By the time August 2008 rolled around, it was clear that I was going to run out of boating season before I could get a completed boat to Prince William Sound. Mid-September is the acknowledged cut off: the winds change, the seas get nasty; even the commercial tour boats pull out by this date. However, I was bound and determined to get Intrepid in the water somewhere. I worked diligently through September and into October. I was still working two jobs and trying to explain to my girlfriend why I did not have time for her. I pressed on.

The weather had turned; you could tell that summer was definitely behind us. I think the snow on the ground was a definite clue. But by October 12, I felt that I had completed enough of Intrepid to get her out on the water. I chose to go to Finger Lake in Wasilla. Yes, that is the same town that Sarah Palin lives in, in case you were wondering. Here was the plan: Hook up the boat the night before, get up early the next morning, drive an hour to the lake, launch, test, and retrieve, then drive back to Anchorage in time to go to work by noon.

Saturday early am; I am ready to go. The snow from the other day had mostly melted away, but now it was beginning to start up again. It developed to blizzard intensity as I continued toward the outskirts of town. I was wondering if I could handle a boat on a trailer with all of the snow that was coming down.

By the time I reached Eagle River, the snow practically disappeared. Feeling a bit more comfortable, I settled in for the 45-mile ride to the lake. This is the Glen Highway, one of only two roads that exit Anchorage. The other dead ends down in Homer.

OK, we'll take the straps off, load the gear, and get ready to just back her straight in...WAIT! Did you remember to put the plugs back in the transom drainpipe? For now, I just have an old tarp covering the walk-through opening in the boat. She lifted easily from the trailer when I backed in.

Wow! Look at how high and balanced she floats, even with 5-gallons of fuel and a 160-pound motor hanging off the transom. The bottom and bilge panels are painted, but I left the rest of the boat paint-free as I still had to build and attach stuff to her. The engine is a brand new 25-horsepower, 4-stroke Suzuki long shaft outboard.

Finally free from the dock you see in the background, Intrepid is motoring away at almost 5-miles per hour at idle.

A quick crack of the throttle gets me up to 18-miles per hour for a short burst of speed, then back down to 12-miles per hour to continue the engine break in.

After an hour and 17-minutes of having a blast on the water, it was time to pack it all up and head back in for work. I had my mother along for the ride via cell phone all the way from Connecticut. If I had an emergency, I could just imagine her explaining to the troopers in Alaska how she would know that a boat was in distress in Alaska.