Year 2, Day 366 Post 1

We took off from Princess Bay in mid morning and headed out into Houston Passage on our way to Sibell Bay in Ladysmith Harbour.  As we rounded Southey Point  on the Northwest end of Saltspring Island, we started getting some wind.  7 to 9 knots so up went the sails!!  It had been calm up till that time.  We sailed due South towards Stuart Channel where we started making our way Northwest toward Ladysmith Harbour.  As you can see from the photo taken in Stuart Channel, the winds died.  We slowly drifted for a few hours trying to get what ever we could out of any kind of breeze we could meander into.  By 1530 hours, we gave up and started the engine.  Toodling along, we passed lots of other boats just sitting--both sail and motor.  Some fishing and some waiting for wind or whatever.

We made it safely into Sibell Bay(48 59.468N 123 47.147W) and dropped anchor.  There is an island that encloses much of the bay that belongs to the Seattle Yacht Club(insert big bucks here).  Off limits to everyone else.  After a few hours, we decided we didn't really like the little bay, so we upped the anchor and took off for Preedy Harbour(48 58.786N  123 40.946W) on Thetis Island.  With still no wind, it was motor all the way(about an hour).  Down went the hook and we were set for the night.  

A nice little place with the only draw back is that there is a ferry that comes in about once an hour making poor Zephyr rock a good bit.  Not a problem as we expect to be heading around the corner to the Thetis Island Marina for the night.  It's laundry time again.

The ferry docks are just to the left of the five white drums on the platform(not sure what they are for).

As you can see, it is still calm out there.  The forecast for the rest of the today and Friday is great.  Temps could hit the mid 60's!!  We haven't been that warm since last September.  Rain is on the schedule for Saturday and Sunday.  Maybe yes, maybe no.  It's only a 60% chance.

We have to dawdle a bit longer down here than we thought we would.  The part from Shakespeare that was supposed to have shipped out on Monday hadn't even been order through their "Customer Service"department till yesterday and it has to make its way up to Nanaimo and that could take some time.  It's a replacement piece of electronics to make our antenna work.  They want the old one back that doesn't work.  I've been emailing them for the past week and had been assured (last Friday)that it would be leaving ASAP.  Guess not.  I emailed yesterday and  got the response that they were just placing the order and it would go out.  While it's not that big a deal, if we don't pick it up now, we won't be back here for several months and I don't know if the Post Office will hold a "General Delivery" package that long plus I'm sure Shakespeare would like the old one back.  We'll take more of Bill & Susan's recommendations and find a few other places to drop the hook for a few days if we have to.

That's about it for now.  The furr people are wandering about the boat on deck getting some rays and working on their tans.

    

Day 365 The end of our first year on board!!

What a year this has been.  We moved on board Zephyr one year ago all set to set sail on our great adventure.  Now, a year later, we are much wiser and much poorer but much safer and far more knowledgeable than we certainly were a year ago.  

Oh the great plans we had.  We'd be off to Mexico by the end of August after our quick one month refit in Washington state little realizing that it's not safe to go there till mid to late November (hurricanes).  We'd be wiggling our toes in the sand and having margaritas.  We were so green!!!

Now, a year later, we are in touch with Zephyr and all her systems.  We know her inside and out.  Having replaced heads and fiber glassed sewage tanks.  Torn down and rebuilt all the winches for controlling the sails.   Added macerators to both heads as well as new plumbing.  Fixed the water systems so we have access to all 265 gallons of water in our tanks.  We had had only access to approximately the first 65 before we started sucking air into the system.  Heck, we even installed new pumps to pump the water.  We've installed new filters in both the diesel lines as well as the oil lines.  Replaced the transmission TWICE.  Impellers for pumping water through the engine.  Had Zephyr all rewired to make her safer.  Six new batteries and charger/inverter plus we replaced her computerized electrical monitor system so we can track exactly what is happening in her electrical systems.  

All her rigging--both standing(holds the mast up) as well as running (controls the sails) has been replaced.  Add on a carbon fiber spinnaker pole to make the sails work well in downwind sailing.   We had every sail inspected and fixed where needed.   We changed out many of the lights on board so that they will use less electricity.  We've added new lines for new equipment until we have line(rope) all over the place almost making it hard to remember what goes to what(sure glad I labeled them).  New reefing lines (makes the mainsail smaller) and a winch  to pull them in.  We rebuilt the roller furling system for the big Genoa sail at the bow and had the bow rollers for the anchor straightened.   We added on a wind and water electrical generator and will be adding on a wind powered auto steering system later this Summer.   We repacked the rudder post to keep the water out and overhauled the steering systems assembly while we were at it.  We had Zephyrs heating system rebuilt and rewired.   A new three burner propane stove and a new freezer/refrigerator system to make life easier.  Added on new navigation electronics and updated some of what was already on board.  A new out board motor for our dingy so we don't have to row so much.   Had the dodger canvas all resewed and new zippers put in.   The list goes on and on. I won't even go into the number of spare parts and pumps we've put down in the lockers for the future.   Each project was done to make Zephyr better and us safer.  Zephyr was in a midlife crisis and we had to make her right and that is just what we did.  Yes, it has slowed us down but we are far better prepared for what is to come and for that we are glad that we took the extra time, not that we had any real choice in the matter.

Add in the classes taken--electrical, as well as diesel mechanics and the manuals we've read and we are far more prepared for what is to come.  We can't thank Bill and Susan Gardner(Zephyr's previous owners) for all the help, information and understanding they have given us over this past year.  They've answered so many questions that I've lost count.  It would have been much harder through this with out their input.  If you're reading this Bill & Susan, Thanks!!! 

Now she's right and so are we.  We know what switches do what and what that noise that goes bump in the night is and whether or not it should go bump in the night.  We're no longer the green kids we were a year ago.  We still have lots to learn and that will come with time and experience.  Each day we get better at what we do and learn, learn, learn.  I've read more manuals than I can remember and each one makes me better at what we are and will be doing.  

We've met some wonderful and some not so wonderful people over this past year and will meet more of the same in the years to come.  That's what life and a cruisers life is all about.  It's a small community out there where you may see the same people over and over again as you sail into different harbors and there are some friends you will never see again as yours paths may never cross.  It's a big world out there and we  feel much better prepared for it.  Time will tell if we are. 

It has been a great year!!  Would we want to repeat it?  Not on your life!!!  There were times we just had to leave Zephyr while the workmen were on board doing what ever it was they were doing.  Some times  it just got too frustrating being there through all the upheaval.  We're both glad that stage of our journey is over and we can now look forward to what is to come.  We stay as long as we want and then decide where we want to stay and see next.  Tomorrow we will be off again.  Perhaps not a long trip but who knows.  It all has to start with the first step or at least with untying the dock lines and starting the motor and just getting out.  As Captain Ron (if you haven't seen the movie Captain Ron, your should) says "If it is going to happen, it's going to happen out there" and that is where we want to be--out there!!!

Now for today's activities.  Today started out cloudy with the weather people saying it might or might not rain.  Nope, not here.  By the afternoon, it was lovely.   Early in the morning, as we went on deck to the sound of big engines, along came a Canadian Coast Guard ship and a LARGE  hover craft with it.  Apparently, someone had reported a dingy floating in the strait just

outside our bay and they had been dispatched to look into it.  It was there just floating along.  I'd seen something earlier but dismissed it as it was so far away.  The poor little wooden dingy had floated away from someplace and was missing its bow section.  Being wood, it still floated but out they both came to investigate it.  The hover craft loaded it up and off they went with a roar.  I'm sure hearing plugs are mandatory on that baby.

After seeing the house of drift wood yesterday, we had to make our own so we walked the shoreline till we found a piece of drift wood and took it over to the house this afternoon.  With there being no wind, we just hopped into Puff and started Dragon and off we went around the point and down the coast to Conover Cove and took it up and hung it among all the others.  It's an amazing collection of peoples memories.

Tomorrow we are off to another inlet or harbor.  We've been here for several days and enjoyed it but it's time to move on.  Two to three days is our max before we get antsy and are ready to move on.  At least so far.  We'll see what happens as time goes on.  Tonight, a great barbecued steak dinner in celebration of our anniversary.  YUM!

Day 364 Tides can make a difference.

When we first bought Zephyr and wanted to take her for a "test sail", Bill told us we couldn't leave Birch Bay till the afternoon.  Being inlanders, we had no clue as to why.  His answer--the tides.  You can only come and go at certain times in Birch Bay if you have a deep draft vessel.  Here in Princess Bay, I can show you how much difference it can make.  Not knowing the tides can get you trapped or damage your boat real fast.  Here are some differences in the tides::  Princess Bay has a tidal range of about 12 feet.  The pictures on the left are of low tide taken today at 1315 hours--low tide.  The pictures on the right are at high tide, taken last evening about 2000.  Some places you could go at 2000 hours you sure can't go at 1315 hours.  It would really hurt!!  These are some of the things we have had to learn while out sailing.  Always watch the tide and currents.  The tides as they decide many times when you can enter and leave some harbours.  You watch the currents in a given area since there are times that you can transit a passage and times you don't go near a passage.  Typically, of a pass has a lot of current passing through it, you want to time your entrance to "Slack Tide"--when there is none.  You are either at high or low tide but nothing in between will do as you are either facing  an incoming tide(going against it is not fun) or an out going tide( can carry you into rocks or places you don't want to go).  As the water runs through the passes, you can get "eddies"(swirling water) that can throw your boat all over the place but normally not where you want to go or "overfalls" which is strong currents caused by water swirling over submerged ridges under the water.  In Colorado and New Mexico where we have done much of our sailing, you either have water in your lakes or you don't.  You either can sail or you can't.  There have been years in Colorado where there just isn't enough water in the lakes to allow you to even launch a boat let alone sail one.   Tides were new to us but we have learned how to watch and watch out for them.  It's safer that way.

Today we took Puff to shore and hiked around the South end of Wallace Island.  We made it down to Conover Cove.

A nice place for smaller boats as there is not enough depth to handle Zephyr.  It has a nice dock to spending time.  It's also costs $2.00 per meter.  An anchor is just fine.

While on our hike, we ran into a small house filled with small pieces(and some large) of drift wood.  People for years when they stop here hang a piece of drift wood from the rafters of on the walls.  Inside and out.

There are boards going back years all over the place.  We picked up some drift wood later in the afternoon and will try and make our own plaque for the walls.  We'll see what type of crafts person we are.  There are literally hundreds of big and small pieces in the house.  I have no clue how long it has been going on but they sure were interesting to read.  People from all over left their mark.  Some were quite elaborate and some were just a small piece with their names and dates on it.

On our hike, we took the "path less traveled" and ended up way off track as to where we were supposed to be.  We ended up hugging the West shoreline all the way done to Conover Cove instead of taking the path that goes right down the center of the island.  It took some time and some foraging but we finally got back on the main path to Conover.  It was a whole lot shorter walk back than it was getting there.

After lunch and while the generator was running to charge the batteries and heat the water tank(showers!!)  we dingied ashore and over to some sandy flats to watch the muscles shoot water into the air.  I got a video but will try for a better one tomorrow.  It didn't show up well on the screen.

And that was about the way the day went.  Most boats left and only one new one came in late this afternoon so we are down to just four of us in the Bay.  We expect to spend at least one more day here before we set out for farther North. 

Day 363 Princess Bay

Yes, I know, a second post in the same day.  The first during dead calm and now safely at anchor just after sundown.  As you can see from the above photo, we were just zipping along.

Here's our path in a nut shell.  As you can see, we came out from the North end of Montague Harbour into Trincomali Channel by threading the way between some islands tiny though they might have been.  You can see the first jog to the right just after the islands.  That was when we put up the sails.  We then turned to port(left) and headed out into the channel.  The wind then died and we were left to the mercy of the out going current as the tide changed.  That little circle with star in it is a rock(try to avoid them!).  We tacked--changed the heading of the boat till we got down to the line that connects the 12 and 46.  Tack again into just about no wind.  We were almost back to where we had started from almost two hours before! 

Suddenly, we make a nice turn to the left--we cheated and  started the engine and took down the sails.  There was just no wind to allow us to get anywhere.  For once it wasn't against us, there just wasn't any.  With the sails down, we took off for Retreat Cove a few miles up the coast.  Once we got there, there were houses all around the shore.  We'd didn't want to feel that closed in by civilization so off to the next cove--Princess Bay(smallest bay I've ever seen).  It had come recommended by Bill and Susan during our visit a week ago. 

  

During our short sail, we had even put the DuoGen down into the water to try and get some amps from it but we were going so slow under sail that the small prop on it wouldn't go around.  We pulled it back up and stowed her before we started the engine.  While the engine puts out a good bit of amps for our batteries, we know we would still have to run the Honda generator once we go on the hook at Princess Bay.

As we rounded the tip of Princess Bay(48 56.638N  123 33.457W), we were greeted by six boats that had beaten us there.  The sailboats at anchor and the power boats at anchor but also tied up to shore with line.  During the evening, several more showed up and dropped anchor for the night.  When we got there, there were two sailboats tied together at the entrance to the bay.  A third joined their group later in the afternoon.  All held in place by one anchor.  Now that is trust in your anchor.  More than I would have.

A lovely place to anchor.  We launched Puff and plan to row to Wallace Island tomorrow for some exploring.  We still have to take our time getting to Nanaimo for the part that is getting mailed in.  It will be a nice place to spend some time. 

Here's a picture of the two sailboats on one anchor.  It's nice to be back on the hook and off a mooring buoy--cheaper too.

As the Sun set, Tracy made chili for dinner and after checking the anchor and the line holding Puff to Zephyr, we retired to our cabin for a quiet evening of reading.  Both of us are almost done with our books and are really chomping at the bit to finish them.

Day 362 Montague Harbour

We made the short hop to Montague Harbour about mid day.  A whole 3.5 miles tying up to a buoy at the Montague Harbour Marine Park.  We launched Puff and took off for shore tying up at the dingy dock.

Montague Harbour  Marine Park was the first marine park  created in 1959 according to our books and a favorite of cruisers since it is so well protected.  Since the winds were out of the Northeast, we simply motored across.  As I said, a short hop.  Montague is one of the busiest parks we have been to.  It even has parking places for cars!

Once ashore, we hiked the trails over toward a sea shell beach.  It's made up of entirely sea shells.  The views Northwest were incredible.  We've been lucky enough to have great weather for quite some time.  Sunny and about 58 and expected to get warmer each day.   Click on the picture to see all the shells.  

On the dock, was a sign that said that the park was now accepting trash from boaters at a cost of $2.00 for a small bag and $3.00 for a larger bag.  While on our hike, we saw the trash bins at the top of the stairs up from the water along with a cash box for the fees.  As we hiked farther inland, we saw other trash bins with no fee box meant for campers.  Well, we pay the same amount that the campers do so what the heck, we simply hike to the campers trash bins and put our trash in theirs.  I guess the parks folk think that boaters are rich and will cough up the extra fees to get rid of their trash.  Now the books we have say that there is no fee to stay here till after May 1 but the Park Range come by our boat some time and dropped an envelope  in Puff telling us we had to pay even though it is still April.  OK, We paid so I don't feel so bad about not paying for the trash drop off.

The internet connection there was just about zero so I waited till now to do the blog.  We have set off for Retreat Cove about 5 miles farther up the coast.  The winds are nil at this point so we are just sitting and waiting.  As we started out, they were from the Northeast so the sail would have been great.  Once we got out here, it just about died.  Now we just sit and wait.  What's the hurry after all.  I'll let you know how Retreat Cove is once we get settle.  It's going to be a long afternoon there being no wind.

Day 361 A day of rest?

We decided to take a day off from sailing and get a few odd jobs done that had cropped up.

I've talked a lot about Mother Nature scheming against us in this post.  Within an hour of us pulling in here, the winds shifted from the Northwest--the direction we had been heading-- to coming out of the South--a perfect wind that would have taken us where we had been heading.  She just waited till we got where we needed to go before she shifted directions.  It's been blowing out of the South ever since.  That is until today when it shifted back to the Northwest--the direction we will be going today.   Oh well.  The forecast is for winds in the 10 to 20 knot range so that will make it interesting once we leave.

As to yesterday, I started with the problem with the bilge pump.  As you may recall, on our trip to Selby Cove, I had turned on the bilge pump to get rid of a bit too much water down there.  Well, it ended up being a syphon and just pulled more water back in instead of getting rid of it once I turned the switch off.  We had the winds off the starboard(right) side and that made the outlet under water.  I finally used the manual pump and that took out enough water to stop the syphon effect.  I figured that the anti syphon valve was clogged.  I opened the cabinets to get to the valve.  I found the hose but there was no valve.  It just went up above the water line to a clamp and then down to the through hull.  This would explain the syphoning of the water.  I did find a shut off valve that I didn't know was there so in the future if the same thing happens, I can shut off the through hull.  I also now know to not run the bilge pump when on a starboard tack as that places the through hull under water plus to close the through hull fitting when on long passages.

Next, on the the "automatic" switch that is the safety switch that is supposed to activate the bilge pump if too much water gets down there.  It had failed to turn on the bilge pump as the water rose in the bilge.  Down into the bilge with with a volt meter to see if any contact was being made or if it was simply broken.  The bilge pump worked fine when turned on manually but when the switch was engaged it never switched on--a bad thing.  You need to know that even if you aren't looking at the bilge, any excess water that might get in there is being pumped out.  It's a simple switch.  As the water goes up, it swings the float up and the pump is turned on.

Now I will be in search if a new one in Nanaimo.  I'm sure I can find a replacement there.

Next project--the seats on Zephyrs stern.  Zephyr has two seats on the stern rails for nice 

 seating when we are under way and you don't want to sit in the cockpit.  They were covered in blue canvas when we bought Zephyr and we thought that the fabric covered two pieces of plywood.  Not so!  When we stopped in to see Bill and Susan in Birch Bay, Susan told us there was beautiful teak under the covers.  I pulled off the covers to see yesterday.  Wow, they're beautiful!  The covers looked horrible after the Winter (lots of green mold)so I started cleaning them in a bucket with soap and some bleach.  I let them soak while I went on to other projects.

I'd installed a new bronze through deck fitting for the forward waste tank last May and it was beginning to look a bit tarnished so out with the polish and she cleaned up great.  I went on and shined up the other fitting at the stern head and treated both with "Penetrol".  It keeps the bronze looking great by stopping the tarnishing that comes with nature.  I'd done the bronze bow rollers back in August and they still look great.  Since I'd removed the cowl vents on the stern, the fittings for those is also in bronze so I shined them as well.  The oldest one is still a bit discolored so I used some ketchup on it.  The acids in it are supposed to eat away the tarnish "naturally".  The first application cleaned the hole cover that had been in storage but not so much the ring that attaches to the deck so I put a second coat on it and it has been "soaking" all night.  We'll see how she looks this morning.  Meanwhile the other fittings look brand new.

I pulled the wall boards off in front of stern holding tank for the head for one last check to make sure the plumbing wasn't leaking after the repairs I did a month ago.  I'd added chalk and extra hose clamps to make sure they were all sealed.  A month later and they are still fine.  No leakage!

I rinsed out the canvas covers for the stern seats and let them dry.  After that, I sprayed on fabric waterproofing to make sure they will resist the elements and I'll be putting them back on today.  No reason to have that beautiful teak exposed to the elements.

Two other boats came into the anchorage during the evening so we watched as they anchored.  One big power boat anchored much farther out into the our little harbor.  Not sure why but we're glad he's away from us.  The other headed way into the inlet and anchored just off shore.  We all must be anchored well as the winds are now up to the 20 knot range and so far, no one appears to have dragged their anchor.  Let's hope it stays that way.  

The DuoGen is eating up this wind making lots of amps for our battery system.  With the Webasto heater and the frig running, we typically use about 80 to 90 amps every day.  Thank goodness we have the Honda generator.  It's much better at recharging than using the engine.  It would take much longer using it than it does the generator and it costs less to run.

We'll be off later this morning once the winds calm down a bit.  Of course we hope the winds change to a different direction but not much chance of that so we will see where we end up.

Have a great weekend! 

Day 360 Up with the sails AGAIN!

Above are pictures of Selby Cove, Prevost Island.

We took off from Bedwell Harbour late this morning and set off for James Bay on the North side of Prevost Island.  It had the makings of a nice place to stay for a day or so as long as the winds weren't from the Northwest.   As expected, the winds were from the Northwest as soon as we left Bedwell.  OK fine, what the heck, we put up the sails and tacked back and forth up through the islands.  Out from South Pender Island and over toward Saltspring Island , then back toward North Pender Island, then back toward Saltspring Island.  Back and forth fighting our way up in  winds from 8 knots to 18 knots.  Up with the Main Sail.  Out came the Genoa on its roller furling.  This baby is so big that it rolls up at the bow when you're done with it.  You don't pull it down, just pull a line and zip, it wraps around the forestay and its nicely put away.  Zephyr is the first boat we've had that has had this equipment.  

Once the winds got to over 15 knots, we decided to put up the Forestaysail and roll up the Genoa for a while to see how she would perform with a smaller sail.  This required us to finally set up the "Running Backstays".  These are lines (rope) that replaced some of the rigging when we had it replaced.  They run from about 3/4 of the way up the mast toward just beside the cockpit and stabilizes the mast when the Forestaysail is up.  We had lines running all over the boat.   First, Zephyr stopped healing over and ran flat(good).  She also lost about 3 knots of speed (bad) with the smaller sail.  With the Genoa out, we were making about 6+ knots through the water.  Only 3 with the Forestaysail.  Plus, while most boats will only go at 45 degrees into the wind(we talked about that yesterday), with the Genoa out, Zephyr would point clear up to an amazing 30 degrees before the sails stopped drawing wind.  That allows us to go much farther up wind than any boat I've ever been in.   With  the forestaysail out, she will only point to about 50 degrees since the sail is farther back from the bow of the boat.

Since we were in no real hurry, we pulled the Genoa out about half way so it slightly overlapped the Forestaysail.  We had all the canvas up that Zephyr carries.  With the Genoa only half way out, the speed went back up to the 6+ knots it had been.  Only this time with a bit more control.

As the afternoon progressed, the wind got lighter and lighter until we finally had to start the motor.  We started into James Bay.  OOPs, already two boats anchored in there so we moved over to Selby Cove right around the corner.  No reason to crowd a harbour.   It was deserted so we dropped our anchor and we were set.  There were some houses along the shore but the closest is deserted so we have the place all to ourselves.

It was beautifully sunny all day.  Still a bit chilly so a coat was the wardrobe of the day and a hat to keep the ears warm.  I'll take that over cloudy and rainy anytime.  It is only supposed to get better over the next week.

As we sailed up Captain Passage just West of Prevost Island, I checked the bilge and found some water down there.  On with the pump and out it went.  Now here is where it gets interesting.  After I turned off the pump, water just started coming back into the bilge from the through hull where the water is supposed to go out.  We were healed over just enough to have the fitting under water.  There is supposed to be an anti-syphon valve in the line to stop this from happening.  I'll be exploring to see what went wrong.  I watched as the water came in and the automatic float switch that is supposed to turn on the bilge pump if too much water is down there didn't work either.  It floats but doesn't turn on the pump.  I'll be checking out that little problem also.  Down into the bilge again.  Boy what fun!?!

There are definitely more sailboats out on the water today than any day so far.  We had to have seen at least 15 throughout the day.   Add in several ferries and tugs and it gets busy out there.  We are always on watch.  Today's voyage, while only a distance of 8 miles as the crow flies ended up at over 16 by the time we got here with all the switches back and forth through the channels.  Even having to go farther under sail, it is still much cheaper than using the motor as many of the sailboats we say today were.  It's great to be under sail again!

Hey, I got this done and it's only 1920 hours.  I may get to bed at a decent hour tonight.