Last time we took the boat out, Zach was trying out his brand new camera and he took a couple of decent pictures of our marina and town from the water.

Poulsbo from the water. It’s a ridiculously cute little Norwegian-themed, tourist-friendly harbor town.

Mt Rainier, viewed across Liberty Harbor and through the Poulsbo Yacht Club marina.

Thanks to Sadiq, Nathan and Jim, who have been doing a great job of photographing their areas for visitors to their blog.

When we tool around the Puget Sound by boat, we see a lot of cool things that look different from the water. The area we live and moor our boat in is home to:

• the Bremerton naval shipyards, where active aircraft carriers come to be refitted and old ones are torn down
• the Bangor sub base
• Keyport naval undersea warfare center, where Raytheon and other contractors work on naval weapons systems

Today, like we have many times before, we went past the last facility. On one end of the base, there is a somewhat dilapidated building on the water:

It has a boldly posted across the breadth of the building that says “When light flashes, reduce speed to 3 knots.” The sign on the door, blown up and grainy because we were some distance away, reads:

“Naval Undersea Warfare Center.” And, helpfully, “No Mooring.” Because, you know, if the light is flashing because they’re testing torpedoes, I think I’d zip right up and TIE UP alongside! That would be FUN!

Today, there was a light flashing. I don’t think it was the actual warning light, it was just a little light, but we took no chances. We slowed down to 3 knots, no wake, until we got past the facility.

Obviously, we made the right choice. We made it home with our boat in one piece.

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.

Saturday we went up to the Port Townsend Wooden Boats Festival. It was fascinating - sail and power boats of all shapes and sizes. Some were a century old, some new. Some were 10′ long - and some 100′ long. Several were handmade, and many were hand-restored. As one of the articles in the program said - at some point you have to decide whether you want to sail or work on your boat!

It was a spectacular day - it probably hit 80 degrees, it was breezy and brilliantly sunny. I was reminded of Toto’s Southern Cross… “I have my ship, and all her flags are a-flying.”

The Schooner Martha took festival-goers out on free sails throughout the day. We didn’t get there in time to get on the list, but admired her from shore.

Bryan and I found a fairly unusual custom boat that fits perfectly with his Star Trek fan status!

The water was full of boats - hundreds of them, from horizon to horizon. A Port Townsend traffic jam is certainly different than Monday morning on the I5!

Today we finally got to take the boat out for a spin. We’re still not sure what’s wrong with it, but wanted so badly to get out on the water that we took it out anyway. Zach’s (new nickname: Gilligan) arms got really tired from all the rowing. No, seriously, the boat wouldn’t start because of the battery. We charged one, replaced the other, and were good to go. Here are some pictures from the afternoon’s cruising around.

Sailboat with red spinnaker.	Sailboat in front of Olympic mountains.
Agate Passage bridge from the water.	Oncoming! Kaleetan Ferry in Rich Passage.
Bryan’s favorite Bainbridge Island waterfront house.	My favorite waterfront house. Lottery time?

The picture of the bridge has special significance for me. Every time we take the boat out, I want to go up Agate Passage and under that bridge. You see, Bryan drives across it as part of his daily work commute. He looks down from there and wishes he was on the water instead. The change in perspective, being on the water looking up at the bridge, is very sweet. ☺