A bit of catch-up since DE arriving in Seattle:
Put some work in on the auto-pilots -- both primary and back-up -- with Kurt (Alpenglow) and Dorothy's assistance. I believe we've corrected issues on both -- replaced the electric motor on the AP pump for the Raymarine primary AP and discovered that the change-over valves for the backup ComNav AP, which have control cables so they can be switched without tearing the aft cabin berth apart, in the case of the CN valve was not closing completely. Sea trials still required to be sure, but I'm confident.

Visited with Wade at his home on Kitsap Peninsula. He seems none the worse for wear having completed the entire Pacific crossing with Shearwater.

Dorothy sacrificed her body and spent hours in forward, aft and under galley bilges to clean up, Ospho and re-paint rusted areas. She is rewarding herself for that yeoman's effort, by heading up to Nanaimo BC, Canada for a clogging workshop with her good friend Peggy. And missing all the fun here!

Capt David from Shearwater and I are working on a project to installed defrost-defog units in the DD pilot houses. This was a big issue for DE in the northern half of our Pacific crossing and in the January '11 transit from SEA to Wrangel AK. After lots of questions for the guys at Sure Marine, yesterday David and I tore into the area between the manual bilge pump in the PH dinette and the ER below to find a route for the hoses required to carry hot coolant from the heat exchanger to the defrost/blower unit which will live in the chart table locker on the port-forward side of the PH.

After many hours of drilling, sawing, chiseling, tugging, pushing and pulling at 'snakes' and much dismantling of the boat, I finally can see my way to a clear passage for the required hoses, but still need to sort out and bring some order to the rats-nest of wires, cables and hoses which have accreted in this chase.

That was yesterday. This morning I came back to the boat planning to finish cleaning up the chase and install the hoses, but Pacific Northwest weather had other plans. I stopped with the R boys at Gasworks park, on the way to the boat, to give them a chance to scratch, sniff, piss and poop. We encountered winds well into the 30+ kts creating 1+ meter breaking seas and blowing spray on Lake Union. I saw a sailboat, headsail in absolute tatters ripping across the bay and all manner of unusual, not usual flying objects. At the boat, there was lots of activity on the surrounding piers with people securing boats in some cases moving quite violently due to wind and wave.

While DE is not doing anything really crazy, the movement is erratic and energetic enough to make it difficult to do any hanging upside down and sticking my head in holes kind of work without getting seasick... Maybe I'll go watch a movie...