Welcome Aboard The Rainy Wake

*Where boats, backstories, and the Salish Sea and Puget Sound all meet*

I’ve spent most of my life either on the water or trying to get back to it.

I’m a licensed 100-ton master, a marina manager, and a guy who’s happiest when there’s salt in the air and coffee in hand—preferably aboard something that floats. I grew up in the Sea Scouts, staying involved well into adulthood as a volunteer and mentor. That program shaped much of my early boating life, and the lessons stuck: how to lead, how to navigate, and how to keep your cool when everything’s rolling underfoot.

Over the years, I’ve cruised the Salish Sea and Puget Sound from Olympia to Princess Louisa Inlet, tied up at tiny harbors with names that only locals pronounce right, and taught nervous first-timers how to handle their boats with confidence—like docking a 30-foot cabin cruiser into a narrow slip without turning it into a contact sport.

These days, I work on the waterfront in Tacoma, Washington, managing Foss Harbor Marina—a place where seals bark louder than the forklifts, the rain is as familiar as your neighbor’s boat name, and every slip has a story. I’m also a training captain for Freedom Boat Club and take on private clients who want to learn how to actually use the boats they just bought. I’ve taught seamanship aboard everything from four-foot dinghies to a World War II-era tugboat—and somewhere in the mix, I’ve built summer camp programs afloat, helped rescue a few wayward vessels, and even made peace with my chartplotter freezing mid-voyage. (Mostly.)

_The Rainy Wake_ is where all of that comes together.

This blog is for boaters. Real ones. Not just the glossy mag version with teak decks and catered galley shots—though hey, I won’t say no to a warm meal on a cold passage—but for anyone who’s ever wrestled a wayward spring line in the wind or found joy in making a perfect landing in a tight fairway. It’s for the dreamers planning their first crossing, the liveaboards braving winter in the marina, and the coastal cruising boaters who think nothing of tossing a crab pot overboard en route to a quiet anchorage.

Here you’ll find trip ideas for the Salish Sea and Puget Sound and beyond, tips on navigation, docking, and boat handling, safety refreshers (delivered with a wink, not a wag), and the kind of stories that come from years spent afloat—some inspiring, some cautionary, all true. I’ll be writing about what I’ve learned, what I’m still figuring out, and what I wish someone had told me when I was first trying to decipher a current table or dock in a crosswind.

From time to time, I’ll share recipes I’ve tested underway (crab stir-fried noodles, anyone?), interviews with other salty characters, gear that’s earned its keep, and maybe even a few creative pieces just for fun. Whether you’re a fair-weather sailor or a die-hard year-rounder, I want you to feel like this space is yours too—a place to dock for a bit, dry off, and trade stories.

This blog was born from the rain. From the long grey stretches between September and April, from the glint of a wake trailing off behind you like a signature you didn’t know you were writing. It comes from a place where water is life, weather is personality, and even the most routine cruise can shift into something extraordinary if you pay close enough attention.

So welcome aboard.  
The lines are cast off. The kettle’s on. 
Let’s see where this takes us.

Tarin