This weekend our new boat arrived – a red 21ft Stingray. We had to have this one as it has a head compartment which makes it more convenient if you’re out on the water for a few hours or more. It was delivered and we went to take it away from the dock next to the boat ramp. There is no fear like the fear of trying to back a new boat that you’ve never before driven, turn it around in a narrow channel lined with boats on both sides, with the wind and waves up all while a “Ride the Duck” boat is coming down the boat ramp straight at you.
Of course this adrenalin rush was equaled after we had spent some time tooling around Lake Union and it was time to take the boat home and dock it beside ‘Alice’. My intent was to turn it around and back it around a corner to moor it between Alice and the bank. Of course there is very little space to maneuver and the wind was still doing its thing. After a couple of tries. We determined that it would be far easier to dock beside the full length of Alice, giving us much more room, have one person hop off and then they could be ready around the corner to catch a rope and pull us in. I also had a quick lesson in throttle control – use very short ‘bumps’ in gear and above all else remember “slow is pro”.
It was a good feeling to have the new boat tied up and spend a little time relaxing and calming down. The next order of business was what to name the boat. Given our houseboat already shares its name with my wife, we felt naming the new boat after our daughter would be cool – hence the “KatieG”.
Now to put the name on the boat.