[Rhodes22-list] Seattle or Bust
Rik Sandberg
sanderico@earthlink.net
Sun, 23 Mar 2003 15:44:33 -0600
Rummy,
Looks like Ed is right. I may have to buy a new digital camera before I
will be able to post any pics of the new boat. The camera I have works
great indoors, but absolutely refuses to produce a descent picture in
outside light. I mean to tell you they are terrible. So bad you can't even
doctor them up in a photo editor and end up with anything worth while. So,
be patient, looks like it may take a few days.
Rik
On Sun, 23 Mar 2003 13:42:21 -0500, John Tonjes <johntonjes@earthlink.net>
wrote:
> Rik,
> Dammit man, we need pictures.
>
> Rummy
>
>
>> [Original Message]
>> From: Rik Sandberg <sanderico@earthlink.net>
>> To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
>> Date: 3/23/2003 12:55:56 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Seattle or Bust
>>
>> Wally,
>>
>> No, our first "in person" visit with her was on last Sunday afernoon.
>> The closest we had been up to that point was through the pictures that
>> the surveyor took and sent to us. I don't know, maybe I'm just lucky,
>> but everything about the boat was "as advertised" and she seems to be in
>> beautiful shape. This might say something about the integrity of the
>> lady that was selling her, I think. I hope she knows how much I
>> appreciate it.
>>
>> I am hoping to get a pic or two today of her sitting on the trailer.
>> It's amazing how big she looks up there. I climbed up last night to put
>> in
> some
>> antifreeze and needed an 8 foot ladder to get even with the gunnels. She
>> just seems a lot bigger than her 20 foot size suggests. With the R22 I
> can
>> step on the tail light bracket and swing my leg over the gunnel to get
> in.
>> With this boat, stepping on the tail light bracket would barely get you
> to
>> the water line.
>>
>> Rik
>>
>> On Sun, 23 Mar 2003 12:36:09 -0500, Wally Buck <tnrhodey@hotmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> > Rik,
>> >
>> > Glad it all worked out. I am curious; had you acutally seen the boat >
>> prior to this? I hope she met or exceeded all of your expectations!!
>> >
>> > Wally
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >> From: Rik Sandberg <sanderico@earthlink.net>
>> >> Reply-To: sanderico@earthlink.net,The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-
>> >> list@rhodes22.org>
>> >> To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
>> >> Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Seattle or Bust
>> >> Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2003 11:44:20 -0600
>> >>
>> >> Hello All,
>> >>
>> >> Well, the official sensus of the sailboat population in Long Prairie,
> MN
>> >> shows that it has doubled, as recently as yesterday. No, there aren't
>> >> any more sailors than there were 2 days ago, but there are twice as
> many
>> >> boats. :-)
>> >>
>> >> Sandy and I left a week ago Friday, bound for Seattle to pick up our
> new
>> >> (old) Pacific Seacraft, Flicka. Arrived in Seattle about noon
>> (Seattle >> time) on Sunday. The weather on the trip out was mostly
>> beautiful and >> the scenery, once you get about 3/4 of the way across
>> North Dakota,
> was
>> >> mostly awe inspiring. Sandy's eyes were like saucers for most of the
>> >> trip as she tried to take it all in. She'd never been further west
> than
>> >> Butte, Montana before and was pretty much spellbound by the beauty
>> and >> just plain hugeness (new word here?) of it all. For those who
>> have
> never
>> >> been there, I would certainly recommend a road trip through the upper
>> >> Northwest. You will get a whole new perspective on your size versus
> the
>> >> size of the world around you. It's true, they don't call Montana "Big
>> >> Sky Country" for nothing. This pretty much fits Idaho and Washington
> as
>> >> well.
>> >>
>> >> Anyway, We saw the folks at Seacraft Yacht Sales on Sunday afternoon
> and
>> >> got the keys for the boat. They were very nice and told us to make
>> our >> self at home and use their facilities for as long as it took to
>> make
> the
>> >> arrangement for our haulout and to get ready for the trip back to >>
>> Minnesota. They made us the loan of an electric heater and offered the
>> >> use of shorepower so that we could stay aboard during our stay there.
> We
>> >> were very pleased to accept this hospitality, since we were to learn
>> >> that, while the food and especially the coffee are excellent and >>
>> plentiful in Seattle and the choices of national origins are almost >>
>> limitless, inexpensive is not a word that seems to be part of their >>
>> vocabulary. Having to pay for motel rooms as well would have rubbed
> this
>> >> old cheapskate, quite harshly, the wrong way. :-) Besides, there are
> not
>> >> really many places to stay right along the waterfront in that area
>> and >> commuting back and forth would have been a real PITA. You can't
> believe
>> >> the traffic out there. Makes Chicago seem quite tame.
>> >>
>> >> We hiked down, a couple miles around the point, to CSR Yacht Services
> on
>> >> Monday morning to make arrangement with them for taking down our mast
>> >> and lifting our new child onto her newly built (built it mysef) >>
>> cradle/trailer. We found that it would be Thusday morning before this >>
>> would happen. We didn't mind, as neither of us had ever been to
> Seattle
>> >> before and we sorta wanted to take a couple days to look around a >>
>> little. So, on Tuesday we made arrangements to take a bus tour of the >>
>> city. We had an excellent time on this tour and saw Seattle from
> almost
>> >> every angle and height. We also saw that we will not be able to
>> afford >> to live there soon, if ever. :-) But the tour guide was very
>> nice and >> very knowledgable and he showed us some things we could do
>> and even >> explained how we could get around quite easily on the city
>> buses. >> Believe me, you don't want to drive your car there if you
>> don't have
> to.
>> >> The traffic is just crazy and the parking is even worse. And, with
>> all >> the hills and water, nothing is layed out straight, so it's kinda
>> hard >> to get a feel for the "lay of the land". The tour got done about
>> 1 pm
> so
>> >> we spent the afternoon walking around a thing called Pike's Place
> Market
>> >> which is just chock full of restaurants, an open fish market and >>
>> different artsy and craftsy type places. Had lunch there in a tiny >>
>> little bistro named Matt's. Matt is a pretty good chef, by the way. He
>> >> was able to turn a turkey sandwich into a culinary event. Then we >>
>> wandered around a little more and bought an extra blanket (it was cold
>> >> at night), then used our new found knowledge to ride the bus back to
> our
>> >> marina on the other side of town. Then, on Wednesday, it rained, and
>> >> rained and just about the time the sky would lighten and we thought
>> it >> might stop. You guessed it, it rained some more. It wasn't a hard
> rain,
>> >> just that kind of rain that is enough to keep you soaked and
> shivering,
>> >> if you're out in it. So we just pretty much stayed in the boat and >>
>> listened to a "book on tape". We did go out to a restaurant in the >>
>> evening called Chinook's. This is located next to the commercial
> fishing
>> >> wharfs and while you are eating you can sit and look over the
>> hundreds >> of fishing vessels that are docked there. We both had
>> Dungeness Crab. >> Sandy had a whole crab, and I had crab cakes. Lord,
>> it was good, not >> inexpensive, but way good. I would recommend a visit
>> to this place if >> you are ever in Seattle.
>> >>
>> >> So, to get to the end of this thing. We drove the pickup and trailer
>> >> over to CSR on Thursday morning and walked back to the marina to get
> the
>> >> boat. We then drove the boat over to CSR and were just a tick early
> for
>> >> our 10 am appointment. The guys at CSR were quite efficient and had
> the
>> >> boat ready to pull, lifted by crane and set on the trailer in about
>> an >> hour. Then we spent another couple hours tying her down and
>> trussing
> her
>> >> up for the 1600 mile jaunt back to Minnesota. By 3 pm (Seattle time)
> we
>> >> were ready to go, just in time to beat rush hour.
>> >>
>> >> The trip back went very well and I am happy to report no shortage of
>> >> tongue weight, so the trailer towed amazingly well at any speed I
> chose
>> >> to tow (up to 80 mph a couple of times when I wasn't watching close
>> >> enough). I was a little nervous about the snowstorms that had hit >>
>> Colorado so hard, but it seemed to have all stayed to the south of our
>> >> route and all the passes were clear and ice free. The only weather we
>> >> encountered in the high country was a little bit of rain and fog as
>> we >> went up the west side of Snoqualmie Pass. Again, we ooo'd and
>> aaahhh'd >> as we rolled though this breathtaking terrain. It is truly
>> hard to >> describe the beauty and ruggedness of this area. It inspired
>> a much >> greater respect for the bravery and tenacity of the folks who
>> first >> settled these areas with nothing but a horse and wagon. It is
>> just
> hard
>> >> to imagine how they ever did it. Tough people, to put it mildly.
>> >>
>> >> Drove pretty much straight through until I got to Jametown, North
> Dakota
>> >> and decided I wanted a nice hot shower and a good nights sleep. Got
>> up >> on Saturday morning, partook of the "continental" breakfast (I
>> think
> we
>> >> are becoming fans of Holiday Inn Express) and ran the last couple >>
>> hundred miles in to the house. Got home about 12:30 pm. It was a
> really
>> >> fun trip, but it's good to be back home again. The round trip was
>> 3217 >> miles.
>> >>
>> >> Rik
>> >>
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