After weeks of work on the boat, Carl Lind fuels Itsuro with 87 gallons of diesel at Homer’s Ferndale shop. Homer has loaded Itsuro on his trailer and we head to Gooseberry Point on the Lummi Indian Reservation. Tonie follows in Moby, our big white truck.
At Gooseberry Point, the Lummi Indians have a hoist and sling that run on an overhead track that is capable of placing 10,000 pound boats in the water. Carefully lifting, then lowering Itsuro in the water at 12:00 noon, Shawn and Homer Hughes bring the boat to life at 1950 rpm to run against and ebb tide all the way to Blaine (about 18 nautical miles). The day and the water are wonderful. Shawn checks the stuffing box, and adjusts and examines all systems. Tonie and Kyra meet us at Blaine Harbor, where we check in for a 3-day stay. Blaine is a wonderful, low-stress harbor, with outstanding facilities. It has earned Tonie’s latest designation of best showers and laundry of the Inside Passage. Blaine’s a new favorite for us.
Here’s a bit of trivia: The Itsuro was built in 1986, just south of Blaine. 1986 is the year Shawn and I got married. Earlier that same year, while the boat was being built nearby, we flew our bicycles up to Bellingham, then rode through Ferndale and Blaine, up to Vancouver for the 1986 World’s Fair. With our bikes, we then took a series of ferries to and from Vancouver Island, then we spent the rest of the summer continuing down the Pacific Coast Bikecentennial Route. Little did we know that our future boat was being built near our initial launch point.
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Like everything else in his shop, Homer built this travel lift that Shawn is now driving back into the shop. This lift is what pulled the boat in and out of the test tank, as you've seen in previous pages. Here, Shawn puts it away one last time. |
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Homer's at the helm at Gooseberry Point. The boat almost seems like an extension of his body. |
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A mother goose and her nearly-grown goslings greet us in Blaine. |
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Shawn and the dog relax in the starboard berth. |
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Fun at the Marine Park in Blaine |
