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Saying Goodbye to Europa

We have a buyer! Europa will soon be moving up to Lake Washington. We are pleased to pass along this wonderful boat…and a bit sad to see her go. As we’ve said many times, we were thoroughly happy with both of our Ranger Tugs...and are excited for this new chapter in boating!

In the meantime, Jeff at American Tugs is keeping us apprised of their progress with upgrades on Un-named. We don’t know yet when we will be able to take delivery – maybe February?

So…goodbye Europa…goodbye 2020…

Here’s to a healthy and happy new year!

P.S. My plan is to make one more post to this blog, after we name the AT and I create a new blog name - stay tuned!

Still Waiting | 11.6.2020

Europa has not sold so we've had some adventures to help us be patient.

In late September, we took a trip over Snoqualmie Pass to Roslyn to spend a night at Suncadia. We biked, we hiked, we walked, we drank some wine (our kickoff to Sober October), and had a little run-in with a small herd of elk (no elk or [stupid] humans were harmed). Not seen in this photo is the gargantuan bull elk just to my right in the trees.

Elk in the distance

 

In October we joined our good friends (RT 23 Stay Awhile) for a winetasting weekend in Prosser…Red Mountain wineries being our main destination. (A two-day break from Sober October.) This area is one of our preferred AVAs, with plenty of our favorite big reds. Much fun was had by all. While we were there, Nick had a phone conversation with a serious buyer – a couple that were sure they wanted an RT 29. Our son, in our absence, showed Europa…and we were almost certain we had a sale! Alas – they decided they wanted a bigger boat. Imagine that.

Tracey, Steve, Janine, & Nick at Hedges

 

Halloween was uneventful, as usual, except for this adorable hedgehog who showed up on our doorstep!

Mac the hedgehog

This week, during these unsettling election times (undecided as of this posting), we joined other good friends (RT 27 Coorie Doon) for a few days at Sleeping Lady resort in Leavenworth. The weather was a bit wet but Wednesday cleared enough for a lot of walking around town, shopping, and exploring the river park. Ate some good food and drank some good beer.

Jeanie, Steve, Nick, & Janine at Icicle Brewing

Nick's Schweinshaxe - German pig knuckle at Ludvig's

Another highlight was our detour to La Conner before we went to Leavenworth. We got to spend a couple of hours at American Tugs! It was great to see our new boat – the one that is patiently waiting for us – and talk with Jeff Calvert about the upgrades. She (as yet unnamed) is in their shop…and boy does she look good! We asked a lot of questions, made some decisions about striping and upholstery colors, and hand grab (hand rail) placement…and I took 93 photos. Nice to have the opportunity to see her out of the water.

Just a few of my photos:

Nick in the captain's seat

Looking down into the cockpit

dinette

fridge/freezer

galley

guest berth

head mirror

ladder to top deck

port pilot house door

Stay tuned!

Waiting | September 12, 2020

We feel like our lives are on hold for a bit. Europa is for sale and we’ve decided not to use her again. So…no boating for us right now! Our good boating buddies are in the San Juan Islands and we are missing all the fun.

On the way in to our slip at the Foss Harbor Marina on that last trip out, we spotted that silly dolphin – Cinco – having fun along the side of a ship.

There are a few other things going on, however.

Not a lot of fun watching nearby communities burn, from our rooftop.

smoke from Bonney Lake area

Today is Mac’s first birthday! Hard to believe that one year ago we were boating our way from Victoria to Tacoma to welcome him to the family!

Happy 1st Birthday, Mac!

It is very smoky so we’re stuck indoors.

We have family members and friends in California and Oregon – some of them on the move, so we’re keeping a close eye on developments in those areas.

We spent a few days at the McQuarrie family beach cabin earlier this week. We haven’t stayed there for a while…ever since we started boating really, so it was nice to spend some time at one of our favorite places. The sunsets were amazing (smoky!) and we were able to get a nice swim in.

While we were there, we took a drive around the end of Case Inlet to check out the docks in the Allyn and Grapeview areas. Waterfront Park in Allyn has some new facilities – nice docks with power, water, and pump out. The small town has a couple of restaurants and coffee shops. Fair Harbor Marina, up the road several miles toward Grapeview, seems nicer now under new ownership. We used to visit there in our little fishing boat when we stayed at the beach cabin. The gift shop has always been really nice. Seems to be fewer old crappy boats on the docks now, and everything seems a bit spiffed up. The grounds are nice. Not much to do once you get there, as it sits right off the highway, but a nice little marina for a future visit.

So, for now we're waiting...for clean air...and to sell a boat and buy a new one!

Rough Night in Mayo Cove! | September 3 & 4 | Gig Harbor & Home

After arriving and filling our water tank at Jerisich Dock in Gig Harbor, we parked at our favorite buoy to enjoy…hopefully…a very calm night…

…because Wednesday night was anything but! We tied to one of the mooring balls in Mayo Cove (Penrose Point State Park). It started out very calm, as you can see by our wine glasses on the bow swim step. The moon rise was spectacular!

The wind picked up a bit and woke us up sometime around midnight. Nick noticed a strange noise so we went on the hunt for the source. He opened the engine compartment door and found the bilge pump running even thought there was no water to be pumped. I went looking for paperwork and online resources and Nick reset the fuse. That turned the pump off but Nick threw a bucket of water in the compartment, which started the pump, and then again it...didn’t turn off. After resetting the fuse again, we went back to bed, planning to tackle the problem later.

Oh, if that were only the end of things! We had done all of that in an increasingly bouncing boat. The wind waves continued to build and Europa got slammed for another few hours. Not sure when it all died down and we got back to sleep. Needless to say, not a good night. This was quite a bit worse from our similar experience recently in East Sound.

The next morning was very nice. This little bird took refuge in the top of the neighboring mooring ball.

barely poking his head up

On our way to Gig Harbor, we saw this boat again – quite distinctive. It took a turn through Jarrell when we were there, and was then at the dock in Gig Harbor.

Gizmo

After a little research, we are trying a better mooring system with two lines. (Another reason I didn’t sleep well in Mayo – imagining the metal ring on the mooring ball acting like a saw on the line during all that bouncing!)

Redundancy!

It’s Friday morning and we are eating our oatmeal after a very calm night…I don’t think I woke up once. Hallelujah! 

We’re going to work on cleaning the bilge pump float sensors, hopefully take a paddle, and head home. Whether this is our last day on Europa remains to be seen.

We are excited to have Mac over Labor Day weekend (our first overnight!) while his parents go camping.

Last Cruise for Europa? | Aug. 30 - Sep. 2 | Jarrell Cove (Harstine)/Oro Bay (Anderson Island)/Penrose

Maybe. We have decided to get a bigger boat…but it’s a process and too soon to say much more. Europa is for sale and we made a deposit on an American Tugs 362. Much more about this when we know more.

In the meantime, we left the Foss on Sunday, August 30, for south Sound destinations, after celebrating my parent’s 70^th wedding anniversary on Saturday.

We need to stay relatively close to home so we can show Europa as needed. American Tugs (AT) is helping us with the sale but it’s easier to show a boat in Tacoma than in La Conner, so that part is on us.

Lots of “fishers” in Commencement Bay, including this lone brown pelican…catching lots of fish!

We had a lovely cruise in calm water to Jarrell Cove State Park. Arrived to find plenty of space at the dock and the majority of the 14 mooring buoys open. We chose one of the buoys, tied up, and enjoyed a very pleasant evening with a bottle of red wine and spaghetti with meatballs.

The wind picked up around 7pm and we started to hear some very strange noises. It sounded almost mechanical, like a pump, but was intermittent and happening in sync with the swinging of the boat. We moved one of our line guards from an aft line to the bow line, thinking it was the line rubbing in the cleat. Kept happening. And then, there was a creaking and clanking and we realized the ring was likely popping out of the mooring ball as the boat whipped around in the wind. After several trips out to the bow and sticking my head out of the portside bow hatch we decided there was nothing more to be done. We thought…for a minute…about moving onto the dock or to another buoy, but really, nothing was wrong other than noise…so we put in our ear plugs and went to bed!

The wind subsided at night and we woke to glassy water and low clouds. (No wind, no noise.)

Monday was our Pelican anniversary! Kenny delivered our first Ranger to us at Point Defiance on August 31, 2016.

Really nice paddling in Jarrell Cove – so many small fingers to explore.

 

Jarrell Cove Marina

Cormorant with sailboat covered in barn swallows

On Tuesday, we cruised the long way through Pickering Passage to Oro Bay. Oh, the joys of south Sound boating!

Passing Pierce County Ferries

We spotted a beautiful American Tug as we entered Oro Bay, so as soon as we anchored, we hopped in the kayaks and paddled over for a chat. Turns out this boat (Jackie B) is kept at the Tacoma Yacht Club. It’s their second AT…and of course they love it (a 435).

As usual, so much beautiful scenery and wildlife to watch in this bay – as well as our favorite wreck.

Sunrise from Oro Bay

Heron landed on a kayak!

Ocean City Wreck

We are excited to announcement that baby number two is on the way and expected around April 6, 2021!

Big brother Mac playing with my yarn scraps

Dolphin! | August 11 | Eagle Harbor

We spent our last two nights at anchor in Eagle Harbor. (Got some shopping done for Mac’s first birthday coming up in September!) As usual, the canoes, skulls, kayaks, SUPs, and small sailboats were out in large numbers. They start them young…

Youngster followed closely by dad!

This view never gets old!

On our approach to the Foss Waterway, we saw some action off the bow and then spotted this playful dolphin! It continued to hop out of the water next to us for several minutes until it got bored with our slow speed and turned around to chase and play with a faster boat!

We will spend the next couple of weeks working on the boat – time for a deep clean and some maintenance – before celebrating my parent’s 70th wedding anniversary and hitting the water again for the third leg of 2020 summer cruising.