Greetings from Port Gardner Bay

[danleach]

Greetings Cruising folks and thanks for all the advice and information I've gotten and will get in the future. After lurking a while, posting once, and really enjoying all the chat going on it figured it was time to join the community more formally.

So howdy.

After a teen life of sailing small boats, and a little 470 racing in college, I let the boating life slip away. Silly me. But you get in your middle years, kids are out of college....and you get tired of looking at all the boats from shore. So I joined a sailing club/school in Seattle and learned to sail again. Actually, the sailing was still there...it was handling the larger boats and not hitting other boats or the dock...that was the real lessons for the better part of 1.5 years. Great thing about the club was trying different types of boats to find out what you like and what works well in the Northwest.

This summer we finally tired of hauling gear to the club boats every day...and we took the plunge. Four months of searching brought us to a 1981 Hinterhoeller Niagra 35 foot sloop. Found a great surveyor, negotiated a good price, and since August we've been sailing and outfitting the s/v Marie. Love it. She's big enough for guests, but still small enough that I can single hand her where I want to go. She's not so beamy as some of the new cruising boats...and that means she knifes smartly through wave and wake. I love that.

My nieces and nephews have suddenly discovered new reasons to come to Seattle, which I love. And the small one's quickly find the storage locker filled with eye patches and bandanas. Arrgh!. They keep asking me to re-christen her with a pirate ship name, like "The Disgraceful Strumpet." But I'll resist.

Anyway, if you're on the Puget Sound and you see her transom slip by, give us a wave.

Dan Leach
s/v Marie

[Jim H]

The Niagara 35 is one of my favorite boats-- I'm jealous.

Do you have any longer cruising plans for the future? Inside Passage? Mexico?

Jim H

[delmarrey]

I'm assuming your in the Port of Everett Marina. I Keep mine on the hard over at Dagmar's, up the river.

The Sound here is a great place for coastal cruising as well as up into the inland passage in Canada and even to Alaska.

My favorite spots are Port Ludlow, Kingston, Port Madison and Windslow for weekend trips. For a week or so then it's the San Juan's. And if I got a couple weeks I head up to Canada. The problem with the San Juan's is you can look (anchor out) but don't touch (No landings, except Parks or Marinas).

Maybe we'll see you out there........................_/)

[danleach]

Thanks for the welcome folks.

Correct on the Port of Everett location delmarrey. I live down in the South end of the county, and POE is about equidistant from Shilshole...but the cost in Everett is $100/mo ($1200yr) less. That $1200 will pay for a lot of haulin and cleaning every year. And in the end, I think Everett is a better marina than Shilshole...better amenities for me and guests. The only thing Seattle has is better yards and more choices for work I can't do myself. But I'm willing to sail down there for work.

Thanks for the suggested close in weekend spots. I've done of few of those already (Winslow, Port Madison, Kingston). I also like going just South of Winslow to Port Blakley if you're in the mood to watch city lights of Seattle.

As for my immediate plans, your question Jim, in December I'm going to dink around the South Sound (Gig Harbor, Carr and Case Inlet). Then in the spring start working north through San Juans and up to Canada. Eventually, I want to go South to Baja for a winter...but it may be a few years before I get there.

See you all out there.