How do you do your boating

Well so far this year we have not used the boat. Here it is another rainy day, the last day of June and the boat sits on its trailer under a roof where its been since last October. It looks like mid July before she gets in the water.

We trailer Budds Outlet about 8 miles to the launch ramp and typically go out for three day weekends. We also get in the annual week+ cruise either in Puget Sound or up into the San Juans and Canadian Gulf islands.

We are looking forward to my retirement in a couple more years, a new to us trawler/cruiser in the 40 foot range and extended Pacific Northwest cruising rain or shine. I sure wish there was an inexpensive way to move a 40 footer from the PNW to the warmer southern waters in the winter and back north in the spring.

twiisted71 said:

My pucker factor would go off the charts if my boat heeled like this!!

Sailboaters are nuts!!!

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You would dedinitely not like riding with my spouse at the helm. She's not shy about burying the rail (see avatar) while clawing her way to weather. 3,000 lbs. of ballast hanging 5 and a half feet below the hull means it can take a lot of wind and, if over-powered, will pop right up if you dump the main.

We have two boats and use them very differently. The 17' Arima we use for fishing and exploring, mostly at the north end of Vancouver Island (see Up Island threads in West Coast boating section for shots of what we do with the trailer boat).

The GB we've had for 14 years now and it has four functions. One is as a "getaway cabin" that we use almost every weekend of the year, my travel schedule permitting. We go up to the boat which is about 100 miles north of where we live and stay on it for the weekend, visiting friends or mucking about the Bellingham area. Or working on the boat (see Use #4).

The second use is as a mostly weekend cruiser on a year-round basis, weather and schedule permitting, for runs into the islands. I have a ways to go before I can start thinking about retiring from my current job (although I intend to keep working in some capacity after that), so we are limited right now to one longer trip per year, usually in September for a couple, three weeks when we go up into BC. But while the boat doesn't cover a lot of distance in a given year compared to many people with the time to cruise extensively, it is used weekly. Other than when I'm gone on business it is not sitting unused.

The third use is as a place for me to write. My day job is producing and directing marketing and operational videos for Boeing and our customers. But my other career is writing books. The GB makes a nice place to get out of town and write, particularly during the winter when it's stormy up in Bellingham. My current writing project is set on a boat up the BC coast during the winter so the atmosphere of sitting on one under the same conditions proves inspiring at times.

The fourth use of the GB is as a big floating hobby. I like working with wood, particularly refinishing good wood of which there is a rainforest's worth on our '73 boat. And there are all the other systems challenges that come with a boat that make life interesting. One reason we wanted an older boat was for just this purpose. We wanted something we could use from the outset and that was reliable and in good condition. But we also wanted something to learn different skills on, from plumbing to taking care of a 39 year old teak deck to canvas work to whatever comes up next.

Someday we'd like to take half a year and run up to SE Alaska, something we have done many, many times in the Beaver. But we're looking forward to the day--- if it ever comes--- that we can cover the same ground at a much slower and exploratory pace.

PS--- For a few years after moving here I crewed on a friend's racing sloop. My "job" was trimming the main and the spinnaker. As far as I'm concerned there is nothing as exhilarating as having everything pulling for you with the lee rail underwater.

Gotta love those Arimas. Mine was a 1511.

jeffnick said:

Gotta love those Arimas. Mine was a 1511.

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That is a really cool little boat.

We are on the hard as we renovate / repair our 1973 Gulfstar. We live 3 hours away, and try to spend a week on the boat once or twice a month to work on it. We're tied in to shore power, so we have lights, A/C, microwave and fridge. The marina has heads and showers near by, but we also have a porta-pot for late night pee calls. We do breakfast and lunch aboard, then clean up and eat out for dinner. We come back to socialize with the marina people, and watch the sunset. A little reading or a snack, then its lights out. As with camping, we find ourselves in tune with the sun, up at 0600, in bed by 2200. We do our outside work for the day till noon, then work inside. We're under cover, but its a steel roof that radiates the heat. Its is really nice to have the boat set up with linens, food, clothes, and tools. We don't have to bring very much with us, and came move right in and get to work. We hope to be in the water by this time next year.

Bilgewater said:

We are on the hard as we renovate / repair our 1973 Gulfstar. We live 3 hours away, and try to spend a week on the boat once or twice a month to work on it. We're tied in to shore power, so we have lights, A/C, microwave and fridge. The marina has heads and showers near by, but we also have a porta-pot for late night pee calls. We do breakfast and lunch aboard, then clean up and eat out for dinner. We come back to socialize with the marina people, and watch the sunset. A little reading or a snack, then its lights out. As with camping, we find ourselves in tune with the sun, up at 0600, in bed by 2200. We do our outside work for the day till noon, then work inside. We're under cover, but its a steel roof that radiates the heat. Its is really nice to have the boat set up with linens, food, clothes, and tools. We don't have to bring very much with us, and came move right in and get to work. We hope to be in the water by this time next year.

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That's a nice boat.

We bought our Calif 38 about a month ago and so far our only cruise has been moving her from Anacortes to Vashon (a long day!). We've been doing the much needed cleaning and small repairs. We're reitred so our plan is to spend weekdays out exploring Puget Sound this year and learning our boat. Next year the we'd like to take about 4-6 months cruising to SE Alaska.

We do our boating much as you do. We took a sabbatical for two months and went down to Florida on the ICW and had a great time. We left our boat in GA for a cheap rate and then picked it up in March to take her home.

Boating without water.
One More Time Around: James Island - Charleston SC