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Sea Star 7

1998 Bayliner LeClercq

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Blog Posts

Rescue Of Deaf Mute Owner And His Boat

Yesterday we headed to Silverdale.  We needed supplies and an Amazon locker order.  Plus I was still on the hunt for replacement medications from the rental car break in last week (911 call #1) while we were at the memorial dinner for Dave’s Uncle.  We departed Poulsbo after crazy dude in a dingy threatened us (911 call #2). and hence didn’t pick them up from the CVS there.  Having been in Silverdale before, we knew that the outside of the dock can be noisy with the waves slapping the side of the boat.  So after Dave practiced a “no thruster” docking on the outside pier, we moved the boat around to the inside where it was quieter as it was forecast to be windy.

Sure enough, the winds kicked up even stronger than forecast.  Blowing 25 knots out of the South – which means that the bay at Silverdale has a long fetch – so the waves eventually built up to 1 to 2 feet and were breaking over the dock.

None the less, a group of teen agers were having a get together on the dock.  Some in swimsuits.  (Remember what it was like to think showing off the summer bikini was more important than freezing to death?  Yeah, me neither.)

There was a 26 foot sea ray at anchor about 300 feet off the dock.  He was getting tossed about pretty good.  Early in the day an oar off his dingy let loose.  One of the teenagers dove off the dock and swam a fair distance to retrieve it.  When she swam back, she realized she couldn’t climb back onto the dock.  Her friends had to pull her up – having then scratched her legs up on the barnacles and muscles growing on the floats underneath.  Then some smaller kids grabbed the oar and took it back to shore.  Not wanting the oar to disappear, and knowing the guy was going to have a heck of a time rowing his dingy with a single oar, Dave put our dingy in the water and took the oar back out to him.  At this point he spotted a sign that said “owner is deaf”.  As he also did not speak, but just made happy hand gestures to say thanks to him for returning the oar, Dave concluded he is also mute.

A couple of hours later when the storm had gotten worse, the guy’s dingy breaks loose and comes down the bay.  Dave spots it and we both head out to rescue it.  I was able to grab it on the outer dock and hold it off the dock so it wouldn’t get bashed up.  Dave by then was in the dingy and we debated what to do but Dave felt he wouldn’t be successful trying to return it with the waves as high and sloshy as they were.

At this point, the group of teenagers comes running over to see if they could help.  I was having a heck of a time holding onto the dingy so I asked a few of them for help.  Though I quickly realized they were fighting me as they were trying to pull the dingy up to the dock, whereas I was trying to hold it off.  And their fingers were gripping the dingy in a way that someone’s hand was sure to get smashed between the dingy and the dock.  So with a few corrections we were able to slowly move the dingy around the outer dock.  At one point the waves pushed the dingy to nearly 90 degrees it was blowing so hard.  We got it around to the inner slip and were able to get it tied up where it would blow away from the dock and be safe until Dave could return it.  The boat owner watched this whole exercise from his deck.  The kids were quite proud of their rescue and I’m sure it was the highlight of their week.

An hour or so after that, Dave decides that the guy’s boat is sinking.  Earlier in the morning, the owner had been standing on the swim platform painting the boat name on the transom.  That swim platform was now underwater.  Dave flies out in his dingy again, but can’t get the guy’s attention.  No idea if he is ok, or even realizes his boat is taking on water.  So we call 911.  Despite my explaining that we think its sinking slowly, we got pretty much everyone and their brother from Kitsap emergency responders.  We could hear the sirens before I even hung up the phone.  (Fun fact, Kitsap runs off Zetron’s 911 equipment – so Dave sold it to them.)

First guy on scene was a police officer, who had just gone off shift.  He’s the resource officer at the local high school.  Thought he would drop by and see what’s what.  He goes right to the end of the dock and starts yelling to see if he can get the boat owner’s attention.  I roll my eyes and head out to explain the owner is deaf.  By this point though, we can see the guy bailing water out.

Shortly thereafter two fire and rescue team members show up.  They were chatty about our travels and boat adventures while they waited for their team to unload their rescue boat onto the boat ramp nearby.  The rescue boat is super cool.  Has three underwater wheels that retract.  So they can roll it down any ramp or even the beach to put it in the water wherever they want.  Fortunately someone on the team knew sign language and hopped aboard.  After some more bailing, they convince him to exit the boat and go back to the shore with them.  The rescue guys explain that by policy they are not allowed to tow the guy’s boat.  So completely unclear at this juncture what happens to the guy’s boat – which by then it was obvious he lived aboard.  The police and fire guys then just walked away.

Dave and I debate what to do.  It was low tide, so it would be after dark by the time we could tow the boat to the beach.  And by then its going to sink.  We’re fairly irritated that the guy’s house is sinking and no one seems to be willing to do anything about it.  Not to mention the problems with the gas and oil that will leak out creating a mess.  And the hazard to navigation so near the docks that will be created.

Amazingly at this point, we hear the Coast Guard call for help.  The “any boats in the area willing to assist” type call.  Dave rolls his eyes and gets on the radio to explain that fire and rescue teams are already here and took the owner off the boat.  Yep.  Great coordination right there.

The boat owner and another guy come walking back down the dock and stand staring at the sinking boat.  Turns out the guy – Timothy – was sitting in his truck at the dock when he saw all the excitement.  A somewhat mentally disabled man himself, he felt the need to also help.  He had a buddy that ran a boat rescue operation.  So he had rung up his buddy to come assist.  Moments before the rescue boat shows up, the Coast Guard cutter pulls in.

A conversation takes place between the Coast Guard and the rescue boat, and the Coast Guard takes off after a few minutes.  The rescue boat then puts a pump in the engine room of the sinking boat and pumps the water out.  They found the hole – a 1” hole (likely a through hole for a drain pipe to connect to) under the swim platform.  Without whatever hose should have been connected, the big waves likely slapped water through until the boat sank to where that hole was underwater.  The rescue guys stuffed some clothing in the hole to try and close it up a bit.

Dave offers to take the boat owner out to his boat in our dingy.  The boat owner turns to me and hands me his wallet and cell phone.  Clearly the only possessions he had taken off the boat with him.  And he didn’t want to risk them.  It shocked me for a second – strangers don’t typically hand you their wallet – but then I realized after the whole day’s events, having witnessed us rescue his oar, then the dingy, then call 911 to help him when he was sinking we had earned a basic level of trust.

The rescue boat then tows the sinking boat to the Silverdale dock.  But the dockmaster, having seen all the activity, came and sternly told us that the sinking boat was not permitted to stay.  If he so much as put a line on the dock, they would immediately impound the boat.  I argued that it was an emergency, as we now knew the boat engine wouldn’t even start – the water having gotten up over the carburetor – so engine rebuild was likely going to be needed.  But the dock master said that made it even worse because they would consider the boat derelict and have it confiscated immediately.  So there we all are, lined up on the dock holding onto the boat railing because we aren’t allowed to tie it up.

At this point the debate over what to do ensues.  As the debate went on, I retrieved our “orange cone”.  A device specifically designed to close up boat holes, and they stuffed it in the hole instead of the clothing.  I was annoyed with myself for not having stocked the boat with underwater epoxy – which would have been better.  We had it aboard the sailboat, but it didn’t make it’s way onto Sea Star 7.  (Being corrected!)

The rescue guys knew the owners at the nearby Bridgeview marina – and they agreed to take him in.  That was a 30 minute trip across the bay.  Dave agreed to follow them over in case they needed a second tug boat to push the disabled boat into a slip.  First he went and put on jeans, socks, gloves, and a sweatshirt as it was going to be a cold ride.  He grabbed the handheld radio and handheld spot light in case he wasn’t back before dark.

As they headed out, the boat owner scribbled a name and phone number on a piece of paper.  Melissa gave Kathleen a call.  She turned out to be his Mom.  Melissa started with “he’s ok and the boat is ok”, before telling her what was happening.  Turns out his name is Erick.  Kathleen was happy to pay for a few days at the marina for him to get situated.  Erick has a girlfriend who was off the boat when all the excitement happened.  She had a car and was off working on their resumes at the library as they both need new jobs.  Erick had been working at a beachfront restaurant and taking his dingy to shore, but for some reason this became impractical and so they need new jobs.

I’ll check in with her in a few days to make sure everything turned out ok when they tried to fix the boat.

 

 

People are Insane and we are never going back to Poulsbo

We headed out of Everett to Poulsbo.  We anchored there only to have a guy come flying past us in his dingy – clearly intentionally rocking us in his wake.  We suspect what set him off was that he thought we anchored too close to him.  Dave measured and it was 360 feet – so we were plenty far away, but crazy people are crazy.  On his way back from town he buzzed us again.  Dave yelled for him to knock it off.  Guy then came back and started screaming at us.  Dave went and grabbed the can of bear spray to ensure the guy didn’t try to board us.  At which point crazy dude started screaming that Dave was “brandishing a weapon which is a felony”.  Um… no.  Protecting yourself with a non-lethal can of bear spray is rational and sensible when crazy dude with a pit bull in his dingy is screaming at you.  Dude went on about “do you know who I am?  Do you know what I do for a living?”  As though if we knew – then we’d be scared of what he was going to do to us.  This went on for about 5 minutes before crazy dude went back to his boat.  Dave and I decided to depart Poulsbo as we couldn’t see continuing to stay at anchor another night with crazy dude around.  We had a CVS prescription to pick up (one of the ones stolen in the car break in a week ago), and some Amazon deliveries at a locker to pick up – but decided we would just place another order somewhere else and let Amazon snag them back from the So we pulled up anchor, turned off the AIS so he couldn’t locate us, and headed over to Ostrich Bay – one of our favorite quiet spots.  After getting there and re-anchoring, I called 911 to report crazy guy.  A police officer called me back within a few minutes.  He was known to them.  (Shocking!)  He said that he had not filed a complaint about our “felony weapon”, and that he expected the guy not to file any such report because he was anti-government.  (Another surprise!)  The police officer said they were going to be on the water in Poulsbo the next day and planned to go pay him a visit.

I sent the photo and story to my brother in case anything happens to us…

Second Car Window Busted In This Year

Got up early to catch a flight from Paine Field in Everett down to San Francisco to attend Dave’s Uncle’s funeral service.  We didn’t make the cutoff for checked bags – but they give 5 minutes grace – for which we had one minute left.  We don’t normally cut it that close, but a Starbucks fiasco getting coffee delayed us.  After an uneventful flight, we got our rental car and started off for the memorial location.  It was a nice service.  After which a family dinner had been arranged at a nearby restaurant.  We came out of the restaurant to discover someone had smashed in the window of the rental car and stolen my laptop bag.  Fortunately the computer itself was not in the bag.  The idiot thief left the computer where I had put it on the floor right next to the bag when I finished catching up on emails on the way to the memorial.  Unfortunately, I had packed my medications in the carry on computer bag (like you are supposed to).  Sigh.

I called 911, but unclear how long we would have to sit around the parking lot waiting.  Could be hours.  And we had a 90 minute drive in front of us to reach the location where the internment ceremony would be held with full military honors the next day.  So we elected to head for the hotel.  Along the way, fighting with Alamo about where to pick up a replacement rental car.  Sigh.

The next couple of days was spent calling the doctor’s office to get medications replaced.  Complicated as the most critical one was prescribed in Mexico not in the US.  And replacing the computer’s power cord and assorted other cables.  Lets hear it for Amazon locker delivery!

When not hassling with all that nonsense, we had a great time wine tasting.  Best find was Hook and Ladder(https://www.hookandladderwinery.com/)  – started by same family that started DeLoach.  Great wines at a rational price.

Honduras

4400 miles to go 1200 miles

We went through the States to get to Honduras because the original plan was to gather Marla in Houston so she did not have to do immigration/customs by herself. Best laid plans - she had to cancel due to health concerns. 

Greg and Shev picked us up promptly at 2:25 for our 5:25 flight out of PVR.. We flew to San Francisco from PV (sitting behind K&A of all people). After a couple hours layover in SFO, we got onto our plane to Houston. It was a nice big 777 with lay-down beds but it was only a 3.5 hour flight so we did not get much sleep. Plus they woke us up an hour early due to anticipated turbulence that never appeared. And then we had hours to wait in Houston before we could board our plane to Honduras. We kind of napped in our seats in the lounge but it was not restful. 

The flight down to Honduras was a typical 737 so you cannot really stretch out and sleep in business class. Once in Honduras, clearing immigration and customs was totally painless (except our entry forms were in the cloud, not actually on the phone). Lesly and her driver were there to pick us up and take us for the short trip to her house (compound?) in her giant Hummer. I have a new respect for Hummers - it was a very comfortable ride over the rough roads. 

Wednesday

We arrived at a full house at Lesly’s. Maybe by the time we leave, we will know everybody’s name but it was almost overwhelming how many people were there to greet us. There are 4 generations plus siblings and friends here, right now. Maybe this right: 

Luis is the driver that, with Lesly, picked us up at the airport. He has been coming to Lesly’s since he was 9. 

Ramon was having lunch when we got there. His wife Ana was having cosmetic surgery by Lesly’s son in law, Naza. Ana and Lesly met while working in administration of a hotel in San Pedro many years ago and have stayed best friends.  

We met another of Lesly’s daughters, Rayza. Both daughters speak excellent English. 

Lesly has been taking care of her elderly father, Jaime, who has had two heart attacks and is practically deaf. He seems happy to see us, waives, seems with it but cannot really participate. 

Later, Lesly’s brother, also Jaime, was playing soccer with his son Jose J in Lesly’s giant yard. We also met Jaime’s daughter Jimena.  

Lesly’s daughter, Maria Jose (who we have previously met a couple of times), and family (3 girls: Azul, Amber and Azareth, husband: Naza) have been here for almost a year as Naza is practicing surgery in this little town. He has to do a certain amount of social service before Honduras recognizes his medical degree. They normally live in Guadalajara but like it here better. They have a nanny, Koki, that travels with them. 

Staff: Three shifts of cooks/cleaners Maria, Lesly, and Melissa, plus Maria’s daughter helps out around the house before school. On top of this, who knows how many people are helping keep the park-like grounds well kept.  

Dog: Aqua. Crazy yellow-lab-ish dog. Seems perfectly happy and then goes berserk when you get near. Jumping, biting (soft mouth), but you have to watch the claws. Seems perfectly fine around the little girls so I think it is theirs. We finally have come up with a method to deal with “Aqua muy loca” as we approach the main house: Melissa stands behind me and I grab the dog by the collar to get control. It is a nice dog but needs training to learn proper manners. 

First evening get together 

Pretty much everyone showed up to enjoy wine and snacks on our cabana deck. It is a very comfortable area easily able to soak up a dozen people. We tried our best but there were only 3 other English speakers. By the end of the night, I might have conveyed a thought or two in Spanish (is that conversational???). 

The grounds

Lush jungle-like plants and trees surround us. OK, the rooster at 3AM did override the Ambien for a bit the first night. 

The lot is large - acre-ish (about half a city block). Our cabin is pretty much in the middle of the lot next to her play-yard (half-sized soccer field with bleachers). The main house is built around her grandparent’s original one-room house, now serving as the kitchen. Around the kitchen are various sleeping quarters but, honestly, we haven’t figured it out yet. People just pop out of nowhere. 

Thursday

Although we slept like logs (didn’t even hear the rain last night), Melissa definitely feels a cold coming. I went up to the main house to get a couple coffees (while man-handling Aqua muy loca on the way) and presented the sit-rep. Next thing we know, we have a lovely breakfast on our deck of the cabana. 

The girls and the nanny are here today but Maria Jose and Naza are driving to El Salvador for a wedding. 

Ramon and Ana also left to go back home after she had her stitches taken out this morning. 

It is practically an empty house now. 

They brought us a lovely beef and cabbage soup for supper knowing it would help with Melissa’s cold. And a bottle of wine. 

Friday

As soon as the staff spotted Melissa coming out onto the deck this morning, coffee showed up. Not much later, another yummy breakfast on the deck. 

Melissa is feeling better so took Lesly up on the offer to show us around. First, we went (Luis driving the Hummer, of course) to go see the minisuper that her daughter opened. Then we went to the house she is refurbishing as an AirBnB. Behind the house is her chicken coup that provides us with fresh eggs every day.

Then off to her little 4-room hotel (the only hotel in this village). 

We had lunch in the nearby city Cumyagua (sixth largest at 180,000 people) where you find everything from Wendy’s to really good food (sorry Wendy’s). We tried to find zinc gummies for Melissa’s cold but, despite being one of the largest cities, that is just not a thing here. 

We returned to hang out on our deck. It is in the 80’s but comfortable with the fan going. At night, admittedly, we sleep with the air conditioning going. 

We returned late-afternoon and retired to our deck for a rest. The plan was to go up to the main house for dinner. Later Lesly said it was a zoo up there and said Luis would bring down his BBQ dinner he put together for us to enjoy at the cabana. It was good but a ton of food. A whole plate is in the fridge for snacks tomorrow. 

Being in the middle of the city means it is noisier. Plus, Friday night means more music and traffic noise. Lots of dogs barking reminds us of when we stayed in Bucerias - one of the reasons we did not like Bucerias. 

Saturday

Breakfast and coffee were brought to us on the deck, again. We are spoiled. 

I saw the Hummer go out this morning. Turns out Lesly needed to take the baby to the doctor because the baby is not feeling well and not sleeping. Maria Jose and Naza almost turned around and came back from El Salvador but I think Lesly convinced them things were under control and they stayed to enjoy the wedding. 

After Lesly came back, Luis took us all for a sightseeing tour of the village and lunch at El Muelle - a restaurant and bar amongst maybe 7 swimming pools. 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046591424676&sk=photos

Lots of families were having fun in the pools and sun. We had their famous chicken and a couple of beers. 

We stopped at another water park but there was only one other couple there. The blaring music made us leave. Surprisingly a village of 8000 can support two of these places plus a third being built. We stopped at the city next door (La Paz) to partially restock the white wine on the way back. 

Dinner was on the deck again. Baby is still sick and the doctor came so it was a bit hectic in the main house. We are liking our deck. We are perfectly content to hang out all day reading and playing with Grok online. 

Sunday

I think little Maria waits until she sees our door open to the deck. She pops down to see if we want coffee. But of course… Soon after, her mom brings us breakfast. Do we have to leave tomorrow?

Lesly came back after attending funeral #2 of the week (horrible story). We hop in the big red Hummer and head into town for lunch at her favorite place. We unexpectedly met Naza’s mother and father, who were having lunch too.  

Later, back at the house Marie Jose and Naza, are back from their trip to El Salvador. Naza, Lesly and the two of us settled down at her barbeque area. Luis brought down a snack of fabulously marinated and grilled steak. We had some wine and enjoyed the evening. 

Monday

The usual coffee and breakfast on the deck. We then packed up getting ready for our departure to Roatan Island. The departure airport is 90 minutes away in the Capital city of Tegucigalpa - largest in Honduras.  

We stopped for Sushi in the city. The soup we ordered was fabulous but what are the noodles made of? Rice, says the waiter. How cool, we can eat that! He comes back a few minutes later correcting himself saying they are regular noodles made from wheat flour. Great - we both already ate about half of them. We ordered WAY too many rolls, so the staff will have a giant Sushi dinner tonight. 

They drove us 30 minutes to the airport so they could start back and hopefully avoid traffic. 

The plane was an EMB 110: 20 passenger, twin turbo prop, unpressurised relatively slow plane. They have not made one since 1990 - so ours was at least 35 years old (and did not look a day younger). Relatively safe plane with crashes usually due to pilot error or poor maintenance. This one was pretty ratty inside with the air vents not working and just a couple super noisy fans blowing air (from somewhere) up and down the aisles. We were only 7000 feet above ground so it was still very warm. Hmmm. What else did they skimp out of??? We made it. 

We picked up our rental car (VW pickup truck) and headed out to get groceries. The store was super nice - lots of choices for our food issues. Lots of vegan and gluten-free everything. Made us feel like home (which one?). 

We checked in and took the “ferry” over to the cay where our cabin is. I say ferry because the cay is only 80 feet away and the water barely 10 feet deep - you could almost walk there. We unpacked and Melissa made dinner. Dinner was home cooked meat sauce on pasta and fresh baked bread. 

Tuesday

We decided to do the PADI refresher course. It has been 11 years since we jumped in so going through all the procedures in the pool seemed prudent. We passed all the procedures with flying colors so we went out for a 45 minute dive after lunch. It was just us two (plus the divemaster) and the dive went well. Melissa said it was the most fun she has had diving, ever.  

Dinner was NY steak and baked potato in the cabana. 

Wednesday

Dave made omelets with some of the left-over meat sauce and cheese. We walked over and took the “ferry” in order to arrive for our 8:30 dive. The walk and ferry takes like 5-minutes. The seas looked rougher than yesterday which was confirmed when we got to the dive shop and he said they cancelled. Well, I guess back to the cabana for mimosas is in order. 

Later, we decided a trip around Roatan was in order. Half of the trip was fine but then we were on some of the worst roads we have seen since Africa. I think we averaged 20 kph. Melissa commented that she was glad we had a pickup truck with big tires. It would have been better in the Hummer. We had lunch on the “other side” down south. It took an hour to get our food - our guess is that a big, important family came after us but got priority. My salad was great but Melissa’s shrimp were fishy. We decided we had enough of bumpy roads and headed back to the cabana leaving exploring the other half for tomorrow. 

We hung out at the cabana for the afternoon. The winds are picking up to 25-30 knots. It is quite warm (high 80’s) so a breeze is welcome but it is not comfortable being directly buffeted by the wind.   

Thursday

Melissa made more bread in an English muffin shape. I made egg sandwiches with them. New invention: squeeze a little lemon into mayonnaise and it is a poor-man’s hollandaise. 

Did a whole lot of nothing today. Melissa did manage to get a massage and facial in. We had a late lunch of left-over meat sauce on pasta. That served as dinner, too. We found a movie in English on the TV and watched it in bed. 

Friday

We begin our journey back home. Melissa made herself a Greek salad for breakfast. I grazed. I also made some hard-boiled eggs for the trip. 

We had a couple hour trip to Miami on a 737. Amazing that they take off on a 6800 foot runway - they must load it light because max-gross takeoff requires almost 8000 feet. A 737 takes off in 2-3000 feet but they have to add emergency braking distance for aborted takeoffs. 

We arrived in Miami safe and sound but were totally disappointed with the hotel. First, Uber could not find the place so we had to navigate the driver with our Google Maps. Second, the hotel could not provide us keys despite 3 attempts. Third, a golf cart is supposed to take us but we ended up walking to building 12 - almost half a mile with luggage. Fourth, Melissa picked this place for their restaurant. She called room-service but no one answered. We cannot go down there because we have no keys. So I called Uber Eats and got a couple salads. 

Saturday

We had room service bring us breakfast. 25% taxes and fees on top of hotel priced meals. Dang 25% tariffs ;-) Melissa called to check out but they insist we come to the desk to return our keys. Don’t get us started about keys - Melissa was pissed and let them have it. So, they sent the cart and I turned in the empty key envelope.  “All set”, he says, after examining the empty key envelope. Double sigh. 

They called us a taxi - came late due to traffic around a huge golf event next door. Trump was expected to arrive soon so there were cops everywhere. We made it to the airport fine. Our travel agent screwed up the reservations (again) so my boarding pass was not marked with a TSA precheck. Off we went to the slow lane. Made it through security who said I did show up as pre-check - the database must have been updated while we waited in line. Triple sigh. This has happened a couple times with our Business Class Consolidators and is getting frustrating. 

We hung out in the lounge until flight time. We got some food because we doubted that we could eat anything on the plane. 

The flight to Mexico City was fine but we had to wait an hour for our luggage once we arrived. We had to check in again to get our PV tickets. We finally got to the lounge and it was packed - only a couple stools at the bar. Melissa went next door to get us some food. Soon we made our way to the plane. 

Arriving at PV domestically is great - no immigration, no long line at customs - you just breeze through. Greg and Shev were there to meet us and we were off with no delay. We got home where Joanne and Pepe were there to greet us. We had a couple glasses of wine and crashed for the night. 

Conclusion

Seven flights and 8 airports makes a long round trip to go to an island only 1300 miles away! 1300 miles is the distance between Seattle and Minneapolis. 

Staying at Lesly’s was fabulous. She and her staff were so accommodating. I think Melissa is already missing her hammock.  

Roatan is great. Being circled by coral makes the surf break 100 yards off thus it is very quiet and calm at our shore. The roads are OK (and getting better) between the resort and main town. Venture any further at your own risk. 

 

Winterizing SS7: A Journey from Elliott Bay to the Yard

Grok is Cool

My original text was rewritten by Grok. Maybe a little over-done in areas but I must admit, it reads better than my original. 

Bye Bye Seattle

On a crisp morning of October 3rd, we kicked off the process of getting SeaStar7 ready for winter. Melissa took charge of driving the car to Everett, while Dave piloted the boat from Elliott Bay. The trip went smoothly, with calm waters guiding us to Everett by early afternoon.

A Pleasant Stay in Everett

We settled in for a two-night stay in Everett, enjoying a brief pause in our preparations. Friends Dave, Melody, Jim, and Margaret joined us, and on the final night, we all shared a hearty dinner filled with good conversation. Jim and Margaret stayed on board with us, adding to the warmth of the evening.

Journey to Cap Sante and Winterization

On October 5th, Jim and Dave set sail for Cap Sante, while Melissa and Margaret drove the cars to Anacortes. Once at Cap Sante, Jim and Dave dove into the winterization process—a vital task to shield SeaStar7 from the cold months ahead. This includes draining water systems, blowing out all water lines with compressed air and pouring antifreeze into the drains. We were especially thorough this time, as the previous year’s poor winterization had led to damage in several systems. Learning from that, Dave has since crafted a detailed checklist to ensure everything is done right.

Overcoming Haul-Out Hurdles

Arranging a haul-out to our new winter storage spot proved trickier than expected. Seattle Yachts made the initial haul-out a breeze, but we needed a trailer capable of maneuvering into tight spaces. The first company we contacted backed out after inspecting the boat’s stabilizers, leaving us in a bind. Fortunately, BananaBelt stepped up, transporting SeaStar7 by trailer the very next day.

Final Touches in the Yard

With the boat safely delivered to the yard, Dave put the finishing touches on the winterization. This included running antifreeze through the raw-water intake of the engines, disconnecting and draining all hoses connected to through hulls, and ensuring she was fully prepped for the season. Now, she’s tucked in and ready to weather the winter, giving us peace of mind until spring.

Seattle

We followed the USS Ronald Regan out of port on 9/28. It is quite impressive to be so close to an aircraft carrier. We head across the Sound for Elliott Bay Marina only to find someone has taken our assigned slip. Luckily, they found another slip for us which was even nicer. Seattle will be our hangout for 4 nights. 

The next day, Jim came and picked up Dave for the Base2Space climb. This is the climb all the stairs on the Space Needle for charity event. We meet up with a friend and wait our turn to begin the climb. 

We were successful climbing 520 feet, 832 steps on 98 flights of stairs and enjoyed our margarita at the top. 

The next couple nights were dinners with family and friends before we begin heading north for our last trip of the season.

Back to the Lodge

We leave Bainbridge for Bremerton 9/24. It was a super foggy morning with less than 200-feet of visibility. Once we rounded the bottom of Bainbridge Island, it cleared and became a bright blue, warm day. It was the best weather in a month after a fairly lousy late summer. We tied up in our usual spot inside the breakwater.

The next day we had a rental car place come pick us up so we can drive out to David and Lisa's. The car was a Mazda CX30 - one of the cars Dave is considering for Mexico. He was glad to have rented it because, as he suspected, it just did not have the pep he was looking for. The driving in Mexico can take you over some pretty steep mountains. The old Hyundai barely had enough power to keep up with traffic so Dave wanted something a little more powerful. 

We had a great time with the Murphy's. We got dressed up and went out for a nice dinner the last night.  

South Sound

Jim and Margaret are still on board. We head down to Tacoma and tied up at the Dock Street Marina. The gang went up to the Glass Museum while the captain stayed back and pittered on the boat.

When the crew returned, Jim and Dave decide to do a little more troubleshooting on the generator. Working low in the compartment, Dave started to not feel well. The best we can determine is that he suffered from carbon dioxide poisoning. Carbon dioxide is heavier than air and can collect in low spaces. On the other hand, carbon monoxide is lighter than air and tends to disperse quicker. There will be a detector installed for next season. 

On the 21st, we head for the Des Moines Marina in time to catch the tail-end of the Saturday market. Dave is getting a lot of use out of his e-bike, this time riding up to Safeway for supplies. 

The next day we head for the Bainbridge Dock where we hoped to at least drop Jim and Margaret off. We lucked out and could tie up and ended up spending a couple nights. Jennifer came to collect Jim and Margaret. The dock is a super good deal - less than $80 for two nights with power. 

Dave and Melissa went for dinner at Hitchcock's. Monday is burger night - Dave's favorite. Those burgers were perhaps the best burgers ever. We will be back. 

Dinghy Platform Failure

Dave and Melissa left Everett for Poulsbo 9/12. It was a smooth crossing. 

The next day, we head south to pick up the Maurer crew at Jennifer's. The red kayak gets a new home here. Once the three guests are on board, we head for Ostrich Bay. 

The next day, we ran out of gas for the portable generator so needed to go on the search for power and or more gas. Up to Silverdale we went and tied up on the dock. They still do not have power on the dock so Jim went and filled the little gas can on land. It was a noisy/windy night. Dave gave up trying sleep and rose at 5:00.

On the 17th we head for the Bremerton Marina for a night.

After a peaceful night, we did a side trip up to Brownsville before taking Jennifer home. Dave put 25 gallons of gas into the tank and topped the dinghy tank. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew set off for the famous butcher returning with various lovely meats. It is low tide so tying to Jennifer's buoy is questionable. We tried lowering the dinghy platform while drifting but it wouldn't budge. Then Melissa noticed hydraulic fluid in the water. At least the platform was stuck up, not down. Back to Bremerton we went. Jennifer ended up taking two ferries to get back to Bainbridge Island.

Back to Everett

8/28 - We pointed the bow south for Everett. We hoped to clear using the ROAM app but had to divert to Port Angeles to clear because the app didn't work. Dave tried uninstalling/reinstalling but no luck. Because of the less than pleasant previous two clearings, we dumped the plants and soil just in case. Turned out to be a piece of cake and we were back on the way to Everett losing only an hour or so. 

Dave put his Vette up for sale since he has only driven it twice in the last two years. Got no real bites from Auto Trader (except for scammers) so he sold it to a dealer. No more Walla Walla Vette Vette trips. 

He also got his Paine Field badge renewed so has access to the hangar. Which by the way, got a super clean-out like the storage unit. 

Meanwhile, Dave is training with Jim for the Base2Space charity climb. This is an event where people climb the stairway all the way up to the main platform of the Space Needle. The purpose is to raise money for Fred Hutch cancer research. 

Another project was to wire up the autotransformer Dave bought to provide full 2-phase 240V from single phase 120V circuits (such as the generator or 30A shore power). Much of the boat (stove, oven, washer, dryer, etc.) are 240V so could not be used when on 120V power. With the autotransformer, we get 240V albeit at limited power (30% of what we get from 50A shore power). There is a "one thing at a time" rule when 120V. Ugly without the cover on, the box goes between a 120V-30A source and the 50A plug from the boat. 

After successfully crossing off several projects, we head further south on 9/12.

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