Vacation begins! Sass clan in WA and Backpacking!

Immediately upon finishing moving aboard Maya, we headed off to the airport to pick up Chris and Debbie for their PNW visit!

Hanging out at Luke and Rachel's in Seattle

We had a great time with the Sass clan- getting a chance to explore downtown Seattle, wine tasting in Woodinville, and hanging at Luke and Rachel's house in North Seattle.

Wine Tasting at Chateau Ste. Michelle - beautiful weather!

We also got a chance to show everyone the boat! As luck would have it, the weather cooperated and we had great wind for sailing! The six of us and Disco went out for a spring sail on the Salish sea.
Good times on the water!

Happy hour aboard Maya (post sailing)

Cigars on the water

Rachel and Debbie

Sailing along!

As Chris and Debbie's Washington stay ended, we geared up for a 3 day backpacking adventure into the Enchantments (see link: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes).

Icicle River at the start of the hike

We hiked 10 miles and a vertical mile to camp on a beautiful apline lake. There were 6 of us on the trip, and we had wonderful trip into the backcountry.
The food was great and someone even brought up Pass the Pigs (Great game!).

Jenny descending down a switchback

Crossing a boulder field- hard to do with big packs on!

Jenny at Lake Vivian

There was lots of snow on the trail- we used microspikes and trekking poles to make our way through

Our campsite at Upper Snow Lake

Looking a bit tired after a full day's hike

Happy hour view from camp- can't beat the scenery!

Selfie on our way to camp

Day Hike to Lake Vivian

Day hike up to Lake Vivian

Nap time

Lake Vivian was 1000' higher than Upper Snow lake- it was still frozen and MUCH colder up there! Very happy we camped at the lake below.

Jenny at Lake Vivian

Next up we fly to Chicago for a long overdue trip to the Midwest!

Moving out and moving aboard

It's been a whirlwind of activity and travel since the last blog post so let us bring you up to speed on what we have had going on!

First off, we sold our house! Woooo! We were lucky to find good buyers who loved our house. Happy to report the whole real estate transaction went very smooth. Inspections and appraisals went well and the buyers were very motivated to move in. The buyers were poodle breeders and the property was exactly what they were looking for.
Huge shout to Mom for consulting on the real estate process- we listed our house by owner and had never sold a home before.
Couldn't have survived the process with your help! Thank you!

Our first house- We loved it all!

With the closing date set, we zeroed in on organizing all of our stuff for a garage sale. What an effort! Woof!
With storage space on the boat at an absolute premium we had to sell most everything we owned. Tables, couches, beds, etc, it all had to go.

The weekend of the garage sale was absolutely perfect and our marketing paid off because we were mobbed with garage salers! The deals were good and the garage salers knew it!

Garage sale vibes

We had a bunch of friends come over and sell their stuff too, which basically turned into a big last bash at our house. Good times in Cashmere. We will miss our cashmere crew!

At this point we were pretty tired from the effort of showing our house, organizing the garage sale, and actually hosting the garage sale.

To good will!

Unfortunately, we only had about a week in between the garage sale and closing date, so we pushed on and continued the effort to move out.

Loading up the Jeep with stuff we are keeping

Renewed with the idea that our last day of work was May 18th, we soldiered on and closing day on the house came and we packed down the ol' Jeep and trailer and cruised over the mountains and moved aboard!

Packed to the gills!

Farewell to our first house!

Moving out and on the road

Pit stop in Seattle on the way to Anacortes

Arriving at the marina with all our stuff

Our new neighborhood

Moving aboard was a bit overwhelming. Stuff everywhere!

Moving aboard day! Home is on the water!

In the months approaching this move we have been talking and planning on what we were going to need on the boat.... not actually knowing if everything was going to fit or where and how we were going to store stuff on the boat. I was totally doubting the boat was going to be able to bring all our stuff.

So much stuff.

Even as we were loading the boat, with bags and crap strewn all about the dock, I was sure we had packed too much. Somehow, after a few hours work, the accommodated all of our stuff! It was some sort of black magic or something, but all of our stuff fit!

And we are bringing a ton of stuff!
Big items include:
-Two Inflatable Stand up paddle boards
-Industrial sewing machine (yes, really! It's a sailrite machine and it's awesome check it out here: SAILRITE SEWING MACHINE)
-Tons of tools for repairs
-snorkling gear
-backpacking gear
-fishing and crabbing gear
-so much more

So there you go- we officially live on a boat! Life goal accomplished!

Disco is settling into boat life :-)

Ready, Set, GO!

Hello! Wanted to give everyone an update on happenings.
1. Our house sold!
2. Selling Everything
3. Last day of work is May 18th.
4. Moving aboard
5. Midwest trip

1. House sold
We listed our house on the market as a For Sale By Owner in early April. After approx three weeks and many many showings, we found buyers! The whole selling process, while stressful at times, went very smoothly and we are set to close on the house late May.

2. Selling everything
How do we have this much stuff?! Because we are moving into our tiny floating house, space is at an absolute premium..... which means we sell just about everything! We are set to have a massive moving sale/party prior to closing on the house in late May.

3. Last day of work is May 18th.
Whoa! Is that real? It doesn't feel real. After about 6 years of working professionally full time, we are taking some time off from work. It's hard to leave our great and flexible jobs, but this adventure we have planned is simply too important to us to stay at our jobs.

4. Moving aboard
After we jettison all of our stuff at the garage sale, we will pack up everything that remains and head over to the boat and move aboard! We will figure out how (or if) we can fit everything aboard and then start cruising around the San Juans until Jenny's parent's come into town to visit.

5. Midwest Trip
Early June we are headed to the Midwest to visit family and friends. We will hit Crystal Lake, downtown Chicago, Kansas City, then party on down at a wedding outside Omaha.

6. Free to cruise
So after the Midwest trip we will be free to start cruising around! Very excited to start!

This is about as brief as I can be- we are currently in the middle of pricing everything for the garage sale and organizing for the move.

More updates to follow! Thanks for following the adventure! Cheers!

We managed to get some skiing in this winter! (Mt Rainier in the background)

We got a new dinghy! Her name is Rita Red and she's a Portland Pudgy.. More information here: http://www.portlandpudgy.com/

Our storage unit- we moved this stuff out of the house while we were trying to sell it. Now we getting ready to sell all of this stuff!

For Sale By Owner! We hosted 4 Open Houses and the house sold after 3 weeks on the market.

Enjoying happy hour on the porch.

After a few more glasses of wine.

We love our little Cashmere Golf Course! The pro shop is a single wide trailer- definitely our kind of place

Click here for video of our golf course

Our little golf course has the best views! Cascade Mtns in the background.

Digging up the septic system as part of the house selling process

Disco cuddles like a 2x4 piece of lumber

Jenny was chosen to be a particpant at our local Renaissance Festival 

Getting ready for the garage sale! So much stuff!

All about Maya

Specifications

Year Built: 1980

LOA: 37′ 2″

Length of Water Line: 26′ 6″
Beam: 10′ 2″
Draft: 5′ 6″
Displacement: 16,800 lbs.
Ballast: 6,500 lbs.
Fuel: 45 US. Gal
Year Introduced: 1967

Length Overall: 37′ 2″

Sail Area, Sloop: 646 sq.ft.

Water: 70 US Gal.

Designer: Carl Alberg

Built: 1980

Year Ended: 1988

Builder: Whitby Boat Works (Canada)

 The Details:

Hull / Deck

1. Solid GRP hull, encapsulated ballast, full keel/cutaway forefoot
2. Through Hull Fittings (3)
1. Engine water intake:  Under cabin sole immediately forward of companionway ladder on port side
2. Galley sink drain: Starboard side main cabin
3. Head sink drain:  Port side just forward of mast
3. LED running lights

Spars

1. Mast (custom built by PT Rigging in 2011)
1. Height (from water): 50' safe clearance
2. Mast is keel-stepped
3. Internal run halyards:  main, foresail, staysail, spinnaker,
4. Electrical/Instruments: gWind anemometer, mast top light, spreader lights, foredeck light
5. Single spreader
6. Inner forestay and running backstay tangs
7. Winches: Port and starboard primaries with clutches, aft for reefing lines and outhaul
8. Reef-able lazy jack system (from PT Rigging)
2. Seldon boom (custom configured by PT Rigging in 2011)
1. End-boom sheeting
2. Soft boom vang: lead aft to cockpit
3. Internal lines with quad stopper at gooseneck:  Reefing (1st=blue, 2nd=red), Topping Lift (white/gold), Outhaul
3. Spinnaker pole (PT Rigging mount on mast with infinite loop system to deploy/stow)
4. Other spar inventory:  reaching pole, misc

Sails

1. Main (Lidgard - full batten, loose foot, Strong Track, 2 reef points; Hasse maintenance in 2011)
2. Jib (Hasse new in 2011)
1. 125% with 2 reef points; foam luff pads; Sunbrella sun guard strip
2. Profurl roller furling
3. Asymmetric spinnaker (with sock)
4. Other sail inventory: old main, laminate main, 100% hank-on jib

Engine and propulsion systems

1. Beta Marine 30hp (Beta30 installed new in 2012)
1. Down angle TMC60A transmission w/ 2:1 RGR
2. Upgrade C Instrument Panel (tachometer, oil temp, oil pressure, start, kill)
3. High rise exhaust with cross-over
2. Propeller shaft: 1"stainless steel
3. Campbell Sailor Propeller:  three blade, Right Hand rotation, 13" diameter, 9" pitch, 1" shaft 
4. Dripless propeller shaft bearing
5. Fuel consumption: 0.5gph at 5.5kts, 0.75gph at 6.2kts

Fuel systems

1. Primary diesel tank (aluminum, 35 gal) under cabin sole
1. Vent through desiccant system on aft cockpit coaming (starboard side)
2. Deck fill plate on starboard side
3. Dip stick for level monitoring
4. Primary tank and fuel scrubbed 2013 
2. Secondary diesel tank (aluminum, 10+ gal) under cabin sole 
1. Commissioned in 2015; transfer pump (2gal/min) under settee next to house batteries with toggle switch
2. Deck fill plate port side
3. Vent through desiccant system on aft cockpit coaming (starboard side)
3. Filters:  Racor primary (new 6/2015 on starboard bulkhead of engine compartment), 2micron  secondary (engine mount)

Steering systems

1. Edson wheel steering (wheel chain to cable to rudder post)
2. Tiller steering backup 
3. Autopilot Autohelm 4000 (bridge deck mount)
4. Monitor wind vane steering 

Navigation and electronic systems (all new 2012-5)

1. Ritchie DNW 200 Navigator Compass (at binnacle)
2. Garmin 4210 Chartplotter/GPS: mounted at binnacle in NavPod (chart display with GPS, radar, sonar overlays)
3. Garmin GMI20 digital display: mounted on forward bulkhead of cockpit (display wind, speed, depth)
4. Garmin HD 18" radar (ScanStrut gimbaled mount on backstay)
5. Garmin/Nexus gWind anemometer, Garmin/Airmar B45 depth/temp transducer, Garmin GSD22 Sonar Blackbox, Signet knot meter transducer
6. Garmin GXM52 Satellite Weather Antenna/receiver

Communication systems

1. VHF transceiver:  ICOM M502
2. Iridium Satellite Phone- utilizing RedPort Optimizer for weather data in remote locations
3. Automatic Identification System (AIS)- Vesper Maine XB6000

Electrical systems

1. 12 volt
1. Batteries: 3 house (SRM-29 675 CCA), 1 crank (24M XHD 2/09)
2. ProNautic 1240P 40 amp Digital "Smart" Battery Charger
3. Alternator
4. Inverter:  400 Watt Maxx SST Vec 024
5. Blue Sea rotary battery switches 
6. Battery monitors, breakers on electrical panel (under companionway steps)
2. 110 v system (shore power)

Ground tackle

1. Primary Anchor
1. Rocna 20
2. Oversized Mantus Swivel
3. Rode specs: 400' total (220' 5/16 BBB chain, 180' line; marked every 50')
4. Mantus Bridle System
2. Stern anchor
1. Fortress FX-23
2. Rode specs:  270' total (20' 5/16" high test chain; 250' 5/8" nylon braid line)
3. Stowed under cabin sole at mast step
3. Windlass: Lofran Tigres (electric 12 v); foot switches by windlass on foredeck

Galley

1. Adler-Barbour CU-200 Super Cold Machine condenser (mounted on bulkhead in starboard lazarette)
2. Adler-Barbour evaporator unit 
3. Refrigerator box
4. Dickenson Mediterranean 3 burner propane stove/oven

Plumbing systems

1. Water tanks
1. Total capacity:  70 gallons
2. Two tanks: primary (aluminum, ~45 gals) under cabin sole; secondary (aluminum, ~25 gals) under forepeak bunk
3. Port-side deck fill plates
4. Dual filter system on fill hoses (stowed in port lazarette)
2. Lines/service
1. 1/2" lines from each tank to manifold and from manifold to each of two sinks
2. Manifold under port setee: ball/cock valves for flow from each tank; ball/cock valves for flow to each of two sinks (galley, head)
3. Manual pumps at galley sink (New Zealand Traditional bronze) and head sink (Perko)
3. Head: 
1. Composting head (Nature's Head) installed 2012
2. Solar active vent on coach roof (port side by mast)
3. Through-hulls from original head removed (2013)
4. 10+ gal waste tank recommissioned as aux diesel tank 2015 

Tenders

1. A bright red Portland Pudgy- you can't miss it.

Safety

1. PFDs
2. Life Line (throwable): stowed on stern rail
3. Fire Extinguisher Type B-II Several onboard
4. Flares
5. Horn
6. Bilge pumps: automatic in bilge, manual (Whale) in cockpit by helm
7. Deck plates to seal all dorade vents
8. MOB pole 

(provided by http://bluewaterboats.org/alberg-37/)

Updated plan! We're going North!

180 Degree Change and Stopping to Smell the Roses

Hello everyone! We have just experienced our first plot twist of our cruising trip. That change is a 180 degree turn from South to North!

Instead of heading to Mexico we are planning on cruising North to BC and possibly Alaska!

Why the change? Ever since this "sailboat" idea came to be, we have been running around like CRAZY PEOPLE, prepping for the adventure- two years of immense work and planning. Several weeks ago we had basically reached our breaking point- we have been prepping the house to sell it, all while also prepping to flip our lives upside down..... at the same time.

On a Sunday night, after a weekend full of moving stuff into storage (moving is the worst), we opened a bottle of wine, and after two sips Jenny proposed the idea of cruising north instead of south..... I was instantly sold on the idea, and the pressure and stress of everything we were doing immediately lifted. We finished the bottle of wine, excited at the prospect of what awaits us up North.

This begs the question.... what is up North? BC has several world renowned cruising grounds.

Desolation Sound

From Wikipedia: Desolation Sound is a deep water sound at the northern end of the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia, Canada. Flanked by Cortes Island and West Redonda Island, its spectacular fjords, mountains and wildlife make it a global boating and sea kayaking destination.

What is extra cool about Desolation Sound is the fact that the water is WARM!!! Because of the unique geography of Desolation Sound, the water doesn't circulate with the rest of the Pacific Ocean, which means the sun warms the water... up to 80 degrees in the late summer!

The Broughtons

From an online source: The Broughton Archipelago is a British Columbia (BC) Marine Park. It is located between the North end of Vancouver Island and the Coast Mountains of mainland BC. The Broughton Archipelago Marine Park consists of hundreds of small islands, some of which are only numbered rather than named. These islands are surrounded by small channels which are spectacular to paddle by kayak. This little known part of the world is a haven for nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts.

These are only two of the common cruising grounds found in BC- there are literally thousands of miles of coastline to explore... and the further north you go the fewer people you encounter. Not to mention, the fishing and crabbing is supposed to be world famous. We are definitely bringing a fishing and crabbing setup with us- good eating awaits!

The prospect of slowing down our pace, coupled with the expansive and pristine wilderness opportunities that BC offers.... well, it was simply a path we couldn't pass up.


Now that you are informed on what we are GOING to do, let me brief you on what we have been up too since the last update.

Work in preparation to sell the house has been very time consuming. This includes the last little projects (kitchen backsplash and some other little updates). We have also been kept busy preparing to move- organizing things, putting stuff we will sell at our garage sale in storage, selling things online, taking staged photos of the house for our real estate listing, etc. Exhausting stuff, but we are ahead of schedule and enjoying that fact.

In boat activities, we attended the Seattle Boat Show! This time last year we didn't even have a boat, so it was a much different show this year. We took advantage of boat show deals on products we need for our trip... namely a satellite phone and other (stupidly expensive) safety gear. Another great thing about the boat show is all the seminars and classes offered there. Over the course of two weekends I spent 12 hours in diesel engine classes. Understanding how our engine works (and how to fix it when something breaks) is critically important for the upcoming trip (most sailboats will only sail about 10% of the time while cruising BC- this is because all the waterways are so channelized). It was incredibly convenient that I could take a 2 minute walk from class to an engine dealer and have him point out EXACTLY where and what things were on our exact engine. So incredibly helpful! Those classes left us with a laundry list of preventative maintenance that we need to do on our engine. That's all good because that maintenance will reinforce how the engine works. And the good news from the diesel engine teacher is that "a well maintained diesel engine will run for at least 16,000 hours..... ours has 400 hours on it.

That's about it for now. Here are some highlights of the last few months. Also be sure to check out the latest youtube video here:

Here's our new industrial sewing machine- we will bring this with us on the boat

Our dingy, "Rita Red" and a little sewing project. We are adding padding to it so we can rest it on Maya's deck.

Regular engine maintenance.... This strainer was busted so we promptly changed it with a working one!

New sea strainer installed!

Dirty bilge

The bilge after a wipe down. Also installed a new bilge pump.

Spoiled dog. Disco likes to be warm

We got a satellite phone! The main purpose of this phone is the ability to send/receive text messages ANYWHERE. We will also hook our computer up to it in order to download weather data. Super cool stuff!