We went and visited the good ship Hummingbird at her moorage in Brownsville. We love having a boat – there is nothing more stress-relieving than being out on the water in the sunshine. The Puget Sound is made for boating, with hundreds of miles of twisting coastline, harbors, inlets and islands.

Today, though, it was time for spring cleaning. Boats are hard work. And expensive.

Every spring they need to be cleaned up, stem to stern. In the rainy northwest climate, the mold, mildew and algae multiply, inside and out. Nothing but a date with Clorox spray and elbow grease works – and I ended up sacrificing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt to the cause.

We have the catch-22 decision of whether to keep the boat moored, or haul it in and out. The latter is much better for the boat, but it’s time-consuming and challenging enough that we wouldn’t go out very often.

The alternative, leaving the boat in the water is pretty bad for it. Seaweed grows on the stern and swim step; mussels and barnacles settle on on the drive shaft, trim tabs and prop. The salt water is corrosive; metal parts rust, fuse, get eaten away. The bottom gets covered with algae, and the alternative, bottom painting, slowly leaches herbicide into the water and is horrid for the very marine ecosystem we enjoy.

Nonetheless, we do leave the boat in the water because it gives us easy access. That means every year it has to be hauled out and thoroughly cleaned up, either by us or by a marine mechanic.

While it’s out, it needs a spring tune-up. Electrical systems checked, engine overhauled, necessary parts, corroded, rusted or electrically obsolete, replaced. It gets expensive, but it’s cheaper than having the boat quit on a windy day in the middle of the sound!

At the end of the day, though, taking her out on a sparkling day is worth it. We are blessed.