It feels like some kind of official start to our boating season even though this is our 4th outing of 2024. We’re looking forward to a good month of cruising before we need to get back home for another eye doctor appointment for Nick on May 23rd. (He’s doing great, btw. 20/20 vision in the surgically altered eye!)

We arrived at Skyline on Tuesday, loaded the boat (how can we have so much stuff?) and took off for La Conner. We have a few things to accomplish here.

ToG was scheduled for engine service Wednesday morning so we pulled onto the AT dock, which is right next to La Conner Marine Services. That was interesting as the mechanic found a couple of things that need to be addressed. First he noticed a crack in the sea strainer cap, then found the water pump pulley loose. Not good, and could have caused us severe grief if not attended to. Parts are on order and the work should be accomplished today or tomorrow.

More importantly, it’s the factory Spring Fling, an annual American Tug event hosted by our boat builder. They took a few years off so this our first event of this kind. We moved from the AT dock to the La Conner Marina yesterday. Unfortunately the forecast is not good. On a positive note, we will have the nearby Swinomish Yacht Club clubhouse to use…a nice option for getting out of the weather while getting (re)acquainted with other owners. Not sure how many boats are expected but they started rolling in yesterday and many more are expected today for the event kickoff.

We also got to say hello to Ramble On, whose crew (Shannon & Steve) just brought her up from Portland. We plan to cruise the Gulf Islands with them after we depart La Conner on Sunday.

Stay tuned for more about the festivities planned for this weekend!