Great Loop & Cruising Adventure Blog

With everything up and running we left Yacht Masters for Elliott Bay Marina, our new home for the month of March. It had been beautiful all week up until about an hour before we left the Yacht Master’s dock when it started to rain and the wind picked up considerably. None-the-less we made our way out of Lake Union, through the lock and around the point to the 1,400 slipped Elliott Bay Marina.

Our new Fathom handled the 2 to 3 footers without any problem and it was especially comforting to have all of our electronics up and running.

As in those technicians who install all things electrical that help boaters navigate the waterways. 

Tim, and sometimes Kent, at Yacht Masters on Lake Union spent four-and-a-half days installing our new 2-station GPS Chart-plotters, radar, auto pilot, VHF radio, integrating all to work together in harmony. On Friday afternoon we went out for a test cruise with Tim to make sure everything was up and running correctly. This is where the “Wizard” part comes in… after four days of exhaustive wire running, boxes and parts everywhere, hole cutting and securing, we take it out on the water, turn it all on and it all just works beautifully… AMAZING!

We have been fascinated by the houseboats in Seattle. I guess they just appeal to us because we consider our boat our home and it is on the water. Only difference is that our home is moveable.

 There are many little Houseboat communities around Lake Union. They add a lot of color to the lake along with a great deal of character.

After one night at Shilshole Bay Marina we left dock and headed for the Hiram M. Chttenden Locks. We locked through in the small lock with many spectators lined up above us. Had a nice chat with one of the friendly Lockmasters while going up in the lock.

We are on our way to YachtMasters today to have all of the electronics installed on the boat. Until we have this final installation completed we are not quite ready to roll. They should be done this weekend and we will be able to move the rest of our belongings, from the truck, onto our new home.

We were fortunate that the streak of good weather held on for one more day while we made our trek south down the Sound to Seattle. As you can see from the photos, it was a warm, sunny day with clear blue skies. There wasn’t much wind to speak of and there were snow-capped mountains everywhere. WOW! What a ride and, guess what… it is only FEBRUARY.

First time out for a spin on the boat, a trip to the gas dock and a little docking practice.

We headed up to Anacortes today to spend our first night on our new Kismet. What a treat. We spent a lot of time appreciating the well thought out design and quality of workmanship of the Fathom 40. Tracy Prescott from Fathom met us at the boat, just before lunch, to go over everything that we needed to know.

We immediately felt at home and are very excited about the future adventures that this boat will take us on.

Our Kismet finally feels the fresh northwest air, goes for a truck ride, touches water, gets its top put on and its engine started - all on a rare, for the Pacific Northwest, sunny and warm, February day.

We arrived at the Fathom plant at 8a.m. just in time to watch our boat being loaded onto the trailer, which is used to haul boats to the launch site. As the boat peeked out of its womb for the very first time the truck stopped so that all the Fathom craftspeople could pose for a photo op next to our boat. These are the talented people who made it all come together in just three-and-a-half months.

After a short truck ride to the launch site a large travel lift is positioned over the boat to lift it off of the trailer. It’s then moved into position over the well before being lowered into the water for the first time. Then the fly bridge is lowered into place by a boom. Shortly after the technicians installed the safety rails, ran the engine and generator for the first time, tested both thrusters, and engaged the transmission into forward and reverse and more. It was a fun day with Ric grabbing burgers from town as we all shared lunch on the fly bridge with the sun keeping us warm.

The pieces have all come together into a beautiful boat and we could not be more pleased.