Friday, July 22, 2016

Sea Trial

Hello my friends!  My goodness, we had a couple of busy days with a long time on the road!  Are you up for a story?  OK, here goes.  We had a sailboat for a long time and I loved being on the water.  We sold it a while back and since then we've been looking for a power boat on which we could cruise on the Columbia River and haul to lakes and to the Pacific Ocean for crabbing and fishing.  

Dayle has been looking at boats for a long time online - and I was interesting in a salty little design called a "C-Dory".  He finally found one that we decided to go look at in Klamath Falls which is a 5+ hour drive from here.  We picked up our son from work when he got off at 2:45, headed south.  One of our truck windows wouldn't roll up, so we had to turn around and find a Dodge dealer who worked us in at the service dept and got it rolled up.  We then headed south to Eugene and west to Hwy 97 and south to K Falls.  We booked 2 hotel rooms for the night, then got up and had a quick breakfast and headed to the home of the man selling the boat.  Here it is.


The guys climbed aboard and got a total introduction via the owner.  I took a few photos.  The boat was built in 2008.



It's got "twin screws" - 2 50 HP Honda motors.


The very nice owner Mike giving the guys a tour of the cabin and all the numerous electronics.



Finally we got to the "sea trial" - we followed Mike to the boat ramp on Klamath Lake and proceeded to launch the boat off the trailer.



Mike got the boat out into the lake and handed over the controls to our son Travis.  He put it through it's paces.  Fast, slower, circles.. :-)  Dayle then did his test.. and I even took the helm for my own testing.  :-)  We deemed it a winner.  See all the electronics?  There is a radar, sonar, GPS, mapping/plotter, fish finder, two radios, etc.  Also a crab pot puller, down-riggers, pole holders, fish bag, fish box, life-raft with EPIRB, etc.  



We opened the 3 cabin windows and let the fresh air blow through and I enjoyed the cruise upon the water on a sunny day.



I snapped a shot of the V-berth where you can sleep, it's now full of boat things.



The radios.



There was a neat island in the lake.


And this is why I wanted a boat again.. being out on the water is a wonderful thing.


I waited in the truck while the guys loaded the boat back on the trailer and was happy to get a visitor.. he cracked me up.. he kept sliding down the hood and scrambling back up to look at me.  :-)


Hello?  Got anything to eat?  Anything?  Crackers?  



Then back to Mike's house where I waited patiently (in the hot truck :-) while the guys negotiated and finally came to an agreement and funds were exchanged and a title handed over, the boat was hooked up and goodbyes were said.  



This was the view in our side view mirror as we headed north to home.



We drove through the high desert of Oregon, through Bend, Redmond, Madras and then headed west past Warm Springs on Hwy 26 over Mt. Hood.



I managed to snap this photo of Mt. Hood through the windshield going 65 mph with my iPhone!  LOL!


It was a 289 mile, 5 hr and 29 min drive home.  And then you have to include a dinner stop, rest stop and gassing up the boat which added 2 more hours to the trip.  


When we got home at 9:45 pm the boys climbed up inside the cabin of the boat and Travis showed them around.  Caleb said this (really!) -- "This is the most technologically advanced boat I've ever seen."  LOL! All ready to go and guess what happened?  It clouded up and started to rain overnight and it's still cloudy.  We'd planned on taking the boys out on the water today.  ::sigh:: I'm looking forward to sharing some neat photos of the Columbia River.. from the water... soon.  I hope you have a great weekend!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

22 comments:

  1. Congratulations on a beauty!! You will enjoy this so much I'm sure.

    Judy

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  2. Congratulations on your new addition! Here in the Pacific Northwest a boat is almost a member of the family. Hope we get some sunny days this next week so you can enjoy the water.

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  3. WOW!!! Isn't it amazing to live in this time and this place? I think of my dad buying a ticket to the moon from a comic book when he was a kid. While he never got to fly to the moon he got to see a man walk on the moon in his lifetime. I can imagine you and yours having many healthy happy times on the water in your new high tech boat. This post is a wonderful introduction to the Sea Wolf, and your seagull visitor made me laugh out loud! xxxx

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  4. I am SO exited for you Teresa. Your family is in for lots and lots of adventures and I know how much you enjoy the water. I hadn't even thought of you taking it to the coast, I was thinking of the Columbia. That seagull is hilarious. When we moved to Spokane I thought it was the coolest thing to see seagulls everywhere. I had never, ever seen one before. I can't wait to see the pictures of your first water adventure in the new boat.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  5. Oh, that boat is beautiful! You are going to have such wonderful adventures ahead. I want one, too! Time to start playing the lottery!!! Enjoy!

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  6. That is one nice boat . . . I see a lot of fun adventures in your future :) I'm so happy for you!
    Connie :)

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  7. Thumbs up!!! Now all you need is clear skies and a tank full of gas.
    Smooth sailing ya'all.

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  8. Wow, what a fantastic boat! You're going to have so much fun in it. I hope the weather improves soon so you can get out there. Enjoy!

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  9. I see lots of family boating fun ahead. The boat looks very new, how long is it? We had a Cal 20 sailboat that we loved, with 2 berths in it for overnight trips.

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  10. Beautiful boat! The next best thing to being up in the air is being on the water. I will beg for a ride someday. (I have no shame!)

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  11. Congratulations!!! She's a Beaut!!!!! Oh the fun you will have!!!! And the fish you will catch!!!!'
    XO Kris

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  12. Now that is one impressive boat. I predict many happy adventures for you all in the future. Hope you manage to get out and about soon.

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  13. Wow how gorgeous...enjoy your water fun xx

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  14. Congrats Teresa for finding such an amazing boat. Fun times ahead for you and your family. I hope you will have some nice, warm sunshine to enjoy the boating. Pat xx

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  15. How exciting, I'm so thrilled for you Teresa, I know how much you love boats. It looks like a really fantastic one, an excellent choice. Technically advanced indeed! I hope you all have many happy adventures on her. CJ xx

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  16. Oooohhh I'm so excited for you. I know how much your loved your previous boat and am sure you're going to have as much if not more enjoyment from this beauty. What a lovely looking boat. Looking forward to the photos and hearing all about your upcoming adventures on the water. xoxox

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  17. So glad you found your boat. And quite the drive to get it but worth it. We were on a 45' boat Thursday in Yaquina Bay. It was fun except the seasick part. I love being out there too. Looking forward to seeing your posts on your water journeys. We're home from our trip to Newport as of last evening. Need to play catch up with laundry and blogging. Happy weekend!! :-D xxx

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  18. Welcome new boat! may you crochet away and knit on her for many a wonderful day

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  19. Congrats on your new boat! Wishing you many hours of fun on the river:)
    Blessings,
    Aimee
    PS: LOVED your gull pic-they are SO funny!

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  20. Oh I love the Sea Wolf! What a beauty! Besides the Columbia, there are so many beautiful and wonderful lakes around OR and WA! Have you been to Mayfield Lake up by Mossyrock, WA? (yes there IS a real town by that name!). It's absolutely gorgeous there. Also, maybe you can take a cruise on Waldo Lake where you went last summer? that is also so beautiful, are are Suttle Lake up west of Sisters, OR and Crescent and Paulina Lakes in my neck of the woods. You came right through the town where I live (Madras)... I would have given you a wave if I would have known. Isn't it also beautiful country here? Oh.. and of course, Lake Billy Chinook would be fun. You have so many fun adventures ahead of you and I know how much you've talked about loving to sail. Congrats... Marilyn

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  21. I am so jealous! I am from the UK and lived 5 minutes from the sea, and spent every weekend sailing. Now I live in 100% landlocked Colorado and miss walking on the beach and being out on the water.

    I am going to live vicariously through your photos!

    Wendy

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  22. Wow fabulous Teresa and am now going to ready your next post xxoxo

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