We bought our boat, the LAIKA (a Bayline 340SB), last August at the boat show that took place in Shilshoe Marina. From the very beginning we knew we’d be using the boat a great deal.

This past winter holiday season we were out for three of the Christmas Light parades – two in Lake Washington – and the final one that went from Kirkland, through the Montlake Cut, into Portage Bay, and then on to Lake Union. All three events were fantastic and helped us learn important night-time navigation skills.

This late winter and early Spring we’ve been through the locks a number of times, visited Poulsbo twice and have been on Lake Washington about a dozen times.

We’ve got about a hundred hours on the boat already and boating season has yet to begin! In fact, who really needs a boating season? For us, it’s year-round! Sure, formal boating season coincides with warmer and more pleasant weather, but it also means crowded water ways and longer lock lines.