August 2006

Plumber Bay, Quadra Island, BC, Canada


Life on SV Wand’rin Star has been interesting during the past couple months…that’s “interesting” as in a blind date is “interesting.” That doesn’t mean that we haven’t seen wonderful sights, enjoyed great conversations with friends, and explore new areas; it just means that cruisin’ is also systems not working for unknown reasons and solutions not at readily at hand.

It’s been a while since my hands have danced across the keyboard so this log may be a doozy! To bring you up-to-date since our last entry….

We were in Sitka, Alaska, looking forward to enjoying Independence Day with the folks on SV Masquerade & SV Yohelah with a great meal of pizza cooked on the BBQ grill while waiting for the fireworks to begin. Independence Day we watched THE parade down Lincoln Street; watching small-town parades often gives insight to a community and this time was no exception. Sitka has a tradition of allowing anyone to be in the parade if they sign up in advance and are not obscene. The parade lasted about 15 minutes and the entrants - in addition to the requisite politicians, decorated bicycles, and fire engines - consisted mainly of anti-war groups and military units. One anti-war group, Code Pink is a worldwide organization of women against war and they have an interesting website. We enjoyed the parade, but it didn’t quite top the small-town standard of the one we had watched in Barton City, Michigan years ago that included the county’s new garbage trucks!

Sitka was to be “home” for another week or so as we had decided to take a break from moving every day or two and we settled into enjoying the town. That means checking out the restaurants! Our favorite was Ludwig’s Bistro where we enjoyed a delicious (albeit not inexpensive) dinner and their “Tapas Special” another evening. KCAW radio is the local public radio station and it was nice to be able to hear familiar voices and programs while moored. The bald eagles were also “in” Sitka during this time. Everyday at low tide 30-40 would mass in the trees & flats along the shore. Gary had a great time taking eagle pictures and centered his days around low tide. Unfortunately it rained almost EVERY day, so photography was a weather-dependent activity. The Alaska Raptor Center, which specializes in the rehabilitation of all types of raptors, is there and we were fortunate to watch the release of two rehabilitated bald eagles during its annual Open House.

By July 11, we were ready to continue our trek south and final preparations were completed…laundry, fresh fruits/veggies, water, & fuel. Our first day was just a short hop of 15 miles to Samsing Cove and then on to Kidney Cove. Sea otters were abundant, and if you’ve been reading our logs, you know how much we enjoy them. Folks in Sitka had told us about Goddard Hot Springs and all the guidebooks mention them as a “must stop” site so that’s were we dropped anchor on July 14. We took the dink ashore in anticipation of a hot soak; but that was not to be as the pipes bringing hot water to the tubs were disconnected and the water was only tepid. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and enjoying just being.

The REALLY “interesting” part of the past several months began the next morning when Gary checked the engine oil in anticipation of getting underway. He discovered that we were making oil and his first reaction was “Wow, maybe we can sell this stuff!” Upon closer observation, he discovered there water in the oil. Luckily the oil was not frothy, which would have meant that the engine had been running when the water got in and that there was salt water in the engine…not a good thing! We proceeded to drain the water from the oil, change the oil & filters, and bled the fuel system before trying to start the engine. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t start; we tried everything WE knew to get it started and then decided to hail the other boats in the anchorage hoping someone else knew more than we did. Ken on M/V Pier Pressure came over to commiserate, bringing a can of starting fluid…still no go. Gary eventually contacted the Sitka Harbor Master asking how we might arrange a tow back to the harbor; the Harbor Master then contacted the US Coast Guard in Juneau. The USCG contacted us via VHF to determine the extent of the problem and asked if we were in immediate danger. Once they ascertained we weren’t in danger, a Marine Assistance Request was broadcast over the radio asking if any boats in the area were able to provide a tow to Sitka. After approximately 1½ hours, Red on F/V Sun Dance contacted us; he was about 2 hours south of us heading back in to Sitka and would give us a tow! We were extremely happy to hear that and glad the weather was so good…the seas were flat and there was no wind! Red’s a great guy and had towing experience; we quickly ran lines with a towing harness between the two boats as Leslie on Sun Dance & I on Wand’rin Star took pictures of the adventure! The trip to Sitka took almost three hours as we arrived at the dock around 10:00 p.m. Luckily the Harbor Master had been able to clear a spot for us that was easy to get into and there were willing hands waiting to help with the lines. We went to bed that night thankful for the many willing & capable folks who had helped us out....and wondering how to fix the problem. During the next several days, we got to know Red and his friend, Leslie, and enjoyed several meals with them. Red was very generous and gave us fresh salmon and some canned salmon too! He’s fishes out of Pelican and had lots of stories. Leslie was visiting for the summer from Texas and had her own take on the whole fishing experience. We really enjoyed meeting both of them…just another one of the bonuses of this cruisin’ life.

Quick reminder here about the time frame we were operating in…it’s the height of the commercial fishing season and fishing boats need to be working & on the water for the folks to make any money. So, getting an engine mechanic to work on a pleasure craft was not an easy task. We asked around for recommendations and called those businesses; nobody could look at the boat for at least a week if not longer! Several folks offered free dockside suggestions and we did pursue some of those – could it be the fuel injectors? the glow plugs? the fuel? a blown head gasket? broken cam shaft? the timing? The staff at MER Marine in Seattle was very helpful with technical advice via the telephone and eventually TEN days later, a mechanic from Salty Marine came out to look at the engine and was able to get it started after pulling & testing the glow plugs and heating & drying out the engine. Now that the engine was running we were no longer a barge, but what caused the water to get in the oil in the first place? This had happened to us once before about 2 years ago in San Diego and we hypothesized that this time maybe it came in when we shut the engine down after prolonged idling while anchoring in Goddard Bay.

Before leaving Sitka and heading south to Craig, we opted to do a sea trial taking the boat out for a couple days to nearby anchorages to make sure all systems were working. Everything went well and we make final preparations to leave Sitka on August 7th, approximately a month later than planned. We stopped in Herring Bay and then anchored in Dorothy Cove, which is really the name…I didn’t make it up! One of the reasons we decided to stop there was when we got out in Walker Channel the seas had built to 6’-7’ and we even took a wave over the pilot house. We decided that we didn’t need to battle that all day and started looking on the chart for an anchorage and of course the name “Dorothy Cove” jumped out at me. It was a lovely, tranquil little anchorage and I enjoyed sharing my name with such a pretty spot. (We haven’t been able to find a Gary Cove yet, but we’re still looking.)

After a quiet evening at anchor, we made preparations to get underway…that means checking the oil, bilge, etc. Guess what? We were making oil again!!!! NOT a good thing! However this time we knew the drill, drain the water, etc., etc., etc. To make matters worse, the starter battery wasn’t cranking enough to turn the engine over. Next step was to start the genset to provide power to the battery. (Remember at the beginning of this log I mentioned that it had been an “interesting” aka “blind date-interesting” month? It gets better.) The genset was running hot so we had to shut it down and figure out what was wrong with IT! Gary checked the raw water pump and discovered that the impeller was missing two fins thus causing the genset to overheat due to lack of cool water. So where were the missing rubber fins???? That question necessitated opening up the heat exchanger and fishing out the pieces and replacing the impeller. When all that was done, we concentrated on pulling glow plugs & making sure the engine was really dry using a hairdryer, now that we could make juice and recharge the batteries. It was much easier when we’d gone through this procedure connected to unlimited shore-power. That day we spent about 8 hours straight trying to get the engine back in operating condition, finally calling it a day about 7:00 p.m. with our best Scarlett O’Hara impersonation: “I’ll worry about that tomorrow.”

Luckily “tomorrow” arrived with beautiful tranquility as we were treated to deer and great blue herons on shore along with a multitude of large, graceful jellyfish swimming around the boat. It was now the moment of truth to see if yesterday’s endeavors would be enough to start the engine. We fired up the genset and crossed our fingers & toes. SUCCESS! The engine started!!! I think even Murray was glad to hear the rumble of the engine.

When leaving Sitka, we had opted for the “outside” route traveling south along the west coasts of Baranof & Prince of Wales Islands on our way to the Queen Charlottes and the west coast of Vancouver Island rather than returning via the protected Inside Passage that we had taken north. The cruising guides speak of the beauty and solitude of this route and we were looking forward to seeing what many visitors to Alaska’s Southeast miss. The guides also mention that there are few services and cruisers must be self-sufficient in these areas. We now had some decisions to make based on the unpredictability of our engine. Still not knowing WHY the salt water entered the engine at shut down, we opted to not shut it down again until we reached Craig on Prince of Wales Island, 115 miles south of Dorothy Cove. Craig is a fishing community and we thought we might be able to get some professional advice there. We left the calm of Dorothy Cove at 11:00 a.m. and arrived in Craig August 11 th at 10:30 a.m. the next day. Crew & cat did fine on the 23-hour run and a humpback whale greeted us as we approached the harbor! Craig is the largest town (pop.2, 100) on Prince of Wales Island and a ferry runs from Hollis on the other side of the island to Ketchikan. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a diesel mechanic on the island. However, before we shut the engine down, Gary decided to turn off the raw water intake to see if that prevented water from mixing with the oil…it worked! We had a “temporary fix” to the water problem. We spent a couple days exploring Craig and celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary there. When we moved aboard the boat, we said we’d do it for three years and then decide if we wanted to keep cruisin’; August 19 th was our 3rd Year Boat Anniversary and we’re still enjoying this life (despite how we were feeling at the moment regarding the engine!)

Our friend, Nan, was vacationing in Alaska and coming to spend a week with us. She was arriving August 19th in Ketchikan by plane from Juneau and I decided to take the ferry to meet her. That decision necessitated getting a 5:00 a.m. shuttle from Craig to Hollis to catch the 7:00 a.m. ferry. I relaxed during the pleasant 3-hour ferry ride and I had the day to myself in Ketchikan before meeting her plane at 6:00 p.m. (And Gary had day to himself!) We hadn’t been impressed with Ketchikan when there in May due to the overwhelming presence of cruise ships and all they entail, but there were some places I had enjoyed and looked forward to visiting again. One of the highlights was shopping in the BIG Safeway grocery store after 4 months of very expensive groceries in smaller markets. I felt like a kid in a candy store! (I guess I was!) I had planned ahead and brought an empty suitcase with me to take back goodies that we hadn’t had for a while - it was really heavy on the return trip! I also splurged and got a haircut, always an adventure when you have to decide which salon to walk into, not knowing what you’ll look like on the trip out! It was wonderful to see Nan when she walked into the terminal; she & I have known each other since 7th grade and share a truly beautiful friendship. After spending the night in Ketchikan we took the ferry back to Craig and began the “Wand’rin Star Cruise.” During 3 days at sea we treated her to whales, sea otters, bears, eagles, and a variety of other birds. It’s great fun having someone who also gets excited about seeing nature close up & personal; I think she even slept with her binoculars on! One of the highlights of her time with us was spending 3 hours watching a group of humpback whales lunge-feeding and watched breathlessly as two humpies breached within seconds of each other. We were speechless at the awesomeness of these magnificent creatures. Too quickly her time with us passed and she boarded a floatplane for the 20-minute flight to Ketchikan and her connections back to Michigan.

Gary & I were ready to move on as we still have visions of the beaches in the Sea of Cortez dancing in our heads. After seeing Nan to the floatplane, we quickly finished preparations to leave Craig with Prince Rupert, British Columbia our next major stop. Due to the engine issue, we aborted our plans to visit the Queen Charlottes and the west coast of Vancouver Island, opting to return to the Lower 48 via the Inside Passage, albeit via a slightly different route than our northbound one. We started the trip off with some excitement (not that we lead bor-ing lives…) as we passed through Tlevak Narrows between Dall Island and POW. We knew it wasn’t slack water, but opted to go through anyway as we didn’t think the current against us would be too strong. At first there was no effect at all on our speed, but slowly our speed began to drop as the tide turned and Gary revved the engine up to 2600 rpm enabling us to make .5 knots of headway. It was difficult maneuvering the boat with such a strong current and a rocky shoreline. Just as we were approaching the end of the narrows, two huge humpback whales surfaced within 50 feet of the boat. They were feeding on all the fish being pushed along with the current and oblivious to our boat, however, we were VERY aware of them! The boat continued to make headway and eventually we cleared the Narrows. Gary did an exceptional job & I didn’t even hyperventilate! After being underway 8 hours, we dropped the hook in Dunbar Inlet to rest overnight before continuing on to Prince Rupert. Three days later we arrived in Prince Rupert, British Columbia and cleared Canadian Customs. We visited a couple favorite spots from our previous visit (i.e. the bakery, Cow-puccino’s and the Cow Bay Café)…notice how we gravitate toward food on shore!

The adventures continue and you can read about them in the September Log.

Dorothy, Gary & Murray the Cat

Quotes for the Month

“Such is the life of a voyager. Fix one problem, discover another. The setbacks we encounter along the way-from problem identified to problem solved-are like friction in an engine. The more friction, the less efficient we are. But in part it’s this problem solving that distinguishes the traveler from the tourist. The tourist wants a quick fix because in two weeks he’s on a plane back home. For the traveler, the solution usually involves time; to learn the processes of a place to let those processes unfold. Most of the world moves at a much slower pace than Americans prefer.”~ Gregory Newell Smith, Cruising World, May 2006

“I am because we are.” ~ meaning of the South African word, ubuntu

© Copyright 2006
Last updated on October, 15, 2006