During her walk Tuesday afternoon, photographer Julia Wiese noticed several Port of Edmonds employees preparing to lift a large vessel out of the water. She began talking with Mike Gerdes, who shared that he was considering purchasing the vessel, which was being pulled out for an inspection on the hull. The boat is a 48-foot American tug, weighing 46,500 lbs. It has two staterooms with room to sleep six. Until recently, Gerdes owned a reforestation company called Silvaseed, which collects conifer seeds at different elevations around the western U.S. and sells them to other countries with similar climate and geographical conditions. Now that Gerdes has sold the company, he and his wife hope to spend some of their retirement in the waters near LaConner and north crabbing and fishing, Wiese said.