Cruise season

American Spirit

The 205-foot American Spirit was docked in Port Angeles the other day, one of 20 Puget Sound cruises that include the Olympic Peninsula this spring and fall. Passengers from these cruises will disembark for excursions to Olympic National Park’s Hurricane Ridge or Lake Crescent or walking tours of Port Angeles.

Larger ships carrying an estimated 1800 passengers from the Holland America line will also visit Port Angeles this summer.

Many large cruise ships pass through the Strait of Juan de Fuca on their way to and from Alaska. Businesses in the region are pleased to be included on the itineraries of Holland America and American Spirit.

[In case you’re wondering, American Spirit doesn’t have a cap atop its red, white, and blue stack. That is the roof of an observation tower on a nearby pier.]

Scamp update: the tiller

Tiller 4

It’s been a while since I’ve shown any progress with the Scamp sailboat that my husband is building. Today is an example of why the progress has been slow and the updates infrequent. You see, my husband has wanted to build his own boat for a long, long time. And he has definite ideas about what he wants. The tiller, above, is an example.

You see, first he wanted to put the motor in an inboard well, a custom location. It’s usually off the stern. That created a barrier to using a simple, typical tiller. So DH created a custom version, which he’s modeling above.

Tiller 2

You may have noticed that the tiller is curved. First he designed and fabricated a mock-up that suited the conditions. The final tiller wasn’t a single cut from one piece of lumber. It is the result of laminating together 11 strips of 1/8″ thick mahogany. And he didn’t just glue them together. The process required bending the wood into the shape he wanted. If this isn’t labor intensive I don’t know what is.

Tiller 3

Here’s a closer view. The final result in the top shot still needs more sanding and a few finish coats. Labor of love? I’ll say!

By the way, the boat has a new name: “Pumpkin.”

On parade

Goslings 1

First two Canada geese emerged from shrubbery by the side of the road, energetically bobbing their heads and necks. They seemed to be in animated discussion. As they moved closer to the edge of the road suddenly a fluffy little contingent formed up and followed behind Mom and Dad.

Goslings 2

I got as close as I dared, which is to say that I kept my distance. The little goslings were just big enough to show above the grass.