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We spent the final two nights of our mid-March
shakedown cruise in Hammersley Inlet. Shelton and
the Oakland Bay Marina are at the elbow
of Hammersley Inlet, whe…

A major spring storm was
forecast to hit the Puget Sound on Friday. A 972-mb
low over southern Vancouver Island would generate storm-force winds along the 
Wash…

From Eagle
Island, we made a short trip to another favorite anchorage at Nisqually
Flats. The anchorage is a bit unusual, but we love the mountain views in both
…

Friday afternoon we cruised south from Bell Harbor Marina for a week-long shakedown
cruise in the South
(Puget) Sound. We visit there frequently–it's easil…

This weekend we completely filled our fuel tanks for the first time. We had called
around to get pricing for taking on 1,700 gallons:

Shilshole: $3.02

Poulsbo: $2.88 (up from previous …

We are now down to one boat and no storage room. Only
four dock lines and two jobs tie us to Seattle.We've
been living aboard Nordhavn
5263 since taking delivery on Friday February 19t…

Cann Inlet, according to one government report, is a well protected and popular anchorage
on the west side of Swindle
Island, with impressive waterfalls to the north, and opportunities for …

Last year, Bayliner Magazine interviewed us for a story about our travels
and experiences aboard Dirona, our Bayliner 4087 (article).
Soon we will take delivery of a Nordhavn
52, and turn the 4087 over to new owners.

We are, of course, eager to have the Nordhavn, but are not desperate to get off the
4087. Dirona has been a wonderful boat, far exceeding our expectations. We
would not sell Dirona if it weren’t for our desire to get into longer range
cruising. For coastal cruising, it’s near perfect. At 7.75 knots, it burns only 2.2
gallons per hour, making it even more economic than many trawlers. The basic design
has been ideal, with sufficient space to allow rigging for comfortable and independent
cruising (Dirona specifications
and features). It’s been our home for the past year (Living
aboard: one year later), and has taken us to some amazing places over the
past decade. Since purchasing it new in 1999, we’ve put 4,100 trouble-free hours on
the engines travelling between Olympia and the Alaska border, including the West
Coast of Vancouver Island, the Outside
Passage, and Christmas trips to Desolation
Sound, Princess
Louisa Inlet, and the
Broughtons. We have used the boat in all of the research for Waggoner sister
publication Cruising
the Secret Coast, and our published
articles.

While both our families had boats, it wasn’t until we bought the 4087 that we became
seriously hooked on boating to the point where we have sold everything that won’t
fit aboard, and can’t imagine life without a boat. Dirona has had a major
impact on our lifestyle and future plans, and it is with some wistfulness that we
prepare to leave it behind.