Love Is InThe Details

Days and weeks have been spent in scrubbing, polishing, vacuuming and spit shining the insides of Shatoosh. Yesterday I finished all lockers, nooks and crannies below the floor boards. Today I am winding up my tasks with polishing out the Origo stove.  It looks like she is Smiling. I love this stove. It has cooked many a delicious meal. 

Dave's Dive Services Tacoma WA

     

As you can see Dave's Dive Services provides many services, zincs, bottom and thru hull fittings. The sun broke though momentarily as Ian prepared for his dive checking out Shatoosh's hull, zincs,and propeller. He replaced the 2 zincs; a LC shaft zinc and an end zinc aft of the prop.  Dave's Dive has done a great job keeping an eye on the underwater aspect of Shatoosh since I have been at the Foss Harbor Marina. They provide a quarterly dive service to inspect and replace zincs or whatever problem that might surface.

For Sale Photos

Take A Look

And 

Don't Look Back

Christmas lights- Shatoosh's first and last, as she awaits a new owner. Hira has prepared Shatoosh for sale. She is looking fresh and clean, better than she was bought 14 years ago in December 1999. Why not start your new year with new ownership of this classic boat.? A life time ownership like this only comes to you once.. Take advantage of it, before you miss it. I took advantage, 14 years ago and what a ride I have had. Your opportunity of a great ride is about to happen. Step up to the helm and take ownership. If interested, contact Hira Barbara Reid : hirareid@gmail.com

Hinged Bench seat in up position  creating an open area cockpit

Koa Book Shelf over Hanging  Locker.
Commemorative Ship's Bell for Retiring Captain of SS Independence

A 2 burner Swedish Origo Alcohol Stove

3 gallon  porta potty with deck pump out
Sink with foot pump to fresh water tank

V- berth with optional computer table.
V-berth has filler table which doubles as a cockpit table 

Extra drop table at galley-v berth
Great for drying dishes, galley prep table.

The access door to the electrical panel.
Note the beautiful Sapele Heartwood throughout Shatoosh/Albin 25

Unique to Shatoosh is Port cabinet area
Covered in Hawaiian Koa doors and door knobs.

Large Cockpit and Dutch door access to aft cabin 

The hinged bench seat makes engine access easy 

Aft Cabin and Swim Platform

Roll up Isinglass window flaps on 3 sides

Teak slats for easy access chart storage area.

Shatoosh's Holiday Look

This is our first Chistmas to be this close to home, so I ran to the store for decorations and now we are ready for the Foss Harbor Marina festivities. This is the time to off load my personal gear and get her ready for showing. 

Blog Stats for Nov-Dec 2014

When I state that Shatoosh and Pashmina are the world's best known Albin and Porta-Bote I thought people might like to see the countries reading this blog.

         















Other countries who read the blog are too numerous to include, but these are some that have caught my attention.
Bermuda
Slovenia
Shri Lanka
Indonesia
Turkey
Estonia
Malaysia
South Africa
Argentina
Latvia
Vietnam
Egypt
Nepal
Gabon
UAE
Brunei
L'ote d'Iraie
Serbia
Sierra Leon
Paraguay
Spain
China
Romania
Malta

Who would have thought that when I when I switched from logging to blogging, The Adventures of Shatoosh and Pashmina would be known around the world. Our stories will live on forever. The miracle of the internet.
Thank you for this faithful audience, those whom I have gotten to know and those Faceless Blog Readers(FBR) who from time to time let me know their identity. It has been quite a wonderful ride.



                        

New Exhaust Riser

I had had noticed a small pin hole on the riser dripping water.
                                                                                         

 Today the

new riser arrived and tomorrow it will be installed. I had great service from Andy and Mike at Tacoma Diesel, Amanda from Coastal Marine Seattle and JD my mechanic.

Shatoosh and Pashmina For Sale

World Famous Albin 25

Shatoosh and Pashmina

For Sale

$25,000

Shatoosh, Albin 25, Hull Number 1124, 1972.
Re-powered in May 1998; Volvo MD2030B with 2300 hours.

Pashmina, 1996 Portabote- Genesis III, 8ft, 10 in.

This is an opportunity of a lifetime. Don't pass this up. I am looking for a buyer who will take exceptional care of these classic boats. They have carried me and my crew safely for 8,500nm. Shatoosh is loaded with cruising gear. She is berthed in Tacoma Washington at the Foss Harbor Marina. 
Please email me for specific information if you are a serious buyer.

hirareid@gmail.com

Thank you blog readers for all your emails and your concern. Selling these incredible boats is a timely event for me and my decision is based on changing priorities in my life. We have had an incredible run up, in and around all the navigable waterways on the west coast. I have had more fun on these boats than any I have owned. There is someone out in the Albin-boating community who wants to have as much fun as I had and I will be delighted to pass the torch to them. Share the fun, share the joy.

Melita III, A C-Dory Takes on the Snake and Columbia Rivers

Today, I was surprised and delighted to hear again from George Grech. We had emailed and spoken on the phone many months ago. He was interested in replicating my Snake River Trip in 2010. Here is a guy who dreams, plans and makes his dreams a reality. Read on....

Hira,
It's George we spoke several months ago about your trip down the Snake and Columbia rivers. You gave me a great deal of information and you E mailed me your pre planning material. On Sept 2, 2014 my friend Steve and I launched my "22' C Dory Cruiser" at Clarkston Washington after towing it 800 miles from Concord CA. Your valuable information was used throughout the trip. The best bit of advice was to go in September. The weather was beautiful  warm breezes and glassy smooth water. Seen only two floating logs on the entire trip. What I didn't know until we got there was they stopped letting out water of all the Dams on Sept 1. So we didn't get the wild rides you had when you exited the locks just more placid water. I had hoped to take a couple of months but unfortunately I could only get away for a month. It took us three weeks to get to Astoria. I rented a car and went back to Clarkston and retrieved my truck and trailer. There were days of gentle Easterly breezes and two days of a 30 knot gusting to 60 knot Easterly blow. Just before the blow started we had pulled into Washougal Washington for lunch there was this floating Tropical cafe  which we tied up to. When the wind picked up the cafe blocked the wind so we stayed put for two days until it died down back to gentle breezes. The entire trip went like that good luck all the time. I often could travel along between 20 and 30 MPH. The Snake's river's beauty and remoteness was more awesome than I had anticipated.

I would like to return to the Snake and just explore. We stopped at most of the places you stopped at. Had a great dinner and spent the night at Clover Island hung out in Hood River and fished for Salmon an Sturgeon. Went up the Willamette past Portland and spent a couple of days in Portland and had Voodoo doughnuts. Hung out in Astoria for a few more days of salmon fishing. I had been preparing for this trip for a year and all my preparations were good, the engine hummed nothing broke or malfunctioned. I'm thinking about going to the San Juan Islands next June and back to Clarkston in September. I like being on my boat going to new places meeting friendly people in Marinas. More fun than staying home. Thank you for your blog and your phone call. I will be checking out your other trips. A few pictures are attached. George

Thank you George, for giving us all a look into your window of opportunity.  I hope this posting will inspire others to dream big and follow their hearts. When you start planning your San Juan Island Trip give me a call. Perhaps we can meet and cruise some together.

Pashmina goes to her winter home

The last two posts have been from my blogger app. I'm trying it out as it is easier to post iPhone photos and simple posts 

After my return from Blake Island this weekend I decided to go ahead and put Pashmina on the hardtop for her winter stay. I motored into the Foss Waterway to Johnnies Seafood dock which was empty. I placed Pashmina onto to the dock and used my hoist to get her top sides. This was the first time for me to do this single-handed. Even though there was a breeze over the stern I managed the task rather easily. 

Blake Island State Park

  Peggy a new crew member joined me for 3 days at Blake. She had been 10 years ago but never attended the salmon bake and program. Now there is so much more, a bistro, gift shop, museum, word carver and book store. Every time I go something new has been added. We had a delightful time and it is always fun to take someone new to share in our adventures. Thanks Peggy for coming along. Here is your Haiku:

Peggy goes to Blake

A trip which is long overdue

The raccoon is bold. 

A Dinner Cruise

Visitors from Palm Desert boarded Shatoosh after

dinner at Johnnies Seafood,  a cruise out the Foss Waterway into Commencement Bay and over to Browns Point Lighthouse and back. The sun setting westward to the Olympics and eastward to Mt Rainier was spectacular and the city became a cascade of lights as we docked and celebrated the wonderful evening and company with champagne. It was very dark when I get Shatoosh secured in her slip. 

Somethings You can Never Plan On

I saunter down the dock to Shatoosh to spend the afternoon and night. After getting on board and putting things away, I notice pieces of blue foam on the Aft cabin and then on the roof. It seems as though the sea gulls have been pecking away at the foam noodles I use to support Pashmina when she is on the hardtop.

I quickly clean up the mess and remove the noodles, stowing them in the aft cabin.

This seems worthy of a Haiku.

A visit to the boat.

Sea Gulls peck my noodles.

Sea Gull noodle soup.

A friend of mine joins me for dinner at a local seafood place. No Gull served here, so I had a crab and artichoke melt. Later I had a nice, cool evening row in the Foss Harbor Waterway in Pashmina. Perfect and pleasant.

A Quick Getaway Gig Harbor>McMickin>Eagle>Foss Harbor Marina

25 July 2014 Friday

I plan a quick getaway on the notion I will have a nice break in my routine and see some of my favorite destinations. It has been  a year since I was in the South Sound or Puget's Sound. I arrive at Gig Harbor at 3 PM and have dinner with friends at Anthony's. I have enough trout for tomorrow's meal along with fresh made lumpia from family on Whidbey island. We are in the minus tides and a big cabin cruiser goes aground at the dock. Woops. I run across Yankee, a Ranger 38 anchored in the harbor. I catch-up with them after meeting them 2 years ago on hope Island and Jarrels Cove.

I make the flooding tide thru the Narrows on Saturday and tie up to one of the new State Buoys on McMickin Island State Park. The old ones are easier to hook my snap shackle to the ring. I have to use my boat hook to grab the ring as it is in the bottom of a bowl. Booo..who designed these?

In my  attempt to row around the island, I miss timed the tide, so am left with a small portage across the tombolo.
I see an inside buoy that has opened up, so complete my row back to Shatoosh and move her quickly to get an inside buoy.

Too Tall is in the flatlands of Nebraska and writes a Haiku for my trip. How special, thanks Too Tall.

"Portage Pashmina
Shortest in her history.
Voyage Continues "

 Numerous Sand Dollars sparkle like gold in the sun.
Sound like another Haiku

"My favorite place
Sand Dollars sparkle like gold
A Gift From The Sea"

  Large sizes, small sizes, live and dead.

I stop at Eagle Island State Park and have an early lunch. Newborn Harbor Seal pups sun next to mothers on the beach.

 Time the Narrows perfectly again on the ebbing minus tide and make a respectable 7.9 k.

I return from McMickin to Foss Harbor Marina on Monday at 3 PM, just in time to clean Shatoosh and Pashmina and get home in time for my webinar class.

It was a long way for 60nm but well worth the trip. Getting to be on Shatoosh and row Pashmina at some of my favorite destinations has refreshed me. Hitting the tides  and jumping at the possibility made running into numerous old friends and meeting new ones a nice recipe to savor the islands of the southern waters.

Day 7: Gig Harbor to the Foss Harbor Marina

We hang out til 1430 hrs, before we depart. These Haiku poems are capturing our attention.

Raccoon the bandit
His home is under the dock
Don't steal my apples.

We are homeward bound
After days of boating fun
Soulful therapy.

What a great trip a total of 146 nm of sun and fun.
Thanks Too Tall for coming along and making the trip funny as usual.

Here are some extra photos that I wanted to put in from yesterday.