From about November through March, the pleasure boating opportunities substantially decline. Those five months usually see steady sequential storms rolling in from the Pacific. The calm between the storms is often short. These are the windows in which to cruise comfortably, but you have to be ready to go (and return) during that window. Of... Continue Reading →
When Labor Day is over and done, so is recreational boating for most people around here. Yet some of the nicest weather is in September and October, and so is some of the best boating. The crowds are gone and that means you have no trouble finding space at a marina, an empty mooring buoy... Continue Reading →
Pleasure boating. We subscribe to this. If the weather or sea conditions or something about Fiddler cause anxiety or preclude having a good time, we don't go. I closely watch the marine weather and keep Fiddler in ship shape. When including friends, good food, and activities in the mix, the pleasure factor in greatly enhanced.... Continue Reading →
I was planning to go to the San Juan Islands with my son this week. He changed his plans at the last minute and decided not to go. That was a bummer. The marine forecast was ideal, Cathleen had a busy home schedule, and the crabbing season was opening in a few days. As Jack... Continue Reading →
I had a rare opportunity to take both of my sons for a boating weekend. The first night was at anchor in Liberty Bay, a nearby favorite spot off the town of Poulsbo. Evan and Alec enjoyed a lot of kayaking and seal watching. There were seals everywhere, it was amazing! Later we grilled chicken... Continue Reading →
Washington State Parks and Recreation manages the largest mooring system in the nation with 40 marine parks located from Olympia to the San Juan Islands. The parks typically provide mooring buoys, a dock for shore access, and tent/RV camping. We are regular visitors. Marine park hosting is one of several types of hosts in the... Continue Reading →
Tacoma is located 25 miles by water and 31 miles by road south of Seattle. It adopted its name from nearby Mount Rainier which was originally called Tahoma. It is locally known as the “City of Destiny” because the area was chosen to be the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad in the late […]
This post covers two short trips in late March, one to Langley with Cathleen to search for gray whales and the other to Gig Harbor with Dale's son Evan. The Langley Marina is officially known as the Port of South Whidbey at Langley, on the inside of Whidbey Island a few miles north of the... Continue Reading →
Fiddler needs a lot of batteries, especially since spending time away from marinas in beautiful anchorages without running the generator is something we like to do. Here is a list of the batteries on board and what they are used for: 2 size 8D for starting the main engines and operating DC loads at anchor... Continue Reading →
It's February so it must be time for snow and the first cruise of the year. Bellevue received record snowfall this winter. The temperature spent an unusually lengthy time below freezing so the three consecutive storms just piled up the snow. Here is a picture of our cozy house after the second storm. One more... Continue Reading →
Fiddler 