Had family with me today and stopped off for a few hours at Langley Harbor. After docking I came across TugBug nestled up on the gangway ramp slip. Harbor Master told me he saw two huge black dogs disembark… :lol:
I was hoping to see the TugBug owners but alas… they were not anywhere we went.
We caught the free shuttle ride up the hill to the town center which sure beat me having to wheel 1st mate up that hill. Did that last year and it took the wind out of my sails. The free shuttle ride is operated by volunteers (good on them) and runs every 30 mins from the harbor.
Langley is undergoing some expansion and will soon have 40 more slips available… much needed IMO. It's pretty tight getting into Langley these days but the bow/stern thrusters make it a piece of cake for the Ranger Tugs… 😉 It was heartening to hear the Harbor Master telling me its nice to have someone who knows how to dock in such a confined space… even my slip neighbor was impressed. He said the last boat to dock where I had made a real mess of things and hit every boat and piling he could find. :lol:
My 4 year old grandson did a marvelous job today as my lookout. He yelled out for every crab pot buoy we came across and there must have been a few hundred of them all told. I gave him my portable VHF handset and had it tuned to Channel 14 so he could hear all the Puget Sound traffic announcements… he was thrilled. He wants to steer on his next outing… :roll:
My 2 year granddaughter was all about the boat and knocked her head several times but she simply picked herself up and continued on exploring every nook and cranny in the boat. Her best place was the hole area under the V-berth… her own private place.
Grandson found the head a place to hold up in at times and I could hear him playing with the electric flush as the water pump kept going on/off until his Dad sorted him. 😱 Daughter in law had a peaceful time in the cockpit for most of the trip… soaking up some sun rays.
With all aboard and some 70 gallons of fuel my close to WOT speed tip the 14-15 kt mark… not too bad I thought. While I thought we were making good way, a huge speed boat roared by going at least 40 mph, and with little wake as it was on a plane. The little chap was disappointed as he really likes when we have to negotiate big swells and wakes…
On the last final run back to our home port with the boat running at about 14 kts we suddenly heard the dreaded thump, thump, thump and knocking sounds. We all looked at each other and I looked behind for a log for what I thought it must have been… but saw nothing. The Pudgy was still attached :lol: I slowed down some and check dials and reading but all appeared to be normal. You can never be sure what is lurking just below the water's surface. No harm done thank goodness.
A good day with the family. 🙂
So where were you TugBugs ?
I was hoping to see the TugBug owners but alas… they were not anywhere we went.
We caught the free shuttle ride up the hill to the town center which sure beat me having to wheel 1st mate up that hill. Did that last year and it took the wind out of my sails. The free shuttle ride is operated by volunteers (good on them) and runs every 30 mins from the harbor.
Langley is undergoing some expansion and will soon have 40 more slips available… much needed IMO. It's pretty tight getting into Langley these days but the bow/stern thrusters make it a piece of cake for the Ranger Tugs… 😉 It was heartening to hear the Harbor Master telling me its nice to have someone who knows how to dock in such a confined space… even my slip neighbor was impressed. He said the last boat to dock where I had made a real mess of things and hit every boat and piling he could find. :lol:
My 4 year old grandson did a marvelous job today as my lookout. He yelled out for every crab pot buoy we came across and there must have been a few hundred of them all told. I gave him my portable VHF handset and had it tuned to Channel 14 so he could hear all the Puget Sound traffic announcements… he was thrilled. He wants to steer on his next outing… :roll:
My 2 year granddaughter was all about the boat and knocked her head several times but she simply picked herself up and continued on exploring every nook and cranny in the boat. Her best place was the hole area under the V-berth… her own private place.
Grandson found the head a place to hold up in at times and I could hear him playing with the electric flush as the water pump kept going on/off until his Dad sorted him. 😱 Daughter in law had a peaceful time in the cockpit for most of the trip… soaking up some sun rays.
With all aboard and some 70 gallons of fuel my close to WOT speed tip the 14-15 kt mark… not too bad I thought. While I thought we were making good way, a huge speed boat roared by going at least 40 mph, and with little wake as it was on a plane. The little chap was disappointed as he really likes when we have to negotiate big swells and wakes…
On the last final run back to our home port with the boat running at about 14 kts we suddenly heard the dreaded thump, thump, thump and knocking sounds. We all looked at each other and I looked behind for a log for what I thought it must have been… but saw nothing. The Pudgy was still attached :lol: I slowed down some and check dials and reading but all appeared to be normal. You can never be sure what is lurking just below the water's surface. No harm done thank goodness.
A good day with the family. 🙂
So where were you TugBugs ?