RISKY BUSINESS

Lana and Greg needed a place to live after giving up the apartment in Mukilteo. Darrington is a bit far to drive each day for work in the Bothell and Everett areas. Since we had all the real estate we could manage we decided to buy a live aboard boat moored in the Port of Everett marina that Lana found advertised online. She’s a 45′ motor yacht built in 1978 by Blue Water yachts out of somewhere in MN. She has two double berths, two heads, galley, dining area, lounge, covered after deck, large fly deck and fly bridge. At purchase the boat was in good overall condition for her age but needed the usual updating of electronics and other items. As a live aboard she’s well located along the marina main channel with views of the Olympic mountains to the west. The first few months we were aboard were learning times for us as we had not had a boat before. Boats especially ones of this size are full of systems that need to be understood unlike the usual situations in apartments. In a simple comparison, boats are like little space ships where everything has its purpose and needs to function properly for comfortable living. And of course the more complicated a machine the more likely it is to malfunction. Since boats are frequently tied to the dock they have a shore side electrical and water system that works more or less like the ones at your house. But when away from the dock they have a low voltage system that comes into action and a water system that has its own pump. Even the toilets are a bit more complex than the ones at home. And the days of flushing overboard are long gone. Now all such waste is sent to a storage tank that must be pumped at a proper sanitation station. Learning all these systems and trying to stay warm was quite an experience the first winter. But the most challenging part of all for Greg was learning how to pilot this large craft. He had lots of experience rowing rafts on whitewater rivers but rafts and big motor boats have lots of differences. It’s not often that one has a concern about the effect of the wind on your course on the river, but with a big boat not only is the current to be reckoned with but the wind too especially when in close quarters to the dock and other craft. Needless to say there were several moments of terror learning the maneuver at the fuel dock. Fortunately, Ryan and Justin were able to provide lots of assistance. Both had grown up with boats owned by their late grandfather, Ken Meier. Ken knew boats and taught his grandsons quite a lot. Both guys are also skilled crabbers and fishermen.