The boat finally arrived at New England Boatworks on Thursday, June 8 at about 12:30 in the afternoon. Thanks to the quick response by our driver, Alan, and the NEB travel lift crew, she was floating by 1:20. After so many delays getting her here, including a 10-day stint at a truck stop in Maryland waiting for permits, this quick splash was a welcome relief. She was very dirty from all the road filth, but aside from that and a few superficial scrapes from tree branches and other flying debris, she was in great shape. Continue reading Putting Her Back Together→
It was The Trip From Hell, but it’s over. She’s home! After a planned 10-day trip across the country morphed slowly and painfully into a 25-day odyssey, Esmeralde finally arrived at New England Boatworks yesterday, June 8 at about 12:30 on a beautiful sunny afternoon. Continue reading She’s Home!→
As we went through our normal pre-departure routine before leaving Seattle, I flipped on the instruments, engine panel and VHF. While I waited for Bruce to finish up the engine room check, I became a ware of a lot of activity on the radio. Coast Guard chatter back and forth. Things like “Vessel is evading!” “Subject heading north, 35 knots!” “Giving chase!” and “Come to a full dead stop NOW!” got my attention. I told Bruce something was up. When I heard coordinates, a looked at our chart plotter: whatever was happening was just outside Elliott Bay, a few miles from our berth at Bell Harbor Marina. This would be interesting. Continue reading Shakedown – Part 8 – Seattle to Gig Harbor→
We left Port Townsend after a short but pleasant visit. The forecast for heading south into Puget Sound was perfect. Glassy calm and partly cloudy. We were eager to continue on, and our destination was a big one: Seattle. Neither of us had ever been to the city before and we thought it would be fun to see it by boat. Continue reading Shakedown – Part 7 – Seattle→
On Saturday, April 1st we officially took delivery of our new boat. (April Fool’s, anyone? We hope not.). We moved aboard that afternoon. It was kind of a heady moment, something that we had anticipated for roughly a year. And now it was real. Unbelievably, the sun magically came out from behind the clouds. We took a bottle to the flybridge to try to relax and let it all soak in. The next morning the sun came out also. Good omens of times to come. Continue reading The Maiden Voyage→
The hull is a gentle green – the gel coat name is Sea Shell Green – and the decks and superstructure are a soft white. The name on the transom is gold and black, understated but with a touch of fun in the font choice. The pinstriping detail around the eyebrow, upper deck and stack is a muted red.
So what would one expect to discover upon stepping aboard and peeking inside? Well, if this were just any boat one might find a muted natural-color upholstery, a soft tan carpet, and perhaps some throw pillows with a splash of color to remind of the Sea Shell Green hull.
From the very beginning of this project, the folks at American Tug described the completion and launch of the boat as “late March”. And what do you know? On March 30 they dropped her in the water. That pretty much describes our entire experience with American Tug: 100% on everything. More on that later.
Here is a video of the launch, which took place at 8:30 am, and the sea trial, which started at 9:45 and ended successfully at 11:15.
Things like “Vessel is evading!” “Subject heading north, 35 knots!” “Giving chase!” and “Come to a full dead stop NOW!” got my attention. I told Bruce something was up. When I heard coordinates, a looked at our chart plotter: whatever was happening was just outside Elliott Bay, a few miles from our berth at Bell Harbor Marina. This would be interesting. 
The hull is a gentle green – the gel coat name is Sea Shell Green – and the decks and superstructure are a soft white. The name on the transom is gold and black, understated but with a touch of fun in the font choice. The pinstriping detail around the eyebrow, upper deck and stack is a muted red.
