Life in the Northwest is fun and beautiful, and there seems to be something different and special you can enjoy each season. Boating in Washington State is one of my absolute favorite ways to enjoy my summer, but when the temperatures drop and it is a little too chilly to be out, I miss it so much!
So, as I sit here and reminisce about summer and life on the water, there were some ideas that popped in my mind about how I still am able to enjoy aspects of the Northwest Boat life, even when I might not be out boating at the moment.
Five ways you can continue to enjoy the boat life in the Northwest around the holiday season
Head out and watch a Christmas Ship Parade! The Christmas Ships Festival is one of my favorite Seattle traditions. If you are unfamiliar, Argosy leads the way providing super festive Christmas light cruises every day in December that visit different marinas in the area (all on Lake Union, Lake Washington, or the Puget Sound). Many ships will get dolled up in lights and follow, but there is always one special “Parade of Lights” where they encourage EVERYONE to come out.
This “Red Tricycle” article shares 65 ways you can enjoy this festival, even if you do not have a boat or if yours is winterized for the season! Sounds like fun to me!
Take a Clipper vacation to Victoria, B.C.! The Victoria Clipper is a super fun and fast way to get up to B.C., and Victoria is known for being an especially gorgeous town when all done up in Christmas lights. Truly magical! Here is a link to some info on the Seattle-Victoria Clipper so you can learn more about the route and ticket prices.
Orion Alert Plus Kit
Stuff your stockings with boating gear for next summer! I love Christmas shopping, and I also love boating. Imagine that, haha! I however am not a fan of pointless gifts (how many pairs of socks can you give away, really), so I always have fun stuffing stockings with boating gear that I will use in the summer months to come. I have gifted my husband and kids nice life sport life jackets in the past, and my family knows I LOVE Yeti products (truly, they are the BEST!). We have a fantastic Yeti cooler I always bring boating and camping with me, and I also live by my Yeti tumblers that keep my coffee nice and hot on the boat in the morning (you guys now that even in summer that Seattle mornings aren’t hot!). Other boating-related gift ideas would be cute beach towels, replacing old safety gear that has expired (check the dates on your flare kit folks!), new inner tubes, or wake/surf boards.
YETI Hopper Flip 8 Portable Cooler, Fog Gray/Tahoe Blue
YETI Rambler Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Colster, Black DuraCoat
YETI Rambler 20 oz Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Tumbler w/MagSlider Lid, Black
Plan your first spring/summer boating vacation! In my last blog post I talked about some sustainable Christmas practices, and gifting experiences over things was one of them. Why don’t you consider gifting your family a vacation for Christmas? Book your first trip to Chelan or Crescent Bar for the summer where you will tow your boat over, and wrap up the details along with a picture and put it under the Christmas tree. It will be something fun the whole family can look forward to as boating season approaches!
Order your new boat for next season! I know this sounds crazy, but winter is actually the best time of year to start getting ready for boating season, and custom ordering a boat is not any more expensive than buying one new off the floor of a dealership! This gets the shopping out of the way now, and guarantees you have a new boat ready to use when spring arrives. Let me tell you how much fun boating families have with this in the winter, and it is so exciting when it arrives in spring! If this is something you have questions about specifically, this is something you can message me about privately and I am happy to assist with the detail and answer questions.
Are there any ways you enjoy boating in the Northwest during the holidays other than these ideas? Maybe I will see you out there for the Parade of Boats, it is my favorite 🙂
X.O. – Abbey Co.
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