Port Ludlow Resort

Dolphin Spirit

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live on a boat with the freedom to chart your own course, traveling when and where you choose in the comfort of your floating home? It’s a dream-come-true for Anne and Don Whipple, a California couple that moors in Port Ludlow for part of every year.

As guest bloggers this week, the Whipple’s share a bit about what keeps them coming back to Port Ludlow year after year.

Boating has been a big part of our lives since the early years of our marriage. We spent nearly 30 years houseboating, skiing, jet skiing, and fishing on a small Northern California lake. Our retirement dream was always to live aboard a boat and cruise. We envisioned ourselves exploring the historic waters of the Intercoastal Waterway–generally known in boating circles as “The Great Loop.”

Anne Whipple

As sometimes happens to plans, fate and a good friend intervened! Shortly before we were ready to put our California home on the market and set off to follow our nomadic dream, we were invited to join a friend on his boat to cruise for a week on Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands. We were smitten! We thought this was the most spectacular area we had ever seen!

Don Whipple

When our home sold a few months later, we decided to return to the area to see if it was still so magical. It was! Perhaps even more so!

We have been living aboard “Dolphin Spirit” in the Resort at Port Ludlow Marina since spring of 2004. We have met many wonderful people here and are active members of the Port Ludlow Yacht Club. We felt Port Ludlow was home from the very first time we saw it. That good feeling surfaces each time we return, whether from our summer cruising aboard Dolphin Spirit or our RV travels south in the wintertime. Port Ludlow is home.

And, as Dorothy said, “there’s no place like home!”

Anne & Don Whipple

Sir Christopher Ludlow Sampson

If you’ve been to the marina lately, you may have noticed a cute little Welsh Corgi trotting along a dock or taking an afternoon nap in the sun. That would be none other than Sir Christopher Ludlow Sampson, Port Ludlow’s seafaring dog and loyal companion of Marina Manager Kori Ward. While Sir Christopher has been “working” at the marina for the nearly seven years, Kori’s history with the Resort At Port Ludlow spans two decades.

Marina Manager Kori Ward

 Growing up in a boating family that made its home on the Hood Canal, Kori has always been at home on the water and was naturally drawn to a maritime career. She hired on as a dock attendant at the Resort in 1992, and worked her way up to Dock Master and finally to Marina Manager. She is the “go to” person for long-term moorage arrangements and manages a marina staff of seven.

Asked what question she gets the most from visiting boaters, Kori replies, “what is the average temperature of the water in Ludlow Bay?”

Port Ludlow Marina

The Farmer’s Almanac has predicted a much warmer and slightly drier summer in the Pacific Northwest this year. If you’re a boater, this welcome news may have you making travel plans!  With so much to do – from calculating nautical miles to mapping out your cruising/sailing route to scheduling or performing maintenance on your craft to a million other preparations — the best way not to forget something important is often by writing a “Note to Self.” The Ludlow Portal would like to help by writing that note for you.

Note To Self: Reserve a Slip at Port Ludlow Marina!
          

The Resort At Port Ludlow’s deep water full-service marina, Latitude 47 55.30’, Longitude 122 41.10’, is surrounded by pristine natural beauty and Olympic Mountain views. It has 300 slips (60 designated for guests) and can accommodate vessels up to 200’. More information here.

The marina is also ideally situated for access to the San Juan Islands, as well as day trips to Port Townsend, Poulsbo, Admiralty Inlet and other destinations.

Brent Sasse

Brent Sasse is the Construction Manager at Westharbor Homes, a full service general contractor that has been building and remodeling homes in the master-planned community at Port Ludlow for over 20 years. If you live in Port Ludlow, you may know Brent. Perhaps you’ve had the pleasure of working with him or have joined him on the links. If not, please allow The Ludlow Portal to introduce you to this most personable builder through a quick round of Q & A.

Brent and a fellow Port Ludlow Golf Club Member

Brent: The opportunity to work for Westharbor Homes! My family had vacationed in Washington, and when the job offer came through in 2006 we were ready to move.

LP: One of the really nice things about the residential community at Port Ludlow is the diversity of homes. Tell us about some of the homes that you’ve built.


Ludlow Bay Village Condominiums

Smell the salt water, see the eagles soar, be in awe of the majestic Olympic Mountains, hear the creaks of the boats and see the seagulls float on the wind.  This could be your dream vacation, second home or residence.  This project is a once in a lifetime opportunity to own a piece of waterfront on the sunny side of the Olympic Peninsula.  You could enjoy an easy commute from Seattle and Edmonds.



View from Covered Deck

Westharbor Homes is offering 4 condo units for presale in Port Ludlow, WA.  The units will range in size from 1,525 to 2,300, with pricing from $420,000 to $575,000.  These waterfront craftsman style condos are feet from the water’s edge.  The units are 2 bedroom, den, 2 bath and are Green Built with flexible design options, including outdoor living spaces.

Ludlow Bay Village Waterfront Units

A true piece of Northwest paradise, the master-planned waterfront resort community at Port Ludlow features an 18-hole championship golf course, a 300-slip full service marina, wellness complexes, 20 miles of hiking/biking trails, a boutique-style Inn and the award-winning Fireside Restaurant. Residents say that safety, a feeling of welcome, and wonderful neighbors are some of the things that they love best about the community. Strong friendships are forged through the many special interest and social clubs that thrive in Port Ludlow – from theater to hiking to “Dine and Discover” and more. The year-round mild climate – with high temperatures averaging 75 degrees in summer and 45 degrees in winter – is another plus!

You’ve probably noticed that the Resort’s website has a brand new look and feel! The goal was to create a site that not only says “look at me,” but also “here’s what you’re looking for.” The new design is intended to engage you with relevant content, provide more opportunities for interaction, and enable you to navigate effortlessly throughout the site while discovering all that The Resort At Port Ludlow has to offer.  Enjoy your time exploring; we look forward to seeing you soon! 

Introducing The Ludlow Portal
A portal, by definition, is a doorway, gate or other entrance. In that sense our new blog, The Ludlow Portal, is intended to provide a visual entrée to life in this unique master-planned community.

While its surrounding beauty and serenity are evident, Port Ludlow’s unique personality derives from the people who live and work here, from daily “happenings,” and from ongoing events and activities. This blog is a place where Port Ludlow’s personality will shine – and where those who come for a day or stay for a lifetime – can engage in conversation.

Facebook
Also new, the Resort has integrated its 3 former Facebook pages – one for the Port Ludlow Golf Club; one for the Marina; and one for the Inn – into a single Resort Facebook page. Accessible from the Resort’s website or at www.facebook.com/portludlow, this is where you’ll find announcements, “happenings,” tips, events and other news posted on a daily basis. Some posts will expand upon weekly blog topics.

TwitterWe’ll be tweeting news and information to our followers, too! Go to http://twitter.com/#!/portludlowand sign-up to follow us.

For as long as many of us can remember, families throughout the U.S. have been celebrating Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May. Ever wonder how Mom’s special day got its start?

Here’s a quick history.
                                  

Julia Ward Howe

The first North American Mother’s Day was conceptualized in Julia Ward Howe’s Mother’s Day Proclamation of 1870. Despite having penned The Battle Hymn of the Republic 12 years earlier, Howe had become so distraught by the death and carnage of the Civil War that she called on mothers to come together and protest what she saw as the futility of their sons killing the sons of other mothers. In her Mother’s Day Proclamation of 1870, Howe called for an international Mother’s Day celebrating peace and motherhood.

Anna Jarvis

Throughout our lives, we’ve all collected special memories of Mom – of time spent together, of the things she taught us, of “mom epithets” that we can still hear and find ourselves repeating to our own children.
Following are some special memories shared by Port Ludlow “kids.”

Ginny

Kori and Mom

I learned many things from my Mom, but mostly to have patience, to be kind to others and don’t take life too seriously. Ever since I was born, my mother has been mentally handicapped. Usually, it was my older sister doing the mothering, but Mom still taught us some valuable lessons.

The patience came in dealing with her abilities on a daily basis. Some days were good and some not so good. She would not be rushed and could be very STUBBORN. However with a lot of patience and a little humor, she would give you a great big smile and do as asked.

Mom always asked everyone if they were being kind to their wife, husband, kids, animals, etc… This seemed to be a real concern for her. She genuinely wanted to ensure that you were being treated right and treating others right. Her attention to this imprinted that same concern on her children.

There were many times growing up that I wanted to die of embarrassment because of something Mom did. Funny, my daughter would probably say the same about me. At first it was hard to accept. What was the lasting effect – nothing! One time I remember being at the Mall and my Mom asked a perfect stranger if he was doing okay. He stared at us, I think trying to figure out why he knew this person. Then he asked if he knew her and I explained to him, that he did not know her and that she was just making conversation. After a while, I would just laugh and share a smile with Mom. Maybe she knew what she was doing all along – teaching a lesson.

There were many similar type incidents over the years and I learned if I smiled and found humor in the situations, no matter what the audience thought, it was not worth worrying about.

Gloria

We just celebrated Mom’s 79^thbirthday. She is doing pretty well today. Still gives me that great smile and appreciates the little things in life. Thanks Mom for being such a great role model.

My mom passed away a number of years ago but the thing I will always remember about her is that she would never let me leave her house without a kiss. It was almost a game I would play with her to see if I could sneak out without the “KISS.” Every once in a while I would make it out the door and I would hear the “MICHAEL GET BACK HERE!” I will never forget those words. Now that I have girls of my own I find myself doing the same thing.

Celebrate Mom!