MV Dirona travel digest for Fall 2021


Show Fall 2021 travel log map Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise.

On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at //mvdirona.com/maps/LocationCurrent.html.


   

9/4/2021: Norwegian Encore
The Norwegian Encore coming onto the dock at Pier 66 early this morning, viewed from our apartment patio. Cruise ship traffic in Seattle isn't up to the same level as before the pandemic, but since late July we are seeing regular ship arrivals and departures from both Pier 66 and Pier 91 slightly to the north.
9/4/2021: Pub 70
Enjoying an IPA on the deck at Pub 70 as the cruise ship Norwegian Encore departs behind us.
9/4/2021: Bell Harbor Marina
The Everett Yacht Club is visiting our old home port of Bell Harbor Marina in Seattle.
9/5/2021: LG OLED
Our new TV, an 65-inch LG OLED, is remarkably thin. We were curious how it compared to our laptop, and it's actually even thinner. It's amazing it can be made strong enough and yet be so thin.
9/5/2021: Pocket Beach
Looking across Pocket Beach towards downtown Seattle on a walk back home from Elliott Bay Marina. The beach went through a major renovation in 2007 to restore its natural habitat and encourage native sea life. The project was a success and the beach is particularly interesting to visit at low tide to explore tide pools packed with diverse sea creatures.

We took an Uber to Elliott Bay Marina for lunch at Maggie Bluff's restaurant, and walked back home after. We kept our previous boat at Elliott Bay Marina from 1999-2008, and frequented Maggie Bluffs, but haven't been there for ages. It was great to be outside on their patio overlooking the marina. The marina also is home to Nordhavn Northwest—moored there were a Nordhavn 68, 62 and a 60.
9/5/2021: Echo
The sculpture Echo by renowned Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. He has created several similar works around the world, including Anna, that we saw at the Pilane Sculpture Park in Sweden.
9/8/2021: Remote Access
Yacht Tech is is bringing Dirona south to Florida today, and reported a beeping coming from underneath the salon settee. Here James is logged in remotely to the file server on board Dirona. The beeping was warning of a failed disk drive. We run the file server in RAID 6 configuration, so even with two failed disks, nothing would be lost. Acknowledging the event clears the beeping.
9/8/2021: Dirona Underway
James Knight's Yacht Tech bringing Dirona south from Charleston to their West Palm Beach offices. It is very strange to see the boat underway without us for the first time since we took delivery in early 2010.
9/8/2021: Sam's Tavern
Enjoying the wonderful warm fall weather at Sam's Tavern in Seattle's South Lake Union District. We're really liking the downtown lifestyle with literally dozens of restaurants within a short walking distance from our Belltown apartment.
9/9/2021: Dirona at Anchor
Dirona at anchor on the Colleton River near Hilton Head Island, South Carolina en route to West Palm Beach, Florida with Yacht Tech. No one else has ever anchored Dirona before.
9/10/2021: Calm Seas
Dirona underway off Cape Canaveral, Florida in calm seas, less than a day out from West Palm Beach.
9/11/2021: Parker Bridge
This morning Dirona passed through Palm Beach Inlet and left the Atlantic for the intracoastal waterway. In the distance is the Parker Bridge that we first passed under in 2016 en route to West Palm Beach from St. Lucia.
9/11/2021: Old Port Cove
Dirona off Old Port Cove in North Palm Beach, Florida, courtesy of Frank Coles of Nordhavn 6204 Kariwa (pictured at left). Frank and his spouse Leslie were on board Dirona with Jay Flaherty of Yacht Tech for the delivery to Florida from Charleston.

At center is Rowley Errington's Nordhavn 57 B2. We first met Rowley and his spouse Bernadette at the 2012 Trawlerfest in Anacortes Washington, and in 2014 spent a great few days moored next to them on their previous Nordhavn, 6236 Bee, in Bundaberg, Australia.
9/11/2021: Butcher's Table
Our steak going onto the grill at the Butcher's Table near our Seattle apartment. The restaurant has an excellent Happy Hour that has become a favorite of ours.
9/12/2021: Breakfast
Channeling our approach in Norway, we're spending as much time as we can outdoors no matter the weather. Here we are having breakfast on our more-protected second patio on a cool and rainy Seattle morning.
9/18/2021: Busted
Spitfire caught mooching. He's really settling in well to the apartment and seems healthier than he's been for a year or more. His appetite is better than ever too.
9/18/2021: Left Hand Smoke
Left Hand Smoke, a Seattle-based traditional rock and roll band, playing at our Belltown neighbourhood's Rock the Block event. We watched them setting up for the event this morning and came down later to take in the show. Left Hand Smoke, one of six bands scheduled for the day, played an excellent and energetic set.
9/18/2021: Soundboard
The sound engineer at Belltown Rock the Block explaining to James how to use a modern, digital soundboard.
9/18/2021: Pickerel and the Peyote 3
Mark Pickerel, the original drummer for the Screaming Trees, and his band Peyote 3 playing a great set at the Belltown Rock the Block event. The sound quality was excellent and we really enjoyed watching some live music again.
9/21/2021: Enetai
The high-speed passenger-only ferry Enetai en route from Seattle to Kingston, on the Kitsap Peninsula northwest of Seattle. The 250-passenger vessel was delivered a year ago from Nichols Boat Builders, based on Whidbey Island in Washington state, and has a cruising speed of 38 knots at full load.
9/21/2021: Glacier Peak
10,525-ft (3,207-m) Glacier Peak in Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest, looking northeast from our Seattle apartment. The volcanic mountain is named for the eleven significant glaciers that cover the peak.
9/21/2021: Harvest Moon
Harvest moon setting over Bainbridge Island and the Olympic Mountains this morning.
9/24/2021: Sunset
Spectacular orange sunset looking west across Elliott Bay to Bainbridge Island and the Olympic Mountains.
9/24/2021: APL Vancouver
The APL Vancouver at the Port of Seattle, with the Santa Teresa and the MSC Fiammetta visible beyond (click image for a larger view). The increased demand in products from Asia during the pandemic has produced a surge in shipping imports, a backlog in the midWest rail system, and a corresponding backup in the west coast seaports. The normal turnaround time for a container ship here is 24-48 hours, but all three ships have been in the port for four days, since Sept 20th. None appear to be in the process of offloading, so likely they will be there a few days more.

With the ports plugged with ships waiting to offload, those arriving must anchor for a week or more waiting for a berth. The Northwest Seaport Alliance that manages the port of Seattle and Tacoma are staging arriving ships in rarely-used designated anchorages in Yukon Harbor off Blake Island and in Holmes Harbor off Whidbey Island while they wait for a berth. Since we moved into the apartment in early July, we can always see 3 or four ships anchored in Yukon Harbor, something we never saw in the 13 years we boated in the area between 1999 and 2012.

We have some personal stake in this backlog, in that we're still waiting for the living room sofa we ordered in July, scheduled to arrive near the end of August. The sofa arrived into the port area at least a couple of weeks ago, but we still don't know when it will actually reach our apartment. Likely it's sitting in a container on one of the ships we can see out there.
9/26/2021: Kenmore Air
Two Kenmore Air float planes heading downwind prior to an upwind take-off on Lake Union. We purchased our first boat in 1999 at the now-closed Olympic Boat Center, just out of the frame in the distance on the right.
9/26/2021: Konstantinos II
The bulker Konstantinos II at the Pier 86 grain terminal, with the cruise ship Majestic Princess moored beyond at Pier 91. In the distance is Elliott Bay Marina, where we moored our first boat for a decade.
9/26/2021: Furniture
Our new sofa and the rest of our dining room chairs, delayed several weeks due to logistics backlogs, was finally delivered this weekend. For the past couple of months, we've been making do with bean bag chairs in the living room. These worked fine, but it's great to finally have some real furniture.
9/26/2021: SM Qingdao
The Crowley tractor tugs Guard and Response (not visible) assisting the container ship SM Qingdao onto the docks at the Port of Seattle. The ships APL Vancouver, Santa Teresa and MSC Fiammetta are visible at right, still in port after six days.

The small boats visible underway at left and stationary at lower right are fishing boats belonging to the Muckleshoot tribe, who are allowed by treaty to fish the Duwamish River that flows through the port area. This does complicate things somewhat for port operations, as the big ships must sometimes wait for the fishing boats to clear the area before they can land or depart.
9/26/2021: Steadfast
The 210-ft (64 m) US Coast Guard cutter Steadfast returning to the Coast Guard base in Seattle. The Steadfast entered service in 1968 and for 24 years was based in St. Petersburg Florida where it became the first of only two cutters to receive the gold marijuana leaf award for seizing one million pounds of marijuana. The vessel went through a major refit in 1992-1994 and had since been stationed at Astoria, Oregon.
9/29/2021: Carson Garner
At The Victor Tavern with Carson Garner, who was visiting Seattle from Virginia. Carson is a long-time blog reader who in his spare time has founded several small companies, ranging from web hosting to surface mail forwarding. His current project is a marine charting app that looks pretty impressive.
9/30/2021: Baroclinic Leaf
We've had amazingly clear weather most of the time since arriving in Seattle in July, but not today with the arrival of a baroclinic leaf. This rare weather pattern consists of a rapidly developing region of thermal contrast in the atmosphere where a frontal system is forming, and is named for its leaf-shaped pattern. This is the view from our apartment window as the system hit, bringing heavy rain and zero visibility.
10/1/2021: Haulout
Dirona on the hard at Seminole Marine in West Palm Beach for bottom paint. The yard is adjacent to Soverel Harbor Marina, where we first landed in the US following our trip around the world. We spent several weeks at Soverel Harbor and really enjoyed it.
9/26/2021: Havaseas
Nordhavn 55 Havaseas approaching Bell Harbor, Seattle, our old home port.
10/1/2021: Deep Frying
Making deep-fried battered spicy fish pieces and onion rings for dinner. This is our first time deep-frying at home since we moved out of our Seattle house in late 2008 (we don't view it as safe using deep-fat fryers on a boat). It's been fun to revisit some favorite recipes like this one.
10/2/2021: Breakfast
Breakfast on the deck on a chilly Seattle morning.
10/4/2021: APL Vancouver
The empty berth where the APL Vancouver was until today. The ship finally departed Seattle this morning after 13 days in port. That is an unusually long time compared to the more typical 24-48-hour turnaround. The logistics channel really is a mess right now.
10/6/2021: Bill Grady
Out on a tour of the Link Light Rail construction site with Bill Grady of KLB Construction, one of the main contractors for the project. Bill and his spouse Roni owned the spectacular Nordhavn 68 Zorro, and currently have a Nordhavn 71 on order. Bill spent the afternoon taking us on a tour of the huge construction site that will connect Federal Way into the region's light rail system. We had an excellent time on the tour and it was great to catch up with Bill, who we've not seen for years.
10/6/2021: Komatsu D61PXi-24
One of KLB Construction's many pieces of heavy equipment in use on the Link Light Rail construction project. This Komatsu D61PXi-24 dozer is an interesting example of what's becoming the norm in modern construction equipment. Intelligent machinery know both the construction site layout and exactly where they are in 3D space. This allows them to move earth or equipment much more precisely, quickly and safely.
10/7/2021: Seahawks
At Lumen stadium to watch the Seattle Seahawks take on the Los Angeles Rams. We've not been to a Seahawks home game since 2018, and are excited to be back.
10/7/2021: On the Field
The Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams playing a sold-out Sunday night game at Lumen stadium. Sadly the Seahawks lost 17-26, but we had a great time and are looking forward to attending a few more.
10/8/2021: Seaspan Yangtze
The Seaspan Yangtze entering the Port of Seattle after spending three weeks in backed-up Los Angeles, while the Maersk Singapore departs for Yokohama, Japan.
10/8/2021: Lake Union
Boat traffic on Lake Union, northeast of our apartment.
10/8/2021: Ovation of the Seas
Ovation of the Seas departing Seattle's Pier 91 on its penultimate Alaska cruise of the season. After this weekend, there will be only three more cruise ship arrivals into Seattle in 2021.
10/8/2021: Sunset
Golden sunset over Bainbridge Island and the Olympic Mountians, looking west from our Seattle apartment patio.
10/10/2021: Buffalo Wild Wings
Our new Sunday tradition of a late lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings sports bar while watching the NFL games. The bar has several dozen screens, covering almost every horizontal surface, and we can always get a seat with a good view of whatever game we want to watch.
10/11/2021: Victoria Clipper
The Victoria Clipper departing Seattle from Pier 69 en route to Victoria, Canada on its final run to Victoria until the spring of 2022. The service was suspended in July of 2020 and only started back up on September 17th if this year. But it was just suspended again, within a month of starting, due to lack of ridership. The main barrier was a requirement for a negative PCR COVID test within 72 hours of arrival into Canada. That requirement discouraged us as well, making it difficult to make last-minute travel plans.
10/12/2021: Brrrrr
An unseasonably cold day in Seattle this morning, with the temperature at 38°F (3.3°C).
10/12/2021: Taqueria Cantina
An excellent meal, with wonderful margaritas, at Taqueria Cantina in Belltown.
10/12/2021: Police
Shortly after arriving at the Taqueria Cantina, eight police cars arrived at speed with sirens to join us. We kept our heads down and enjoyed a good meal.
10/14/2021: American Constellation
The pocket cruise ship American Constellation returning to Seattle after an 11-night "Grand Puget Sound" cruise.
10/15/2021: Sail GP
The fleet crossing the start line on race 4 of the Sail GP series in Cadiz, Spain. The racing was exciting, and our favourite, team Australia, won the overall weekend and returned to the top of the points.
10/16/2021: Norwegian Encore
Norwegian Encore arriving into Seattle this morning. The ship will make one final run to Alaska this year before transitioning to the Caribbean for the winter. We're not sure if it's just the lighting, but we've noticed the cruise ships smoke a lot more at night than they do during the day.
10/16/2021: MSC Monterey
The beautiful Foss tractor tug Garth and sistership Lindsay easing the MSC Monterey onto the dock at the Port of Seattle. The 155-ft (47m) Voith Tractor tugs are equipped with twin EMD 16-710-G7A engines for a total of 8,000 horsepower and 87 tons of bollard pull.
10/16/2021: Leschi
The Seattle Fire Department fireship Leschi testing its pumping system. Fire is a major concern at the port, and the Seattle Fire Department has operated two fireships continuously since 1891. One of the port's worse fires took place in 1968, when an electrical malfunction sparked a blaze that burned for over a half day despite the efforts of 14 fire engine, two fireboats, two U.S. Coast Guard cutters, and several tugboats.
10/18/2021: Seattle Library
The striking Public Library building in downtown Seattle was completed in 2004.
10/18/2021: Starbucks
The line to enter the original Starbuck's store, opened in 1971 in Pike Place Market. The coffee shop is a major tourist attraction, and we've never been past when there wasn't a long line outside. This one is actually kind of short compared to the height of the summer, when it wraps around the block.
10/18/2021: Gear from Dirona
One of several pallets of gear from Dirona stored in the Yacht Tech warehouse in Palm Beach. We have accumulate an astonishing amount of gear, spares, and tools over the decade of cruising around the world.
10/19/2021: Moonset
Moonset over Elliott Bay.
10/19/2021: Foo Fighters
Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters take the stage on the first event at newly-completed Climate Pledge Arena. The Foo Fighters put on an excellent show, and we're looking forward to returning to the arena this weekend for the opening game of the Kraken, Seattle's first NHL ice hockey team in nearly a century.
10/20/2021: Ingredients
Getting started on a yummy recipe for Crispy Salt and Pepper Shrimp.
10/20/2021: Test Kit
James has some meetings that require a negative COVID-19 self test prior to attending. This is only the second time either of us has needed to be tested. The first time was for entry into Horta during our recent Atlantic crossing.
10/21/2021: Roasting Pan
When you start an household from nothing, an amazing amount of things need to be purchased. This is our new roasting pan in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner.
10/21/2021: Ovation of the Seas
Lifeboat returning to Ovation of the Seas at anchor in Elliott Bay. The ship was previously moored at Pier 91 following the return from its final cruise to Alaska, then moved out to anchor here. The ship was originally scheduled to cross the Pacific and cruise New Zealand and Australia this winter, but that itinerary recently was canceled because Australia still has a ban on cruise ships entering the country. The next sailing for Ovation of the Seas is scheduled for March of 2022 from Vancouver to Alaska. It will be interesting to see if they are able to come up with an itinerary for the ship, or if they'll just store it for that inactive period.
10/23/2021: Breakfast
Breakfast on our deck while the cruise ship Norwegian Encore makes its final arrival of the season into Seattle before repositioning to the Caribbean for the winter.
10/23/2021: Coolpix P1000
We bought our first digital camera back in 2002, a Canon PowerShot Pro90 IS, and the choice of a lightweight, relatively inexpensive point-and-shoot over a DSLR has continued to work well for us (see Digital Camera Choices). We've since purchased several other generations of the PowerShot series, most recently an SX70, at right in the picture.

A couple of years ago, we had a camera failure and really wanted to stick with Canon but they were only a couple of months away from releasing a new camera. Rather than buy what was essentially a 3-year-old camera, we decided to look at others, and Nikon had just released the P1000 at right. It has an impressive optical zoom of 3000mm, but is a monster at 5.76 x 7.14 x 4.68 inches and weighing 3.12 pounds compared to the 1365mm Canon at 4.6 x 5 x 3.6 inches and weighing 1.36 pounds. We have always gone for the biggest commodity camera zoom lens. After 20 years of bigger is better, we jumped on the Nikon figuring we would get used to the additional size.

The Nikon produces excellent results, but we found it too big for long hikes or casual walking around downtown. So when Canon released their next camera, the SX70 HS, we returned to Canon and we have been rarely using the Nikon. Now that we're in an apartment 450ft from the ground, we're loving the Nikon's long lens. So it's back in use, at least when we are around the apartment. The Nikon lens is truly exceptional, but the Canon is still our choice when we are away from the apartment.
10/23/2021: Nat Geo Venture
The US-flagged National Geographic Venture and sistership National Geographic Quest were both built the Nichols Shipyard on Whidbey Island, about 25 miles (40km) to our north. Both predominately cruise in US waters, in compliance with the Jones Act (requiring that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried on ships that have been constructed in the United States and that fly the U.S. flag, are owned by U.S. citizens, and are crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents).

We visited Fanning Island, about 900 miles south of Hawaii, that had once been a weekly stopover for the Honolulu-based Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) ships to work around Jones Act restrictions. In order for non-US boats to do cruises that start and end in Hawaii, they need to leave the US. Fanning Island was their stop-over in much the same way that Victoria and Vancouver are for the Seattle to Alaska cruises. NCL eventually built three ships in the US that comply with the Jones Act and stopped visiting Fanning Island.

The National Geographic Venture is seen here departing Seattle after a season cruising the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, and will spend the winter cruising California and Mexico.
10/23/2021: Doubled Lines
Several big weather systems are forecast over the next few days and the Norwegian Encore, moored at Pier 66, has double the normal mooring lines.
10/23/2021: Polar Star
The USCG ice breaker Polar Star heading out what appeared to be on a multi-day sea trial. The ship anchored for two nights at the eastern end of Juan de Fuca Strait north of Sequim Bay, then spent 24 hours doing multiple laps in the area before returning back home to the the USCG base in the Port of Seattle.
10/23/2021: Climate Pledge Arena
At Climate Pledge Arena for the opening game of the brand new NHL expansion team, the Seattle Kraken. Seattle hasn't had an NHL team since the Metropolitans, who played here from 1915 to 1924 and in 1917 were the first American team to win the Stanley Cup.
10/23/2021: Player Introductions
Player introductions before the start of the first home Kraken game. Climate Pledge Arena is a beautiful, modern, high-tech facility, created after a $1.15 billion USD redevelopment of Key Arena. The original arena, built for the 1962 World's Fair, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. The new arena preserved the roof and exterior and from the outside looks much the same, but the inside is completely different. An additional 15 feet was excavated, putting the arena floor 53 feet below street level with double the arena space.
10/23/2021: Game On
The Kraken taking on the Vancouver Canucks in their first home opener. We lost 2-4, but had a fabulous time and are looking forward to attending more games this season.
10/24/2021: Storms
The second of a series of several storms approaching the Seattle area. On Monday the winds will be gusting to 34 knot with rain, ideal conditions for Monday Night Football in our outdoor stadium :(.
10/24/2021: Ovation of the Seas
The cruise ship Ovation of the Seas departed the anchorage at Elliott Bay and we didn't expect to see it again until next spring when the Alaska cruise season starts up again. But it returned to Seattle to anchor in Yukon Harbor after performing several large loops in Juan de Fuca Strait.

The ship was originally scheduled to cross the Pacific and cruise New Zealand and Australia this winter, but that itinerary recently was canceled because Australia still has a ban on cruise ships entering the country. The next sailing for Ovation of the Seas is scheduled for March of 2022 from Vancouver to Alaska. We wonder if the boat will remain at anchor in Seattle or if they'll find a way to schedule a last-minute cruise or find some other way to get some value from the $1.4B ship.
10/24/2021: Fall Leaves
Jennifer can never resist a romp through a pile of fall leaves.
10/26/2021: Monday Night Football
With our friends Kimanh Moreau and Peter DeSantis to watch the Seahawks take on the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. Russel Wilson, our starting quarterback is out with an injury and we're not doing well this year. We lost to the Saints 10-13 and have a now have a 2-5 loss-win record. But we still had a great time, and will definitely attend more games.
10/26/2021: Szechuan Beef
Some of the ingredients for a spicy dish of Szechuan Beef. As we stock our kitchen, we seem to be buying another jar or two of spices with every grocery trip.
10/28/2021: 2120
A delicious and fun meal on the patio inside the heated tent at 2120 restaurant, with the Seattle Spheres visible behind. The pouring rain is send sheets of water down the sides of the plant- and light-filled spheres, making for a unique and beautiful backdrop.
10/30/2021: Patio Heater
Breakfast on the patio with our new outdoor heater. The temperature is 39°F (4°C), but the heater provides enough warmth that we can still be outside comfortably.
10/30/2021: Mt Baker
10,781 ft (3,286m) Mt Baker, 85 miles (135km) north of Seattle, thick with snow from the big storms that passed through in the last few days.
10/31/2021: Jaguars Fans
Fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team sporting jaguar-print suites at Lumen stadium to cheer their team on against the Seahawks. We won, but the Jaguars have a record of 1 win and 6 losses, so it wasn't a major accomplishment. But we did enjoy the game.
11/1/2021: USCGC Alert
The USCG cutter Alert, under tow in Lake Union with the tugs Wasp and West Point.
11/1/2021: Walking
We've seen a lot of different food delivery methods, including cars, bicycles, mopeds and motorcycles, but we've yet to have someone deliver a meal walking. It didn't seem like a great idea, as our pizza arrived pretty cold.
11/2/2021: Ovation of the Seas
The Ovation of the Seas departed yesterday from the anchorage at Yukon Harbor, visible from our apartment in Seattle. When we saw it running south off the west coast of Washington State, we assumed that was the last we'd see of the ship this season. But it later turned around and appears to be heading back to Seattle. A day later, its again doing loops in the Juan de Fuca Strait.

At only 9.5 knots, they're running far more economically than their usual cruising speed, but that's still a very expensive boat to have underway, likely consuming around 10MW right now, depending upon hotel loads. It will be interesting to see where it ends up going.
11/2/2021: Fire Station 2
Seattle Fire Station 2, viewed as we walked home from dinner. Built in 1918, this is Seattle's oldest fire station and one of 34 in the city. We can see the building from our apartment, and often see them racing out on an emergency with sirens blaring.

The truck engines are kept warm and ready to start, with the exhaust captured through the big hose visible in front of the rear wheel. The hose detaches automatically as the truck drives away. Also visible is a bag of emergency gear on the floor, and the fire pole in the background. But no Dalmation.
11/4/2021: Fines
The fast ferry Fines underway from Seattle to Kingston, barely visible as 30-knot gusts from behind blow it's wake over the vessel.
11/5/2021: Spitfire
Spitfire fast asleep in his bed in the corner of the dining room. He spends much of the day there, occasionally sitting up to have a look outside, eat some food, or play for a bit.
11/6/2021: Ovation of the Seas
The cruise ship Ovation of the Seas departed Seattle nearly a week ago and has been doing loops in the Juan de Fuca Strait ever since. It'll be interesting to see how long they do these loops—the fuel bill to move around 168,666 gross tons is massive—and where they end up going next.
11/6/2021: Kinani H
The tug Kinani H arriving into Seattle from Alaska. Two barges are difficult to control at rest, so the tug has been doing loops in Elliott Bay while waiting for assistance.
11/6/2021: Kinani H Track
The track of the tug Kinani H shows it did many loops off Kingston to our north before arriving in Elliott Bay and doing more. Likely both sets of loops were just waiting for their appointment time in Seattle for smaller assist tugs to pick up the barges in tow.
11/6/2021: Tugboat Assist
Two small harbor tugs arriving to take the double-barge load from the Kinani H.
11/6/2021: USS Nimitz
The USS Nimitz departing its home base in nearby Bremerton. The 1,092 feet (332.8 m) supercarrier is one of the largest warships in the world. Launched in 1972, it also is the oldest serving aircraft carrier. Ships of this class have a roughly 50-year lifespan, and the Nimitz is scheduled for decommissioning in Bremerton by 2025.
11/9/2021: Windy
The winds are howling outside, buffeting the apartment windows, and Elliot Bay is frothy with whitecaps as a storm bringing 38-knot winds moves in. Compared to Vancouver Island (circled in red to our north), Seattle is relatively protected by the Olympic Mountains on the Olympic Peninsula to our west. Triangle Island, off the northwest tip of Vancouver Island, can expect sustained winds of 38 knots, with gusts to 56, as the system passes through. Ovation of the Seas, our "pet" cruise ship, has wisely left the exposed Juan de Fuca Strait and has been at anchor in Port Angeles since last night.
11/9/2021: Hail
Today's storm system brought a major hail storm and very low visibility. The hail combined with the high winds was really loud.
11/11/2021: Mit Huhn
We're still working through some of the deep stores from Dirona. This is a can of Purina Gourmet Gold cat food purchased in Amsterdam, "mit huhn" (with chicken), that Spitfire loves. We had several weeks of a backup food on board, for use when he's not inclined to eat his special diet.

He's been doing really well on the new food though, so we've hardly used any of the Gourmet Gold. He's been a bit finicky the past couple of days, so we had to break out the "good stuff" to get him over the hump and back eating again. These phases can pass quickly, but without finding a way to get him back eating again, he'll just continue downhill.
11/12/2021: Ovation of the Seas
Some people have a pet squirrel that randomly returns. We have a pet cruise ship, Ovation of the Seas. Since the vessel's planned winter cruises in Australia and New Zealand were cancelled, we've been watching the ship make trips back and forth between Seattle and Port Angeles, and twice spending several days looping out in the Juan de Fuca Strait.

Today the ship returned from anchor at Port Angeles and docked for the first time below us at Pier 66 (its normal berth during the cruise season is Pier 91). It departed Pier 66 12 hours later and returned to the anchorage at Port Angeles. The fuel bill to move around 168,666 gross tons is massive, so we're a little surprised it would make the trip here for such a short stop.
11/12/2021: Local 360
Enjoying a balcony seat overlooking the main dining area at Local 360 restaurant. The menu focuses on locally-sourced products from within a 360-mile radius, hence the name. We had an excellent evening—the food, service and ambience were all excellent. And it's only a five-minute walk from our apartment, so we'll definitely be back.
11/13/2021: Port of Seattle
The Port of Seattle, barely visible in a low cloud.
11/13/2021: Kraken
Seattle Kraken captain Mark Giordano (number 5 at bottom right) with the puck as the Kraken take on the Minnesota Wild in a Saturday-night game at Climate Pledge Arena. We lost again, but had an excellent time. Or at least we did, we're not sure about the Kraken :).
11/14/2021: Windy
We've got more winds coming over the next couple of days. Right now we're seeing gusts to 33 knots, and we'll see up to 39 knots tomorrow.
11/14/2021: Breakfast
Breakfast outside on our second balcony with some help from our new outdoor heater. The winds are howling from the south and its pouring rain, but this north-facing balcony is tucked into the building and we're just inside the rain line, so we're warm, dry and comfortable. It was fun to sit outside during the big storm.
11/14/2021: Pixel 6 Pro
James got a new Pixel 6 Pro phone today, and we're really impressed with the camera quality. This is a shot taken at Buffalo Wild Wings, watching the Seahawks game during our regular Sunday "wings and sports" stop.
11/14/2021: Wide Angle
After lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings, we returned home to watch the rest of the Seahawks game at home. Another impressive aspect of the camera on the new Pixel 6 Pro is its 16mm wide-angle capability.
11/15/2021: Garbage Disposal
We don't get much of an "opportunity" these days to do any equipment troubleshooting or repair, but we did this morning. Here James is un-jamming our garbage disposal. Our unit on the boat occasionally jammed, and this usually was caused by something wedged in the teeth. Removing the offending item cleared the jam. The apartment unit was jammed solid, and we couldn't find anything stuck in the teeth.

We were thinking we would have to replace it, and in researching that discovered it has an available "jam-buster" tool that inserts into the bottom to turn the unit and clear a jam. A 1/4-inch Allen key also can be used, and James was able to clear the jam this way. And as a bonus, the unit is quieter than since we moved in, so perhaps it always was a bit jammed.

The device is the same brand, Insinkerator, as the one on Dirona. In looking at the manual, that unit also has a jam-buster insertion point in the base. So we learned something in the apartment that applies to the boat.
11/16/2021: Spitfire
Spitfire, dozing in the den, just about blew a gasket when the window cleaner suddenly dropped into view. He sped out of the room and here is cautiously checking out the situation before returning.
11/16/2021: Window Cleaner
Window cleaners have been working on our building for the past couple of weeks. It's amazing to seem them hanging in the air on the outside of the building, 40 stories up, and secured only with two ropes.
11/16/2021: Sunset
Sunset over the Olympic Penninsula, with the Yukon Harbor overflow anchorage in the foreground. The west coast ports are still very backed-up, and four container ships are anchored at Yukon Harbor awaiting a berth at the Port of Seattle. Prior to the pandemic, we'd never see ships at anchor here.
11/17/2021: Olympic Mountains
A tug and tow heading north with the snow-dusted Olympic Mountains aglow in the morning sun.
11/17/2021: Google Nest
Trying out a Google Nest. We're big users of Amazon Alexa, on Fire TV, Echo and Show devices, but wanted to better understand the features offered by the Nest system.
11/17/2021: Kraken
Player introductions for the first game ever between the Seattle Kraken and the Chicago Blackhawks. With a brand new expansion team, every game seems to have a lot of firsts.
11/18/2021: Enetai
The fast ferry Enetai went into service in March of this year, making the run from Southworth, on Kitsap penninsula, to Seattle in 26 minutes. The ferry was out in Elliott Bay doing sea trails this morning between its two normal rush-hour service periods.
11/19/2021: 8th Ave
Looking southeast along 8th Avenue on our way out to dinner. The number of high-rises in downtown Seattle has grown significantly since we last lived here in 2012.
11/19/2021: Dirona Unloaded
The contents from Dirona almost filling the floor in the Yacht Tech Palm Beach warehouse. We had an amazing amount of gear packed into that boat.
11/20/2021: Pacific Marine Expo
Looking down to the floor a few minutes before the opening for the final day of Pacific Marine Expo in the Lumen Field event center. Previously called "Fish Expo", it is the largest commercial marine and fishing trade show on the West Coast. We always enjoy attending when we can, but rarely have been in town this time of year.
11/20/2021: Tim Sandeman
Tim Sandeman, Vice President of Sales at Cascade Engine Center in Seattle, standing with a John Deere 6068 marine engine. Cascade supplied Dirona's ultra-reliable John Deere 6068AFM75. It was Gregg Light, Tim's predecessor, who sold our original engine. But Tim and the rest of the Cascade team have taken excellent care of us since.
11/20/2021: Scania V8
The legendary Scania V8 diesel. This engine rules the most difficult trucking roads in Europe and is available in a range of hp starting at 530 up to an incredible 730. This is the marinized version of that engine, on display at the Cascade Engine Center booth at Pacific Marine Expo.
11/20/2021: Suzuki 300
Here we are with a Suziki 300hp outboard engine at the Cascade Engine Center booth. It looks like a big engine in the water, and it's absolutely massive when you're standing beside it.
11/20/2021: Geislinger
Jennifer lifting a Gesilco composite prop shaft at the Geislinger Pacific Marine Expo booth. Jennifer is pretty strong, but she wouldn't be picking up a steel shaft of this size.
11/20/2021: Kit Purdy
At Pacific Marine Expo with Kit Purdy, Global Vice President of Sales at Northern Lights, who make the generator and the auxiliary wing engine in Dirona. Northern Lights and their propulsion engines, Lugger, have long been favorites of the Alaska fishing fleet and many Alaskan off-grid applications. We can see why—they make a great engine, and the service has been extraordinary.
11/20/2021: Smith Tower
The beautiful bronze doors at the entrance to the iconic Smith Tower, viewed as we walked home from Pacific Marine Expo. When completed in 1914, the 462-foot building was the tallest in the country west of Ohio, and remained the tallest west of the Rockies for nearly fifty years. Despite the brass plaques indicating 42 stories, the building opened with at most 36 floors. That number increased to 38 floors when a two-story penthouse apartment later was built into the top.
11/20/2021: Seattle Spheres
Two of the three Seattle Spheres, viewed from 6th and Lenora, looking especially striking lit up at night. The spheres are an Amazon building designed as an alternative space where employees can immerse themselves in nature in the heart of urban downtown Seattle. Employees can visit any time, and the structure is open to the public for tours on weekends.
11/21/2021: Waesche
The 418-ft (127 m) Coast Guard cutter Waesche arriving into Seattle. Commissioned in 2010 and home-ported in Alameda, California, the ship has a top speed of 28 knots and a 12,000-mile range.
11/21/2021: Porsche Taycan S
The massive breaks on a Porsche Taycan Turbo S parked opposite our building. The all-electric performance car weighs in at a whopping 5,081 lbs (2,305 kg) due to the heavy batteries that power it, and requires race-quality breaks to provide good stopping characteristics.
11/21/2021: Prismatica
Several of the 25 6-ft (2m) prisms that make up Prismatica, one of four interactive light displays installed temporarily in the South Lake Union district. The panels are coated with a dichroic film that changes colors depending on angle and lighting, with a projector inside to light up the columns at night. The prisms also contain chimes that sound as the structures are hand-rotated.
11/21/2021: Seattle Spheres
On a tour of the Seattle Spheres with project manager Justin Schroeder, at left. The Spheres contain over 400 different species of cloud forest plants from around the world, all incredibly lush and healthy. Justin, who was involved with the project from the beginning, did a wonderful job of explaining both the history of the building and details on some of the more interesting and unusual plants inside.
11/21/2021: Canyon Living Wall
One of the special features inside the Seattle Spheres is the 50-ft, four-story living wall, filled with over 250,000 plants.
11/21/2021: Hamiltons
In front of the 50-ft living wall at the Seattle Spheres with Neil Hamilton, James' uncle, and his wife Jackie, of Victoria, Canada. We've not seen them for years and really enjoyed catching up.
11/23/2021: Monorail
The Seattle Monorail opened in 1962 as part of the Seattle World's Fair, the same event the iconic Space Needle was built for. The 0.9-mile (1.4 km) monorail route runs between Westlake Center mall and the Seattle Center, the site of the fair and the home of the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena.

The monorail route passes directly below our apartment along 5th Ave, and today we noticed that one of the trains made a prolonged, unscheduled stop. Eventually it was able to back up, and then continue on its way.
11/24/2021: Turkey
A fresh turkey from Whole Foods, ready for our Thanksgiving dinner in a couple of days. Since we've been in Europe for the past five years, where it's difficult to source a turkey this time of year, we haven't had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner since 2016.
11/24/2021: Hand Mixer
A new hand mixer, ready to make our Thanksgiving dinner mashed potatoes. Our "from-scratch" household is filling in nicely, but we're still finding the odd gap in our kitchen equipment.
11/24/2021: Waesche
The 418-ft (127 m) Coast Guard cutter Waesche departing Seattle three days after arriving.
11/24/2021: Winterfest
The trees in Seattle Center are lit up in changing colors as part of the Winterfest events. We can see them from our apartment, but they look even better up close.
11/24/2021: Kraken Logo
The Seattle Kraken logo formed from stacked hockey pucks. When the players come out for practice, they knock the stack onto the ice for use during the practice session.
11/25/2021: Turkey Dinner
Making gravy for our turkey dinner—our new roasting pan worked out well. We had a delicious meal and really enjoyed being back in the US for Thanksgiving.
11/26/2021: MGen Henry Knox
The US Army tug MGen Henry Knox underway in Elliott Bay. The tug is one of six in its class, built in the 1990s mainly to assist in docking transports. Thirteen initially were planned, but only six were completed.
11/26/2021: Ship Faced
Nordhavn 60 Ship Faced departing Bell Harbor marina (love the name!). The vessel is one of the few Nordhavns we've seen with a brightly-painted hull, and even less common, the stack is painted to match. The 60 is an extended version of the 55. We've always liked the interior layout of the 55 and the 60 is even better with a bigger cockpit, in the same way that the 52 is an extended version of the 47.
11/26/2021: Leftovers
A portion of our Thanksgiving dinner leftovers. We'll be eating turkey for a while :).
11/27/2021: Evening calm
A Washington State ferry crossing Elliott Bay on a slightly overcast but wonderfully calm morning, with the bright red 'E' of the Edgewater Hotel visible in the foreground. The iconic hotel was built on a pier over the water for the 1962 World's Fair and has hosted renowned artists including the Beatles (who were famously photographed fishing from their hotel window), Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Who, Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters.
11/27/2021: Lifeboat
Lifeboat approaching the ferry terminals in downtown Seattle from our 'pet cruise ship', the Ovation of the Seas, that appears to have moved into the area permanently. The cruise ship recently returned and is anchored across Elliott Bay at Yukon Harbor.
11/28/2021: Insignia South
Looking up from 5th and Battery to our apartment, topmost on the corner, in the south tower of the Insignia condominium complex. We're liking living here so much that we're looking into either extending the lease or purchasing it.
11/29/2021: Dusk
Dusk at 5:15pm, looking across Belltown to Elliott Bay from our apartment. The days are getting shorter and shorter with the sun rising at 7:35 and setting at 4:21. The shortest day of the year will be on Dec. 21st when the sun rises at 7:55am and sets at 4:20pm for a total of 8:25 of daylight.

That's not much, but nearly double the 4:30 we had Dec 21st last year in Trondheim, Norway when the sun rose at 10:01am and set at 2:31pm.
11/30/2021: Black Hawk
A Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from 2-158th Assault Helicopter Battalion, based at nearby Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The logo on the side (click image for larger view) identifies the chopper as belonging to Bravo "Bigfoot" Company. The four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift Black Hawk replaced the Bell UH-1 Iroquois as the Army's tactical transport helicopter in 1979.