Sea Trials

Merry Christmas Buster!!! We've now upgraded the electronics on board and took a Sea Trial today to get everything dialed in with the pros at Anacortes Marine Electronics.  Just being out on the water (with the new electronics as a plus) makes we want to go boating!  I was amazed at how truly comfortable Buster is even in the winter..... OK, it's the 16th, but that is VERY close to being winter. 

We've had a few little issues but these are now resolved/understood/learned more about our boat... the first day we went out for our Sea Trial with Brian, the bow thruster was dead upon coming back into our slip!  Yikes.... we couldn't land and had to make our way over to Marine Service Center and they got us into one of their slips for the night.  Once moored, Chris was able to do his amazing problem solving and found a secret breaker just for the thruster that had kicked off.  The guys at Marine Service Center were at our door for coffee the next morning, went through everything and we got an almost clean bill of health. A few wires need to be wrapped up, but that was it.  Whew!

The adventures continue....

OK, I'm apologizing for my lack of the blog..... and I have no good excuse. We'll leave it there and I'll try to catch up from when we left Buster in Annapolis.....

Yes, it was time to say goodbye for a bit. Everything in us wanted to stay back and keep cruising through the Chesapeake Bay and beyond. We contemplated all of the pros and cons and it was a tough decision. On the one hand, we may never have another opportunity to visit the east coast in this manner. But on the other hand we love where we live and we knew that the trek west for Buster (from haul out in Annapolis to launching in Anacortes) would take a chunk of time and we still had summer in the Pacific Northwest to experience on our new boat... so, we opted to start the journey home and it was truly sad leaving Buster on blocks in the yard. Knowing that someone would begin the dismantle process as soon as we left, it was a tough trip home. (We were relieved to realize after the fact that we missed a major flood and earthquake back there...)

We were encouraged when we got a phone call probably a week later from Ken & George Jegen (Buster's former owners) that they saw a boat on a truck while on their travels in Illinois and that boat looked just like Buster. Wow, I had spoken to the trucking company that morning and guess where Buster was??? In Illinois! What a coincidence! How may NT37s were there, that were the same color and heading west on a truck? It had to be Buster and it was very reassuring that she really was on the way to her new home.

So, it felt as though it took forever, but at last we got the call to meet the truck in Anacortes, WA. It was a great sight to see her rolling down the road on the back of the truck that hauled her from coast to coast.

The next week and a half was spent lovingly cleaning, re-assembling and doing any maintenance that would be needed since she was out of the water and it would never be easier. We waxed Buster from head to toe, had bottom paint and gel coat touched up where needed, changed her hailing port on the stern and got her ready to launch again. Remember, this time she was going to be in the water maybe 10 miles from where she was built. It's been an eight year round trip!

It's now October and we have had a wonderful summer on her with many trips already. We've of course been up in the San Juan's and over to Port Townsend. We've taken our grandkids out for a cruise and have had a wonderful time being Buster's new parents. We are currently getting her electronics updated and you know, the list never ends of projects on a boat. That, I must admit, is half of the fun.

Our next project is to get the pups proficient in their boating skills. They've been out with us one time and we plan to do more of that in the very near future. Our next BIG trip will be to Desolation Sound in Canada.....probably next spring. Until then, we will continue to take trips out during the winter. We've got everything we need for comfort on board and it's just such a great time being out on the water and especially on such a wonderful boat.

A bit more of Baltimore.....

Before we left Baltimore, we did visit Ft. McHenry where the British battled the Americans in the War of 1812.... this was the battle that inspired the Star Spangled Banner written by Francis Scott Key. Theresa and I were a part of putting the flag up that morning and again, it was inspiring to see another chapter in our country's history.

On to Annapolis.... We toured the Naval Academy Museum which was great and we spent more perfect evenings just sitting and chatting outside on the deck. What wonderful evenings and what wonderful company. Theresa and Doug are GREAT traveling companions.

OK, this really is the last leg of our trip I'm sad to say. We've spent the last two days in Washington D.C. seeing the sights with Doug and Theresa. We just put them on a plane back home and we will follow and head home in a few days also. We have had a wonderful time and now we are almost ready to put Buster on a truck and get her to her new home in Anacortes. Funny thing, it's only about 20 or 30 miles from where she was originally built. We have packing and cleaning to do still and we just don't feel like we've seen near enough of the Chesapeake Bay. We've loved every minute of it and feel so fortunate to have discovered a new part of the country, even though we've just gotten a small taste of life here. A spot that we would never have seen had we not purchased a boat on the East Coast. What a great trip. Now we look forward to getting our new boat back home and starting new adventures. Our trip to pick up Buster will always hold a very special place in our hearts.

And P.S. Ken and George, the owner's of the boat Lady M said to say hello. They came to introduce themselves while we were in Baltimore and send their greetings. You two have some great friends!

How time flies.....

Today is the 14th of July.....already! We have been to the Solomons Islands, we then headed to St. Michaels and we are getting ready this morning to leave Baltimore and head to Annapolis. What a fabulous route this has been...... Maryland is gorgeous.

We had a "ladies pilot day" from the Solomons into St. Michaels and I must say, driving Buster is much more fun and easier than our last boat. Also, there are no logs or deadheads to watch for in these waters compared to our Washington waters. There are crab pots around, but not near as many as at home. I have to admit, neither of the ladies were quite ready to dock Buster so we handed the helm over.... I also must take this moment to hand it to Chris, he is doing an amazing job as our Captain! Doug has been co-captain and is also doing great. Buster is much easier to drive than our Meridian, but docking is much different. There is one engine rather than two and the stern thruster is non existent. Chris is doing a spectacular job! We've also gotten past the "what's that noise" for the most part and we feel we are really getting to know the boat. We still love everything about her. She is so spacious and comfortable it's amazing.

Speaking of crab, when we were in St. Michaels and I insisted that we find a place to try blue crab from the Chesapeake Bay....We ended up at the Crab Claw and found that the size of the blue crab that we were served is quite different than the crab we have in Puget Sound. It was very good and prepared with seasoning which was great, but we just had a tough time pulling apart a crab that wasn't 6 - 1/2 inches across which is the minimum legal limit in our area. It was great and all a part of the Chesapeake experience. I love this place!


While at St. Michaels, we did a bike ride from the marina down to the Oxford ferry which was HOT and felt much longer than 7 miles each way, but again, what a great ride! Oxford was beautiful and where ever we go there is a restaurant with seafood :) We ended up at the Inn at Perrys Cabin and had were in shock when we ordered 4 martinis and the $60 I had was gone and I needed tip money from Theresa! They were the best martinis we'd ever had and we got them in plastic cups so we could take them outside on the lawn.... the lawn where they filmed the movie "The Wedding Crashers". What a gorgeous spot that is and we had another lovely evening. The weather is hot during the day and the mornings and the evenings are amazing and perfectly wonderful.










From St. Michaels, we then headed to Baltimore through Kent narrows.... YIKES! We got very familiar with the depth gauge on Buster as you can see. It was tense for a few moments, but we made it through with no problem.... whew!

Baltimore is beautiful. I know, everyone that we talked to said it was spectacular, but I couldn't help but think.... a huge city, how great could it be? But we went on and WOW, what a pleasant surprise and what a beautiful city.

Beautiful city!!!! And so much history again!!! The tour of the USS Constellation was magnificent and we even heard one of the canons fire. Quite a blast if you weren't ready for it.




















We are moored right downtown, have a wonderful view of the city and it's easy walking around town.






Both nights that we've been here, we've hung our feet over the swim deck (needed from all of the walking during the day) and watched the city lights. What a treat....

We have roommates.....

We picked up Theresa and Doug the day before yesterday (July 7) in Washington D.C. We spent that night in Yorktown (night 3 for us) and the following day we moved on to Irvington, VA where we cruised into The Tides Inn. Wow, first class place and we were able to view the town (or should I say the wide spot in the road) from the bikes they loaned us. Theresa and Doug went swimming and before Chris and I could get out to the pool there was another spectacular display of lighting and thunder. They got drenched when they finally ran back to the boat. It lasted for a couple of hours and was fascinating.... so much different than back home. It's such a great spot to visit and I'm thankful that we bought Buster and had the opportunity to get to know this part of the country even if it's just a little knowledge. It's an amazing area and very rich indeed.


Today we are heading to Solomons, MD. It's about 60 miles and with our average speed of about 10 mph you can tell it's a good long trip. We crossed the Potomac River and I'm amazed at how large it is! We really couldn't see much land in any direction as we were passing the mouth of the river.

Doug and Theresa saw fireflies last night and that is my mission for tonight! Can't wait. I could stay for a long time just cruising around back here. LOVE IT!!!!

Oh yeah, I think we left the photo card reader in the rental car, so pictures to follow later :)

Oh say can you see…..

We had a wonderful visit in Portsmouth and Norfolk. We had intended to stay only two nights and ended up staying for the 4th of July celebration. Good thing as I think Norfolk was the only fireworks around.... Most others were canceled due to the spectacular display of fireworks put on by Mother Nature. The fireworks weren't set to go off until 9:30 PM but when there was a small clearing of the thunderstorm, they decided to go for it and started about an hour early. Honestly it was one of the best fireworks displays I've ever seen. Fireworks and lightening together. What a night! And again, we were greeted by folks on the docks who recognized Buster and didn't recognize us. They were looking for Ken & George.

While in the area, we did a lot of sightseeing. We visited MacArthur's Memorial Museum in Norfolk and strolled around town quite a bit. We visited the the old Episcopal Church that actually has a British cannon ball still lodged in its wall from the Revolutionary War. There was so much history in the area we found it fascinating. The Portsmouth Courthouse courtyard was once a place where slaves were auctioned for sale.

We went to dinner and a movie at the Commodore Theater which is a historic theater which has been very tastefully restored. There are tables all set up as a dining area with waiter service and you get to watch a movie with THX sound. What a treasure!

Did I mention that fabulous view of the Navy fleet from the water side? Quite a ride.

Now we are on to visit Yorktown, pick up Doug and Theresa and travel on.... What a great trip so far and the boat is a dream... Thanks again Ken & George, we LOVE Buster!

Gradulation Day...

Well, today was the day..... say goodbye to the security of Atlantic Yacht Basin, our friends Chuck and Kelsey (who handled our purchase of Buster) and sail out into the unknown. Wait, let me back up a few days...

We arrived in the afternoon of June 28 and spent the following two days getting provisions for our upcoming trip. We went through all of the cupboards and spaces to familiarize ourselves with everything that Ken and George left for us. We visited Bed Bath & Beyond to get every last thing we would possibly need to personalize our new boat. Finally, Buster was feeling like our boat.

We've gone through all of the systems just to make sure we would know what to do. But wait, do we really head out on a busy 3 day weekend on a new boat, in a new area? We pondered for awhile and Chris did maneuvering drills to make sure we could land once we took off! We took a deep breath, said our goodbyes and headed towards the opened arms of Great Bridge draw bridge which opens every hour, on the hour. Wait, is that a fuel tanker coming this way right behind us? We are on the Inter-coastal Waterway after all. Of course it is.... coming up FAST and of course, having the right of way, we let is pass ahead of us.... OF COURSE! It had to go into the Great Bridge locks alone (carrying fuel that is a must) so we waited our turn along with 2 sail boats to get into the locks after motoring our way under the opened bridge. OK, let me back up again.... did I mention that we've never negotiated a draw bridge or a lock? Not really a big deal, but it just added to the items on the list "new" for us. And, we were looking at the list handed us before we left of all of the bridges that we needed to pass under or wait until they were opened. Two of the upcoming draw bridges were closed to boat traffic until after rush hour. We called ahead on our radio for instruction and just assumed that we would have to wait the 2 hours until the bridge was ready to open again. Well, it was our lucky day. We hit the last bridges at low tide and could clear without these bridges opening! We went slow just in case we had to back up at the last second. I stood outside just to make sure and yes, we did clear them both. We looked over our shoulders as the two sailboats just sat there watching us take the lead....


So, today was graduation day. Our new boat in a new part of the country where we know nothing and lots of new experiences. Buster is great and so is her new captain! She is being very patient with us and helping us along the way.....

We ended up in Portsmouth, VA and it's just lovely and very historic. The old historic district is right next to the marina and we took a stroll around town this evening. Tonight we are enjoying sitting out on the back deck watching the lights from Norfolk across the water on the Elizabeth River. It's warm with a cool breeze and life is good.

Buster (the cat)

We received this message from Buster's previous owner of how Buster got her name....

Hi and thanks for the blog address, thought it looked great and
brought a tinge of a tear to both of us.
You had asked how Buster got named so here goes. On December 7th 2002, a day that will not
only live in infamy but also in our fondest memories. I must mention that
we have always been cat people but when our last cat "KATO" went to cat
heaven after 17 years we decided that we would try life without a feline
member of our family. Anyway our close friend and neighbor was walking her
dog in a rather cool drizzle when she found 2 very small kittens lost on our
street and tried to find their owners but at 9:30 PM really did not have
much hope. Knowing that we were soft hearted toward animals and considering
the season she decided quickly she could get us to take them in, at least
for the night. As I answered the door in rushed what looked like a fur ball
with feet and jumped into George's lap as though to say this is my new home.
After some discussion he, name unknown, explained in cat talk he was going
nowhere else. Later that night he said I could find another home for his
sister but his name was Buster and he was staying. SO BE IT. Fast forward
3 years to November 2005 and we went to look at a Nordic 37 hull number 76
named AUNT BESS in north Florida, for a friend who lived in the Seattle
area. We examined the boat very carefully and gave him a glowing report, ie.
low time, well equipped and almost unused as sadly the man who bought Aunt
Bess had taken ill and could no longer go on a boat. My friend, after some
soul searching, decided he would not be able to sell his 43 foot sailboat
quickly enough so he turned it down. I thought that all was said and done
until my dear wife explained to me in no uncertain terms that if I did not
buy Aunt Bess she would never look at another boat with me. What could I
do. After the purchase I was certain that the name BUSTER was the perfect
name for a perfect cat and now a perfect boat and that both were a surprise
to us. I hope this explains the name . Best regards and we will plan on a
visit in the fall. K&G

A little background and some new pics.

Our trip to find our "dream boat" began last month. We'd always loved looking at the great little Nordic Tugs when we were out cruising around the San Juans. We decided it was time to at least look at what was on the market. Next thing I knew, we were headed back to Washington DC to look at 4 boats for sale.

Our trip began in Annapolis, MD and we quickly ruled out two of the four potentials. And there was something about that little tug down in Virginia that just kept calling us..... We even began calling her by name.... Buster....

When we saw her for the first time, our intuition was correct. She was the boat for us. As we were writing an offer to purchase her, we received a phone call that our Meridian had an offer on it! Wow, was it all meant to be?

And to give just a bit more background, a few of these photos were kindly handed down from Buster's previous owners.... Thank you Ken & George!