After 7 months on the road and a quick 10 day visit to Portland we pulled into Anacortes in the Road House and I immediately felt we had arrived home. Wally and I have been coming to Anacortes for over 15 years to go boating but in general, we didn’t often spend much time in town. Provision the boat, purchase fishing licenses at Ace Hardware, have dinner out coming or going and that’s about it. There has been the occasionally staycation on the boat in the marina but we have usually been anxious to get out on the water.

I have always felt a calm sense of peace when we drive over the bridge on Hwy 20 and Fildago Bay majestically appears. This time when we rolled into town in the Road House, I felt that same sense of calm peace but this time I felt like we had come home. It was great visiting Portland, spending time with friends and visiting some of our favorite haunts but it doesn’t feel like home anymore so I was truly ready to head north to a smaller town with a less hectic pace. Over the years we have made quite a few friends boating so we are also looking forward to reconnecting with those folks, either in town or on the water.

The past 3 ½ weeks have been spent getting moved on to the Beach House and getting the Road House tucked away in a storage lot in Anacortes. It has been an interesting process as the boat has always been set up  for short cruises. Load groceries, clothes some wine of course and off we would go for a few days or a week at most. This time it is a bit different as we were re-evaluating everything we have onboard and trying to make room for more “stuff” that we will need as live aboards for the next 4-5 months. Just storing pet food for extended cruises takes some creativity not to mention the 4-5 cases of wine we have to squirrel away too.

Even though the Beach House is moored in a covered slip there was plenty of winter grime to wash away and a long list of annual maintenance chores that we need to do. With two diesel engines, a water maker, a diesel heating system and a generator to keep all of our systems going, Captain Wally has plenty of chores to do. In addition, we tow a 13 foot Boston Whaler as our tender (think of it as our car on the water once we anchor somewhere) so we had to wash, wax and maintenance it as well, then get it into the water.

Happily, we all seem to have transitioned to the boat with little difficulty. Bentley and Sucia are totally enjoying the morning sun in the enclosed cockpit. Wally and I had a great time at our recent annual marina picnic. The Beach House passed it’s annual Power Squadron Vessel Safety check which is a free service provided every year at the picnic.

Anacortes is a great town for walking and biking, so despite the long chore list we have also been out enjoying walking or biking everyday. One of our favorite after dinner walks takes us west along the shoreline where the sunsets can be utterly amazing.

Heck, we can even walk into Old Town, grab a beer and burger at The Brown Lantern Tavern, fondly know as “The Brown”.

Anacortes has some nice restaurants and A Town Bistro offers a killer, made to order Clam Chowder that I love. Made with local clams from Taylor Shellfish cooked in the shell with house cured bacon, cream, fumet, celery, onions, potatoes and black pepper served with warm focaccia – OMG, to die for.

Oh, and the great Farmers Market on Saturdays…I am really lovin life in Anacortes, in case you hadn’t caught that yet!

As much as I am loving being in Anacortes, the call of the water beckons and we have been looking forward to our first shake-down cruise. So stay tuned, we are off the dock and having a ball at Sucia Island State Park.