We're Off

May 5, 2011, Thursday
A cold drizzle beat down on our house roof as the alarm went off. Linda and I just didn’t want to get up and lay under the covers listening to pundits on NPR debate whether the photo of Osama Bin Laden after death should be released and whether it was legal for the U.S. to kill him. My guess is that these same pundits would debate whether or not God should have made his presence known should he show up one day. After years of planning and weeks of preparation, the day of departure on a lengthy cruise to Alaska finally arrived.

Linda and Hobbit at Naval Station Everett Just Before Departure

With virtually all our food now on Hobbit our choices for breakfast were limited; no granola or oat meal today. That, of course, gave me an excuse to have one of my favorite breakfasts – peanut butter on toast and cocoa. Linda managed to rustle up some eggs with salsa. After breakfast we packed two coolers with refrigerator food, loaded the car, closed up the house, parked the truck in the driveway entrance so no vehicle could come on our property and headed to the grocery store. Seems like no matter how much we have, there is something else we need.

How it took us 5 hours from the alarm going off to departing Naval Station Everett is a mystery to me, but that’s what it took. The day was dreary and rainy which, I hope, is not a harbinger of things to come. The Abraham Lincoln was in port. This beautiful ship is always a great sight as we pass by within a couple of hundred yards.

USS Abraham Lincoln at Naval Station Everett

I had planned on topping off the fuel at Everett and taking a sample for the plastics research project but was unable to do both. I passed up the fuel because of the time and a need to get through Deception Pass at slack tide, and passed up the plastics sample because the water was too choppy.

Eventually the wind died down and I took a plastic sample near the north end of Camino Island. As with the practice sample I took a week ago, this one was loaded with diatoms and algae. I certainly hope this isn’t the norm as it really takes a long time to process. Linda decided to dub the “manta trawl” loaned to me by the UW Tacoma Center for Urban Waters “Polly Ester.”

Dragging “Polly Ester” Behind Hobbit to Collect Samples of Plastic

Wally Washing “Polly Ester” to Concentrate the Sample at the Bottom of the Net

Passing through Deception Pass was a non event although we did go through a little early and bucked a 3 kt current. Rosario Strait was reasonably calm and on arrival at Hunter Bay we found ourselves the only boat there. It has been strange to take a 45 mile trip from Everett to the San Juan’s and only see a couple of other boats. Most of our other trips have been during the prime boating season of June, July, or August and pleasure boats have been everywhere.

One issue did arise during the trip up. My main GPS (we have 4 on board) kept giving me an error message that the input from the antenna was shorted. Sometimes it would kick the GPS off line. Since I use this particular GPS to drive the autopilot, getting the problem fixed is important. I also learned that the starting voltage from the new freezer was too much for the 400 watt inverter I installed. Don’t really understand why, but that means that the only source of power for the freezer will be AC which requires an hour of generator operation morning and evening.

Operating the generator for an hour in the evening does have its advantages. For one the inside of Hobbit gets toasty warm as we turn on a space heater and the stove in order to load the generator as recommended by the manufacturer. Also, we put the electric blanket on its highest setting so the bed is really warm when we crawl under the covers.

May 6, 2011, Friday

We slept in till almost 8:00 this morning and once again were wakened to the sound of rain. I made oat meal for breakfast which we topped off with golden syrup – a breakfast we became fond of two years ago while visiting Chris and Win in England.

Fortunately the wind has been calm which made the water condusive to taking another plastic sample. I had planned on taking one every 25 or so miles. Given the time it takes to collect a sample and the vagaries of the wind, particularly in the afternoon, I think I will generally just take one sample a day. Fortunately, today’s sample didn’t have all the diatoms and algae present in the last couple.

At Friday Harbor we topped off with diesel, bought parts to repair the antenna connection to the GPS and, unbelievably, stopped at King’s Market for more food. While not as deserted as the water, there were still very few people wandering around and many slips were open at the Marina. Apparently there were too few people around at the fabulous ice cream store by the ferry dock as it was closed in the middle of the day. However, we did find ice cream further up the hill by King’s Market.

The trip to Bedwell Harbor, Pender Island, British Columbia was peaceful although there was a light drizzle for most of the trip. The general feeling seems to change as we pass into Canada; it’s like the trip has really started. We cleared customs uneventfully in spite of the fact that we have 7 avocados on board and were told “please do not dispose of the skin and pit in Canada.” So we have to keep them until we are back in the USA!?? All this and avocados don’t even go in Canada! We anchored for the night.

May 7, 2011, Saturday

We woke early this morning to complete the 35 mile run to the Dodd Narrows near Nanaimo in time for a slack current. Rain or not, the mountains look beautiful as low clouds and fog meander through the peaks and down the valleys. Nevertheless, we can only hope that at some time the rain stops. Fortunately, it isn’t a hard rain, but it does require that I don my rain gear including boots to raise the anchor and take the plastic sample which I will try to do first thing most days.

As we traveled through the Gulf Islands, the rain stopped and the wind slacked off to almost calm. As we passed by Porlier Pass we started wondering about where to spend the night. Our choices were: (1) continue through the Dodd Narrows and on to Nanaimo which is what we have almost always done; (2) go through Porlier Pass and, if the Strait of Georgia was calm continue on across to Pender Harbor on the mainland; or (3) go through Porlier Pass and, if the Strait of Georgia was not calm, spend the night at Silva Bay which is not far from Nanaimo but outside the Gulf Islands.

We decided to go through Porlier Pass with just over 3 kts of current against us. The current wasn’t too bad, but the upwelling and boiling of water caused Hobbit to bounce around quite a bit. And, while the swells in the Strait of Georgia were only 1 – 2 feet, they would be right on our beam as we crossed the Strait of Georgia. This caused more rocking than we wanted to put up with for 6 hours. Thus, following option (3), we ended up in Silva Bay which is nestled inside a small archipelago of islands. As luck would have it, it’s really fortunate that we didn’t go across the Strait of Georgia.

After anchoring I was fooling around in the engine room and noticed a gallon or so of fuel in the oil drip pan. After some investigating, I concluded that fuel was dripping from the fuel pump. Had we continued on to Pender Harbor we would have had much more fuel in the drip pan and maintenance would be much more difficult. With such “joyful” news, I poured myself a large Scotch and settled down to watch a chick flick – Failure to Launch.

May 8, 2011, Sunday (Mother’s Day)

Since it’s Sunday; there is no need to rush so we slept in until 7:30 staying warm under the covers and listening to the drizzle coming down on the deck. After making Linda a week’s supply of oat meal, I got in the dinghy and went to one of the marina’s to enquire about maintenance support. As expected, none is available today. I briefly considered making the 2 hour run to Nanaimo where parts and maintenance are bound to be better, but decided to let a mechanic look at the situation first.

Fortunately the rain stopped and the sun even poked out from behind the clouds a few times. I decided to experiment with using the dinghy to pull “Polly Ester” on a tow through Silva Bay. The dinghy works fine although the net is too much of a drag to go more than a couple of knots. For the first time I collected a sample that was loaded with plastic; Styrofoam probably from the marina floats.

Sample Collected in Silva Bay. The White Pieces are Styrofoam

Behind every cloud there’s a silver lining. Since we couldn’t travel or fix Hobbit, Linda painted and I caught up on both the log and notes for my plastic project. Linda spent most of the day drawing, rearranging her watercolor palette, and painting.

Linda Practicing Painting (note the extra pair of glasses, just in case????)

May 9, 2011, Monday
First thing this morning I got in the dinghy, went over to the shipyard and brought a mechanic (Fred) back to Hobbit. Fred fairly quickly found the source of the leak and we went back to discuss the situation with the owner of the yard. In order to facilitate the maintenance, we brought Hobbit to the dock where the fuel pump was removed. Don Mayrand, owner of the yard, was familiar with the pump and quickly concluded that the problem was a failed gasket. He made and installed a new one and then Fred installed the pump – problem solved. All together we leaked about 2 gallons of fuel. 

 Hobbit at Silva Bay Marina Awaiting Maintenance

Checking E-mail at Silva Bay Marina

At this point, one would think we have covered all unexpected events possible. Oh no, not yet. Have you noticed neither of us has been sick yet? Stay tuned…. Unfortunately, another problem developed which kept us from heading directly across the Strait of Georgia. Coming into Silva Bay, I started seeing flashes of light and “floaters” from my left eye. Floaters look like specs of dust or pieces of thread in your vision. About a year ago the same thing happened in my right eye. My optometrist called the condition vitreous detachment and told me I would likely experience the same condition in my left eye at some point in time. I called my optometrist and received instructions to find an ophthalmologist (preferably) or optometrist in Canada immediately if not sooner.

Think of the eye as a hollow ball filled with a grape. The lining of the ball is the retina which is where all the cells which react to light are located. The grape is what helps give the eye its shape. The skin of the grape is the vitreous and is attached to the retina. Vitreous detachment is more of a nuisance than a medical problem – there is no treatment and eventually the flashing lights and most of the floaters go away. The issue is that symptoms are very similar to retinal detachment and retinal detachment can lead to blindness if not treated promptly. As a result, we left Silva Bay late in the afternoon and headed to Nanaimo.

Linda Completed the Painting of Cash Blowing Bubbles

May 10, 2011, Tuesday

Obviously the only thing on the agenda for today was to see an eye doctor. Unfortunately, we’re in Canada. I called the office of two ophthalmologists recommended by someone at the Nanaimo Yacht Club. Both told me I would first have to go to a walk-in clinic, see a GP and get a referral. After that they wouldn’t promise an appointment. Even after I told them I’d pay up front, they wouldn’t see me. Nobody gets to see a specialist without a referral from a Canadian doctor. One of the “benefits” of socialized medicine I guess???

So I got a recommendation for an optometrist from someone in the Nanaimo Yacht Club and was seen promptly. This Dr. gave me a very detailed exam, confirmed that I had minor vitreous detachment and no sign of retinal detachment. He went on to say he had no concern about my continuing on to Alaska.

Snapshot of the Inside of Wally’s Left Eye – No Retinal Detachment

Arranging approval with my insurance company and coordinating with my optometrist means that my phone bill for this visit probably cost half as much as the Dr.’s bill. We spent the rest of the day wandering around buying yet more groceries and stocking up on some Canadian wine which costs more than twice what it does in the U.S.

May 11, 2011, Wednesday

A strong wind warning is in effect for the Strait of Georgia which we have to traverse when we leave Nanaimo. The wind was 15 to more than 30 kts on my anemometer for most of the day. White caps were present in Nanaimo harbor and Hobbit was bouncing to and fro even though tied up at the dock. Rain was present off and on. Linda and I stayed in Hobbit most of the day; she painting, me working on my plastics project and the blog. Forecast for tomorrow is for higher winds than today.

 May 12, 2011, Thursday

At 4:30 this morning I looked at the readout from my weather station, 5 kts gusting to 10 kts, and seriously considered heading out. Fortunately Environment Canada continued its forecast of a strong wind warning and I decided to hold off. As I write this at 10:00 in the morning, my weather station is reporting average winds of 33 kts gusting to 41 – we’re now experiencing gale force winds and Hobbit is still bouncing around while tied up to a dock. Good thing we didn’t go. At least it’s not raining.

 One benefit to being stuck in Nanaimo is that Linda finally managed to link up with Liz Youssef, one of her watercolor buddies she has been communicating with over the Internet for more than 3 years.

Linda with Liz Youssef, One of Her Watercolor Buddies



Also waiting beside us for favorable weather was a couple from Anacortes. We had been chatting casually for several days with Stew and Pat Sterling who were traveling on their power boat Pegasus. Today they invited us for happy hour where we tasted wine they had ordered through a company in Nanaimo that makes batches of wine to order then delivers it in bladders. The Sterlings had ordered the wine 18 months ago and just picked it up. Many people purchase wine this way because they can get it much cheaper than bottled wine. The vintage may not be premium, but it was pretty good zinfandel. We may try this approach sometime in the future. After drinks we got in the Sterling’s dinghy and went over to the “Dinghy Dock Tavern” for dinner – they are well known for excellent hamburgers.

May 13, 2011, Friday

We finally had a good forecast and decided to leave at first light in order to get as far as possible before afternoon winds blew us off the water. The weatherman was correct as it was a beautiful day with the Georgia Strait almost mirror-like. After a few hours we decided to try and make it all the way to Desolation Sound which would allow us to pick up one of the days we lost over the past week. The 75 miles to Squirrel Cove in Desolation Sound, along with three 30 minute tows for plastic took 12 hours - the longest single day journey we have ever made in Hobbit. Not bad for Friday the 13th.

A weird thing about the run up to Desolation Sound is that we didn’t see another pleasure boat all day other than Pegasus which left Nanaimo for Princess Louisa at the same time we did. In another month a dozen boats will be heading out at first light and you will see many more on the water. Squirrel Cove, one of the most popular anchorages in Desolation Sound, was almost deserted when we came in. We have counted more than 70 boats at anchor in this cove but today there was only 1 when we came in. By nightfall there were 5.

May 14, 2011, Saturday

Once again we were up early in order to leave at first light. Our goal for today was to go through four tidal rapids at or near slack current. We have never before done all four rapids in one day. Typically we go through 2 rapids then either anchor or go to a marina for the night.

 The morning was incredibly tranquil with mist and clouds floating through or across hills and valleys. Snow covered peaks were periodically visible in the background. Passing through the Yuculta then Dent rapids only a mile or so away was a no-never-mind since we went through very close to slack current. We killed a couple of hours at a dock in Shoal Bay waiting for the current in the Green Point rapids to drop to about 2 kts. By going through the Green Point rapids a little early and the Whirlpool rapids a little late, we were able to make them both in one tidal cycle. We entered Forward Harbor late in the afternoon and were struck by the view of a snow capped peak off in the distance.
 

As it turned out, we anchored beside a boat, Up Spirit that had been with us in Squirrel Cove the last night. Before we had the anchor down, Chris & Jane Barratt invited us over for happy hour; one of their first questions was “Are you headed to Alaska?” This was the second time we were asked that question since coming to Canada. It’s not as far fetched as you might think as very few pleasure boats come this far north this early in the year unless they are headed north. Chris & Jane are also on their way north and we may well run into them again.

Late Afternoon in Forward Harbor

May 18, 2011, Sunday

Unfortunately, while checking the bilge, I observed that we still have a fuel leak. Not as bad as before, but we still have leaked about a quart of diesel into the drip pan under the engine. Rather than head directly to a jump-off spot for Cape Caution, we decided to go to Port McNeill for maintenance. The wind was low and passage up the Johnstone Strait uneventful except for the incredible number of logs. At one spot there was a barrier of logs that went at least 2/3 of the way across this 2 mile wide body of water. It’s as if a tow boat lost a raft of logs which spread out as a hard barrier. The view, especially in the morning, was wonderful as wispy clouds flowed through the valleys of the surrounding hills.

 

Mist Along Johnstone Strait

 May 18, 2001, Wednesday

As fortune would have it, we managed to find a freelance diesel mechanic first thing Monday morning. Given that the last mechanic had not been successful at permanently stopping the leak, he recommended removing the pump and sending it off to a facility in Campbell River for testing and, if necessary, repair. Campbell River is less than 100 miles from Port McNeill. We decided to follow his advice, and then settled in for a few days of doing things other than cruising such as doing laundry, collecting samples for my plastics project, and finishing the removal of varnish from the rails.

As luck would have it, we encountered and made friends with a Dutch couple who are now Canadian citizens. Ralph and Ruth Hollenberg have been 1 ½ times around the world in a sailboat. The ½ time was in a marvelous 63 foot fiberglass boat, Deo Volente (God Willing, in Latin). They designed and built the boat themselves over 3 ½ years working full time. The three masts are free standing (no stays) and made up of carbon fibers originally purchased by the U.S. Air Force for $16/lb for the production of the B-2 bomber. Ralph purchased the material at $0.25 a pound in surplus after half the bombers were cancelled. The two of them made the masts which only weigh 110 lbs apiece. Listening to them talk about what they went through to build this boat is worthy of a book.

 In the past two days we’ve had happy hour and breakfast on Deo Volente and another happy hour on Hobbit. While on Hobbit we learned that it was Ruth’s birthday so I whipped up a batch of Toll House cookies which we had with ice cream.

 

Ralph and Ruth Hollenberg

Deo Volente

Linda Removing Hobbit's Varnish with a Heat Gun

 

Wally with Manta Trawl Used to Collect Plastics

The mechanic brought the rebuilt fuel pump to Hobbit about 5:00 this afternoon and installed it.  As I write this, we are running the engine for an hour just to verify that all is well.  Hopefully the mechanical and medical problems are behind us as we plan on leaving Port McNeill at first light in the morning.  Hopefully we will be able to get around Cape Caution/Queen Charlotte Sound in the not to distant future and no more problems will slow us down.