boats – Riveted

The New Nordic Tug 40

Laura Domela — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 14:58:00 +0000

The other day we got to go check out the new Nordic Tug 40. I don't think I blogged about it when we saw it in the factory a few months ago, and that's because I didn't like it. I had such high hopes. I was sure it was going to be our next boat. But when I saw the lines of the slanted windows and the non-rectangular shapes the new design now had (especially as it sat in the factory right next to a new NT34, all cute and rectangular with all its adorable boaty personality), I thought "Noooooo, they ruined it! What are those triangles doing there? Don't get suckered in by all the other boats!" They said they needed to change the lines because they were converting the ladder to the upper deck into "stairs" that people could go up and down more easily. Hm.

So anyway, fast forward to now. The NT40 went out for some sea trials last week (one with us on it) and I don't hate it nearly as much as I thought I would. In fact, I don't really hate it at all. I'd actually consider it. It's a beautiful boat and I think they did a nice job on it. The stairs caused the loss of a window back there, but I hear they're going to add a window on the next year model (on the slanted part, underneath the ladder/stairs). I don't love the ladder/stairs thing (mostly I don't love the design change due to the ladder/stairs thing) but it's going to be really nice for people who want a little easier up and down to the top deck.

Also, as you can see in this photo below, the cockpit doors are now three panels that slide to create a very nice opening from the salon to the enlarged cockpit space.

It's a good boat, but we still are partial to the new NT44.

Sunny Day in the Boatyard

Laura Domela — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 21:30:47 +0000

Airship Goes to Alaska

Wow! This is QUITE a change from yesterday's weather, for sure.

We put our Cutless bearing in the freezer last night and then went and had a nice dinner at The Rookery Cafe. (Pro Tip: if you chill the Cutless bearing first, it'll shrink a little bit, which makes it a little easier to press into the stern tube).

Dinner was delicious, but I only took photos of the appetizers (the house made pickle plate and some fennel-cured sockeye lox with creme fraiche and Gustavus peas):

We shared two entrees: the Rookery ramen with duck, and Dungeness crab gnocchi. Both were very good! We walked around a bit downtown and then returned to our boat/treehouse at the boat yard. Kind of fun climbing the ladder to get up to the boat.

This morning we took new Cutless bearing No. 1 out of the freezer, got ourselves a little dish soap to lubricate the stern tube first, and then pressed the bearing in. It only required a little mild tapping with a wood block to get it all the way in at the end, and, well, 5 minutes later, new Cutless bearing installed! We also changed the zincs and Kevin pressure washed the hull of the boat.

Just before we left for lunch, our second Cutlass bearing arrived from the Nordic Tug factory (thanks guys!) so we stuck it in the freezer and headed down to try Tracy's King Crab Shack for some lunch.

There are four cruise ships in port today and the weather is gorgeous, so there were a ton of cruiseshippers downtown today, but the wait at Tracy's wasn't bad at all.

The king crab comes from Bristol Bay and I believe is frozen and then steamed to order here. We tried the Alaskan crab roll and the crab cake roll (sandwiches) both topped with cole slaw (both with combination of king and snow crab). The Alaskan crab roll was crabby and buttery, and the crab cake roll had some spicy sauce…they were very different and both good. We chatted a bit with a super nice couple from one of the ships (they were visiting from Toronto) and after seeing their king crab leg lunch (they said it was fabulous), I think we need to splurge and spend the $24/leg for those next time. When in Rome…or, you know…close to Rome….

It didn't help that we were sitting at the window where they steam the crab legs by the dozens. Yummmmmy:

We stopped and looked in a couple of shops that were closed last night: Annie Kaill's, where I bought this ring, because it's right up my alley, style-wise, and also because they didn't have the cute little fish measuring spoons that I really wanted:

Next we headed over to Trickster Co. Trickster Co. was founded by Rico Lanáat’ Worl (a Tlingit/Athabascan formline designer) to promote innovative indigenous design focusing on Northwest Coast art and Native culture. They began by designing skateboards for friends and family, but their product line is expanding pretty fast.

We bought a couple decks of the Tlingit Language Edition playing cards (these are so cool!). Each card has the Tlingit word for the card name as well as the standard numbers/suits. This deck was created to provide additional teaching material for people studying the Tlingit language (or for those who want to support the Native language revitalization).

…and Kevin got a great T-shirt with the Eagle Raven Tessellation design by Rico Worl:

Love it!

We got back to the boat and did some waxing and buffing on the boat waterline. Now we're just working a bit more and doing some laundry while we wait for the second Cutless bearing to chill out. The last part we are waiting for now is the new Shaft Seal from PYI, which should arrive tomorrow or Saturday. We can install it ourselves as soon as it arrives, so I think we'll be ready to go back in the water on Monday. Woohoo!! Can't wait to get back out there (posting about whales and icebergs and stuff again)!

F/V Blue North and A’Town Bistro

Laura Domela — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 02:11:03 +0000

On our way to meet our friend Steve for dinner and drinks tonight over at A Town Bistro (great, I'll get to that later), we happened past the Dakota Creek shipyard in Anacortes and this amazing boat:

Turns out this is the F/V Blue North, an Alaskan Cod Fishery Vessel. From the Dakota Creek website:

This longliner is specifically developed for the Alaskan cod fishery and is designed by Skipsteknisk AS in Norway. This new ST 155L design has a moon pool in the center line for one fish to be caught at a time through the internal haul station, which is a first in the United States. The vessel will efficiently utilize proteins onboard- the fish wastage that is commonly ground up and discharged overboard. The internal haul station allows for the release of non-target species, as well as the crew to accomplish their work inside the boat without being exposed to rough seas or freezing temperatures and with no more risk of falling overboard during hauling.

I can't get enough of these textures!

Hard to believe it's going to look like this when it's finished:

Okay, so, A Town Bistro. So good! Fabulous cocktails, and killer clam chowder made to order (clams from Taylor Shellfish Farms, house cured bacon, cream, house fish fumet, mirepoix and black pepper served with warm baguette). We all shared a great salad, too…arugula tossed in a champagne vinaigrette with marinated beets, apples, red onions, garnished with beet curls and a hazelnut crusted chèvre cake. Fun Friday night in Anacortes!

Oh, you know…boat stuff

Laura Domela — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 14:56:25 +0000

Turns out that researching boat decor is just about as fun as Airstream decor.