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.
