Beyond Yachtworld.com
We restarted our search for our Puget Sound Vessel. We decided to forget about trawlers and concentrate on sailboats since we have not yet grown out of our love for sailing and there is simply not a more perfect or beautiful environment than the Pacific Northwest for sailing. Yachtworld.com of course is the primary vehicle for searching out prospective vessels. There are several other web sites that we check from time to time but all brokers list on yachtworld, much like MLS.com for real estate.
We have definite goals for the next vessel as we see our sailing lives over the next several years. First we want to downsize and so we are limiting our search to 36-39' vessels. We really want to avoid buying a vessel larger than our needs to keep maintenance cost in check and a vessel that is easier to manage and sail for two. We have looked at some 34' vessels and determined they are a bit small for living aboard for extended times. We have already seen a 36' Pearson that is moored at the Seattle Yacht Club and it feels just about perfect n size for our next vessel. This particular boat was fully outfitted for extended cruising and had lots more equipment on it than we will ever use, but we liked the boat it would be just a hassle removing all that equipment and selling it off.
We are also in an environment now where condensation is the primary battle among boat owners. Most of the vessels here have diesel forced air heaters which are the preferred means for managing condensation on the interior of the hulls.
We made an appointment with Fred at West Yacht Sales in Anacortes to go see a Catalina 36' Mark I and a 39' Beneteau Oceanis. The Catalina at 13,500 pounds is considered a moderate displacement sailboat. We have owned two Catalinas in the past so we are fully aware of the Catalina line of production boats. They are very simple to sail and to maintain compared to our 42' Endeavour. We also liked the fact that almost the entire interior is fiberglass so it is easy to clean and maintain. Any condensation would be much easier to manage. There is plenty of storage and living space for our needs. We would be sailing the inside of Puget Sound 95+% of the time so the need for a full displacement ocean type vessel is not required.
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| This beautiful Marina sits in a beautiful protected harbor just off Fidalgo Bay in Anacortes. Just a short sail away to all of the San Juan Islands. |
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| We checked out this 1989 Catalina 36 Mark I. I knew we were starting here to form the image of our next vessel. |
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The Admiral right away spotted some repair work on the bow and immediately asked the Broker about it. The Broker acted as if he was completely unaware but being confronted with what everyone who was standing there was an obvious repair had to admit that the bow must have at least had some major gel coat repair work done. Wonder what it hit?
Also the Admiral was not wanting to entertain the thought of a boat named after the Protagonist in the Hobbit.
A protagonist (from Ancient Greek πρωταγωνιστής (protagonistes), meaning "player of the first part, chief actor") is the main character in any story, such as a literary work or drama. [1]
The protagonist is at the center of the story, should be making the difficult choices and key decisions, and should be experiencing the consequences of those decisions. The protagonist should be propelling the story forward. If a story contains a subplot, or is a narrative that is made up of several stories, then there may be a character who is interpreted as the protagonist of each subplot or individual story.
We do not really need anyone else propelling our story forward, we manage that just fine on our own.
Then we looked at the 39' Beneteau Oceanis. Man, they have incredible storage on the deck. As I was marveling at the storage on the deck the Admiral went down below. She came flying back out of that boat and said "Steve, I think there is Black Mold in there" She certainly is not up to inhaling toxins. I went down below to investigate and at first I thought she was right. I peaked behind some white vinyl headliner that covers some of the ceiling and all of the hanging closets, the heads and other spaces. There was this black powdery substance, I brushed my finger across it and realized it was the foam backing to the headliner that had literally disintegrated into a fine dust like particles. Right then I knew this would not be the boat so I told the Broker we were done. Later the admiral was researching headliner problems on sailboats and saw this on the cruisers forum: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f55/head-liner-replacement-help-1671.html scroll down to captgrunch's remarks.
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| A "Just Message" as we were departing the Marina. |
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| The Admiral has always been the tour Guise and she said why drive all the way up here to Anacortes and not get on a Ferry to a San Juan Island for a few hours? Whoa!, Mt. Baker is out.Vies is Crossing Rosario Strait looking North |
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| So we parked our car at the Ferry Parking lot and walked on. |
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We got there just in time to catch the Ferry to Orcas Island.
Looking South down Rosario Strait. |
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| As soon as you step on the ferry to the San Juans you immediately melt into this incredible environment. They are the center piece of Puget Sound. |
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| Our Daughters family just happened to be on that ferry returning to Seattle after a long Summer solstice weekend on Orcas. |
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| Looking West through Thatcher Pass. |
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| Rounding Blakely Island to Starboard |
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| My favorite Pic of the Day Looking across Harney Channel towards Mt. Baker |
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| Many interesting island work boats. |
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| Hiking around the shore line |
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| A few mooring balls tucked in this small bay, a few docks are moored to the mooring ball |
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| Several small private moorage docks dot the islands |
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| Several cruisers anchored for the night off Bell Island |
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| Another private marina, not on Active Captain or any other web site. |
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| We found a spot to enjoy the view. |
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Then went and found another spot to enjoy a fine IPA.
The couple that runs this gift shop and Whale watch tour asked me if I would be interested in working for them and driving their whale watch boat, in fact they were interested in selling their entire business. |
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| Let the Grass grow under your feet. |
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| Time to return. |
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| After a quick stop at Shaw Island, we could see Mt. Baker peaking over the trees. |
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| How about a house on the NE shore of Lopez Island with this view? |
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One last look back
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We plan on returning to Anacortes to see a couple of more boats soon, but now we know through in an afternoon in the San Juan's as a bonus.
