Boating Time
The boat is ready and in the water, the electrical build is ready for the rough-in inspection - time to head to the San Juans and then on to Canada. With several other boating/yacht club friends, we’re going to do the trip to Desolation and hopefully finish it this time - with both engines and the steering.
As we came over Snoqualmie pass, we nearly froze. Apparently our bodies had acclimated to the hot weather. Ok, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration but it was definitely cooler than we were used to.
First stop was time with friends, Scott and Kristi, in Olympia for breakfast. It was a short visit but so comforting to be with close friends and catch up on each other’s lives. They just sold their beautiful home of many years and are beginning their transition to retirement. We can’t wait!
Second stop, a quick visit with youngest son Peter. He is a busy guy and in his off time, he’s a mechanic for race car team “Plan B”. They recently had a win and that was fun. Sometimes those quick visits are much needed for the ‘mom time’ and it was good to see him, hug him and catch up on our busy lives.
On to LaConner to provision the boat and do last minute maintenance items with Mike, our amazing mechanic. It took us about 3 days to get everything in order and we headed out. With all the drama from the previous trip, I admit I had a little apprehension but we went slow and all went well.
To our surprise, Fish and Wildlife opened Chinook salmon fishing for 3 days, Thursday through Saturday, coinciding with the last shrimp opener. We headed to Prevost Harbor as a central location to our favorite fishing spots.
It was late in the day so we dropped 2 shrimp pots and caught 6 shrimp. Second day, we caught 20. Third and last day, we harvested over 100. More yummy dinners to come. We didn't get a chance to fish due to the lack of fuel in the boat. We’ll have to wait for our time in Canada and the next opener in September in Washington. Made it back to the big boat on fumes. Whew!
A couple of good things we are grateful for. First, our Starlink Mobile arrived while we were in Chattaroy and we brought it with us on the water. Got it all hooked up and it works great. Second, we purchased 2 more larger solar panels so when the sun is above us, it helps slow the power consumption on the batteries. We’re waiting for a new solar box to be able to use all 4 panels and get the maximum power which will then also recharge the batteries and not just slow consumption.
We still have a few clean up items to work on and still chasing that little water leak. But it sure feels good to be back on the water. More adventures to come.
