So it begins

Spent the weekend in Astoria for the Crab and Wine Fest.  Lots of fun.  Weather window opens tomorrow, Monday May 1st.  We will be heading across the Columbia River Bar tomorrow at dark thirty.  Neah Bay next stop tomorrow.

Disconnecting ASD from the winter dock

Columbia River

Sun!!!!

Clear Cutting

Sharing the river road

Old Cannery

Kay's Castle

Sand bars of the Columbia River estuary.

Astoria

Parking Lot

The "Bridge"

Astoria Marina

Last Piece of Equipment Delivered

With the canvas cover for the dinghy delivered we are ready to go.  We pick up our Friend Kathy tomorrow afternoon.  Thursday mid-morning we start our cruise north.  We will overnight in Cathlament WA, then Friday to Astoria.  The Astoria Crab and Wine Fest is this weekend, however if all holds up, a weather window will open up on Saturday.  If it does, we will cross the Columbia River Bar and 190 miles, 13 hours later we should be in Neah Bay WA.  The next day Friday Harbor, San Juan Islands for a few days.

Follow us on our Spot

If you all want to see where we are on our trip, click on the below link to our "Spot." Save the link to your favorite. It will start tracking when we leave Thursday morning April 27th. If you open the shared page now, you will see our trip to Kalama for fuel. Play with the shared page. 

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0nFfVKzQcEPBWrISXhqYlZ6LsSd7evQYI

ASD Haulout Completed

Well the dinghy and davit are installed and ASD is back in the water. Due to the rain, we could get everything done we wanted too, but she is shining nicely.

Guyer Boats out of Ferndale WA did our install. He made first beefed up the swim platform with SS brackets he made on site. He told me that the stern is solid fiberglass with no fillers, above and below the water line, so that made me feel good. He then installed the davit, ran the wiring and the remote switch. The next day we put the dink in the water, measured for the cables and we are good to go.

With the dink in the harness, the davit sucks it in at the bend. When we are going around or in big water we need to add additional SS straps which he will be send me a set (he forgot them).

The Admiral and I took it out yesterday and the lowering and lifting is quite easy and fast. I will be bring a tow strap this year but most likely won't use it.

The brackets installed below and above the waterline

These are the heavy duty brackets they made to beef up the swim platform

Top part of the davit (lifting mechanism)

ASD's Tender

Check out ride with dealer

A Loon keeping us company

Installed and lifted out of the water.

Heading to the Winter Dock

Pulling out of Ilwaco WA

Coming into Winter Dock after a long 7 hour cruise from Ilwaco