I, Momma Kitty and SWALLOW have cut the docklines at Port Townsend and are again cruising the Salish Sea!
The Honda outboard received a new carburator after it was determined the idle jet had clogged. All fuel on SWALLOW is fresh, the limiting factor being how fresh the has is at marinas, there is a filter between the tank and motor, and all gas is treated with stabilizer and carb cleaner. Assuming the gas is good the issue may be age as the motor is a 2003.
First stop to shake out the cobwebs after four months at Port Townsend was Mystery Bay State Park where we spent three nights on a buoy.
One day I rowed the Montgomery 6’8″ dinghy to the Nordland General Store to buy bread, a celebratory beer and send some mail.
The plan was then to go to Port Ludlow after passing through the Port Townsend Canal. The wind was a nice 5-8 knots from the north and the current was favorable so the destination became Blake Island State Park.
A wonderful nine hours of favorable wind allowed me to enjoy SWALLOW with her new sails and using the new whisker pole.
Momma Kitty and I are now enjoying a few days at Blake Island. Always a nice location but especially before it becomes busy beginning in late May.
S/V Swallow 
Woohoo! Nothing like being back to the cruising life. Enjoy the warming weather before everyone else finds out! Good stuff, happy for you Dave.
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Dave, my experience with a motor of that age and carburetor issues is only to use ethanol free gas.
Enjoy the cruising.
Willy Gorrissen
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I’ve not used E10 with SWALLOW. Don’t know what she was ‘fed’ before my ownership.
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Hey Dave, looks delightful. Here’s an annoying thought (i’lll whisper). Several years ago friends of mine lost a small terrier dog while sailing on the nearby Hudson River. They simply didn’t notice until he was gone too long. Please don’t accuse me of nannyhood, but do you think Momma K would tolerate a bit of reflective flexible foam along her torso…or would it rub her the wrong way? I’m enjoying your blog. Thanks.
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