In Cool Seattle, Handytoo Waits For You
Luxury Yacht On Lake Union Is For Sale

By Bill And Natalie Handy

One hundred and twelve degrees (give or take) sounds frighteningly hot to us in the Northwest. How about a vacation from Arizona and Southern California this summer?

Consider this: a summer location within the city limits of Seattle on Lake Union — yes, really right on the lake itself! 

We live aboard a 1978 66-foot Pacemaker flush-deck motoryacht. We like to think of it as a floating condo with beauty and interesting sights all around us: a view of Seattle’s downtown skyline, the Space Needle, the daily activity of the canoes, kayaks, University of Washington racing shells, and boats of all sizes and shapes going by.

The biggest was over 200 feet. We even see cars “float by” (but that’s another story).

Time To Move Ashore

We — Bill and Natalie Handy — have lived aboard our floating palace for 11 years, but now, sadly, it’s time to move ashore, hang up the lifejackets, and become landlubbers again. 

Dreams of sailing to Alaska were just that: dreams.  But, Handytoo could still go with someone else at the helm. Her 1,300-gallon tanks of diesel are full. The twin 12v71ti Detroit engines are ready to purr nicely — just waiting for your next adventure.

Eleven years ago, Bill Handy and his friend Bill Geist hired a skipper and a crewman to bring Handytoo from the Bay Area, under the Golden Gate Bridge and up the West Coast.  We had rough water outside San Francisco, so rough that the bar refrigerator door was knocked open, and all the “libations” spilled all over the floor.

After that, the weather forecast looked good, so we ran the boat 24 hours a day — two men on three-hour shifts. We did not want any more storm surprises. (Besides, what’s a boater guy to do when all the beer and wine are gone?!)

Seattle Beauty Has It All

Once in Seattle, we put the Handytoo into a local yard and did a $500,000 refit and remodel with all new wiring, plumbing, and a complete new interior. We lived aboard while all this activity was going on — sometimes sleeping on a mattress on the floor of the back deck. (Ever live in a house being remodeled around you?) We tried to make it as much fun as we could just to maintain our sanity.

The Handytoo is currently moored on the north end of Lake Union. She has three staterooms, three heads, a separate dining room that seats 10 comfortably (12 if you are good friends), and a gorgeous large main salon with a custom-built entertainment center with TV, bar, refrigerator, and icemaker.

Two large sliding doors open to the rear to a back deck for covered outdoor dining and lounging. The master stateroom has its own ensuite head, complete with a 100-gallon soaking tub with Jacuzzi jets.

Granite counters in the galley complement the full-size, double-door refrigerator-freezer; Handytoo has a dishwasher, microwave, and all the goodies.

Family and friends enjoy our choice spot for the spectacular 4th of July fireworks.  Hundreds of boats cross our bow, coming and going. The same is true on opening day of boating, and the Christmas ship parade is awesome.

Handytoo is a marvelous place to party.  We have had weddings and wakes,25th and 50th anniversaries, birthdays 1 to 100, and of course, the usual holiday festivities.

This has been a wonderful way to live — many great memories, but it is time for us to move on. Could it be your turn now to move on — on to Handytoo?

She is reasonably priced at $395,000 obo. Give us a call: Bill and Natalie Handy, (206) 355-2167.