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....