Tugnuts star in Karma's article!

[BaseCampAnne]

At the 2013 Seattle Boat Show I signed up for the online Pacific Nor'Westing, and just read a wonderful article by our own Karma, David Baker, who has over 1300 posts on Tugnuts.

The article is well written, with interesting and helpful information we has come to expect from David, and includes many wonderful photos of the recent Christmas week trip through S. Sound with other Tugnuts Marcus and Jorge, and Lyman and Jeanane.

I first met David and Maureen, who formerly owned an R-25 and at the time had their R-29, Karma, and Lyman and Jeanane, with their R-29, Zuma, on the first Desolation Sound Ranger Tug trip in 2010. Bob, of Nellie Too, had invited me and I tagged along. There were 10 Ranger Tugs with 7 couples and three families, then myself, a generally inexperienced power boater who crashed the party in a 22' C-Dory.

That was a dream trip, to a place I had never been, and David, along with Lyman's son, made sure I was successfully stern tied in a small cove. Maureen and David frequently hosted happy hours. That trip was the catalyst for my wanting to spend more time in Desolation Sound, and many other places, on a Ranger Tug with other Tugnuts.

(That life began after signing a contract for Cascadia at the 2012 Seattle Boat Show.)

In May I moved aboard after getting Cascadia set up. After two months at Cap Sante in Anacortes I knew I wanted to be a liveaboard, so I returned home for 9 whirlwind days to get my house ready to list, signed an agreement, then the dog and I took off for Ganges and other Tugnuts, spending 17 days in BC.

The 2012 Ranger Tug Desolation Sound trip was an amazing cruise with an entire fleet of Ranger Tugs, along with some Cutwaters. I met Marcus and Gorge on that cruise, and learned they had begun with an R-21 and they were aboard the most beautiful and pristine 29' I have ever seen, Tradition.

David and Maureen and Marcus and Jorge are featured at the beginning of the South Sound trip. All four of them have now moved to larger boats since they live and work aboard now, and need more space. David and Maureen travel extensively on their jobs and work and entertain from their boat as much as possible. Marcus and Jorge may sometimes work from their boat and all four travel around the Northwest while in challenging jobs.

I am retired, and do not boat as much as the others do, but love life on the water. After selling my home, Cascadia came south with a Ranger driver to San Diego, where I am living in a great marina at Shelter Island on San Diego Bay. This is a great place to winter, with my son and his family nearby, and ideal weather.

Having a trailerable Ranger Tug is perfect for me, and I plan to return to the NW in April and do more boating there, then head south next October. The freedom of living aboard is amazing, and for this single retiree, a wonderful adventure with less to deal with than having a home, garage and gardens... too much stuff!

Thanks, David, for your latest writing, for helping me learn about the joys of boating on a Ranger Tug, and more about boating in general 😀

 

[baz]

Wonderful story Anne. Good luck with all your future adventures during your retirement phase of life. I'm retired now and it's liberating and I have our boat but 5 minutes away. 🙂 See you when you return to PNW. -Barry

 

[Stella Maris]

Anne,
Thank you for your kind words. While we may not own a Ranger Tug any longer, we would like to think we are still part of this great wonderful family.

When we originally purchased Solitude, our R-25, we never dreamed of boating here in the PNW. Solitude spent all of her life (as long as we had her) on Lake Mead, Mohave, and Lake Shasta. We chose to bring her to the PNW for the first annual Ranger Tug Rendezvous. On that trip, we got a very small taste of what it was like to be on the great waters of the PNW. The day after the Rendezvous, while sitting in Poulsbo with Bruce and Vicki of Moondance and Darrell and Dee of the Lucky Fin, we made the decision to move up to the R-29. At the same time, we made the decision to leave her in the PNW and commute from Vegas to Seattle 3 out of 4 weekends every month to enjoy her.

After two and a half years of "living" on Karma, the decision was made that we needed more space. Alas, we would move onto another manufacturer. While Ranger does not offer a vessel the size of Destiny, Maureen and I personally feel that they have done an incredible job of filling a niche in the market with their product. At this time, they simply did not have one that fit our needs.

While we still own "real" property in three different states (Washington is not one of them at this time), we feel that Seattle and the PNW is our home. It is always good to get back "home" after being out on the road and away. One day (hopefully soon), we plan to make it our permanent home.

We would like to wish Ranger and all of the Ranger owners Fair Winds and Following Seas! And, as Anne said, we host many a "Happy Hours" and dinners aboard so, if you should pull into an anchorage or marina, and spot Destiny, please do not hesitate to come a knocking!

 

[DonGeorge]

Glad to hear you are coming back Miss Anne, we had a great time on the desolation sound cruise last year where we meet lots of great people and discovered wonderful places. Living aboard is indeed an amazing experience and we are glad we have the opportunity to try it out now.

This year we won't be able to join the desolation sound cruise all the way north, but we are currently planning on meeting everyone on Ganges as we will be joining Jurgen on his spanking new Ranger 27 as he heads north from Seattle to meet the group.

Ranger tugs have an amazing product and a great community that we are fortunate to be part off, and we have to confess that we miss both our Ranger Tugs very much, Equinox for its endurance and cuteness, and Tradition for its amazing lines, comfort and fun. And who knows, there is always the possibility of another Ranger in our future 🙂.

We wish everyone an amazing boating season and, if you spot destiny and say hello, don't forget to look for Hayden Bay as it very well be nearby (Hint: it's hard to miss ;-))

Jorge

 

[Stella Maris]

You mean, that the two may be rafted together...... or tied in adjoining slips..... And, if Destiny and Hayden Bay are together, Zuma and Moondance can't be far! And then there is Willies Tug and Nellie Too....... My gosh, it sounds like a party! (again...)

Whether you own a Ranger Tug, Nordhavn, Helmsman, or any other boat, what counts is you are out on the water!

As Bruce always says, "it is not a boat, it is a lifestyle"........ and we love our lifestyle!