Shilsholed

I had someone ask me how it was having a cat aboard.   He was thinking about getting a bigger boat so that he could share his boat with 2 Maine Coon Cats.  

My little 9 lb cat is a far cry from two, big ‘ole Maine coons, but the logistics of having any cat aboard should be fairly similar.  The biggest issue is where to put the litter box without clay ending up in the bilge.  If you can figure that out than you can have cats aboard.  Cats like to find their own spot, but it will take a little time for them to adjust, especially if you get them as an adult like I did.  It was almost a full month before she would run and hide every time someone got on or off the boat.  The rocking motion was just plain terrifying for her at first.

 We were actually contemplating sending her back to the shelter when she started to ease into it.  Now, it can be windy, thundering, or under sail and she acts like it’s completely normal.  The diesel does freak her out a little going into and out of port, but she’s becoming an old salt quick.  All she needs now is a fuzzy little eye patch.

I survived my first week at Shilshole. I’ve only met one person so far (Greg, on his Morgan 38) but it’s been fun so far.

The Good:
* Minimalism – I still have a fair bit of room on the boat
* Sleeping – never slept better
* Cable/Internet – while I don’t know what to do with all the cords, getting high speed internet and cable tv (which I watch on the Mac using EyeTV) was a breeze.
* Parking – I was kind of worried about this – but parking here is a breeze. I even stashed the ‘52 Dodge in long term, none permit parking.
* Bike trails from here to UW (40 minutes), Fremont (20 minutes), Ballard (10 minutes)
* Ballard Farmers Market (Veraci’s Pizza!)

The Bad:
* There’s really nothing around Shilshole… while it’s not far, it’s a 10+ minute bike ride (probably a 30 minute walk) to Ballard, which has no parking, and will be a hassle when bike season ends (if it ever starts – it’s June and still raining)
* The bathrooms/showers leave a lot to be desired.
* Cooking on the boat it more trouble than it’s worth – I might just get a cooking job for meals.
* The commute to the East Side really sucks – took me an hour twenty (1:20) to get to the dentist in Bellevue.

Here’s a pick of Greg (Alaska Air Pilot living on a Morgan 38) and some ducks (probably living the bushes somewhere) ….