Last night, David and I were lucky enough to find ourselves having beer and munchies aboard a wonderful 1927 tugboat, the Tug Tyee. The owners, Denny and Marcia, were wonderful hosts who showed us around their boat. We learned many of its little secrets and were truly in awe of the size of their boat restoration/conversion project and all that they’d done in the 18 years they have owned and lived aboard Tyee in Washington state.

And the tug Tyee is no small project boat! Around 200 Tons (in reference, Mahdee is 29T, Stargazer a mere 6T) and 88 feet in length on deck; 14 foot draft… Oh, my, what a boat. She sports a Caterpillar engine that formerly was a generator for a small town in Alaska…when we compare to Mahdee–where we have 1 3/8″ planking–she has 4″ thick planking. Her hanging knees, oh my…they’re huge and beautiful. She’s planked with a structural ceiling that is almost as thick as her planking.

Just this week as we were feeling a little overwhelmed with Mahdee’s scantlings, we were blessed with seeing this finished project. Huge. It puts things so much in perspective. If these wonderful people can “do” the Tyee, well, lets not quibble about Mahdee’s challenges.

We enjoyed their stories of life aboard the Tyee–though it was a bit distressing to learn that their berthing and anchoring choices here on the west coast are very, very, limited. They hailed from Seattle and made it down to Ensenada, on Baja Mexico. But now, on their way back up the coast cannot find good berthing due to their deep draft. It appears to be somewhat of a mixed blessing–they’re tied up off Seaport Village downtown–a premier spot in terms of location, access to tourist attractions and views of the city and harbor. However, to access their boat before Denny found an 18′ wooden ladder to reach from the wharf to Tyee’s deck, they had to climb straight down a rusty old steel ladder with the lower rungs encrusted with barnacles… Last night it was cold and windy and as I climbed across the wood ladder (rather like crawling up some inclined monkey bars) to the wharf, I couldn’t help but wonder how many trips on and off the Tyee like this it would take before I’d have ended up “in the drink.” 🙂

David had no such issues–he loved the boat and its location. Men.

Well, we’re both inspired by this couple who have taken an old wooden boat and made it into their home for almost two decades. The fact that they’ve begun cruising on the Tyee is additionally inspiring for us. Denny continues his work as a marine engineer from the boat and it seems that it’s a lifestyle to really be inspired by.

Thank you, Denny and Marcia for a peek at your lives aboard the Tyee!