New Boater and how to quickly learn how to operate your boat

June 9, 2024June 22, 2024

SoFlo Boat Show 2024

A few weeks ago, Scott and I headed to the SoFlo Boat Show in Miami. This was the 2nd annual show and it was located at the historic Miami Marine Stadium. Nestled on Virginia Key, the Miami Marine Stadium has a rich history dating back to 1963, renowned for its iconic modernist design by architect Hilario Candela. Originally built for powerboat racing, it quickly became a versatile venue hosting concerts, sporting events, and more. After decades of disuse and a successful restoration effort, the stadium now serves as a vibrant hub for events like the So Flo Boat Show, attracting boating enthusiasts from around the world to explore the latest in maritime technology and watercraft.

The SoFlo Boat Show Set-up

The show ended up being much bigger than we expected. They had a large indoor tent, which was air conditioned and much needed as the real-feel for that day was about 105 degrees!

Inside they had your boat accessories and run about boats under 42′. Outside, they had a huge selection of food vendors, plus others miscellaneous vendors including clothing, grills and much more.

Yachts on the Docks

There were about six finger piers with about 20 boats on each dock in the marina. Scott and I headed over to the first dock to work our way to the other end. Along the way, we found these awesome floating chairs. I should have caught the name of the manufacturer, but I forgot to.

The first two yachts we looked at were the Okean 57 and the 52. Okean Yachts, renowned for their innovative design and superior craftsmanship, are revolutionizing the luxury yacht market. With a commitment to blending contemporary aesthetics with functionality, Okean Yachts offer unparalleled open-space concepts and seamless integration with the ocean environment. These Brazilian-built yachts are celebrated for their expansive deck areas, innovative fold-out terraces, and luxurious interiors, making them a top choice for discerning boating enthusiasts. Experience the ultimate in maritime elegance and cutting-edge design with Okean Yachts, where every voyage becomes an extraordinary adventure.

What to Expect at SoFlo

Most of the boats in the marina were under 40′ and were center consoles or runabouts. It was so hot that we could barely stay outside. In addition, since we had to remove our shoes to tour most of the boats, our feet were burning from the teak or synthetic teak in the sun.

On Display Inside the Tent

Thank God the A/C was on full blast as everyone was dripping wet walking around outside. Scott and I have not spent much time on any center console, and we were able to tour a gorgeous Bahama Boat Works 41GT center console. Be sure to tune in to our YouTube channel for that tour!

We did tour an NX 360 cruiser, which reminded us a little bit of a Regal or Sea Ray Sundancer. The finishes were not quite the quality though.

At the end of the day, we’re glad we checked it out. We were there about 2 hours, enjoyed a great lunch and learned something new (Miami Marine Stadium) once again. If you’re in the market for a center console, this is a great show to attend. They were providing sea trials for serious buyers too.

As always, thank you for following blog. Please be sure to follow us on our YouTube channel (link below) and on social @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

October 22, 2023October 22, 2023

Testing Our PFDs

Scott and I bought our first boat in 2017 and we still have the same personal floating devices (pfds). We decided we should test one of our pfds to see if they still work. We had no idea what to expect!

Scott was the brave one and walked into our pool to see if it would inflate. Since we had two, he also dissected the other one to see how it was put together. Be sure to tune into our latest video to see if it inflates and to see how the inner workings work.

This week’s blog is going to be short and sweet, as we want you to tune into the video. Next week we head to the Fort Lauderdale Int’l Boat Show, so tune in!

As always, thank you for following our journey! Please be sure to subscribe to our blog and our vlog – see link below. Follow us on social @BoatingJourney #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

October 25, 2021October 25, 2021

Living aboard a 50′ Vista

Last weekend Scott and I had the pleasure of interviewing a wonderful couple who are living aboard their 50′ Vista. Laurie and Scott have lived on their boat for over nine years and are moored in the Wharfside Marina on Bainbridge Island. In fact, we would have seen their boat during our trek to Bainbridge this past summer, but they were cruising.

If you recall, we interviewed another liveaboard, Jeff on MV Why Knot last year and he lives on his 32′ Nordic Tug. While it’s a dream of ours to liveaboard, we also have a lot of questions about adapting to a home on water. Scott and I really appreciated the time Laurie and Scott spent with us aboard their 50′ Vista, named MV Float Plane.

Living aboard at the Wharfside Marina

There are quite a few liveaboards living at the Winslow Wharf Marina. Just walking distance from the ferry, this is an ideal location. We asked Laurie and Scott if they have always owned a yacht, and the answer was no. They owned a 22′ runabout while raising their kids and they had never been on a boat of this size. When their kids grew up, they wanted to downsize and have waterfront property. Then they got the idea of living on a boat, instead of waterfront property. Next thing you know, they were boat shopping! Scott said a captain spent time with him teaching him how to operate the boat and after a few sessions, he was set.

Since moving aboard, Laurie has always worked a few blocks away. In fact, her current office offers garage parking, storage and shower facilities. How amazing is that?! Scott currently is working remotely, but pre-covid, he did take the ferry to Seattle every day and used van-pool to get to his office.

One thing we did learn about their marina, is they do not offer any services, which means they don’t have a pump-out service. What they do have is a portable pump. About once a week, Scott rolls the pump down the dock, pumps out, then he has to pump out the pump into the city sewer system. He said, it wasn’t a big deal.

The marina also doesn’t have laundry facilities. For a while Laurie was using a local laundromat, but they closed during covid. They always had a washer / dryer combo, but had never used it. Now that’s all they use. Since it’s a combo, you have to do smaller loads.

What they love and don’t love about living aboard

Let’s start with the challenges of living aboard (save the best for last).

Shopping. Parking. Garbage. When you live in a house or condo, you typically park in a garage and go straight into your building. Living on a boat, you park your car in a parking lot. When it comes to shopping, you park, go get a cart, then haul your stuff to the boat and then return the cart. If it’s pouring down rain, all of your goods can get soaked. Keep in mind, when the tides are really low, the ramps will be steep, making it a bit more work. Then there’s garbage. Unlike a home, the dumpster is up at the marina office. Whenever Laurie and Scott leave the boat they always take a bag of garbage with them.

Storage. They have a rule, if you buy something, then something comes off. However, as you will see in the tour next week, this yacht has TONS of storage! Plus they do have off-site storage too.

Freezing Weather. Laurie and Scott get asked all the time about the weather and if living on a boat is cold. Actually, their floating home was very comfortable. The only time weather is an issue, is when there is snow on the docks and when freezing temps force the marina to turn off the water. Because they live full time on the boat (keep it warm), they never have to worry about freezing pipes on the boat.

Hauling Out. Since this is their home, when they haul out they have to find a place to stay. While some boat yards allow you to live aboard, you can’t let the grey water drain out into the yard. So that is a bit of an inconvenience when you want to shower or do dishes.

The pros of living aboard.

Comradery. They have made so many friends in the marina and they are like family. They have happy hour together, enjoy barbecues and even travel together. That is one thing Scott and I really miss about owning a boat. Spending the weekend down at the marina with other friends.

The Views. This marina faces both east and west, so they get to see the sunrise and sunset every day. Scott shared some of his amazing shots with us and we agree this is a major plus.

Simplicity. Life seems easier when you don’t have a lot of stuff. It is a very “freeing” feeling to purge stuff you no longer need. Yet, they are still hanging on to their chain saw; you never know when you might need one!

Stress Reducing. Living on the water, surrounded by water, nature and marine life is good for the soul. There’s nothing better than sitting on the bow with a cocktail and enjoying all that is around you.

What type of boat do they live on?

This liveaboard yacht is a 1993 50′ Vista made by Horizon. They have never seen another one and we have never heard of this model before. Ironically the name of the boat is MV Float Plane. They bought it from a pilot and it turns out that Scott is also a pilot, so they kept the name.

We love the spaciousness of this yacht and next week, we’ll take you on a tour. We want to thank Laurie and Scott for inviting us onto their floating home and taking time to meet with us. Scott and I are very envious of them and we hope some day we can do the same.

As always, thank you for following our journey. Be sure to tune in and subscribe to our blog and vlog for the full tour next week. We have a few fun adventures coming up, so you don’t want to miss out on those.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

November 14, 2018

Boating Journey Update

Our Boating Journey Update

Since selling our boat in September, Scott and I wanted to give you all an update on our boating life. This will actually be one of the shortest blogs I have ever written, as we shared our update on our YouTube channel (see below).

Here are the facts:

Our lease on our new apartment (which we rented only temporarily) expires April 30th.
The plan has always been to move onto a 50-55′ liveaboard when our lease is up.
Now we are struggling to find moorage for not only a 50’+ boat, but a marina that will accept liveaboards.
Financing – here’s the weird part. Banks will not loan you money for a liveaboard, only for a pleasure craft. Obviously, we can afford a $250,000 boat, as it would be less than our rent, but we can’t tell the banks that.

So where do we go from here?

Well, my life will be (and is) completely consumed by work (Lake Union Sea Ray) as we get ready for the largest boat show on the west coast (Seattle Boat Show) in January. Then Scott and I leave in March for our sailing trip through the Leeward Islands in March. So between now and April, we have to figure out what we are doing. I guess that’s the fun part of being a bit of a nomad.

We no longer have pets, our cars are paid for and we live a pretty simple life. So whatever we decide to do, it will work out just fine.

Scott and I are keeping our eyes open for liveaboards as we move into the new year. In fact, one of my yacht broker’s at work suggested we look for a 2003 Sea Ray 480 Motor Yacht. This is an awesome boat, but the closest one is in San Diego!

So if you know anyone who has this boat for sale in the PNW, please let us know! In the meantime, we are calling all of the local marinas to find out if they have liveaboard space. Please keep your eyes open for moorage too!

Be sure to follow our YouTube channel and all of our social media channels for future updates! Cheers, Scott Ally

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October 1, 2018October 1, 2018

No Boat, What now?

The big question – No Boat, so What Now?

Since selling the boat two weeks ago, everyone keeps asking us, “no boat, so what now?” We wish we had a definitive answer, but we don’t. What we can tell you is, we are trying to figure that out and hope that soon we’ll have an answer.

If you recall two years ago, Scott and I were at the Annapolis Power Boat Show, looking for a liveaboard. After the show, we decided it would be in our best interest to buy a weekend cruising boat first to make sure we like spending time on a boat. As we began our search back then, we realized that finding a slip was an issue. Luckily, we were able to secure one at Elliott Bay Marina, a month before we had found our boat.

Fast Forward to Today

When Scott and I sold our boat, we were given lots of advice on what to buy next. Remember, we sold our home with the intention of moving onto a 50-55′ boat. That’s why our lease in our new apartment is only for one year (with only 7 months left). Wow, we’re right on track, so let’s start shopping! Not so fast……..

Turns out that plan has a HUGE hiccup in it. We have checked with our own marina and all of the other main public marinas in Seattle and all of them have a 3-5 year waitlist for boats over 50 feet! Guess we didn’t think about that, even though we kept hearing “you better get on a list”. On top of all of this, we love Elliott Bay Marina and we don’t want to leave, but they also don’t allow liveaboards. Great, now what, you ask? Just for kicks and giggles, we asked about the availability for 40′ and 46′ slips at Elliott Bay. Those are 3-4 months on a waitlist. Just to be safe, we are on the waitlist for those.

Basically, we have three options.

We can buy a 37 – 43′ boat and keep our apartment for another year. But that wasn’t originally in our budget or plan.
We can hope that we find a liveaboard that comes with a slip already.
We don’t buy anything

The last option sounds so drastic and not part of any of our original plans. However, one thing Scott and I have agreed upon and that is “we will not buy a boat simply to get a slip in our marina”. If we find the right boat and we feel really great about it, then we’ll know it was meant to be. So we are searching every day and of course, with me working at Lake Union Sea Ray, everyone there knows I’m searching for a boat too.

So no boating journey?

Of course not! Remember, this blog started in 2013 long before we had a boat. Scott and I are committed to staying very active on the water some how or another. This includes kayaking, sailing on Lake Union, chartering a boat to the islands, canoeing, you name it.

We’ll also continue to share tips, videos, books, recipes and vacation information along the way.

Exciting Sailing Trip in the Caribbean!

Just this weekend Scott and I booked an exciting trip in the Caribbean. We have never been on a cruise (and have no desire to either), but we have heard wonderful things about Windstar and Star Clipper. There are many charter companies in the Caribbean and we’ve talked about finally signing up (but that seems risky not knowing the other four passengers). So we opted to go the larger group route!

We booked an 8 night Leeward Island Cruise for next March and we used our BoatUS membership for a discount! The vessel, Star Flyer, is 360′ long with a 50′ beam. Unlike a formal cruise ship that typically has thousands of guests, this vessel only holds 170 passengers with 72 crew. It also doesn’t have fancy restaurants, casinos or theaters. Instead, it is set up as a casual sailing experience in a more intimate setting.

The itinerary will visit the Leeward Islands (funny, our apartment complex is called Leeward) and the only island we have visited before is Antigua.

Once we get more information about the trip, we’ll be sure to share that with you. I’m a bit nervous about getting sea sick, as there will be a lot of movement up and down on the boat (especially our room, as it is up front). The booking agent recommended that we take Bonine as it works much better than Dramamine. Guess we’ll find out!

In our next YouTube episode, we’ll sit down with you all and talk more about our plans and what we have on our agenda.

Thank you for following us! Please be sure to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel and also follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Until next time! Cheers, Scott and Ally

#BoatingJourney

September 10, 2018October 4, 2018

Boatless in Seattle

It’s Official! We’re Boatless in Seattle

Our boating blog is all about our boating journey and now we are officially boatless in Seattle! Last week, Scott and I accepted an offer from a fantastic couple for our boat Kokomo. It was important to us that we find someone who will take good care of her and really enjoy her the way we have.

They plan on mooring it on Lake Washington and our broker will help them go through the Ballard Locks on the way to her new home. This happened so quick and it looks like we’ll be closing as early as this Tuesday! Since the moorage is paid for this month, we told them they could keep it in the slip if they need time to move it.

Now we have to get it ready for possession

When we bought Kokomo a year and half ago, I shared all of the details and steps in buying a boat. That included not only the documentation and financing, but also buying all of the supplies for it. Here’s that blog.

Luckily, selling the boat hasn’t been as time consuming, but we definitely had to take care of things. We sent our broker all of the documentation including our receipts from the haul-out and our survey. I also made copies for the new owners, as our previous owner kept detailed maintenance records.

Then I had to notify Elliott Bay Marina that we were leaving, as they require 30 days notice. They are sad to see us go and we know we’ll be back sooner than later (I’ll talk more about that later).

What stays and what goes?

We told the new owners that almost all of the supplies, would go with the boat. This included the bedding (except our pillows), all of the galley dishes, utensils & pans, the bbq, cleaning supplies, first aid kit, emergency kit and life jackets (except our inflatable ones).

We had been storing extra cushions and carpets at our storage unit, so we grabbed all of that and headed to the boat last Saturday. Then we had to remove our personal items and food. Turns out we had a lot more stuff than we realized!

What’s next?

Everyone keeps asking us “what happens next?” This is a loaded question really. As I mentioned in our blog about liveaboard marinas, buying a boat that needs moorage is the same dilemma as “what came first? the chicken or the egg?”.

Why do I say that? Well, you can’t buy a boat without having a slip for it and you don’t want to reserve a slip without a boat. Marinas in the Seattle area (especially Elliott Bay Marina) have long wait lists for boats over 50′. Scott and I are not looking for our liveaboard yet. Ideally, our next boat will be around 38′-42′. Since Elliott Bay Marina has a 3-4 month waitlist for 40′ slips, we got on the list right away.

At the same time, we’ve talked about taking the winter off, so we don’t have to pay for moorage. But if we found a boat we could enjoy during the winter, we would definitely buy one before winter. It’s all very complex! Next week is the Boats Afloat Show on Lake Union and so we’ll check out a few things while we’re there.

Saying Goodbye

Oddly enough, it was very somber to clean everything out and say goodbye to Kokomo. This boat gave us some amazing journeys and memories that we’ll never forget.

It’s amazing to realize how much fun we had with family and friends in just eighteen months!

summer night in Kingston — Even with broken fingers, Randy had a great time!

So stay tuned for our next journey! Next weekend, we’ll give you a tour of the Boats Afloat Show! Thank you for following us. Please be sure to subscribe to our blog and YouTube Channel.

Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

Cheers, Scott and Ally

#BoatingJourney

September 6, 2018September 6, 2018

Ballard Locks for the Second Time

Going through the Ballard Locks and touring Lake Washington

Scott and I have never toured Lake Washington on our boat. Last year, this same weekend Scott and I went through the Ballard Locks for the first time. It was a cool experience, but not that fun of a day as Seattle was engulfed in smoke and ash.

One of the things I wanted to do this summer was go back through the locks and enjoy Lake Washington. So this past weekend, we invited our friends Dave & Kathy to join us. The weather was great and not too hot. The Ballard Locks are about 30 minutes from Elliott Bay and the entire round trip, including lunch took about 7 hours as we only traveled 7 knots the entire time.

We left Elliott Bay Marina around 10:45am and as we approached the entrance to the locks, we had a red light, which meant we had to wait. The locks are made up of two locks: Large and Small. Last year we went through the large locks and we were tied up with two boats and there were about twenty boats in the locks with us.

pnw boater hiram chittenden locks — Going through the large locks for the first time 2017

Going through the Locks Again

We only waited about twenty minutes to get into the small locks. We entered with one sail boat and we were the only boats inside the locks. Unlike the large locks, where you need 50′ lines that you throw up to the handlers, the small locks have moving walls. You simply wrap your bow and stern line around the cleat number they assign you and tie it off back at your own cleat.

Once everyone is secured to the wall, they close the gates and begin to fill up the locks. The wall moves up with your boat and you want to keep all hands and fingers away from the wall. Be sure to make sure your bumpers are at the widest point of your boat to protect it (not dock level).

The small locks fill up in about ten minutes and then the handlers will instruct everyone on who can leave first. Since there were only two boats, we all quickly exited and began going towards Lake Union through the Fremont cut.

Going through the Fremont & Montlake Cuts

The speed is limited to a no wake zone through the Fremont Cut, Lake Union and the Montlake Cut. This actually made it a very pleasant trip.

Going thru the Fremont Cut — Going under the Aurora Bridge

It was fun to see everything on Lake Union from the water (versus our apartment). There is so much activity on the lake ranging from Pirate Ship tours, to electric boat rentals and party boats. Lake Union is lined with yachts on all sides too.

Each time a sailboat with a tall mast (like the boat above) goes under a bridge, they sound their fog horn to have them raise the bridge. Most of the footage I took of our trip to Lake Washington was video, which you can watch on our next YouTube episode at the end of this post.

Lunch in Kirkland

The four of us decided to cruise the north end of Lake Washington around Hunts Point and check out the beautiful homes.

Now it was around 1:45pm, so we decided to head to the Kirkland City Dock to tie up and have lunch. Luckily, there were only a few boats on the dock, so there was plenty of space.

We had a great lunch at Cactus and I had an awesome watermelon froze’.

Time to head back

After lunch, we headed back through the Montlake Cut to the locks. Since it was Labor Day weekend, we were not sure if we would have a long wait to get back out. There was a lot of traffic in the cut and as we came around the bend into Lake Union, a giant old ferry was headed right for us! Turns out this boat, Hiyu, is available for rent! How it fit through the Montlake Cut I don’t know!

Just as we passed the ferry boat, we also passed by my new office! Drum roll……I’m so excited to be joining Lake Union Sea Ray as their Marketing Manager. I get to combine my two passions – boating and marketing and I couldn’t be happier!

We arrived to the locks around 4:30pm and just as we arrived, so did the Argosy “Good Times” tour boat. They get first dibs on the small locks, so we had to wait for them to go through first. This took about a half hour. We went in with two other boats and it was a piece of cake!

What a great day!

Scott and I couldn’t have asked for a better day! Great weather, great company and our boat Kokomo did awesome!

This is what boating in the PNW is all about. The beauty of our surroundings and the magical scenery makes everything worthwhile.

As many of you know, our boat Kokomo is for sale and we do have a tentative offer on it. We will be doing a sea trial with the buyers. So stay tuned on our next chapter! (I have to save something for the next blog! LOL)

Here’s Episode #20 of our trip through the locks:

Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Please subscribe to our blog and YouTube channel to stay up to date. Thank you for all of your support! Cheers, Scott and Ally

#BoatingJourney #KokomoSeattle

August 23, 2018August 26, 2018

We Broke Down Inside Our Marina

Our Boat Broke Down Inside Our Marina

This past weekend Scott and I took the boat out for a quick spin on Elliott Bay then it broke down inside our marina! More on that later in this blog. Originally, we had hoped to take it through the locks with friends and spend the day on Lake Washington (Thank God we didn’t do that!). Due to the smoke and haze from all of the forest fires, we decided it wouldn’t be that great of day on the water. So we have been staying in and making dinner at home.

Since it had been a couple of weeks since we had been on the boat, we wanted to clean it and take it for a ride on Elliott Bay, just to keep the engines happy. The waters were so calm – my only caution, is you have to watch for logs! Going across the bay towards West Seattle, there is always a trail of logs (that’s where we hit a huge one last year).

We were almost to Alki Beach, when we were surrounded by logs, so we turned around and traveled towards Harbor Island and Downtown Seattle. Just as we were crossing in front of Harbor Island, a huge freighter was coming in at full speed. It was time to get out of his way and head back to the marina.

Returning to the marina

Scott and I have the same routine (as I’m sure other boaters do) when we come back to the dock. We’ll pull into Smith Cove just outside Elliott Bay Marina, lower our fenders and then head slowly into the marina. We had just entered, when the starboard engine died. (X marks the spot).

To give you some perspective, here’s a photo of what that fairway looks like. This is exactly where we were when the starboard engine quit.

When one of our engines die, an alarm goes off. He immediately attempted to restart it, but it wouldn’t start. It sounded like it was choking – or not getting enough gas. This makes me think it might be the fuel line. Okay, back to the drama! Now we’re in the middle of a busy fairway and we’ve lost an engine AND our power steering. There’s no way, we are going to attempt the “S curve” back to our slip on one engine and no steering. Notice the rocky breakwater wall!

Drama in the marina

Scott managed to turn the boat around and head back to the cove. There we decided to try dock it on the “yacht” dock, the outside of N. Since we have stern drives and no rutter, it was really hard to steer the boat. Scott did a great job approaching N Dock and then lining up the port side to the dock. My job was to catch a cleat with the pole. That sounds easy, until you are traveling fast and trying to stop a 11,000lb boat!

Yes, I did have my Crewfit 35 Sport USCG Life Vest on – safety comes first. As I hooked the cleat, the force nearly threw me overboard so I let go. Great! Luckily, the pole floats and we had another. I knew there was no point in attempting it again without help. At this point, I called the office at Elliott Bay Marina and Jordan the harbormaster answered. I have been working with Jordan on another project, so it was a bit embarrassing to call him about our situation. He immediately sent out a dingy with two dock guys to help tow us to N dock and get the boat secured. A big Thank YOU to the guys for being so quick and helpful! (Again, another reason we love Elliott Bay Marina!).

We also didn’t have a bad neighbor! Check out

Who do you call now?

If you are a smart boater, you have towing insurance with Boat U.S. The first thing I signed up for when we bought Kokomo, was the Unlimited Saltwater Towing Membership – $149/year! Trust me, it’s worth every penny! They asked where we were, what slip were we in and then said they would be here in an hour. Trust me, he arrived exactly 60 minutes later!

While we were waiting, we were entertained by all of the harbor seals. In addition, we could see how rough the waves get when docked on N Dock. Our boat was bobbing wildly. Remember the story about the boat that exploded during a wind storm?

Tim pulled up and told us he wanted to check out our slip first and then come back for us.

When Tim returned, he needed us to turn the boat around. He grabbed our bow lines and I kept the stern lines loose, but secured. Then he secured the port side to the tow boat and Scott jumped on board to the bow. Once we were ready, I jumped on the stern and pushed us off. We both had poles, ready to push off any objects.

Slowly, he moved us into the marina and towards our slip. Tim had called the dockmaster and had help waiting for us at our slip. I tried to video tape the whole event, but I also needed to be safe. So I only got a little bit of footage. The entire feat was truly impressive. Not only did he tow us through the “S curve” fairway, he literally brought us directly into our slip, where we threw the lines to the guys on the dock. In about 5 minutes, we were secured!

Fixing the boat

First thing on Monday, we called Paul, the mechanic who worked on it last Spring during our haul out. He said it sounded like a fuel line issue, but he was booked until September 1st. Since the boat is for sale, we can’t wait that long. Scott then called Lake Union Sea Ray and they sent out a mobile technician on Tuesday to check it out. Lake Union Sea Ray is one of the only Mercury service departments in the area.

Scott called me at work with the news and said it wasn’t good! I braced myself for the bad news and grabbed my checkbook. What do you think was wrong with the engine? Well, to find out, be sure to watch our YouTube episode below. Such is life of a new boater!

We have some more exciting news, so stay tuned for our next blog for a full update. Until then, have a great week and thank you for subscribing to our blog.

Cheers,

Scott and Ally

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August 15, 2018August 16, 2018

Boating Journey on YouTube

Did you know we have a YouTube Channel?

Many of our followers don’t realize that we also have a YouTube channel. Scott and I will admit, that we are certainly not “YouTubers”. The objective of both our blog and YouTube channel is simply to document our journey. Along the way, we decided to share it with friends, family and many more.

At the same time, I’m a perfectionist and want to update our channel with higher quality videos and productions. In fact, for my birthday last week, Scott gave me a really fun tool for taking videos with my phone! It’s a DJI Osmo Mobile 2 Handheld Smartphone Gimbal Stabilizer Ultimate Travelers Bundle, which allows me to take more stable videos! I’m so excited to try it out.

Creating our Channel

At first, we posted our early videos on my personal channel and then we created our own channel for Boating Journey. We are trying to grow our subscriber base to over 100, so we can get a custom channel. So please subscribe, if you haven’t already.

Thanks to other videos on YouTube, Scott was able to learn how to change the oil, winterize the dinghy motor and a few other maintenance items. Our goal with our channel is to share operating tips, but also information about different destinations we visit.

Our first videos

When we first posted videos, we hadn’t planned on creating “episodes”. They were merely informational and quick clips, starting with our first trip through Deception Pass.

Scott and I went through Deception Pass for the first time last summer and everyone told us horror stories before hand. So we were pretty nervous, but as you can see it was very smooth.

When we posted our video going through the Ballard Locks for the first time, we decided that would be episode #1. Unfortunately, there was so much smoke, that the video has an eerie feel to it.

Originally, I had posted the video of me docking for the first time on my personal channel and it has over 2000 views! Eventually, I added it to Boating Journey, where it actually belongs. It was such a great day of practicing and I’m glad we decided to capture it. (Notice the first three videos all say “for the first time”?)

Watching episode #2 is why I wanted the Gimbal Stabilizer. This video doesn’t do the scenery justice as it was so incredibly beautiful and festive that night.

Creating Content Videos for Our Viewers

Starting the new year, one of our goals was to make our videos more informative to our viewers. That began with the Seattle Boat Show, which was definitely a rough first attempt to say the least. Again, using the gimbal stabilizer will make such a big difference!

Our most viewed videos have been our haul out series, beginning with our haul out with a broken prop, then checking on the status and bringing the boat home.

After moving into our new apartment, our content changed a bit. We shared videos of our move, getting ready for boating season and touring Seattle.

Destinations

This year, we visited only three ports: Poulsbo, Gig Harbor and Kingston. You can checkout our footage of each of them on our channel. One of our favorite destinations is always Kingston, as it’s close to Seattle and they offer a free concert on the lawn.

So thank you for following our blog and please subscribe and “Like” our videos on YouTube. See the Like and Subscribe Buttons below – simply click on them.

Our next goal is to buy a high quality drone to take more awesome videos too.

Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @BoatingJourney. Stay tuned for the next update – so much is happening right now!
Cheers, Scott and Ally

#BoatingJourney #KokomoSeattle