The Last Few (Hectic) Months in Pictures ...

 It has been pointed out to us that we have been rather tardy in our blog posts since April.  Since the last post:

- We have put our house on the market, sold it, and moved out of it.
- We put most of our remaining possessions that have not been sold, given away, or thrown out into our parent's houses on each coast (to put this in perspective, we had 18,000 pounds when we arrived in Dartmouth four years ago, and moved 6,000 pounds this summer).  We are not boomerang kids, but we sure had boomerang stuff!
- Max led  a week of sail training for the Sea Cadets in the Bay of Fundy, taught two CYA Advanced Courses, and even squeezed in an off-season) Azores to UK trip for his YM Ocean qualifying passage
- We both retired from the Canadian Forces
- We spent time at Max's parent's farm while Max and Liz figured out how to store their possessions while the children rode horses and drove tractors.
- Most importantly, we moved onto our boat in Anacortes. We then moved our boat from the yard, to Anacortes Boat Haven, to Port Townsend, to Seattle (Elliott Bay Marina).  We haven't actually been "cruising" yet, but we at least gone 80 miles
- And mostly ... we worked relentlessly on getting the boat ready to go offshore this September

Here is that journey in pictures ...

Family portrait at Liz's retirement party

I think it is broken (Max on the MCA Approved Engine Course)

The location of the knockdown after the F12 winds during Max's Yachtmaster Ocean qualifying passage

What was left of the chart after the trip ...

The view to Sable Island this spring during a CYA Advanced Course Max taught on STV TUNA.

SOLD!  In three weeks!! Hooray!!

The cake the kids made for our going away party

If we're moving onto a boat, we'll have to have a yard sale ...

Max's Retirement ...

Flag Ceremony in Max's honour

The new CO 12 AMS wishing the previous CO 12 AMS well on his retirement

CWO Blakney, the other half of the 12 AMS command team, presenting Max with an awesome plaque

Here is the plaque

The beautiful shadowbox Max received at his retirement party

Victoria on the farm

Victoria riding Sundance

Johnathan driving Grandpa's tractor

We move onto the boat.  The biggest question of the summer - will it all fit ?

Lego Cabin aka the V berth (aka Frank's cabin)

Ready to Launch

Family portrait after our first docking.  Whew!

SV Fluenta - ready for her re-naming ceremony

An Herbal Tea libation for the children to pour 

during the naming ceremony - each herb represented

 a characteristic that we wished for our boat and our journey

Max with a bubbly libation for the grownups to pour.

Arrival in Port Townsend after our first real transit (from Anacortes)

Departing Port Townsend for Seattle ...

... heading out ...

... into the mist.  Good thing we have a radar!

PFD Demo by Frank (our newest crew member
... along with us for the first year)

Special Delivery

Victoria enjoying a dingy ride - our new family vehicle

The view (towards Seattle) from the mast top.  If only every day in Seattle
were this clear and sunny!

The view (down) from the mast top (65 ft)

Liz taking a self-portrait from the mast top.
(Very comfortable in her brand new bosun's chair!)

And finally ...

SV Fluenta in the water - the reason for all the hard work this summer

Now that we are "all caught up" we will try to be a little more faithful with our posts.  The next three weeks will see all our efforts focused on readying FLUENTA for the off-shore passage from the Seattle area to San Francisco in early September.  Stay tuned!

~ Liz & Max