Picture: "Shuang Yu" has a new sister; "Secret Lure". Here she is being launched near Harstine Island for her sea trails prior to purchase. She performed very well.

One of the many features of our place in Shelton is the boathouse. It has railroad-like tracks extending from inside, across the beach and into the waters of Puget Sound. The previous owner of the house, Don, offered his boat, which was already in the boathouse. However, despite its good condition and reasonable price, we did not buy it because it was a pontoon boat. We wanted a single-hull boat with sleeping, cooking and bathroom facilities. Don's pontoon boat was nice but had no roof and therefore no shelter for sun, rain or wind.

Since we could not bring "Shuang Yu" back to Washington State without putting a large dent in our pocketbook because of the $10,000 "use" tax, we needed to buy a boat to use in this area. Also, of course we needed to fill the boathouse; that was a must! A boathouse without a boat is like a fishpond without fish. (I am being sarcastic.) Ted researched for at least three or four weeks looking for the ideal motor yacht. We looked at numerous boats but they were not suitable for one reason or another. Most of them were either too tall or too long for the boatshed, or too worn out or simply not suitable.

We finally found a boat with the help of a salesperson. The boat had been in a garage with three antique cars for twenty years, subtracting a few weeks cruising time each year in the San Juan Islands near Seattle. It is a 1987, 26 foot 8 inch Sea Ray 268 SunDancer named "Secret Lure" with an off-white hull and dark red trim. With all its equipment for and aft, the overall length is 31 feet. The layout of the boat is practical and pleasant. There is a rear deck with room for guests and the seats, deck and the helm have a classic-car look. In fact driving it is much like driving a car. The all-wooden table and cupboards in the cabin add a warm and homey feeling. I am usually not excited about cars or boats, but this boat captivated my heart so we bought it within a few days.

Prior to the purchase, "Secret Lure" was sea trailed off Harstine Island, not far from our house, where there is a public dock. It was a perfect day, sunny, with not too much wind. We found it to be a beautiful boat which handles well and we are delighted to have it. The previous owners, Rod and Mary, are extremely helpful and nice. They actually delivered the boat to our place free of charge. They love the boat and Rod is an excellent fisherman so we hope they can come boating with us sometime and teach us fishing techniques. We not only have a new boat but new friends as well.