weekend run to everett marina

[seapuppy]

Just got back from a short trip this weekend...we decided that the weather was gonna be iffy and that we still wanted to be on the boat...at least a local trip was better than none..
Thursday after work while my wife went to a doc's appt...I ran to the marina to get our boat in the water...tied it to the river dock and secured her for the nite...after work friday..the admiral and I would hook up and take the boat to Everett marina...I had a webex meeting to attend at 8am for 2 hrs ...so...that kept me from taking everything to the boat early....boy ...I was pumped to get on the boat..during the webex...all I could think of was getting on the boat....it gets funny from here......
Marsha finally came home from work and we loaded everything into the truck...we tossed the dogs on board and away we went...ran to the boat and there ....I completely forgot about the one thing that I didn't even concider....the tide was out...it was Minus 3.8ft....the docks were all sitting on the river floor........ ...so I loaded everything into a clydesdale and started down the ramp...it's amazing how steep that sucker got....I got to the dock running to the river dock and it was heeled to the left really bad....but heck....no problems right??wrong....as I was walking and the angle got steeper...the wheels started sliding to the left and my footing slipped out from under me....I had my aft carpets on top and one fell right into the muck!!...I had just cleaned them wen they slipped into the water....so was everything else about too..marsha ran to my side and helped stabilize the load...we finally got to the boat and amazingly I had 6.9ft under the keel.....I managed to retreave the carpet and hose it off.......so...while we contemplated what to do next...we watched this big boat head out like it was no tomorrow kicking up a wake all the way out...idiot!!....
so..when as the tide was coming in...we hit 8 ft under the keel and decided we'd try it to everett.....the river gets really shallow in places but I stayed right in the middle all the way and never went below 8ft under the keel....
we tied up at everett with lotsa time to relax for the weekend.....riiiight!!!....late that evening ..Bruce and Carolyne showed up and we helped them get tied up ....in the morning we woke up to a pretty cloudy day but it broke to a fantastic afternoon......Bruce and Carolyne and myself and marsha met up at Woodfire for lunch and alot of laughs......then we meandered back to the boats....took a nap and enjoyed the sunshine.....
we decided to head up to west marine ..bruce wanted to return something that didn't work....and I wanted to check on some interior lights I want to install in the salon....didn't find what I wanted but we then walked over too Harbor marine.....that place is like being a kid in a candy store to me....just as I was looking around..I get a cell phone call from marsha (she was sleeping in the cabin)...that someone hit the boat and I needed to get there in a hurry....so off I attempt to run back to the boat...only to find that what happened was that this rude assed blow boat had nudged the boat and the guy jumped onto my swim step to fend off his sale boat from hitting us.....and then this guy had the nerve to ask marsha to move the boat!!....we did to be a nice guy but there was half a dock he could have parked anywhere..if I was there I'd tossed his fuzzy butt into another spot on the dock...now how rude was that.....oh well...we got retied up and the wind had picked up quite a bit......as a matter of fact I had to retied the boat cuz it just kept working lose from the wind and waves bouncing us around....I think the winds finally stopped about 2 am......but the rain showed u at about 9:30.....
at about 8 something..I get a call from Puget mike....some may remember him and his wife Virginia....great couple and they stopped by to say Marsha and I have been planning our vacation coming up on the 29th of june...we're spending about 8 days on the boat visiting places like Poets cove, Maple bay and sidney to name a few......they wanted to meet up with us while we're up there.......so...we made plans and had a few laughs .....they finally left and we went to bed......boat bouncing all nite and rain falling on the top.......we got up to misty rain and came home......

I had some really bad news yesterday morning....got a call from one of my best friends back at Newport news shipbuilding....while I was there..I was taking some photo classes given by the shipyard.....my friend, instructor and mentor for the past 18 yrs in photography died of cancer....he was a great guy...good dad to his kids and great mentor....he WAS a decorated Navy Lt Commander from Vietnam flying Recci Vigelanti F5A's over some of the ugliest places in Vietnam...unlike alot of officers in the navy, Jim was a mustang....came up from enlisted to lt. commander.....
..he also was the head photographer at the shipyard.....I have a few of his pic's of submarine and carrier's that are something like exclusive and one of a kind!!....these shots are not usually given to the navy..they get others that are more for publisity....I also have one shot from him of a helo lowering mail to an LA class submarine on the surface....shots alot of people never get to see..he took those shots......so...for the family of Jim Hemion..please say
a prayer....
well...that was my weekend...hope everyone had a great weekend.....