Ahoy from Seattle

Just signed up, this looks like a pretty active forum! I'm an old forum user (motorcycles, cars) and a soon-to-be retired member of the yacht business (repairer, installer, surveyor) - been at it 30 years. It wasn't my chosen field, but I ended up there because of my seemingly incurable addiction to boats. Been hooked since I drove my first one at age 5.

So, anyway, Howdy, y'all! And Happy Holidaze!

Got me beat by a few years as I didn't get into boats till I was 12. Built a canvas covered kayak at that age in 1951. Got into aviation for 20 years and the only boating I didn't stop doing was canoeing.

Gnorts I see your boat's name is "Surprise". The man that does the Wagoner Cruise Guide had a 37' Tolly by that name. Obviously it was a well known boat.

Gnorts, welcome aboard. You and I have probably been boating about the same amount of years, but your experience level is waaaaaay beyond mine. Glad to have you here!

Hi Gnorts,

Welcome, I'm new here myself and new to power boating, but have had a sailboat for many years, (San Juan 23). So do you still ride? I have been motorcycling since I was 14. I still ride a Moto Guzzi in the states and have a K75 here in England.

Cheers

Hey Eric;

Did you check your PM a couple of days ago?

Merry Christmas;

Ed

manyboats said:

Got me beat by a few years as I didn't get into boats till I was 12. Built a canvas covered kayak at that age in 1951. Got into aviation for 20 years and the only boating I didn't stop doing was canoeing.

Gnorts I see your boat's name is "Surprise". The man that does the Wagoner Cruise Guide had a 37' Tolly by that name. Obviously it was a well known boat.

Click to expand...

Yes, we discovered that after we named her. Another namesake is the fictional HMS Surprise, under Capt. Jack Awbrey's command in the Patrick O'Brian stories. My wife Heather and I named her because of our discovery of each other late in life, and our discovery of such a well-equipped boat for so little money!

The Tolly 37 was high on our list during our boat search, but this one won out!

dhmeissner said:

Hi Gnorts,

Welcome, I'm new here myself and new to power boating, but have had a sailboat for many years, (San Juan 23). So do you still ride? I have been motorcycling since I was 14. I still ride a Moto Guzzi in the states and have a K75 here in England.

Cheers

Click to expand...

Yeah, I still ride, but not as much as I used to, since I got married and bought a boat! Nice to see a fellow Guzzista here! I ride a Griso 1100, and also have a Honda ST1300.

I'm also an ex-sailor, lived aboard and cruised a 34ft Victoria, built in the UK, for 19 years until my knees wore out. Now I'm a happy stinkpotter!

You're from Seattle, but also live in the UK?

Gnorts said:

Yeah, I still ride, but not as much as I used to, since I got married and bought a boat! Nice to see a fellow Guzzista here! I ride a Griso 1100, and also have a Honda ST1300.

I'm also an ex-sailor, lived aboard and cruised a 34ft Victoria, built in the UK, for 19 years until my knees wore out. Now I'm a happy stinkpotter!

You're from Seattle, but also live in the UK?

Click to expand...

Yes at the moment we live in Ipswich, Suffolk. I work for a Seattle instrument manufacturer and am coming to the end of a 2 year stint here. Ipswich actually has a very nice waterfront. The Orwell river comes to Ipswich, so we do get our "boat fix" when we need it. It's a fantastic part of England. We'll be back for good around July and we can start enjoying the water. We have The Promise at the Canal Marina on the Freemont cut.

Fair winds...

When you get back to Seattle and get back on that Guzzi, ride on out to Enumclaw on the first Saturday of the month for the local Guzzi club breakfast! 9AM, rain or shine, at the Krain Corner Cafe, 39929 264th Ave Se, Enumclaw, WA 98022 - that's SR189 north of town.

See you there, maybe...and if you like forums, here's one that I hang out in occasionally:

illuminati guzzisti :: View Forum - illuminati guzzisti discussion

John

I had always wanted to do that breakfast ride, but something always came up, or I slept in or something, but when we get back I will make it a priority. I've been on the Wildgoose site as "Palouse Rider", but haven't been very active especially lately.

Cheers