Almost, but not quite, cruising.
After successfully but not entirely sorting out the generator, dinghy and electronics, we were ready to roll out of Bellingham. Two items remained: calibrating our new electronics bits, and picking up some extensions for the dinghy mounts so the hatch to the upper deck would clear the dinghy tube. Continue reading Shakedown – Part 5 – Can We Go Cruising, Finally?
We didn’t really want to spend three days in Bellingham, but we are realistic about shaking down a brand new boat and understand that a certain amount of delay and cruising interruption is normal. This is actually our second interruption, as we already spent three days in Anacortes for the same reasons: our dinghy and our generator. Continue reading Shakedown – Part 4 – Generators, Autopilots, Dinghies and Bellingham
After our excellent evening in Friday Harbor on Tuesday and the freshest salmon we have ever enjoyed, we had to get to Bellingham on Wednesday. Our new dinghy, which would replace our dearly-departed 10-year-old dinghy, would be delivered on Thursday and all the associated bits-and-pieces would be installed. More on that later. For now, we had to get the boat the thirty miles or so in some snotty weather. A good opportunity to see how she handled. Shakedown, Part 3. Continue reading Shakedown – Part 3 – Feisty Weather
We arrived in Friday Harbor on Tuesday after a beautiful run down Haro Strait and in through Cattle Pass. Sunshine and a fair current always improve the mood, and we loved it.
The one thing we missed that day was an open invitation to go fishing with our new water-rat friends from LaConner, Scott and Ellen, on Scott’s Skagit Orca. Scott is an accomplished outdoorsman and fisherman and had already shared some fresh catch with us a week earlier. Sigh. We can’t have everything. Continue reading Shakedown – Part 2 – SALMON!
Esmeralde’s shakedown started with our maiden voyage from LaConner to Anacortes, where we spent three nights at Cap Sante Marina.
The first day in Anacortes we sat out gale to storm force winds which blew a solid 40 knots and gusted to 60 much of the afternoon. It was a hang-on-tight day. The boat show, scheduled to start in Anacortes that day at the marina, was pretty much shut down. Continue reading Shakedown – Part 1
BruceBeard.com 