We pulled anchor from Penrose park and took off through Pitt Passage but not before Skylar and I studied the charts closely.  This can be a tricky little passage be we made it through without incident.  The weather was just cloudy most of the way but as we got close to Olympia the rain started to dump hard.  We waited a few minutes before prepping the boat to dock but it became evident it wasn’t going to let up soon.  So we geared up and braved the rain.  It was actually kind of fun.  The wind and water was so calm, just the rain pouring down.

After getting tied up we spent the next few days checking out the city and the farmers market.  We took the kids to the Capital for a self guided tour that was really fun.  Our friends Scott and Trisha drove down to bring their son Dylan (Skylar’s friend) to stay on the boat with us for a few days.  Skylar was excited to have a friend on the boat and we were happy to have him.

After leaving Olympia we set a course for McMicken Island state park.  This is a new anchorage to us and we wanted to check it out.  A tiny little island creates the state park with a drying spit that connects to Harstine Island at low tides.  We anchored on the North side then got the kayaks down for the boys to play around and explore the island.

After getting our new boat back home to Tacoma and safely in the boathouse, we spent the next couple weeks stocking, organizing and running every system.

We usually do a 2 week trip to the San Juan’s at the end of June right after the kids get out of school.  But this year, with the new boat, we wanted to stick closer to home so we went south instead of north. 

Tuesday the 20^st of June we finally left the dock (we had planned to leave a couple days before that but couldn’t get it together) headed for Penrose State Park only a few miles away.  We wanted to anchor the boat for the first time so we dropped the hook, safely securing us to the seabed.  We cruised around the bay in our 18’ center console boat we were learning how to tow behind the big boat and we went on some fun hikes in the park.  This trip is all about taking it easy and learning our new boat.

After a couple nights at Penrose we decided to head to Olympia for some fun in the city.  The weather forecast for next couple days was not too good so we thought being in the city was our best bet.

Our new boat is done and ready for its first adventure!  So many new things to learn, systems to figure out and of course the small detail of learning to dock and maneuver a 52’ LOA boat.

Time to jump right in with a shake down cruise from La Conner to Roche Harbor for the Memorial Day weekend.  Wednesday the 25^th of May – Julie and I drove our trailer full of all our stuff off the old boat up to La Conner and started the process of filling up and organizing the new boat.  Thursday the 26^th of May we picked the kids up from school and drove up to La Conner where our boat was waiting on the dock.  After an exciting first night on the boat we woke up Friday morning to Steve and Kurt from American Tugs, ready to run us through all the systems on the boat.

But first, Steve and Kurt had a special surprise!  The boat needs to be christened before its first voyage, so they brought Champagne and a real life King Neptune (Thank you to Jim Freeman who played this important role).  We had a great time, adults drinking at 9am, Sprite for the kids, and a christening ceremony for the toast. After a morning of information overload, it was time to shove off.

As the wise Capitan Ron once said “anything that’s going to happen is going to happen out there”

Steve was going to spend the weekend on Henry Island (right next to Roche Harbor) at a friend’s cabin so he hitched a ride with us.  As we navigated our way through the islands Steve suggested we take Pole Pass (I’ve never been through) – a narrow little cut that doesn’t look big enough on the charts to transit.  He said “I’ve done it hundreds of times” then promptly fell asleep on the settee.  As we approached the pass – Steve still asleep – I wanted to be sure I was headed the right direction, running aground on our maiden voyage would not be good.  Uhhh.. Steve,  Uhhh… Steve, louder and louder until he popped up and said “Oh right, Pole Pass, Pole Pass”.  We shot through the narrow cut without incident, the current pushing us faster and faster.

We arrived in Roche Harbor and of course our first slip assignment in the new boat was number 22!  We spent the next 4 nights relaxing on our new boat trying to get used to all the new systems.  We ran everything, trying to figure it all out and making sure everything worked properly.  After getting the dinghy down using the crane we cruised through Mosquito pass to the English Camp.  We hiked all the trails and explored the old buildings on the property.

We just couldn’t leave, so we decided to take the kids out of school and stay one more day.  More hiking, working on the boat and organizing stuff on Memorial Day then on Tuesday morning we fired the engine up and took off headed back to La Conner.

We had a smooth run all the way back to La Conner where we had another opportunity to practice docking the boat.  Everything went well as we left the boat for the factory to finish up a few details.

Our family is so thankful to be fortunate enough to create great memories on this amazing boat.  Thank you to all who put so much work into the construction and design process!