Seattle Boat Show: Come See Us

Talking at the boat show was entirely Carol's idea.

The Seattle Boat Show has a very special place in our hearts and attending the Boat Show always puts me in a reflective mood. This is because the Seattle Boat Show will always remind me of that first frantic weekend when we took possession of Estrellita in Lake Union during the frozen cold week of the 2007 Seattle Boat Show.

We flew in from Colorado with only a couple of days to buy a dinghy and outboard, get some food on the boat, and prepare for our first transit from Seattle to Sidney, BC. We had hired a captain to show us the ropes on our own vessel, my Dad came aboard with us and everything was terrifying and exciting. We had fog, we rafted to a fishing vessel, spent a night in Reid Harbor, and we even managed to sail a bit. Our captain did an excellent job of teaching to our three very different levels of experience. She divided the tasks into categories (captain, nav, engine) and each day we each took on a different role forcing us to work on all aspects instead of falling into patterns.

During those few hectic days prior to the trip up to Sidney, we carved out some time to attend a few talks at the boat show. I don't remember exactly who gave those talks but I remember we saw at least one about Vancouver Island and one that had tropical content and man, oh man, did those talks feed our dream.

Carol suggested that we talk at the boat show when we decided to come back to the PNW and as soon as he mentioned it, I realized how right he was. Talking at the boat show, which was such a part of our own story, would feel like closing the circle. We could now be the people coming back with tans and huge arse grins, a touch (but not a lot) wiser than when we left, and put up some pictures on the big screen that would touch someone else's heart--someone in the throes of preparation, or someone who enjoys vicarious cruising.

Save the Date: Carol and I will be giving three talks at the Seattle Boat Show which runs from January 25th until February 3rd. Pretty fancy, huh?

• Monday the 28th at 3:15pm - 10 Things I Learned from the Interview with a Cruiser Project - Silver Stage - Rather than one expert, why not have 100? The founders of the Interview With A Cruiser Project, Livia & Carol, look back on more than 100 interviews with people who have been cruising outside of their home country for more than two years, highlighting 10 lessons that they learned from these experienced cruisers that helped them in their own cruising adventure.
• Tuesday the 29th at 4:00pm - Modern Day Cruising in French Polynesia: How Today's Cruisers Do It - Gold Stage - Cell service and wifi in the Tuamotus? Electronic charts that are accurate? Mega-grocery stores? Fresh from six months of cruising their 35' sloop in French Polynesia, Livia & Carol discuss the differences between the outdated information in the guidebooks and the modern reality. A handout will be made available electronically.
• Wednesday the 30th at 5:00pm - 5 ways Cruising in the PNW Prepares You for the South Pacific & 5 Ways it Does Not - Gold Stage - Livia and Carol spent several years of weekend cruising and one year of full time cruising in British Columbia and Washington before setting off to the tropics. After spending last season in the South Pacific, they have flown back to talk about the ways that the PNW is an excellent training area for would-be cruisers, and the lessons that they had to learn on the way.

Stop by and say hi or pass the word to someone you know who is going. We might show up for parts of the rest of the boat show, so if you can't make the talks but feel like buying us a beer on another day, get in touch ;)