabin

While we liked most of the layout of this boat, we didn’t like how narrow it was. This boat did need a lot of work and a huge investment. Scott and I estimate it needs about $40,000 worth of work and that’s assuming the engines are in working order.

However, we had to consider that this boat came with a liveaboard slip. But remember, this was a sublet, meaning the owners would be the official marina tenants. At any time, they can cancel their agreement with the marina and we would be out of luck. In the end, we actually did offer $25,000 but we have yet to hear back.

Be sure to watch the full tour below. As always, thank you for following our journey and blog. Please subscribe to our channel and follow us on social @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney. Stay tuned, as we have some fun adventures coming in the next few months!

Cheers,

Scott and Ally

November 21, 2021November 21, 2021

Exploring Olympia

In our last blog we rented a tiny house and spent the next few days exploring Olympia. Scott and I had no idea there was so much to do in Olympia! The tiny house is located on Henderson Inlet. Here the tides can change up to four to six feet, so you do need to watch the tide schedule.

The “tiny house community” has a club house (per se), where you can use kayaks, paddle boards and a paddle boat. There is a cement ramp, but you want to make sure you use the equipment during high tide or you’ll be stuck in mud. We were able to spend about an hour out on the kayaks.

The water was so calm and we had a harbor seal visitor too. Having this all to ourselves was so relaxing and nice.

Woodward Bay Conservation Area

Just north of the tiny house, is a large state park, Woodward Bay Conservation area. There are two parks in this area and one requires a Washington State Discovery Pass (which we do not have). So we checked out the other park, the Chehalis Western Trail. This trail is a paved trail that follows an old railroad route and is 21 miles long.

After about three miles of flat pavement walking, Scott and I got a little bit bored and turned around. We knew there was another trailhead in the parking lot, so we decided to check that one out. Who knew there was so much exploring to do in Olympia?

The Overlook Trail was an actual gravel trail and deep into the forest. There were lots of birds and plenty of sounds!

The trail itself is only about three miles and ends at an overlook at Henderson Inlet.

Exploring Swantown Marina

The following morning we decided to head back into Olympia for some lunch and for a walk along a trail through Swantown Marina. We had reservations for Swantown last year, but cancelled them due to the pandemic. This is an awesome marina!

The guest dock is a long linear dock (and there may be another next door) and they had great facilities throughout the grounds.

I love that they have recycling and garbage stations set up, along with a recycle drop off for motor oil.

The marina has beautiful grounds with descriptions of the plants throughout.

Exploring More in Olympia

After lunch, we did a little more research and found Priest Point Park just across the water from the marina. This park is over 314 acres offering four miles of trails.

There are two “sides” to Priest Point Park. We started on the west side and followed the one way road. Turns out this park allows overnight camping and this was a regular campground with shelters. The hike was pretty short and took us to a lookout on the point. Wanting to experience more of a hike, Scott and I crossed the bridge and headed to the east side of the park.

More of Priest Point Park

With a map in hand, we entered the trailhead to continuing exploring Olympia. The trail was dry and easy to follow. The scenery was fantastic and it was really so cool to be in a such a beautiful place just a few miles from the Capital.

Ellis Cove Trail

Be sure to check out our video episode below for a full tour. The photos don’t do it justice! Exploring this cool park in Olympia for about an hour, we wanted more! After completing the loop, we crossed the road again and this time entered the Ellis Cove Trailhead.

This particular trail is fairly steep with lots of steps, so be prepared! Looking at the aerial shot below, you will see the trails we took in order. Ironically, both the first and the third trail will bring you out to the cove and the sand bar.

The scenery is beautiful as you walk along the water, but be sure to keep an eye out for poison ivy!

I was impressed by all of the signage the park installed along the trail. This really made it interactive and educational.

Scott and I only walked to Priest Point and then turned back around. By this time, we had been hiking for three hours and we had experienced enough. We also found a short cut to the road, that didn’t require us to take 100 steps back to the trailhead. But the trail, does continue far beyond Priest Point.

After a long day of exploring Olympia and its parks, it was time to head back to the tiny house. Originally, we had planned on taking an Uber into town for dinner. But then when we realized we were so far off of the road, they would never find us. So we hunkered down, enjoyed our seafood fest from Olympia Seafood Co and had a wonderful night. It was truly a beautiful weekend.

This is a trip I would certainly do again and recommend to others. It offered relaxation, exploration and an opportunity to simply unplug and unwind. Next week is Thanksgiving, so we are taking the weekend off. We hope you and your families have a fantastic holiday.

As always, thank you for following our journey! Please subscribe to our blog and vlog (link below) for future stories. You can also follow us on social media @BoatingJourney #boatingjourney

Cheers, Scott and Ally

November 14, 2021November 17, 2021

Tiny House Living

Moving aboard a boat is similar to tiny house living, so Scott and I decided to rent a tiny house for four days to test our survival. We found the tiny house on AirBnB, which is located on Henderson Inlet down by Olympia, WA.

Exploring Olympia

Scott and I arrived a few hours before check-in, so we spent part of the day exploring Olympia, including the Capital and the Port of Olympia.

From the capital, we headed over to Percival Landing to check out a seafood shop and the restaurants along the pier. The Olympia Seafood Co reminded us of Wild Salmon Seafood at Fisherman’s Terminal and they have a wonderful selection of fresh seafood!

Tiny House

The tiny house is just off of Slater-Keeney Road and you follow a long gravel driveway down to the property. The place was very serene and peaceful, which we desperately needed. In addition, this tiny house comes with a large hot tub! We estimate this tiny house was about 150sq feet!

It also came with three cats and Scott is allergic to cats. They belonged to the neighbor, but they were at our door the entire weekend.

The host has appointed this tiny home with everything you might need, from spices, pots and pans to robes and slippers! We even received a welcome basket with a bottle of bubbly.

Everything in the tiny house didn’t seem tiny. The bathroom was full size, along with the refrigerator and oven.

The living area was cozy with a comfy couch and an electric fireplace. For the best tour, be sure to check out the video below.

Best Part of the Tiny House

Above the bathroom, there is a loft that you access with a ladder. Thank God, that is not where you sleep. Instead, the bedroom is located at the end of the tiny house on the main floor.

The bedroom also had a very large closet, which is where we stored our suitcase.

Enjoying the evening

We put all of our food away and relaxed on the deck with a bottle of bubbly. The view is amazing and birds flock to the inlet. It was a very relaxing and peaceful afternoon.

Just around the corner from the tiny house is another airbnb in the form of a trailer!

That evening, we cooked up my homemade spaghetti sauce and enjoyed dinner with a great bottle of wine.

Tune in next week, as we kayak on Henderson Inlet, explore local trails and check out Swantown Marina. As always, thank you for following our journey! Please subscribe to our blog and vlog to stay updated with our search for a liveaboard boat. You can also follow us on social @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney. Until next time!

Cheers, Ally & Scott