September 25, 2004
I retired in late August, and moved back home to the Seattle, Washington area from Southern California. I'm just now getting organized, in a house just a mile from the Edmonds, Washington marina. There's a reason for this location.
Now that I'm sorta-settled, I've started my search for the "perfect boat" for me -- a trailerable cabin boat with shallow draft but capable of safely cruising the San Juan Islands and the Strait of Georgia. I hope to buy something this winter, take a few day cruises in Puget Sound to get used to it, and be ready for island hopping come Spring.
When I find what I'm looking for I'll post more on this page.
October 11, 2004
I found it! It's a '93 Arima Sea Ranger, 19' with a pair of Honda 45HP outboards, in about as pristine condition as an 11-year-old boat can be. I brought it home October 5, and it sits in the back yard, waiting for Washington State licensing. That will happen soon. In the meantime, I'm going over it with a fine-tooth comb, making sure things work (everything does) and completely servicing the outboards, so I have a starting point for scheduled maintenance.
Click here to see the boat,
here for a writeup on the shakedown cruise (.pdf),
here for a writeup of a cruise in the American San Juans, and
here for my cruise to Princess Louisa Inlet and Desolation Sound -- 8 days and 753 nautical miles.