We have been looking forward to the February EYC cruise to Kingston for Valentine's Day but the club was not able to book it this year. Instead, it was decided the club would cruise to Everett and use the guest dock and Everett Yacht Club facilities. For us, that meant taking our boat for a five minute cruise for our slip on I Dock in the South Marina to the guest dock at the North Marina. It seemed a little silly to pay additional moorage but the weather was terrible and we were very happy to have Synnova right there with us for her warmth and comfort. The Port of Everett gave all the guests 2-for-1 nights moorage so that helped, too.
On Friday night, we went to the Bluewater Distillery for drinks and small plates of food. We had a great time visiting with friends and getting a short tour of this organic distillery and learning its history.
On Saturday, Robyn and Gavin brought the kids over so they could see the work that we had done on the boat. They were amazed by the difference. We are not done yet but we did have partially finished upholstery for the weekend. They have not been fitted perfectly or the detail work finished but they made the boat very comfortable. Paula, who is making them, will take them back next week to finish them.
We went to Scuttlebutt's for lunch and had fun with the family. On our way out, one of our club members stopped me and asked me what "Synnova" means. He and some friends had been googling the name and trying different languages to learn the meaning. It is an old Norse word meaning "a beautiful sight". One of our requirements was that no other boat has the same name. It's perfect!
Saturday afternoon we sat on the boat and visited with a steady stream of club members who came aboard to see our new boat. We often had 8 people sitting and visiting and it was wonderful to have plenty of room for everyone. We can already see that Synnova will serve the purposes we had hoped. Plenty of room for our family, room for overnight guests, and a salon large enough for people to visit in.
Saturday night included a wonderful stroganoff dinner at the Everett Yacht Club prepared by our own club chefs. Laurel Connolly led a chocolate gift exchange for those who wanted to participate. Following dinner, the annual "Not So Newlywed Game" was held and provided lots of laughs for everyone.
Since we were still in Everett for our "cruise", we decided we could go to church today. We were actually closer to the church than we are when we are at home!
The afternoon was spent with more visiting on the boats, more guests on ours, and then Chinese food for dinner. The plan was for a "mixed up" dinner with cruisers dividing up between boats for dinner and then switching boats for dessert. Appetizers and sake were served on the dock and then people filled their plates to take to their host boat. The weather was very bad this weekend and most people had to go to work on Monday so we lost many of our boaters. We had three people join us on Synnova and it was so nice to have the room for hosting.
After dinner we packed up and moved back to our own slip. Even though the cruise was in Everett and we weren't very excited about the location, it turned out to be a great time. When you are on the boat it doesn't really matter where you are. There is still a feeling of getting away and relaxing. You can feel the stress drain away which is one of the reasons why we are enjoying it so much.
