Not as newbie as I used to be

My wife, Carrie, and I just got back from a 12 day charter around the Gulf and San Juan Islands. We started the 2 days of instruction and then headed out on a 10 day flotilla. There were a total of 5 boats. The other 4 were sailboats. We had great weather and visited some great places. Hopefully we will go again next spring. We had recommendations from Trawler Forum members for a trip like the one we took. It was great advise. We were nervous going into it. We had never piloted a boat this size (37 ft) and had only operated a boat with an outboard. We enjoyed piloting the trawler and navigating around the Salish Sea. I am writing to encourage other beginners to charter this way with a couple of days of instruction beforehand.
The first photo is me having a beer in Genoa Bay, the second is Carrie keeping up with our position on the charts, the third is a sunset in Chuckanut Bay our fist night out, and the last isCarrie at the door of Kingfisher, 37 ft Nordic Tug. The owner, I believe, is a member here. Thanks for having her in charter. We took great care of Kingfisher and hope to charter her again someday!

Sorry 2 of the photos are sidways. I don't have time to figure out how to turn them. They were not side wise in my phone's gallery. I got to get back to working...

It sounds like you had a fantastic trip and I wholeheartedly agree. Chartering with some instruction is the best way to learn and also to get experience on a wide variety of boats!

You also picked one of the most beautiful places in the world to cruise. I'm headed up into the Gulf Islands in just a few weeks!

Congratulations...there's many who don't get past the dreaming about it stage.

Did the moths in your stomach wake up, or your mouth go dry at any point?

MurrayM said:

Congratulations...there's many who don't get past the dreaming about it stage.

Did the moths in your stomach wake up, or your mouth go dry at any point?

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In Inati Bay, on the last night out before returning to Bellingham Bay, I was trying to back up to raft with the other flotilla members and I had a tidal current with wind in a different direction. I had to squeeze between 2 boats. The current/wind pushed me sideways and I had to ditch out of the first attempt. Carrie had a roving fender at the ready. We didn't need the fender but we came closer to the other boat than I wanted to.

Hey, Kingfisher is my boat! So great to hear you had a good time on her. Your story completes the circle for me. My wife and I were at your level of experience three summers ago. We took a weekend training on the water and I learned a bunch from this forum. Then we chartered the very same boat (called Sea Hawg by the previous owner) with a couple days instruction before going on our own. We fell in love with the whole experience, ended up purchasing Sea Hawg, renaming her Kingfisher and leaving her in charter. And now she played the same learning role for you. How cool is that? I wish we had done the flotilla--you probably accelerated your learning with that experience.

Thanks for taking good care of Kingfisher and let me know if you have any suggestions to improve the systems or otherwise---we want to be sure she's ready to go for you next spring

I'll bet the boat is happy to be named Kingfisher instead of Sea Hawg.

Kingfisher is just a dock down from ours, and she is pretty!

Hi All - Congrats!!

What a simply great short story with endless fun beginnings and untold, oncoming happy ends... to create the Long, Long Story!

This IS What Pleasure Boating IS All About!

Love the picts... "Happy Boat Daze" - Art

Sounds like you had a great trip. San Juan Sailing is a great outfit. Expensive, but you get what you pay for. We Harter ed with them last year and had a great time. We may do it again this year.

What is the next step for you and Carrie?

Kartski said:

Hey, Kingfisher is my boat! So great to hear you had a good time on her. Your story completes the circle for me. My wife and I were at your level of experience three summers ago. We took a weekend training on the water and I learned a bunch from this forum. Then we chartered the very same boat (called Sea Hawg by the previous owner) with a couple days instruction before going on our own. We fell in love with the whole experience, ended up purchasing Sea Hawg, renaming her Kingfisher and leaving her in charter. And now she played the same learning role for you. How cool is that? I wish we had done the flotilla--you probably accelerated your learning with that experience.

Thanks for taking good care of Kingfisher and let me know if you have any suggestions to improve the systems or otherwise---we want to be sure she's ready to go for you next spring

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Karkski,
Everything on Kingfisher worked great. You all do a great job outfitting her! Thanks for appointing the kitchen so nicely! My wife and I also love being out on a trawler in the PNW. We already want to go again! Hopefully, we can get our own boat in a very few years.

I saw "Sea Hawg" in a couple of documents. Roger said the previous owner was from Arkansas and a Razorback fan. I grew up in Arkansas also and we are Razorback fans. However, I have to agree with Steve W. "Kingfisher" is a much nicer name!

Bligh, as you mentioned, chartering is expensive. So, we probably won't be able to go again until next year. We want to take our 2 kids on a trip (maybe next summer on "Kingfisher"). The trip we just went on was during school and Carrie and I were a bit nervous. It would be nice to charter with another couple sometime to split the cost. We would be able to charter more often then.

What a great trip. We chartered twice in the San Juans and have taken our boat over there. It definitely is a beautiful place to spend some time doing absolutely nothing.

snakeriveridaho said:

Karkski,

I saw "Sea Hawg" in a couple of documents. Roger said the previous owner was from Arkansas and a Razorback fan. I grew up in Arkansas also and we are Razorback fans. However, I have to agree with Steve W. "Kingfisher" is a much nicer name!

.

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The Razorback angle hadn't dawned on me, I understand now.
From a Tigers fan.

Congratulations on a great first step! Too often new members come here looking for advice and often skimp out on this important step. There is only so much one can research before they just have to get out there and do it. I've spoke privately with folks both online and on the docks who regret not having chartered first, many of them are now unhappy boat owners.