Carol and Pierre are eager to be sailing in Mexico where it's warmer, and the Norseman survey logistics certainly encouraged the desire for warmer weather. I drove up early Wednesday, to meet Pierre and his son Remi, and Chuck and Holly the owners of the big Norseman 447 Solvieg in Oak Harbor. With short cold days and a dicey weather report, we left early to deliver the boat to Everett for the haul-out on Thursday. We stayed in the Marina hotel, and the most dangerous part of the trip, was the icey walk to the boat early Thursday! The surveyor Garrett came up to get a head start, so we could leave after the haul-out. Auxiliary Marine Howard came up to Everett to check out the engine too. Despite the cold, Solvieg was the second boat hauled, carried across the street and blocked for safety. I was impressed with the Everett Marina staff and facilities, and it was nice to meet broker Murray at the haul-out. It's always interesting to see the "rest of the boat" out of the water, and the big heavy keel, that makes this boat a choice design for offshore stability and comfort. Shortly after the travel lift put us back into the water, we took off for Oak Harbor. Good crew, we worked well together, trading off on the helm to get warmed back up. Chuck was serious about getting back to his slip by 4pm - he didn't want to go into the harbor in the dark. We made it, docked a 3:45, after bucking current and the cold head wind - yea! What a good team! Pierre and I stayed over for the rig survey with Ken Friday morning. I got a pics of the tanks, rudder shaft and even the diesel vent on the stern - not very arty. While most of three days, what a fun, cold and beautiful time. Hum - how many times did I mention the cold? As usual, I always try to get shots of the crew, boat, odd details and scenery to share. Please enjoy these snapshots - these pics are good therapy for me, and it's always a good to be on another boat, especially with such good folks! Thanks all! (Click on any image below for a much larger image "slide show" - arrow keys work well.)
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