Waiting Game

Wednesday, March 26th:
Now it is a matter of waiting until the experts complete their chores. The first of two sea-trials has been done, and they are very happy, with speeds and fuel burns that are better than all previous AT 41's (we are the first to use the Volvo 575 HP diesel). It hit 19 kts a few days ago, and at 10 kts was burning only 7 GPH. Most have burned nearly 10 GPH at that speed, so everyone is happy. The finishing touches are next, and the electronics, per Mike Pare, are well on the way toward completion. UnDoc'd sits there in the water with us in a hotel....it doesn't seem fair! We are planning our trips both north and south now, but there are still so many things to attend to, including the dinghy and it's mounting with the removable chocks.

Everyone is hard at work trying to get us "on the boat" by Friday (2 days more). She is spotlessly clean, the DTV subscription is activated, the WiFi subscription works, and the Sirius weather subscription paid. The insurance premium is paid. All I'm doing is paying for subscriptions that I cannot yet use.

Next week will be busy with the dinghy, the covers for it and the windows, the flybridge cover and bimini, and other details. There will be more this weekend!

This is "Tulip Country", but the Dafodils are the March bloomers, backwards from our climate, according to Chris.


This is the Bar on the waterfront in Bellingham....


More Dafodils....these are white with yellow centers....incredible beauty!


The displays in the pilothouse are big...a pilots dream.


Here she is sitting and waiting...no inside pictures yet, since Chris will not allow it until everything is clean, organized, and arranged...






If you have to sit and wait on a boat, there can be no better city to do it in. This is the view from one of the many terrific restaurants in LaConner. Today at lunch, we say 8 to 10 eagles over this canal (the Swinomish) fishing...

Post Roche Harbor

Saturday, March 22nd...
We departed Roche early, thinking that we could get to Friday Harbor for a quick tour, buy some sale items (John and Joyce Motolla, AT owners from Port Townsend, and who attended the Seminar told us about their sales), and still make it back to Anacortes. This would mean crossing some large water late in the afternoon, but we were off. We had visited Friday Harbor last summer, and have fond memories of it.


Friday Harbor is very picturesque and after docking our first encounter were these cats named Bubba and Bella....
they are very social and travel well....a good guardian was with them. The Harbor is a must for anyone coming to this area and we plan to return many times. This picture is of the totems that
guard the marina.
Then it was off to cross the Sound, the waves were the largest we have encountered, reaching 6 feet, but the boat handled them well. Most people will push the throttle up to get across faster and we did the same. We Docked in Anacortes, got some Sushi, and sat in watching TV. The plan was to scout out our dinghy situation tomorrow before heading to Bellingham to turn in Cinnamon Girl. We did just that and arrived to refuel in Bellingham...
This is the Courthouse in Bellingham. We took this picture in front of the local waterfront neighborhood bar. This is a picture from the windows of the bar looking out toward the Sound, heading south. We truly love this town and will return. Dinner was an Italian restaurant named D'Anna and we walked back to the marina in the dark. The pictures below are on the way while we headed back to spend our last night on Cinnamon Girl.



The dinghy I had already purchased, sight unseen, was by AMI called the Cat (a picture of her here), but the chocks to mount it are rails that are not removable. Another option is to use Weaver Chocks, which can be removed from the deck, thus giving you more space up top if the dinghy is launched. The boat that works best with that is the Rigid Boat seen here. It is not inflatable, has more storage, more stable, and can handle a larger motor.

Long trip to Roche Harbor

Today we wanted to accomplish several things. First, Christy wanted to "really" operate the boat in a marina, do 180's, dock, backup....with other boats all around. Then we wanted to travel the 60 miles or so to our favorite spot of last summer...Roche Harbor.

Mike had installed the displays and they look so good. The flybridge is up, and so we left town. Leaving the marina, Chris did her work...great experience as she gains confidence in maneuvering a 30,000 lb boat in such close quarters. Then it was off, north for the first time, in the Swinomish canal. It was going great until nearing the outlet, the railroad bridge was closed. The books said that it was only closed at 4:00 pm! This was 10:00 AM. We turned around in the narrow passage, against the wind, but with the current, and Chris started calling every number we had to see what to do. About that time, the bridge began to open, and we rushed through. I'm still not sure what to do, since they didn't answer on any of the VHF frequencies.

Then we were off to the north-west, but we did not know if we could make it to Roche Harbor. The route was through several extremely narrow passages, with beautiful homes, a few airstrips, and other destinations that we noted for future trips. Chris photographed a buoy with two Sealions sunning.... We were making good time, so we continued, and at 3:00 we got there. What a site! Last summer we entered the easy way, but today we chose a much narrower and shallower passage to dock at "number 2" right up front.

The town is terrific, with English gardens from the hotel to the marina. We took these several pictures. Our plan now is to return east tomorrow (Thursday) and overnight somewhere, yet to be determined, and then get to Bellingham on Friday afternoon to return Cinnamon Girl. Saturday morning, we will run to Fairhaven to get a rental car to drive back to actually get our boat.

This is the view of our marina in LaConner from the TomCo plant, as we begin a long, fun day.

Today was a very important day for us. First of all, our boat was to have the flybridge installed. But most importantly, Mike Pare was to arrive to begin our electronics installation. We’ve never met him, but talked to him a million times. Also, Chris was to take the helm and we were heading out to practice docking, anchoring, mooring, and maneuvering. Also, Scott Soes, the "boat detailing and lettering" expert arrived to suggest the lettering for the name, "UnDoc'd". He was finishing up the Jade Princess (another AT41) which was docked next to us. What a job he did!

Mike Pare is quite a guy…no nonsense, and ready to get to work. He is known as the fastest of the installers, and I can see why. He thinks through everything before acting, and minimizes wasted movement. We have found the best WiFi antennae, with an amplifier and router, so the boat will be one big “hot-spot”. And a cell phone antennae that boosts reception for the phone and an air-card if used. This will all take another week, but we are now seeing the results and the progress. But next, it was out to sea, with Chris doing her usual incredible job...

She has learned the operational aspects of the chart plotters, the use of the radios, and at the same time, cleaning up my messes....muddy shoes, and peanut hulls..

The route out is south through the narrow Swinomish Passage, and that makes everyone nervous.



This is the view of the marina at our departure...


And the final house overlooking the southern outlet of the canal, now entering Puget Sound.


Hugging close to the Islands that protect the entrance...


This is the spot we chose to moor to the buoy, and....

And now, catching our first mooring buoy. The hard way is to try to get over the bow and somehow get the line through the ring. That is almost impossible, but everyone has tryed that at one time or another. The correct way (we learned at the seminar) is to motor past the buoy, with the mate carrying the bitter end of the line aft to the swimstep. It is easy then to pass the line through, and "walk the line" back forward and tie it off. It was very smooth and perfect on the first try....




Then after returning to the marina, we took the first pictures of our boat outside....she is so huge it is scary to look at her on land...

This is the view from the ground looking straight up...it stands 25 feet tall, or nearly a 3 story building. The flybridge is sitting on top, but not yet installed.

Standing on top is way-high up! The arch is laying down behind the flybridge, but when it is erected, and the antennaes placed on top, and the radar, and Satellite antennae, it grows taller by another 10 feet.


And the first picture of our interior, nearly finished...what a condo!
Tomorrow we will head north to explore until returning the Cinnamon Girl on Saturday....

We arrived in Edmonds on Thursday late, with no winds to compete with...there were already 15 AT's there, so we found a spot close. The seminar was to begin on Friday..

This is the classroom for our seminar. There were 20 couples attending, most of which had already cruised to Alaska. It is so amazing to hear the life experiences of the people who have lived on their boats for years, and have so much to offer others. Everyone is so excited about yet another trip "North". The best part is the Q&A about details relating to this type of trip. The shrimping (prawning...prawns are larger than the shrimp we see in the south), crabbing (catching Dungeness crabs and Alaskan King crabs is easy and by the dozens), and fishing (I can't wait to see how well I learn this new discipline) is something everyone is involved in, and living off the sea is important. They call it "$300 per pound Salmon" for obvious reasons. We've met so many great people and met life-time friends already.


This is Tom Nelson....TomCo Marine is thus named. He is the owner, founder, visionary, and prior owner of the Cinnamon Girl, which is our temporary home. What a guy, with years of experience in "the North", and the biggest fisherman I've ever seen. His boat is equipped for any and all types of fishing and crabbing, with rigs that I assume I will someday have to own as well.


This is one of the millions of views of the shore while enroute. everyone lives on the coast, it seems, and it is beautiful to spectate.

And more...


Here we are arriving in the Swinomish Canal, a narrow canal connecting the Puget waters south of Whidbey Island to those north and east of Anacortes. It is notorious for diverging currents. For example, the flood tides flow in, but from both the north and south. Thus, there is a "flood" current southbound at the top, and a flood current northbound in our direction at the time of our arrival. We planned the trip today (as each trip must be planned) after studying the charts for the times of the tides, and the direction of the currents. It is much more complex than on the East Coast, since an "ebb tide" back East will always flow in the same direction for a given body of water. Here it is not that way at all. There are currents that flow in both directions in the same canal during the same tide. At any rate, we scheduled our departure from Edmonds to take adavantage of a flood tide (a push from the south by current) wtih a southerly wind (another push) to arrive in LaConner at high tide (another benefit to offset the less than perfect skills of the helmsman). It worked to perfection, although Christy freaked out at having to give me directions "port or starboard" in following range markers at our stern to gain access to the narrow part (range markers are two visual signs separated by 100 meters or so that, if kept in alignment, will show you the proper path to follow). To keep them aligned, you must move in the direction of the closer marker, such that the distant one comes back in alignment. It is easy to confuse the two, and when that occurs, there is trouble in the marriage.



But we had an easy time of it, because of the timing and good luck, and the final mile was with this view. The rainbow bridge connects LaConner to the Swinomish Indian area, with the marinas on the right, as well as all of the LaConner shops, restaurants, and markets. Greg and Jan Brown helped us navigate this area by car last June and Christy and I have re-visited many of the shops again this time.



Many of the homes are single, or grouped into small communities. But then every mile or so there is another village or town, with access by ferry. What a culture this is.


And as we entered the final turn into the canal, this is the home that greeted us. We found the TomCo marina, and cruising to the dock to find another "guest" tug tied up there. We motored past, did a 180 turn, and did a starboard tie behind it. Our first vision was our boat, out of the plant, sitting high and dry ready for the installation of the flybridge! What a sight! I ran up to inspect everything and had a ball. There were 4 or 5 craftmen (and one craftswoman) hard at work, finishing up cabinetry, electricals, flooring, etc. The propeller is now on, and the flybridge is ready to install (they are planning on Wednesday). I can't tell you how beautiful she looks sitting up there ready! Our electronics man, Mike Pare, will arrive tonight and be here early in the AM to begin his work. Our plan is to spend an hour or two with him in the morning and then head out to leave him alone. We will have a month-long lease on a slip at the Anacortes Cap Sante Boat Haven beginning one week from now, with a temporary mailing address. We will use that as our base of operations for the next month or so, cruising to Victoria, Vancouver, and also to South Puget Sound below Seattle....Bremerton, Bainbridge, the "Ship Canal" to lake Washington and Union Lake....too much to think about further now. I'll take pictures of our boat in the AM and post again....

Edmonds Alaskan Inside Passage Seminar

The last post I made was as we entered the Port Edmonds harbor. This is only our third port on Cinnamon Girl, but it is important, since it is the site of the Alaskan Seminar sponsored by American Tug (AT). There are 17 AT’s moored here for the seminar, and each of the owners has much experience on the boat. Most of them have already cruised many years, and many of them already to Alaska. After tieing up and getting situated, Chris and I headed into town to find a bar. The town is perfect, sea-side and quaint. They are a ferry port for transportation across the Sound to Kingston, WA. This is another little “dream town”. We crashed without meeting but one other AT owner and looked forward to the seminars.

This morning, we began meeting the 30 or 40 other owners who have traveled to Edmonds just for the seminar and camaraderie. The Bynums are from North Carolina (second AT), John and Joyce from Port Townsend (first AT, but long time boaters), Hal and Ellen Farley who we met last June in Anacortes. Ellen’s sister is Emily O’Mara, a physician at UAB. Al and Brenda Skiber from B.C. (British Columbia) who have cruised the Inside Passage for years, and Carol Kerley and Linda Dunham who own the AT 41 just before ours in the production. The Volvo representative was here to give each of us one-on-one Q&A on our boats, and the Northern Lights rep with the generators. What a session this was. Then we spent the afternoon in class listening for 4 hours to the details of getting from Victoria, BC to Ketchikan, AK. That will be 620 miles of the trip to Glacier Bay, which is our plan for the summer. Chris was clearly worried as we were cautioned about the treacherous currents and tides along the way. She said to me “we have to talk”,implying that she was more uncomfortable than she thought I was about this trip. I could only reply that we had to talk less than she realized, since I was now very intimidated about this daunting journey. There is much to learn, and thank God we are spending the next 3 months getting ready in Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands.

After class, we ran for 30 minutes in a cold drizzle, and came back to the party and dinner…what a group of people. The owner of the company, Tom Nelson, and his wife Chris, were the original owners of the boat we are on (until ours is ready next week) and he wanted to visit us on the boat. Great guy and fun to talk to. He’s been everywhere and done everything, but shares his knowledge easily. It’s off to sleep now and more class in the AM, with more fun to follow it seems.

Pictures from Port Townsend

View from the trail area above Wilson Point, the lookout above the Fort Wardon that was built in 1896 to protect Puget Sound...


One of the many, many Victorian homes in Port Townsend...


Deer everywhere, eating all the garden flowers, etc...


Bell Tower, on a cliff above the ocean. A ships captain donated the bell to the city on the promise that it would be rung any time there was fog. This is still true today, with the gong of guidance for all mariners...


Beautiful, beautiful...


More of the homes...




The Public Trail in downtown Port Townsend, quite a surprise on our morning run, meandering through the forest above the harbor..


This was the spray from the rough seas entering the Port yesterday...




This is where we wound up. The wind was from the far end of the marina entrance, and it literally blew us to this dock. Our bow and stern thrusters would not hold against the 35 Kt winds that were tail winds on entering, but starboard beam winds when we tried to turn right to enter a slip....