The clock is ticking and we feel we're in the homestretch of our preparations for our upcoming trip to Alaska. Our latest project - diesel heat. After a lot of research and learning I began wondering how you stay warm while anchoring out in Alaska. One boat mentioned that they went 21 days on the hook before finally reaching a town and marina. I was puzzled. I thought there is no way we're going to run our generator nonstop for 21 days. So I reached out to Sea Venture whose Youtube channel we watch and who happen to be in Alaska right now. They promptly wrote me back and said that diesel heat was the way to go. Not knowing a thing about it I then posed the question on the Trawler Forum where I got tons of knowledgable and insightful responses. After some discussion and more research we found someone in the Seattle area who did the installation and who could also obtain this heater for us. Today marks the beginning of week four of the installation and we hope to be finished by weeks end. It is a massive project. New vents were installed in the salon, galley, master stateroom, forward stateroom and pilothouse. After weeks of work inside the engine room work began. Tons of tubes/pipes and parts are scattered below deck. It all feels overwhelming but hopefully it will be finished soon.
Tubes in Engine Room
More Tubes to Install Engine Room
Misc Parts Engine Room
Where Diesel Heater Will go in the Laz
Despite my impatience we really have made the best of our time here. The boat is at a yard called Miller and Miller and it's located on Salmon Bay. To get here we had to go through the Hiram Chittenden (Ballard) locks which separates the Puget Sound (salt water) from Lake Union and Lake Washington (freshwater). We haven't been through a lock since doing the Great Loop in 2016 but found the experience familiar and not a problem. Once here we lowered the dink and took a cruise around Lake Union admiring the view of the city, the various types of boats and the house boat community which was used for making the movie Sleepless in Seattle. While we are ready to be done at the yard it's been an interesting experience watching all the commercial boats go through the locks and getting to experiences the lakes that we haven't been to before. After we leave here we'll have a couple of weeks back at the marina then back to another yard to get the boat hauled and bottom inspected before we leave.
House Boat Community Lake Union
Tiding of Joy at Miller & Miller Boatyard
Gasworks Park
Dam at Hiram Chittenden (Ballard) Locks
Local Geese
Map of Elliot Bay (our marina) & Lakes Union & Washington
