Gig Harbor

Gig Harbor, WA – A Brief Trip to One of Our Favorites

Gig Harbor for a Pre-Christmas Cruise – The weather was iffy most days during our stay at the marina in Des Moines. However, we found a nice weather window to cruise to one of our favorite spots in South Sound, Gig Harbor. We took a three-day excursion to test out the boat and relax a little in Gig Harbor’s scenic location. We stayed at the town’s public dock, a magnificent spot, down from a city park. Downtown, restaurants, and shopping were all just a short walk from our boat. Arriving before the Christmas holiday, we were fortunate to be there…

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Blackberry Pie

Sweet As Blackberry Pie – Blake Island, Puget Sound

Itching to make some blackberry pie! We stopped at a few of our favorite spots as we worked our way south on Puget Sound. Port Madison was first, then we headed for Blake Island, always a favorite for the crew on Kismet. We are still on our way through Puget Sound to spend some time in South Sound. A new favorite for Jim and me. Blake Island sits across from Seattle. It always surprises us to find slips available when we arrive. Today was no different, It was busy, and we had to jockey a few minutes for one boat…

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Port Madison Anchor

Party Time While Anchoring in Port Madison Bay – Puget Sound, Washington

We Love Anchoring in Port Madison Bay –  Port Madison Bay is a quiet inlet off Bainbridge Island, on the northeast part of the island. Bainbridge Island sits northwest of Seattle across Puget Sound. We are making our way from the San Juan Islands to South Sound. Anchoring in Port Madison Bay was a simple decision for us. We love it, it is well-protected and scenic, and anchoring in the bay is always peaceful. Because of social distancing, we have been anchoring out a lot. We have everything we need on the boat to keep us occupied. After fifteen years…

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Social Distancing

Social Distancing Aspect of Cruising During the Pandemic

Social Distancing on Kismet This Summer – This summer’s cruise feels unique. Because of the pandemic, we are not forcing schedules to meet up with many people. There are no rendezvous to attend – all canceled this year. The social aspect of cruising has been a little different, leaving us feeling a little out of our element. The upside is we have been so relaxed with the simple day-to-day existence of floating on our little island of a boat, Kismet. We’ve been cooking, eating, playing games, and walking more than ever before. It is a good life without the daily,…

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Some Boaters Catch Seafood, We Pick Blackberries – LaConner, WA

Our First Blackberry Haul of the Season Was in LaConner –  LaConner is a quaint little town on Swinomish Channel, we often take this route when on our way to or from Anacortes/Puget Sound. The channel is well-protected and scenic but, has a wicked current. Not a local boater, but the village of LaConner has the best shopping for boaters visiting the town dock. Unfortunately, we’re not doing too much shopping this year, but we have been window shopping and sometimes get take-out orders from local restaurants. We love to walk around LaConner, up the hills, and into the neighborhood…

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Covid-19

Trailering Kismet Across Country During Covid-19

Jim is driving, and I am writing this blog post, the first one in quite a while. We are in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, taking Route 2 west as we begin our trek to Washington State. We hope the Canadian border will open while we are out there so we can cruise up to British Columbia. Ideally, we’d like to explore more of the Broughton Islands. We missed going to Florida this year, as we were helping our son, Ross’ family move to Michigan from Portland, OR. Well worth staying home to spend five months with our daughter-in-law, Sarah, and our two…

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Bell Harbor

Saving the Best for Last… Bell Harbor Marina – Seattle, Washington

PNW Operation Completed at Bell Harbor Marina – Seattle, Washington – Having concluded our mission to first… take possession of our new Ranger Tug R29S, spend a week cruising with our grandson on board, attend a fabulous Ranger Tug Rendezvous in Roche Harbor and explore South Puget Sound. All this along with returning to a few favorites in the sound and the San Juan Islands, we are winding down our end of summer and early fall, cruising time in the Pacific Northwest, with the last stop at Bell Harbor Marina in downtown Seattle, Washington. Without a doubt, we would have…

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Eagle Harbor

Romance in the Air on Kismet – Eagle Harbor, Bainbridge Island, WA

Eagle Harbor Was the Perfect Backdrop for Celebrating 25 Years of Marriage! – Kismet is still hanging out in Puget Sound, across from Seattle. On this day we specifically choose Eagle Harbor for a romantic anniversary dinner and night swinging on the hook. Ever since our 2016 trip to Desolation Sound and the Broughton Islands, Jim has been promising me a romantic slow dance on the back of our boat. One night, during that trip in 2016, while anchored in Laura Cove (Desolation Sound), we observed a very romantic evening unfolding on a small sailboat off our starboard side. Long, deep…

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Saying Goodbye is Hard to Do!

The reality of Life Does Not Stop When You Board a Boat and Take Off for Ports Unknown – The real world will eventually catch up and find us. Such is what happened during our 2017 Puget Sound cruise. My brother, Ken Targal passed away after a long battle with cancer – too soon. We took a time out and flew back to Michigan to be with family for a few days. Ken was a boater, he loved to be on the water as much as Jim and I do. We were raised on summer visits to a family cottage…

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Hope Island

Waiting for Slack Tide Event at Deception Pass? Try Hope Island!

Dropping the Hook at Hope Island – Need a good spot to anchor while waiting to catch slack tide at Deception Pass (Skagit Bay)? Hope Island is our favorite place to throw the hook to do just that. The anchorage, located between La Conner and Whidbey Island on Skagit Bay, is off Hope Island State Park which consists of a 200-acre marine park with four primitive campsites within old-growth forests and saltwater marshes, meadows, and a trail across the island. The island provides boaters with four or five mooring balls. We usually just drop the hook. The island was named…

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Port Madison

A Gem of an Anchorage – Port Madison, WA

Port Madison is One of Our Favorite Anchorages in the Puget Sound Area! – Still getting to know our new Kismet. Our first get-a-way after we dropped our grandson Silas off with his parents was to return to Port Madison, Washington. Located east of the Olympic Peninsula, at Bainbridge Island, We first visited this anchorage in 2012 soon after we took possession of our then Ranger Tugs R27. So we thought it would be appropriate to make a return visit with the new and improved R29. We are headed north of Puget Sound now, anchoring out as we make our way…

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Tacoma

Out of the Wild and Into City Life – Tacoma, WA

Lots to do with Silas in Tacoma! – By Thursday, knowing that Silas would be ready to burn up some pent-up energy, we headed to Dock Street Marina in Tacoma. Just cruising into the busy port gave Silas some maritime visual stimulation. He asked lots of questions about his surroundings at the busy marina – all day long. After docking, we gathered up the accumulated garbage bags to dispose of and walked a short distance into town. One nice thing about Dock Street Marina is its close proximity to a fairly vibrant harbor town. We wanted to take Silas to…

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Silas Onboard

Silas Onboard Kismet – Penrose Point State Park and Filucy Bay

We've Waited a Long Time to Have Silas Onboard for a Weeklong Adventure! – Monday afternoon, Lisa, Silas, and I waved goodbye from shore to Ross and Hadley and headed back to the boat. To see the wonderment in Silas’ eyes, as we departed Gig Harbor, brought back memories of when I was a child spending time on the water in a boat. From Gig Harbor we cruised through the Narrows into Hale Passage en route to Penrose Point State Park, off Carr Inlet. We have never cruised much in South Sound, except for one trip to Gig Harbor in…

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Silas First Boating Adventure

Silas First Boating Adventure – Gig Harbor

Our First Guest on Our New Ranger Tug, Kismet! – It is often said that people are a “product of their environment.” We had our grandson, Silas, on his first boat ride, in 2013, before he was a week old. Since that day, we’ve had a few boat rides with him, his parents, and recently minted sister, Hadley. As he is now almost four years old, we thought it was time to immerse him in our boating lifestyle. So we invited him to join us for – Silas' first boating adventure – a week-long cruise in South Puget Sound, Washington.…

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Ranger Tugs R29S Kismet Orientation

Ranger Tugs Gives Orientation on Volvo Penta D4-300

Kenny Marrs met us at the boat early in the morning of day two of our orientation. He would be covering the Volvo Penta D4-300 engine operations, Garmin electronics, dinghy deployment and retrieval, and much more. We’ve known Kenny from the beginning of our Ranger Tugs association, a nicer young man than you will ever meet. We have seen Kenny in action, his dedication to his customers' needs is intuitive and honest. Thanks again, Kenny!

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Ranger Tugs R29S Kismet Orientation

Ranger Tugs R29S Kismet Orientation Day

Even Experienced Boaters Need Help Sometimes! – Because of our many years of boating experience (six of those years on a Ranger Tug), we didn’t feel we needed to have the “New Boat Delivery Experience” provided by Ranger Tugs when we took possession of our new Ranger Tug R29S – but, they insisted. Boy, were we wrong! Way wrong! We have been avid boaters for almost all of our adult lives. In all the new boat purchases we’ve made we’ve never, ever, EVER had such a thorough and rewarding new delivery experience as we recently had when taking delivery of…

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BUMS Did A Great Bottom Job!

BUMS Did a Professional, Efficient, and Seamless Bottom Job on Kismet –  Lisa asked that I write a post about my bottom. I looked at her with amazement that she wanted me to write about such a personal thing. But here goes! It had been over three years since I prepped Kismet’s bottom and applied two coats of non-ablative bottom paint. It was starting to show. During that three-plus year period, I did touch up the water line and bow area twice when the boat was on its trailer. That area was in good shape but the hull was truly in…

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Port of Port Townsend – The Big Boy Boat Yard

A Boat Yard with Muscle! Port of Port Townsend Boat Haven is a massive boat yard with 475 commercial and recreational vessels and more than sixty marine trades businesses located on the property. You can get anything from a complete boat restoration to bottom painting, and major or minor repairs. Not only that but, you can have coffee, lunch, dinner, or grab a beer and buy fish all at different establishments right in the yard, it’s that big. With a Laundromat, a couple of restaurants, and a brewery located on the grounds, you don't need to go far to take care of…

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Clearing Customs – a Link to a Childhood Friend

We Had a Little Surprise as We Were Clearing Customs After an uneventful cruise across the Strait of Juan De Fuca to Port Townsend from Victoria, we pulled up to the Customs dock at Port of Port Townsend Boat Haven Marina. Earlier in the morning, Jim had called the Customs Office near Port Townsend, this is the protocol for checking back into the United States for clearing customs, specifically Port Townsend, after being in Canada. We don't normally call ahead of time before we arrive, however, Port Townsend does not have an office right there, so we had to call to give a…

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Seattle Boat Show in Full Swing – 2016

Lots to see at the 2016 Seattle Boat Show! As luck would have it, we would still be in Washington State during the beginning of the Seattle Boat Show. Anacortes is about 80 miles from Seattle, so it was a nice road trip for the day. Ranger Tugs/Cutwater had a huge presence at the show and a very nice display of all their Ranger Tugs and Cutwater lines. We haven't been to a boat show in quite a while. The last one we were at in Seattle was in 2008 when we spent the winter in town waiting and watching our Fathom…

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Winter Cruising Begins in Anacortes, WA

Have You Ever Tried Winter Cruising? After spending two months at home for the holidays, we returned to Portland, OR for a week to visit with family before hooking Kismet and the trailer up to the truck for the first time this year. Our immediate plan for Winter Cruising is to drive to Anacortes, Washington, on Fidalgo Island, and stay at Skyline Marina until the end of the month of January. We have reservations at the Coast Hotel and Marina in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada for the whole month of February. Fellow Ranger Tugs owner and friend, Bob, on Nellie Too, met…

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downtown Seattle

Seattle – Miss You Already!

Downtown Seattle is within close proximity to everything we could possibly need during our stay. As we approached the final weeks of our PNW cruising adventure, I asked Lisa if there was one place she wanted to visit before our trip came to a close. Unsurprisingly she said, “Downtown Seattle of course.” That's why we positioned ourselves at the Bainbridge Island anchorage. We stayed for two nights there waiting for an available slip at Bell Harbor Marina, before we made the short 8-mile trip across Puget Sound into Elliott Bay and finally to the Port of Seattle's Bell Harbor Marina. The reason we…

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Ranger Tug Kismet Anchored, Bainbridge Island

Eagle Harbor Anchorage – Bainbridge Island, WA

Bainbridge Island sits north and west of downtown Seattle – the Eagle Harbor anchorage was our choice for one night on the hook. On a clear day, you can plainly see Seattle’s skyline from the Eagle Harbor Anchorage, eight miles to the east across Puget Sound. The city of Bainbridge Island is home to Eagle Harbor, which can be a little confusing. Kind of like New York, New York but in this case it’s Bainbridge Island, Bainbridge Island! Eagle Harbor juts in from the east shore of Bainbridge Island opposite Elliott Bay. It is two miles long and affords excellent anchorage in 30 to…

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Torpedo Town USA – Keyport, WA

Torpedo Town USA – Naval Undersea Museum is located at the small U.S. Navy depot, Torpedo Research, and Testing Facility After doing some research on the Liberty Bay area, for our planned stop in Poulsbo, I stumbled across information on the little town of Keyport, WA., nicknamed "Torpedo Town USA. Its major tourist facility, the Naval Undersea Museum is located at the small U.S. Navy depot, Torpedo Research and Testing Facility, tasked with ranging and repairing torpedoes for the U.S. Navy and its allies. The museum features exhibits and displays on undersea technology, including the Trieste II, which descended to…

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A Taste of Scandinavia in Poulsbo, WA

Little Norway on the Fjord – Poulsbo, WA Poulsbo, sitting at the edge of Liberty Bay, is a delightful, highly Scandinavian-influenced, community. This quaint, picturesque, little town has a strong Norwegian heritage. Its founders came from Norway via Michigan and Minnesota to settle in a landscape that was similar to their own snow-peaked mountains and fjords. Other Scandinavian immigrants soon followed. On a prior visit to Poulsbo, we had docked at the city marina, so this time we decided to anchor out in the protective confines of the bay and dinghy into town for our on-shore leave. We arrived late afternoon,…

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