It is hard to believe the end of our 2018 cruising season is already here. Idyll Time took good care of us this year on our 3200 mile trek to Alaska and Back. It is now time to give her some attention. We settled on Anacortes, Washington and North Harbor diesel for our winter location.
It is always stressful to watch as IT is hauled out of the water but the lift operators did a great job and she was soon resting on her jack stands.
Our big project was to pull the prop and shaft and install new Tides seals and cutlass bearing.
Here is a photo of the old and new cutlass bearing.
The prop was sent off for balance and shape adjustment. It got a clean bill of health and came back all bright and polished.Gregg did a great job on the shaft and everything went back together smoothly. 
We also removed the bow thruster props and cleaned them up.
In order for Idyll Time to fit on the yard trailer, our stabilizers had to be removed.
Since we were removing the stabilizers anyway to replace their seals, this was no big deal.
Idyll Time was next pulled into the paint building so that a coat of barrier paint could be applied to the rudder shoe, rudder, and prop.
The yard trailer then carried her down the street to her winter resting spot. It’s always strange to see boats traveling down the road.
Once she was winterized, we camped out in the RV while getting her ready for her winter rest.
Our new cover went on nicely. It took us three hours to install but for our first time, we felt that was pretty good.
There are quite a few projects still to do before next years cruising but we will save those for a later blog.
Thanks for following along. We will be back in the spring for another season of cruising.
Jeff and Susie,
What an adventure! We so much enjoy reading all of your boating adventures. Perhaps we will try to experience the PNW boating challenge someday. You are certainly ambassadors to do it!
But this year we took 6 months off from living aboard (boat is in Michigan) and are visiting family, doing a New Zealand/Australia/Hawaii tour then spending some more time in Bellingham as we await the birth of our first grandchild in Feb.
We hope our paths will one day cross again.
Fair skies and following seas to you in the new year!
Tom and Julie