PNW Boater is someone who lives around the Puget Sound area of Washington State

June 30, 2018July 6, 2018

Extreme Pacific Ocean Tides in June

The Pacific Ocean Tides in June 2018

A few weeks ago, Scott and I headed out to Poulsbo for a quick overnight. As you might remember, this was a last minute trip. Being an avid weather watcher, I checked the National Weather Service and saw they were predicting high winds and small craft advisory.

The National Weather Service is a great resource for boaters. It will tell you what is forecasted for the coastal region and for Puget Sound. For our trip on June 16th, it was looking rough.

We kept a good eye on the weather and luckily the forecast for us, stayed out in the ocean. However, that was NOT good for any boats out on the Pacific Ocean, especially near Washington & Oregon.

Tragically, a local couple who had circumnavigated the world over 17 years on their sailboat S/V Kelaerin hit horrible weather and lost everything. They were fortunate to be alive. Here’s a link to her terrifying story and Coast Guard video below. It’s another reminder, that even the best sailors can run into bad weather. What I would take away from this tragic event, are the lessons she shared with us.

Some of those include, keep your wallet, I.D., (important documents) in your ditch bag and easily accessible. Upload your photos & videos to a cloud. Make sure everything is tightly secured to prevent injury. And most important, stay on top of the weather.

“Epic Boat Loss” – Read the story HERE

Video of the boat as they abandoned it HERE

Extreme Tides

What added to the tragedy above, was the extreme tides on June 17, 2008. In our blog about Poulsbo, we told a story about a 58′ yacht that came down the fairway to get gas, only to find out they were in only 4′ of water. Not a good idea. While we could certainly see the bottom of the marina, it didn’t really occur to us, how low the tide was.

Scott and I headed back to the marina on Sunday, June 17, 2018. We washed the boat and headed home. It wasn’t until we were about halfway down the dock, that we realized how LOW the tide was. At 7:25am the tides were at 10′ 2″ and by 2:20pm the tides were at -2′ 2″! Here’s a quick video below of the footage we took:

The lesson here is pay attention to the weather before heading out anywhere on a vessel. You might not be dealing with winds, but instead the tides. Stay tuned for our next blog as we are heading up to Camano Island for the July 4th celebration.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

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June 23, 2018

Visiting Poulsbo

Visiting Poulsbo, a Quaint Scandinavian Town

Last weekend, Scott and I headed over to Poulsbo for a quick overnight stay. We planned the trip at the last minute when our friends, Ben and Maria, asked us to join them. Checking the weather forecast two days earlier, NOAA was forecasting high winds combined with extreme tides for Saturday and Sunday. I was tempted to cancel the trip, but decided we would leave each morning before the winds picked up. With a high tide of +12′ and a low tide of -3.5′,

Neither Scott or I had ever been to Poulsbo before and had heard great things about the city. Getting there by boat from Elliott Bay Marina takes about an hour. There are two ways to get to Poulsbo around Bainbridge Island. You can travel south, through Rich Pass with the Seattle-Bremerton Ferry or you can travel north through Agate Pass. We chose the northern passage through Agate Pass.

We left Elliott Bay Marina around 9am before the predicted winds and we arrived at 10am.

The winds were at 14mph from the north and it was a bumpy ride across Elliott Bay. A few times the bow slammed down (all cupboards emptied out) and salt water sprayed us good. The trip across the bay took us about 30 minutes and I was ready to get out of that chop.

Once we passed Port Madison on our left, we saw Agate Pass and the bridge. The seas were much calmer and pleasant. We had been told that the current under the bridge would be swift, but honestly with our boat going 19 mph, unlike Deception Pass, it was a breeze. Our friends told us to keep to our port side as we crossed under the bridge as there is a fish farm on the right side and it’s much more shallow. We rounded Point Bolin and approached Key Port Point, where the US Naval Museum is located.

Liberty Bay & Docking

Once we rounded Key Port Point, we entered Liberty Bay. It’s lined with beautiful houses on each shore. There is a no wake zone once you reach the first marina. The Poulsbo marina is the one farthest north. I was surprised as to how many boats were anchored in the bay. With the wind and the current we were trying hard to maneuver around each of them.

We were assigned to the E Dock Slip #15, which is only a 30′ slip. Because the fairways are so wide, they allow boats to overhang. Since we are 34′, we had to dock stern in, port side so we could get off the boat easily. Remember, we have only docked stern in once at our own dock and I was on the dock. Now we have 14mph winds and a wicked current in the marina – this should be fun! (Too bad we forgot the GoPro).

Our first and second attempts both failed (I love how all of the boaters just watched us and never offered any assistance). Third attempt, the dockmaster showed and I threw him the lines, but I missed him. Grrrrrrr. Fourth attempt failed and on the fifth attempt, I hooked the cleat and threw him the lines. Here’s the catch though. The winds were slamming the boat up against the dock and SLAM, SCREECH – we hit “something”. We quickly tied off the boat and assessed the damage.

Luckily it’s only a surface scar, but a bad one! The boat hit the SHARP METAL CORNER of the piling frame. Why it’s not bumpered like ours at Elliott Bay Marina, I don’t know. Especially with the strong currents. We still have epoxy from the haul out repair, so we will fix it in the next week or two.

Little Norway

Poulsbo is a quaint town full of great shops & restaurants. It has a Scandinavian heritage and Poulsbo is the nickname for “Little Norway”. There is a small heritage museum at the visitor’s center that tells the history of the town and the marine industry.

Our friends, Ben & Maria were coming down from Everett and we had reserved a dock together using the DockWa app. This is a great app to make quick marina reservations. Last year we traveled to Gig Harbor with Ben & Maria, but weren’t able to stay at the same marina. They have been to Poulsbo many times and it is one of their favorite destinations.

The four of us checked into the marina and they gave us a welcome bag with all kins of brochures, coasters, stickers and coupons. They do offer free Wi-Fi and free pumpout too! Wow! Of course we forgot to use any of our coupons at the restaurants.

Downtown Poulsbo & The Farmer’s Market

Downtown Poulsbo is lined with shops and restaurants. Be sure to watch Episode #15 on YouTube for a full tour. The Farmer’s market runs from 9am to 2pm, so we headed up (yes UP the steep hill) to the market right after we checked in. The farmer’s market is located in the library parking lot up on the hill about 4 blocks away from the marina. It is a bit smaller than most, but they had all kinds of vegetables, gifts, breads, seeds, clothing and much more. I found all kinds of gifts and so I started my holiday shopping early.

From the Farmer’s Market, we headed back down the hill to explore downtown Poulsbo. They have a famous bakery, Sluy’s, that always has a line out front. People couldn’t stop talking about Sluy’s, but the line was too long for us. LOL. Next time.

Scott and I checked out the visitor’s center and the heritage museum. It’s really just an small area in the office that has some memorabilia and historical facts about the town. It is really interesting, so be sure to check it out.

Scott and I had lunch at The Brass Kraken Pub overlooking the marina. The bartender was super friendly and the food / drinks were outstanding! My bloody mary came with a complete meal on top (pepperoni, cheese, green bean, olive & more) AND a mini beer!

Low Tide

Low tide was at 1:42pm and it was so low that we only had about 2′ below our hull. The fuel dock was tilting due to the low tide. Suddenly, this 58′ Meridian came down the fairway to fuel up, only to realize the fuel dock was closed and he was now in 2′ of muddy water! Ironically this boat is from Elliott Bay Marina. Let’s hope he didn’t suck up a bunch of mud into his engines. We had lots of small crabs walking below our boat too. It was really a pretty cool sight.

To get a better perspective on how low the tide was, check out this photo of Ben & Maria. Notice the pilings are about 15′ high. Plus they were covered in mussels!

Now check out this photo during high tide – Ben is resting his arm on it! Crazy!

Still wanting to explore a bit more, Scott and I were going to walk the beach. That was until we saw a kid get his leg sucked in by the sand/mud. No thanks….so we just walked the boardwalk which was shaded by trees. It’s about a 1/4 mile long and loops you back into the town.

Those are our two boats together on the second dock.

After our walk, the four of us relaxed on the dock, soaking up the sun and drinking cocktails. The afternoon was full of stories & laughter, bringing some of us to tears! That’s what I call a great time!

Ben and Scott helped dock numerous boats as it was still windy. Again, I still can’t get over how many people watched us struggle and never lent a hand. To me, it just good etiquette to help a fellow boater.

Good Friends, Great Wine & Beautiful Sunset

For dinner, we headed to “That’s a Some Italian Restaurant” right across from the marina. Our server was funny and the food was good. Note to self – if you plan on bringing home your pizza, make sure it fits in the tiny fridge. LOL

We wrapped up the night, with great wine, a sunset, live music from Brass Kraken and a friendly harbor seal.

It was one of the best times we have had! Ben and I went to high school together and when we bought our boat, he gave us a lot of tips and advice. It was great hanging out with them and we can’t wait to do it again!

Heading Home

Sunday morning we had a slight change in the weather and the 22mph winds were reduced to only 9mph starting around 9am. Scott and I grabbed a quick breakfast at the Green Diner and then headed out. After hitting the piling when we docked, I asked the dock master to help us push off.

The winds were still coming from the north, which helped us going home. Instead of getting wet, it was a nice and pleasant trip. We still had white caps on Elliott Bay, but we were not slamming down.

The funniest thing we saw on our way home was this barge carrying a giant cow. At first we thought we were seeing things! Turns out it’s Bessie on the Barge is for June’s Dairy Month. She went thru the Ballard Locks and had visitors. https://www.facebook.com/events/170350046969151/.

The irony of our trip, was docking back at Elliott Bay Marina. We literally pulled into the slip, hooked the cleat and tied off in 10 seconds. Why doesn’t that happen all of the time?

Our boat Kokomo was covered in salt water and we spent a few hours on Sunday cleaning it. The next thing on our list will be to repair the gel coat.

When we left the marina, it was once again low tide! It was the craziest thing I have ever seen at Elliott Bay. Folks were standing where there is usually only water.

Be sure to watch the full tour in Episode #15 on our YouTube channel below:

Next Sunday, my family from Camano Island is seeing the boat for the first time and we’re headed out for a ride on the bay. Stay tuned for our next blog!

Thank you for following us! Cheers, Scott and Ally

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June 13, 2018June 13, 2018

Exploring Lake Union on Foot

Exploring Seattle’s Lake Union on Foot

Living above Lake Union has been one of the best decisions Scott and I have made about our move. Since our old home had a western view of the sunsets, Olympic Mountains and DT Seattle, we originally looked for apartments with the same view.

When we stumbled upon our community, we were taken aback by all of the activity on the lake. In addition, we still had the view of DT Seattle and the Space Needle.

Duck Dodge Races

The first week we moved in, we watched the Duck Dodge races from our rooftop. If you haven’t seen these yet, be sure to do this at least once this summer. Here you have over 60-70 sail boats, sailing in a race up and down Lake Union. There are all different sizes and skill levels. Could be something else adding to their skills as well, you know it is after 5 o’clock after all.

Exercise is more fun when you are walking along Lake Union

One thing I didn’t expect when moving into the city, was being torn about what to do on a sunny day. It was just assumed that we would spend all of our time on the boat. But as you saw in our last post, Exploring Seattle, it’s hard not to do fun things on land too. So last weekend on a whim, we decided to get some exercise and walk to Gas Works Park. Gas Works Park is a 19 acre public park at the north end of Lake Union. It is the site of the former Seattle Gas Light Gasification Company plant and it opened as a park in 1975. It looks like it is so close from our apartment, but it it’s actually over 2 miles away.

Our apartment is located on the mid to north end of Dexter Avenue and right across the street is the “Galer Climb”. These steps will take you straight down to Westlake Avenue.

There are walking paths (and bike paths!) and trails along Lake Union that go entirely around the lake. We came upon many yacht brokers, personal sup rentals, a deli and other interesting businesses during our walk. What’s ironic, is that a year ago when we signed our documents for Kokomo, it was right here at one of the business centers. In fact, we bought our boat from NW Yacht!

This was a really neat statue, dedicated to Sri Chinmoy, a dreamer of World Peace.

Gas Works Park

We finally made it to Gas Works Park. Be sure to check out Episode #14 on our YouTube channel for the full tour. Gas Works hill is steeper than you expect and there are many geese – so watch where you step!

This is a great park to bring a picnic, fly a kite and have fun with your kids.

That was fun, now we need a beer!

Scott and I headed back towards Fremont in search for a cold beer and an appetizer. One thing we haven’t been able to do much of since moving here, is explore Fremont. There are so many fantastic restaurants and shops – not to mention their Farmer’s Market!

Eventually, we found the Masonry bar and grill. With two cold beers and some focaccia bread, we were set!

Be sure to check out this week’s episode below for the full tour!

Where to next?

We are headed to Poulsbo this weekend with my high school classmate Ben and his wife Maria. You might remember them from our trip last year to Gig Harbor. Poulsbo is a quaint Scandinavian town about 20 miles from Seattle. We expect the trip to take about an hour.

Thank you for following us! Be sure to subscribe to our blog and share too. We are also on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, so catch us there at @BoatingJourney.

Cheers and stay tuned for our next update! Scott and Ally

#BoatingJourney #KokomoSeattle

June 5, 2018June 13, 2018

Exploring Seattle

We love exploring Seattle!

One of the best things about moving back to Seattle, is exploring the city! Our first weekend in the apartment, we took a hike through Discovery Park in Magnolia. This park is located on the west end of Magnolia and we pass it by boat when we go north. Here’s a diagram from our haul out trip and you can see how large the park is.

There are miles of trails all throughout the park, that lead down to the beach along Shilshole. This park is the largest in Seattle and it occupies most of the former Fort Lawton site. There’s a cultural center and a memorial park / cemetery too. It’s a great way to exercise and enjoy nature.

Scott and I took the south beach trail down to the beach and the north beach trail back up. There are a lot of stairs, as you will see in Episode #13 on our YouTube channel.

Time for lunch!

Scott and I logged over 5 miles walking through the park and we were starving & hungry. From Magnolia, we headed over to Ballard for a quick bite. Not sure where we were headed, we stumbled upon the Maritime Pacific Brewery.

We sat outside on their picnic benches and ordered a couple of cold beers. Looking at the menu, the first thing that jumped out was their “Deep Fried Bacon”. Yep, you heard that right and we had to try it! It was delicious! Figures I had ordered a BLT for lunch. Hysterical!

Boat Books, Charts & Gifts

Located across the street we noticed the Captain’s Supplies store and it peaked our curiosity. So we headed over to check it out. The original store was founded in 1897 and was located along Seattle’s waterfront. This store is full of great books, compasses, gifts, charts – you name it! I could have spent hours in there. If you are a boater or love all things nautical, be sure to check them out!

Where to eat for dinner?

Living walking distance to so many great restaurants is a treat for Scott and I, considering where we used to live (we only had one restaurant). Saturday night, we headed towards South Lake Union and found a great restaurant with indoor/outdoor seating, called Ba Bar. It features Vietnamese food and craft cocktails! The food was fantastic and the service was great.

Believe it or not, it was my first time having Vietnamese food! Sorry the picture is a bit blurry. I can’t wait to go back. Next time you are in Seattle, check these guys out.

Watch Episode #13 on our YouTube Channel: (Please subscribe & share to our channel, to help us grow our subscribers).

Thank you for following us! Be sure to subscribe to our blog as we will share our journey throughout Seattle. Scott and I are so excited about exploring new things and sharing the with you. In next week’s blog, we head up to Gas Works Park.

#BoatingJourney #KokomoSeattle

May 30, 2018June 1, 2018

Boating Over Memorial Day Weekend 2018

Memorial Day Weekend 2018

Scott and I went boating with our friend Randy this past Memorial Day Weekend in Seattle. Hard to believe that an entire year has gone by! It was just a year ago that we spent our first big weekend with friends. But let’s back up to what we did on Saturday morning before leaving for the boat.

We have been toying with the idea of upgrading our boat to a 38′-42′ boat to get accustomed to a larger boat. Scott found a few he liked on-line and called our broker Eddie. Saturday morning he met us at the marina and we toured a 2001 38′ SeaRay with an aft cabin. This boat was in perfect condition and had plenty of comfortable living spaces.

After thinking about it over the weekend, we ultimately decided it was not the best decision. Our neighbor Jules, who lives on her 70′ yacht told us we don’t need a transition boat and that we will be able to move from a 32′ to a 55′ with no problem at all. She said that the larger boat will be easier for us to handle than our current boat. Since Scott and I have put so much money into Kokomo this year getting it ready for boating season, it only makes sense to enjoy it for another year.

Let the Weekend Begin!

Unlike last year, the weather was cool and partly sunny on Saturday. That certainly made unpacking and making the bed more comfortable! Our friend Randy came down mid-afternoon and we headed out to Port Madison. I was bummed that it started to get cloudy on our way there, but the sound was as calm as can be.

The last time Randy was on our boat was when we were struggling to get the boat going (we later learned we had a broken prop). This time, the boat took off and planed instantly!

Porpoises were everywhere!

When we were about two-thirds of the way there, I thought I saw a bunch of logs. Instead of logs, there were over a hundred porpoises! It was really a cool thing to watch. I only wish they had been closer.

Since the wind was expected to pick up significantly, we didn’t stay long at Port Madison. Our original plan was to practice anchoring, but decided there was too much traffic and the weather was getting colder. So we hung out for a bit and headed back to Seattle. As we came back into port, we passed one of the huge cruise ships on our way and this wasn’t the largest one in the sound.

We grilled up some steaks and I made one of my favorite potato recipes (Roasted Mediterranean Potatoes Recipe) along with a salad. Even with the cooler weather, it was still awesome to be on the boat again! Of course the sunset didn’t disappoint either.

Boat Chores & “Dinghying” Around

We woke up Sunday to a gorgeous warm day! Scott wanted to replace the stereo on the boat, so we headed out shopping. First stop was Car Toys, but the systems sounded terrible and the service wasn’t great. We then headed to West Marine and as usual, they were extremely helpful. Plus we found a system that sounded great! This system has blue tooth – keep in mind, our current system didn’t have that, so we were running a long cable from the stereo to Scott’s I-Phone. Not safe. LOL

We spent the afternoon cleaning the boat and then we decided to take a dinghy ride through the marina. Believe it or not, this was only the second time I have been in the dinghy. Scott was struggling to start it, when he decided to lift off the cap only to find the spark plug wasn’t connected. That will make a difference!

Be sure to watch our our full YouTube episode for the footage of our tour, including some of the mega yachts! After touring the marina, we decided to grab some appetizers and a cocktail at Maggie Bluffs. I was hoping for their famous shrimp cocktail, but apparently they aren’t in season yet?

We finished the day, sitting on the bow enjoying cocktails and soaking up the sun. It was such a relaxing day!

Earlier in the day, we stopped by our favorite fish market, Wild Salmon Fish Market and picked up some fresh salmon. Honestly, unless you catch it yourself, you won’t find salmon this fresh! I used to drive from Renton once a month to get our fish!

memorial day boating — Yes, that’s wayyyyy too much pasta for that plate! LOL

A beautiful sunset for a great weekend!

After dinner, we walked over to “N” Dock to check out our new yacht neighbor
M/Y Calypso. This 200′ beauty is stunning! Be sure to check out her photos in the link. She comes with an outdoor theatre and disco! The moon was rising over Seattle and it was the perfect ending to a great evening. Just another reason why we love Elliott Bay Marina! It’s so beautiful! Not to mention the facilities are top notch and the staff is awesome!

Scott and I have a bit of a busy travel schedule this summer, but plan on visiting some local ports around Puget Sound this summer. We probably won’t have along trip like the San Juan Islands from last year, but you never know!

Watch Episode #12 on our YouTube Channel for full coverage of our weekend below (subscribe to get notifications when it’s live).

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Cheers,

Scott and Ally on Kokomo

#BoatingJourney #KokomoSeattle

May 21, 2018June 1, 2018

Anacortes Boat Show 2018

Attending The Anacortes Boat Show 2018

Every year, Scott and I attend the Anacortes Boat Show with our good friends, Nick and Michelle. It used to be held in the Fall and recently was moved to the Spring. Last year, we had already looked at our boat, Kokomo before the show, but thought we should still check out a few more options. Turns out, Kokomo was still the favorite and we made a offer while we were in Anacortes.

Everyone has been asking us if we are in the market for another boat now. Our answer is that boat owners are always in the market for something bigger. For us, it’s a strategic reason. The reason we sold our house and moved into an apartment, is so we can make sure we like living in small living quarters as we plan on moving onto a live-aboard in a year. (Well, that’s the plan at least). Scott and I hope to find a boat that is about 50′-55′ for our live-aboard, which is nearly twice the length of what we have now (31′).

We would like to find a transition boat around 38′ – 42′ that we can still moor at Elliott Bay Marina. The issue now is, inventory is low because it’s peak season and the marina is also starting to fill up. So our take on the situation is if we find the right boat, great. If not, we still have our fantastic boat that’s ready for boating season!

Fidalgo Island

Did you know that Anacortes is actually on Fidalgo Island? You cross a very small body of water, so it doesn’t really seem like an island. We love Downtown Anacortes as it is small and quaint.

The food is great and the drinks are always flowing. Our favorite pub is the Brown Lantern Tavern. We had a special treat this year with an acapella group performance! Be sure to check out our full episode on our YouTube channel at the end of this post.

This year we stayed at the Sunrise Inn Villas & Suites and I have to say this was one of our favorites for the price. In the past we have stayed at motels, because they accept pets and we always had Mac. While there is the Majestic Inn, we didn’t want to spend $250/night knowing that we wouldn’t be in our room much. The great thing about the Sunrise Inn is that it was walking distance to both the show at Cap Sante Marina and downtown Anacortes.

For breakfast, our favorite place is the Calico Cupboard Old Town Café and if you love donuts, be sure to check out the Donut House. They are open 24 hours and no matter the time, we always make a stop there.

The First Annual Anacortes Boat Show

Okay, I know you are wondering why it says “first annual” if we have been coming for years? Well, this year the show was organized by the Seattle Boat Show and they charged for attending the show (in the past it was free). In the past, they had a small vendor tent and mostly used trawlers & sailboats to view.

This year, they had many more vendor booths in the tent and they had brought in a lot of brand new boats up from Lake Union. Our friends, Nick and Michelle have been smitten with a Catalina sail boat and in fact, found a fantastic one at the show! We hope they buy it and moor it next to us at Elliott Bay Marina!

Looking for a new boat

Scott and I were on the hunt for the elusive 38′ – 42′ cruiser, but to no avail. We did tour two brand new boats from Prestige and Four Winns. But at $500k, they are out of our price range. But it was fun to check them out and see all of their awesome features and upgrades. The funny thing is our own broker, Eddie has three 38′ SeaRays listed and we are going to try and have him show them to us. So stay tuned.

We really lucked out with the weather this year as it was warm and sunny. At 4pm they opened the Wine & Beer Garden and each attendee received a free drink! Anacortes Brewing was pouring their beers and they were fantastic. Cheers to that!

When we toured the Seattle Boat Show, we visited with the vendors at the beginning of the show. Since I didn’t want to walk around all day carrying stuff, I didn’t buy anything from the vendors. One of the vendors there was Nauti Girl and I really wanted their t-shirt. Luckily for me, they were at Anacortes and I got two awesome shirts finally!

Anacortes is only about two hours north of Seattle and we were back home on Sunday by 12pm. It’s definitely a fun show to attend that gets you in the mood for boating season.

Watch our full tour on our YouTube Channel below:

Stay tuned for our next blog as we spend the Memorial Day weekend on the boat! PS Can you believe it was a year ago this weekend that we took possession of Kokomo? How time flies!

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Cheers,

Scott & Ally

#BoatingJourney #KokomoSeattle

May 10, 2018August 15, 2018

Getting Ready for Boating Season

Time to get Kokomo ready for boating season

Scott and I spent four days unpacking and we also needed to get our boat Kokomo, ready for boating season. While we have done all of the exterior and mechanical work on our boat, it still wasn’t ready because nothing was on it. In preparation for winter, we removed things like bedding, carpet, coolers, cushions, etc and moved them into our storage unit.

On Sunday, we headed down to Public Storage on the waterfront and loaded up all of the boat supplies.

It took us three carts and two trips to bring everything back to the boat. Remember, we’re located at the end of the dock, which is about 1/4 mile walk. What’s really cool this year, is we have new neighbors and they are all really friendly and outgoing.

Quick run on Elliott Bay

It was so beautiful on Sunday, that we decided to take the boat out for a quick run on Elliott Bay. Our gas gauge doesn’t work great and we haven’t filled up the tank yet, so we didn’t go too far. But being out on the water and enjoying the Seattle skyline, just brought back all of the reasons we want to be on the water.

spring boating — This tanker has been anchored outside the marina for weeks.

Check out Episode #10 on our YouTube Channel

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Stay tuned for our next blog as we visit the Anacortes Boat Show. Thank you for following us. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook & Twitter!

Cheers, Scott & Ally

#BoatingJourney #KokomoSeattle

May 8, 2018May 8, 2018

We moved into our apartment!

It’s official, we are apartment dwellers

Last Wednesday Scott and I finally moved out of our house and into our Downtown Seattle apartment. What a whirlwind week it has been! On top of packing everything up and keeping the house clean, I was also interviewing for a job.

The first thing we had to do, was get rid of all of our furniture except our couch and bedroom set. We were fortunate that my family wanted most of the furniture and our good friends took the wine cellar.

We hired Super Friends Moving and they did a great job! I highly recommend them. They were friendly, efficient and affordable. The move began on Wednesday around 8:30am and they finished around 3pm. We live on the 8th floor of the Leeward Apartments overlooking Lake Union. Moving from a four bedroom / three bath home into a two bedroom / two bath apartment requires some major downsizing. Luckily, our unit is actually fairly large compared to most in Seattle.

After three garage sales, five trips to Goodwill and our visit from 1-800-Got-Junk we still had over 100 boxes to move. By the time they movers were done, we could barely move in the apartment!

Getting Organized in our Two Bedroom Apartment

If you know me well, you know I can’t stand clutter or a mess. As the movers brought in boxes, I was immediately unpacking them. Scott and I worked hard until about 7pm that Wednesday. Finally, we knew we needed to take a break, shower and enjoy some bubbly on the roof. The only problem was I couldn’t find any of my clothes or toiletries. After about 20 minutes of searching, we got showered and headed up to the rooftop.

The following day, we continued unpacking, trying to find the floor. This required many trips to the recycling bin in the garage, but thanks to our new Collapsible Folding Wagon we bought from Amazon, it was pretty easy!

We made pretty good progress the second day around!

By the end of the day, I think the living room looked pretty good. Scott and I had decided to wait on buying any of our new furniture (tv, book shelf, dining set, etc) until we had a good feeling of the space. We should have everything done in the next week or so.

While we have a killer rooftop deck to enjoy, we also love our balcony. It may not be our deck at home, but we love the view!

We have two patio chairs and a Adjustable Folding Patio Balcony Serving Table that we bought from Amazon. It works great!

On our third day in the apartment, we woke up to a beautiful sunrise. We are used to sunsets, but this was amazing too.

The day finished with a really awesome rainbow over the entire city of Seattle!

Check out this week’s YouTube Episode

Living your dream

As many of our friends and family have said this week, we are living our dream once again! I’ve always stayed true to my goals and I make sure we stay on track. Without a dream or a plan, it’s hard to get anywhere.

While Scott and I missed out on opening day of boating season because we were unpacking, we did get to enjoy a great day on the water later. Stay tuned for our next update!

Thank you for following us along on our journey. Cheers! Scott and Ally

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April 26, 2018

Clipper Round the World Visits Seattle

Spending the day touring the Clipper Round the World Sail Boats

Last Sunday, Scott and I took a break from packing up the house and went down to Bell Harbor Marina to view the Clipper Round the World sail boats. I’ve been following this race for months and was so excited they were stopping in Seattle!

The race is the brain child of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who was the first person to sail non-stop around the world and this is their 11th race. To learn more about the legs of the journey and their stops, read here. What’s even more impressive is that 40% of the sailors do not have sailing experience! If you click on the link above, you’ll see the conditions they sail in. That is courageous if you ask me!

Touring the boats

What was really cool, is the tour was free! You simply had to wait in line for a guest pass. They had limited guest passes, so once folks were done with their tour, then it was your turn. We toured Sanya Serenity Coast sailing yacht. Each boat has a major sponsor and then multiple smaller ones. This boat is sponsored by the city of Sanya which located in the South of China on Hainan Island. It is making its debut as a Host Port and Team Partner for the 2017-18 and 2019-20 editions of the Clipper Race. They will use this sponsorship to promote tourism and sports.

We were also able to tour the cabin of the boat and it was tight in there. Each boat has twenty crew, with ten on watch at a time. That means the other ten are sleeping in their hot bunks (which are hammocks) or trying to find a place to sit. Also keep in mind that while racing, the boat is usually at a 40 degree angle!

They have two heads on the boat and no shower. They are typically at sea for 3-4 weeks before arriving to a port. How do they shower? They use handi-wipes.

Honestly, as cool as this would be, I just don’t see myself ever doing something like this under these conditions. What was also interesting, is once they get into port they still stay on the boat. If they want to rent a hotel room, they are on their own. If it were me, I would find a cheap room to share with other people. That way we could shower and do laundry for a couple of days.

A great way to break away from the chores of moving

Spending a sunny day at Bell Harbor Marina, touring these awesome boats was a great distraction from our chores of moving! Everyone was in such a great mood and having a great time.

Seattle also has a boat in the race, promoting tourism for our city.

Here’s the video footage we took:

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Thank you for subscribing to our Boating Journey blog! Stay tuned for our move update in our next blog, which will be written from our new apartment in Downtown Seattle! Cheers, Scott and Ally

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April 16, 2018April 24, 2018

Leaving the Boat Yard

Finally Leaving the Boat Yard

It’s been six weeks and Kokomo is finally leaving Seaview Boat Yard. As a new boater, we have gotten lots of advice and tips from fellow boaters. Hopefully this story will help others too.

Before we selected Seaview, we asked for recommendations in the Seattle area and there were just a few that would work for us. With our broken prop, we had no choice but to go to Seaview, as they were the closest to our marina. As you might remember, we met them at the Seattle Boat Show and they had a great haul out deal of 50% off the haul out and 20% off labor with any bottom paint package. The staff at the boat yard was very friendly, but they don’t move too fast. Luckily for us, the weather was horrible for the past month, so it didn’t impact us too much.

As I mentioned in our last blog, the boat yard had finished painting the bottom and the engines two weeks ago and my nephew and his dad waxed it for us last week. This saved us significant money. We paid Spencer $800 and the boat yard wanted $1700! He and his dad, did a fantastic job!

Sterndrives look new!

Our sterndrives were painted too and they look amazing compared to before. They installed our new Bravo II props last week and compared to the props they pulled off, wow!

There was a boat next to us in the yard and check out the mussels growing on his engine and trim tabs!

So what does all this cost in the end?

What’s funny about boat maintenance is everyone loves to say that BOAT stands for “bring on another thousand”. But if you are a boater, you know that and expect it. So did we have any surprises this time? A few. Here’s the final breakdown of all of the work. I will say that the boat yard, originally charged us for 24 hours to paint the stern drives and we questioned it. They adjusted the bill to 18 hours.

Bottom Paint Package, including parts & labor $806
Bottom Paint Seahawk Sharkskin Black 1.25 gallons $235
Replace Anodes incl labor $336
Prep & Paint Sterndrives $1805
10 point inspection (see below for what that incl) $121
Pull & install new props $1315
Boat Show Discount <$605>
Misc fees & taxes $594

Seaview Boat Yard Total $4608

We also hired a Mercruiser mechanic to inspect the engines and also tune them up. His cost was about $800.

So overall, the entire haul out cost us $6200 and we had estimated about $5000. Not ever having done this before, our estimate wasn’t that far off.

Communicating with the boat yard

Our biggest issue with Seaview was their lack of communication. We had to call almost every day to find out what the status was. Then finally last Thursday, they called to say the props were on and they were scheduling the haul out for 1pm the next day. I was shocked, because we were still waiting on the 10 pt inspection and the trim tab work. On top of that, there was a small craft advisory for Friday afternoon and neither of us were able to move it on short notice anyways.

Then they called back an hour later saying the inspection was done and that they would put it in a slip for us to pick up over the weekend. Scott and I went down to the boat yard on Friday evening to pay our final bill and confirm everything. The weather was horrible and now we just prayed it would be nice over the weekend.

What does the 10 pt inspection include?

Since we have never had one done, we only know what Seaview includes. It was a quick checklist that they gave back to us.

Check Bottom Paint, zincs, shaft, thru hulls, knot meter/depth sounder condition, grounding damage, thruster/trim tabs
Paint/Scratches, gel coat punctures, boot stripe condition
Interior thru hulls/valve condition, galley, head, electronics, hose clamps, linkage/cable condition, bilge area

What were their findings?

Stiff steering
Head pick up valve is stiff
Port trim tab in operable – possible relay

So nothing too major to worry about this time.

Finally leaving the boat yard

Scott and I looked at the forecast and we had a small weather window on Sunday, April 15th. While many of you might be thinking, “what’s the big deal? It’s Springtime in the PNW and the weather is fine”. Not so much!

According to the NW Weather Service, with the first two weeks of April, this month is now the fourth wettest April in 120 years! Read more here.

Luckily, Sunday morning arrived with sunny, blue skies and calm waters. I dropped Scott and Kurt off at Seaview and then drove back to Elliott Bay Marina to meet them. I guess the boat was hauling, as they beat me back to the marina!

We docked stern first, so we can clean the dinghy and also the top of the starboard side of the boat. Next Sunday is supposed to be sunny, so Scott and I will head down to clean the boats, inside and out.

We still have no update on our house or our move, so stay tuned for that. Until then, thank you for following us! Please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Cheers! Scott & Ally

#KokomoSeattle #BoatingJourney