And it was good

Today we finally venture away from the marina we've been docked at. The last two weeks have been filled with taking care of the myriad tasks that boats of a certain age and state require, not to mention getting ourselves prepared and equipped. Mostly what's been holding us back, however, has been dealing with a non functioning motor, without which life amongst the light winds and strong currents around here would not be much fun.  

The previous owner, Jake, spent plenty of time and money upgrading the boat, making needed repairs and turning a 32 year old boat into a safe, seagoing, vessel. But, he wasn't much for aesthetics. We've taken care of a lot of that, however, and Ruth looks much more yachty than she did a few days ago!

Jake lived aboard, too, but without the benefit of a land based storage area.  Hence, the boat was filled with tons of extraneous crap, much of which we binned, or relegated to my own storage area/shop. We're  a lot better organized now, with ample room for whatever we'd like to carry with us - within reason, of course.

Today the motor is back from the shop, and our lease is up at the Blaine marina (just about 300 yards from Canada), so we are off to start our adventure. There's still a lot more sanding and varnishing and minor modifications to take care of, but we'll be doing that on the go.

Next stop -  likely it'll be Sucia island, at the Northern tip of the San Juans.