OAR Northwest

We’re a little behind in reporting the progress on the boat.  However, things are moving.  Fast.

Below are just a couple pictures of the fun.

The boat with all the bits and pieces

The boat with all parts removed after two days of work (riggers held on by 2 loose bolts)

More to come in the next post about what was easy to remove, and what was difficult to remove.  We’ll also start to introduce many of the individuals and groups who have been guiding and helping us during this phase of the refurbishment that is best described as an exercise in Catharsis.

And fun.

We’ve got a BRAND NEW CAR! Actually, a van. A white 2004 Ford E350 12 Passenger Econo Van, to be exact. Just look how nice and clean it is. The purchase of this van now enables OAR Northwest to tow the boat, carry lots of cargo and people, and use the van as a portable educational platform.

Otto, OAR Northwest’s Executive Director, along with Jordan, picked up the van in Ellensburg last week.   Huge shout out to Kelleher Motor Company for making a mult-point inspection of her!  With a through cleaning inside and out, a wax, and a touch of WD-40, this van’s going to be sparkling. The plan is to wrap the van in a nice OAR Northwest design. Maybe something a little bit like below.

"Mutt's Cuts" Van from "Dumb and Dumber"

We’ve been using the vehicle already, transporting the boat to Garfield High in Seattle for the Seattle Public School Symposium.

As with any vehicle around the Puget Sound region with it’s flocks of Seagulls and Pigeons, my major annoyance is bird poop. Anybody who knows me understands that birds and I DON’T see eye to eye. You clean the car, and the birds target the car. And they’re loud about it too, as they watch me throw my hands up in despair, taunting me with they’re incessant “cooos”, “squawks”, and “MINE!” sounds. I wash and wax my own car quite regularly, so I know by experience it’s a never ending battle. I’m thinking about installing an anti-pigeon car system on the van. That’s it for my random musing of the day. Anyone else have any suggestions how to deal with my…little annoyances?

KIDS…THIS PIGEON IS NOT REAL.

We at OAR Northwest thought we’d document what’s going on recently.

Here’s Jordan getting a standing breakfast, ready to push out in the morning for a full days work.  Note that Generation Y’ers tend to have a propensity to eat, plate and spoon in hand, standing up.  Table?  What table?!

After a short hop over the lake to my friend Dylan’s house to borrow the truck (big thanks), Jordan and I high-tailed on down to Tacoma to pick up the boat for Opening Day in Seattle.  In the picture to the right, you will notice Jordan attempting to hook up the trailer lights.  It was the first defeat of the day, as it appears the truck had other designs and ran him over.

Many don’t know this, but the boat is a “living artifact” – that is, it is a working piece of history, and it is (expect at this moment) on display down at the Foss Waterway Seaport in Tacoma on the Waterway.  Currently it is undergoing a seismic refit, and soon the entire building will be remodeled into a very inviting, modern, and open indoor/outdoor concept.  Check this link out to see a picture.

One of the goals of the day was to remove some of the many sponsor stickers from the last trip.  The boat will be soon sanded down to it’s grey primer, but before that day comes, we wanted to clean up the boat.  Note the other boat in Jordan’s yard, the blue sailing vessel, isn’t getting any love and attention.  Anyone want to buy a small sailboat?

A heat gun, a good set of fingernails, and patience was all it took.  I thought we should have left this sticker up.  Sadly, I was overruled.

Later that afternoon, we took up an offer to take a ride on the OLYMPUS with some Seattle Yacht Club folks and some of the visiting Cambridge rowing contingent.  The history of this boat is quite amazing.  Check out the website for the boat, at www.yachtolympus.com, and watch the online video for a great history lesson.

Below are some pictures of us on the next day launching the boat out in South Lake Union with the “Ducks”.  They used to be the bane of my existence if I ever went out for an afternoon scull in the summer, as the boat would circle around me, the people would take pictures, smile, yell, and wave, and then the amphibious vehicle would motor off, surrounding me in a collapsing circle of wakes.  Nice people though.

Jordan strapped his bike to the ocean boat...I bet not even Erden did this on his "Around and Over" trip

Jordan and I got the opportunity to take Eve, Jordan’s mother visiting from New Mexico, out for a short row on the boat.  She picked up on the rowing mechanics in short order, and we took the boat out toward the log booms where the “boat people” were beginning to tie up for Saturday’s festivities.  There were definitely some interesting sights already.

The Pontoon Bike Boat

Disco Ball and Yacht Dancing

I got some time behind the oars

Husky Stadium view from the race course

Rowers painted “Gentlemen Start Yer Engines” on the race course…Bob Ernst sure loves Dale Ernhardt!

And of course, who could take to the water without the having a nice refreshing beverage.

Note the sticker next to my knee is Jordan's dad with a liter of beer in his hand...Now that's something to think about on the middle of an ocean

OAR Northwest will be at the Seattle Yacht Club in Portage Bay today, and tomorrow morning tied up near the finish line cheering on the Huskies and all the hard working crews racing for the line.  Come on down and say hello.