Amy Marie is on the Move!

Amy Marie at the Ashland Oregon Highway 5 Rest Stop

Amy Marie and crew are excited to be on our next trailerable trawler adventure!  Yes! the gang is together and headed to the Pacific Northwest for a summer of exploration.  To bring you up to date. We completed America’s Great Loop in October of 2022.  Since returning, we have been lavishing Amy Marie with some needed attention.  

She is sporting:

• New upholstery,
• Relocation of the VHF radio to the top of the helm station for better “human interface”
• Thorough servicing of her Yanmar power plant.
• List Marine replaced the glow plugs, the impeller, and repaired damaged sound deadening and insulation on the engine cover.
•  I installed a new oil pressure sender and also an old fashioned analog oil pressure gauge.
• A new 220-watt solar panel with an MPPT controller.  Love it!
• New Yamaha 2-way speakers as an upgrade from the Factory installed Fusion speakers.
• Movie night will have better sound quality!
• A new portable refrigerator/freezer to replace our old one which reached end of life.
• The dinghy outboard received a much-needed annual service.
• Beth thoroughly cleaned and polished the boat.  She once again looks like new.
• Fabricated a holder is attached to the aft railing for our dinghy oars.

Our last project was completed the day prior to departing home for the Pacific Northwest.  It was a two-day drive to Kingston Washington, where we launched the boat.  As we passed Lake Shasta we were surprised to find the winter rains had filled it to the tree line!  No bath tub ring this year.  

Mt. Lassen as we cross Lake Shasta

Mt. Shasta as seen from Highway 5

One aspect of having a trailerable trawler is that the boat is your home.  The first night on the road, we stopped at the highway rest stop just before Ashland Oregon and spent the night.  It was clean, well lit, quiet, and safe.  In Oregon, you are allowed to park in their rest stops for up to twelve hours.  Two other RV’s were parked overnight nearby. For exercise, after driving all day, we walked laps of the rest stop and did stretching and body weight exercises.

Our "Road Kit" always includes mini donuts!

The ferry is arriving in Kingston from Edmonds Washington.

The second day was a long day as we drove ~440 miles to Poulsbo Washington.  We arrived in the parking lot of the local Walmart, and with the permission of the manager, parked and spent the night.  The next morning, we drove a short distance to Kingston Marina to launch.  We chose Kingston for a variety of reasons.  First, we could leave our tow vehicle at a friend’s house. Second, we found an affordable storage location for the boat trailer.  Third, as a starting point it was within easy cruising range of the San Juan Islands AND we did not have to endure the white-knuckle drive through downtown Seattle.  As a bonus, the marina staff was very friendly and helpful, the marina is lovely and right in town.  We stayed two nights which gave us time to provision, transition the boat from trailering mode to let’s go cruising mode, get our final Amazon gear deliveries, and shut down the Grub Hub restaurant with our friends who are watching after our truck.

Beth is on her morning walk in Kingston.

It is so wonderful to be back on the water in Amy Marie.  This really is our “happy spot”.   We are already chomping at the bit to get started as we have been talking to other cruisers on the docks to get their recommendations on place to visit.  It all sounds so exciting.  Tomorrow we will depart Kingston and point the boat north!