We had no sailing experience what-so-ever but bought a 30' Rawson sloop at Gove's Cove on Lake Union in Seattle (the same place the the houseboat in "Sleepless in Seattle" was filmed). We found work at a resort up in the San Juan Islands at Deer Harbor, Orcas Island.
We ended up living on the boat for four years, cruising the waters from Tacoma to the upper end of Vancouver Island. It was a wonderful period and we still live off the memories. These pictures start early on with the boat out of the water for bottom painting etc. and end with the day we sold the boat, also at Gove's Cove:
