PANNTOA Covid Cruze Photo Contest Winners! December 16, 2020 - Wow! We got a boatload of photos from all over Puget Sound, the Gulf Islands and beyond! It was a treat to see all the places our members cruised this summer in spite of the Covid restrictions. We are all winners to live in such a spectacular part of the world!
It was a great pleasure to sort through all the entries and review some familiar places and preview some new. But due to the quantity and quality of the photos, it was hard to choose just three! If you have not done so already, please log in and take a look at all the great photos.
Seattle Yachts sponsored this contest and generously provided the prizes for first and second place winners. The third-place winner gets to choose from some priceless PANNTOA swag!
FIRST PLACE!
Julie Irwin took this photo of their kids while cruising for a week in the San Juan Islands! What a memorable sunset to enjoy as a family on the stern of High Drama II! Seattle Yachts will be sending them an Impulse A-33 In-Sight Auto Inflatable LIfe Jacket valued at $225!
SECOND PRIZE!
Second prize goes to Mark Leopold for submitting this photo taken at Matia Island this past summer. Here we see First Tracks stern tied in a small cove just SW of Rolfe Cove where they found three days of quiet. An HX40 6W Ultra Compact Marine Handheld VHF Radio valued at $125 will be shipped to them by our friends at Seattle Yachts!
THIRD PRIZE!
Dave Rankin submitted this beautiful photo of Princess Louisa Inlet with Formilo (NT37) in the foreground. For his efforts, he gets a selection of PANNTOA SWAG! Check out his new sportswear at the next Vous!
Thanks to everyone who participated and to those of you who logged in to enjoy the views.
And a special thanks goes out to our sponsor, Seattle Yachts!
It was a great pleasure to sort through all the entries and review some familiar places and preview some new. But due to the quantity and quality of the photos, it was hard to choose just three! If you have not done so already, please log in and take a look at all the great photos.
Seattle Yachts sponsored this contest and generously provided the prizes for first and second place winners. The third-place winner gets to choose from some priceless PANNTOA swag!
FIRST PLACE!
Julie Irwin took this photo of their kids while cruising for a week in the San Juan Islands! What a memorable sunset to enjoy as a family on the stern of High Drama II! Seattle Yachts will be sending them an Impulse A-33 In-Sight Auto Inflatable LIfe Jacket valued at $225!
SECOND PRIZE!
Second prize goes to Mark Leopold for submitting this photo taken at Matia Island this past summer. Here we see First Tracks stern tied in a small cove just SW of Rolfe Cove where they found three days of quiet. An HX40 6W Ultra Compact Marine Handheld VHF Radio valued at $125 will be shipped to them by our friends at Seattle Yachts!
THIRD PRIZE!
Dave Rankin submitted this beautiful photo of Princess Louisa Inlet with Formilo (NT37) in the foreground. For his efforts, he gets a selection of PANNTOA SWAG! Check out his new sportswear at the next Vous!
Thanks to everyone who participated and to those of you who logged in to enjoy the views.
And a special thanks goes out to our sponsor, Seattle Yachts!
Cruising with Miranda: Summer 2020 November 15, 2020 - Editor’s note: If you’ve been following the adventures of Miranda, you’ll know that she tours the seas aboard PaNNTOA members’ boats. Her adventures have been chronicled in a lovely album, updated for member’s enjoyment for each annual rendezvous. This year, we’re posting Miranda’s story on the web site for all to enjoy. Miranda recently returned to port following her journeys this year with Bill and Sam Stone aboard the good ship, July. Here’s Sam’s report:
Miranda arrived at our home in Anacortes on Monday, June 29th. I was out walking with the neighbors. She just made herself at home, insisting that she sit in Bill’s favorite chair until he returned. Kind of reminds me of our cat.
Bill was surprised and somewhat hesitant when he returned home, indicating face mask or not, there’s really no social distancing on the boat.
Personally, I like her. Miranda has many more social skills than our cat, she’s quiet, doesn’t eat a lot, doesn’t weigh a lot and seems more interested in life than Bandit (the cat). Who knows? We’ll see what happens when we go to Cap Sante Marina for the 4th of July weekend.
Well it was true. Miranda was much better behaved than the cat! Thus, Bill had a decision to make…would it be Bandit or Miranda and me on his future voyage(s)…Stay tuned to see what happened this summer.
CHAPTER 2. Miranda & Me
It probably wasn’t fair that I didn’t tell you that the cat (Bandit) gets seasick, was it? As one can imagine, after multiple vet visits, multiple drugs, puncture wounds from trying to give those drugs, it was an easy decision for Bill to select Miranda and me as his crew.
Because this has been the summer of “The Backyard,” Miranda hasn’t been out on the boat much yet. She has had time to settle into Anacortes though, and get comfortable at home.
Next scheduled voyage for the Captain and crew was mid-September to Rosario and Deer Harbor. Let’s see, how did that go??? Well, really well, except for a bit of smoke and a lot of fog and the very first scratches on July (NT 42-110).
While moored in Deer Harbor, our slip mates came over a little too far when trying to dock, catching July’s starboard rear corner and removing the gelcoat down to the fiberglass. Miranda got a little excited about that…but Bill was able to get it fixed! Can’t even tell there was a problem.
Miranda did, however, make friends with another dock neighbor on the opposite side of us in his 62’ wooden boat, Orina. Turns out this neighbor is a published author of several books. One in particular he shared with Miranda and her crew, is titled Inside the Inside Passage - True Stories From the Land of the Spirit Bear, by Captain Joseph P. Bettis.
If you haven’t read the book, it is available on Amazon, and is a series of chapters not necessarily in date order, but all discussing Joseph’s adventures over thirty years with the magic and mystery of the Inside Passage. He takes you on a journey, all the way to Bartlett Cove & Reid Inlet, 1,272 miles from Seattle. Our own Vice-Commodore, Doug Ford said “…it is the best of the many cruising narratives I’ve read. Bettis did an excellent job of balancing people, places, history and a culture in a well-written narrative.”
Miranda’s next trip was to Rosario, where Miranda got some experience on the journey watching the radar with about a 1/8-mile visibility. The same foggy/smoky weather was repeated again 3 days later when we were moving on to Deer Harbor. We needed to go back so Miranda could wish her friend Joseph well, as he was moving his boat permanently to Friday Harbor.
Things have been pretty quiet at home since then. Miranda helped can or freeze tomato and apple sauce(s), dry a few herbs, and generally start preparing the gardens for cooler days ahead. Miranda’s next couple trips will likely be Airbnb or VRBO related. We’ll keep you informed as to how and where she spends her holidays.
Until then…Miranda and Bandit (the seasick cat) play next to the fireplace on a cooler day.
Miranda arrived at our home in Anacortes on Monday, June 29th. I was out walking with the neighbors. She just made herself at home, insisting that she sit in Bill’s favorite chair until he returned. Kind of reminds me of our cat.
Bill was surprised and somewhat hesitant when he returned home, indicating face mask or not, there’s really no social distancing on the boat.
Personally, I like her. Miranda has many more social skills than our cat, she’s quiet, doesn’t eat a lot, doesn’t weigh a lot and seems more interested in life than Bandit (the cat). Who knows? We’ll see what happens when we go to Cap Sante Marina for the 4th of July weekend.
Well it was true. Miranda was much better behaved than the cat! Thus, Bill had a decision to make…would it be Bandit or Miranda and me on his future voyage(s)…Stay tuned to see what happened this summer.
CHAPTER 2. Miranda & Me
It probably wasn’t fair that I didn’t tell you that the cat (Bandit) gets seasick, was it? As one can imagine, after multiple vet visits, multiple drugs, puncture wounds from trying to give those drugs, it was an easy decision for Bill to select Miranda and me as his crew.
Because this has been the summer of “The Backyard,” Miranda hasn’t been out on the boat much yet. She has had time to settle into Anacortes though, and get comfortable at home.
Next scheduled voyage for the Captain and crew was mid-September to Rosario and Deer Harbor. Let’s see, how did that go??? Well, really well, except for a bit of smoke and a lot of fog and the very first scratches on July (NT 42-110).
While moored in Deer Harbor, our slip mates came over a little too far when trying to dock, catching July’s starboard rear corner and removing the gelcoat down to the fiberglass. Miranda got a little excited about that…but Bill was able to get it fixed! Can’t even tell there was a problem.
Miranda did, however, make friends with another dock neighbor on the opposite side of us in his 62’ wooden boat, Orina. Turns out this neighbor is a published author of several books. One in particular he shared with Miranda and her crew, is titled Inside the Inside Passage - True Stories From the Land of the Spirit Bear, by Captain Joseph P. Bettis.
If you haven’t read the book, it is available on Amazon, and is a series of chapters not necessarily in date order, but all discussing Joseph’s adventures over thirty years with the magic and mystery of the Inside Passage. He takes you on a journey, all the way to Bartlett Cove & Reid Inlet, 1,272 miles from Seattle. Our own Vice-Commodore, Doug Ford said “…it is the best of the many cruising narratives I’ve read. Bettis did an excellent job of balancing people, places, history and a culture in a well-written narrative.”
Miranda’s next trip was to Rosario, where Miranda got some experience on the journey watching the radar with about a 1/8-mile visibility. The same foggy/smoky weather was repeated again 3 days later when we were moving on to Deer Harbor. We needed to go back so Miranda could wish her friend Joseph well, as he was moving his boat permanently to Friday Harbor.
Things have been pretty quiet at home since then. Miranda helped can or freeze tomato and apple sauce(s), dry a few herbs, and generally start preparing the gardens for cooler days ahead. Miranda’s next couple trips will likely be Airbnb or VRBO related. We’ll keep you informed as to how and where she spends her holidays.
Until then…Miranda and Bandit (the seasick cat) play next to the fireplace on a cooler day.
Follow Gammel Dansk on the Great Loop January 18, 2020 - 
If you haven’t seen it, check out this Forum Post. Thanks to PaNNTOA member Dan Stroeing for sharing this amazing story about how he, his wife Mary, and Tori the Seeing Eye Dog joined the America’s Great Loop Cruiser’s Association (AGLCA) and tackled the Great Loop in a 25-foot Nordic Tug. [read more]
If you haven’t seen it, check out this Forum Post. Thanks to PaNNTOA member Dan Stroeing for sharing this amazing story about how he, his wife Mary, and Tori the Seeing Eye Dog joined the America’s Great Loop Cruiser’s Association (AGLCA) and tackled the Great Loop in a 25-foot Nordic Tug. [read more]Commodore's Corner
Stay up to Date on COVID-19 Closures April 5, 2020 - The status of Salish Sea marinas, docks and marine parks in BC and Washington is in a state of flux as the worsening COVID-19 crisis changes conditions daily, sometimes hourly. Salish Sea Pilot has been contacting marinas from the Broughtons to Puget Sound to identify which are accepting transient visitors and, if they are, what services are available once those boaters tie up. Watch The Salish Sea Pilot Covid-19 page for updates. Additionally, the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife has updated their regulations.
Check out updated helpful links March 30, 2020 - Look over in the right-hand column on this page. (If you’re using a tablet or phone, look towards the bottom of the page.) See the list of helpful links? Based on the pages you visit the most on the site we tracked down sites you may not have heard about. Boats for sale and maintenance topics are particularly popular. Some of the content isn’t directly Nordic Tug related, and some is newer than others. But we found value in each of the sites and hope you do too. Drop us a note in the forum with feedback on these links and suggestions for more we should add.
Get inside info: download Nordic Tug tip sheets February 25, 2020 - 
One of the best reasons to belong to PaNNTOA is the opportunity to learn "inside information" about your boat. Thanks to the Nordic Tug Factory and Wilde Yacht Sales for providing four tip sheets for Nordic owners. These PDF files contain a variety of tips, some are duplicated across the sheets and some are more current than others. So be sure to download all of them. In addition to safety, seamanship, and boat maintenance advice, you'll learn how to deal with sticky windows and why vinegar is good and Windex with ammonia is bad. Who knew? [learn more]
One of the best reasons to belong to PaNNTOA is the opportunity to learn "inside information" about your boat. Thanks to the Nordic Tug Factory and Wilde Yacht Sales for providing four tip sheets for Nordic owners. These PDF files contain a variety of tips, some are duplicated across the sheets and some are more current than others. So be sure to download all of them. In addition to safety, seamanship, and boat maintenance advice, you'll learn how to deal with sticky windows and why vinegar is good and Windex with ammonia is bad. Who knew? [learn more]Follow Us
