Long Distance Cruising

About Caroline

My name is Pete Phillips. Caroline is a 53′ custom Skookum Trawler, built for Jim and Bette Aylesworth in 1977, launched the 22nd of May in 1978 as Triton Queen . She has had two other owners before me and was renamed Skookum Queen at some point. I Purchased her on June 16th 2018 and renamed her Caroline in honor of our mother, Caroline L. Phillips. She is the second boat in our family to bear this name.

I kept her in Anacortes for a year and a half at the Pacific Marine Center Yard while doing some much needed and long neglected maintenance as well as upgrading and adding new systems to her. I have replaced all the electronics aboard with state-of-the-art navigation and communications. I added a custom-built fiberglass hard top and all new canvass bridge enclosure. I built and added seating boxes with needed storage for tools and maintenance equipment on the bridge as well.

 

I re-configured the salon, adding a chart table (which hides the new washer/dryer) and an antique secretary drop front desk, new settee and seating. Built in a lazarette with access from the aft cabin and from the aft deck.

 

Caroline was re-launched September 1, 2019 and moved to Blaine Washington to continue prepwork. We fully serviced the Cat main engine with new ancillary pumps heat-exchangers hoses, belts compressors etc. Same with the 20 KW Northern lights Generator. I changed out the entire 12VDC system and batteries, new alternator, auto charge controller, charger inverter, and secondary battery charger. We added two AC inlet isolation transformers, a 230Vac 50 amp and a 115VAC 30 amp. I re configured the forward bilge area, cleaning up wiring above the bilge for ease of access and storage. New bilge pumps, sump pumps,  deck wash down and fresh drinking water systems and pumps were installed. I added a Cruise RO watermaker. I rebuilt the Webasto 80k BTU furnace several times and finally got it working properly.

 

We were finally ready to go to sea in September of 2020.

 

We said goodbye to Washington and set sail to Alaska.