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| 2010 CRUISE REPORT, WEEK ONE
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June 21, 2010.
Things were going pretty well until I pushed the throttles forward again. I had backed off from the 2400 rpm fast cruise, to 1500 rpm slow cruise, and went a little too far, to about 1300 rpm. When I pushed the handles forward the starboard engine ran faster but the port engine didn’t. I pulled the starboard throttle back and tried again. Same result: starboard engine sped up, port engine didn’t.
Clearly, something was wrong with the port engine. Maybe something serious. I shut down the engine, which caused the boat to turn smartly to port, the result of only the starboard propeller functioning. This was going to make our starboard side landing at Ganges a bit of a challenge. With no port engine, getting alongside would take some finesse – or some help from the dock staff.
As we motored to Ganges, I got to thinking. The port engine ran, it just didn’t respond to the throttle. No alarms had gone off. Maybe the throttle linkage had failed. During this year’s extensive engine maintenance, both throttle cables had been replaced. Maybe, maybe. . . .
I started the port engine. It ran fine, but wouldn’t move off idle. We could make a clean starboard side landing after all. When we got to the dock, our friend Bob Miller came down from their beautiful, 62-foot Loon Song, to help if needed. He didn’t have to do much. We were partly broken down, but we landed smoothly and we were safe.
The problem was this little ¼ by 28 nut, or rather the lack of it. That little nut holds a ball joint in place, the ball joint the engine end of the throttle cable fits onto. The nut was gone and the ball joint had fallen away. We found the ball joint easily enough, but the nut appears to be lost forever. It was 4:00 on Saturday. Harbours End repair shop at the head of the dock had closed at 3:00. Might the magnificently stocked Mouat’s hardware store in Ganges have such a nut?
Marilynn and I took the dinghy over to the village and went to Mouat’s. The clerk looked at the ball joint threads. I told him John Flaherty, our mechanic, had told me they were ¼ by 28. “One-quarter National fine thread,” the clerk said. “Yup. This way.” Down a long aisle lined with little plastic boxes full of nuts, bolts, screws and washers of all descriptions. He opened a box and got out two nuts. “Better take a spare,” he said as he spun both nuts on the ball joint to be sure they were right. He also sold us a tube of Loctite, the blood-red, high-strength formula.
Back at the boat we reinstalled the ball joint, tightened the new nut on its Loctite-coated threads, and put the throttle cable end on the ball joint. The port engine answered its throttle.
If during the above description you got the feeling I dealt with the unexpected loss of port engine throttle with cool, analytical thought, and that I masterfully handled the whole situation, you would be wrong. I may not have been panicky, but I was damned nervous. Losing an engine is a big deal, even if the cause of the loss is only a little nut that fixes everything.
We’ve had just one other mechanical problem this first week. A hose that connects the fresh water system accumulator tank with the hot water tank began a drip-drip-drip leak at one end. A second hose clamp stopped the leak, although I’ll feel better with a new length of hose installed. I hope the fix holds for the duration of the cruise. Just to be safe, we bought three feet of replacement hose at the Waypoint chandlery in Sidney.
We have a list of boat projects that we worry away at year after year, as urgency dictates and budget allows. The list doesn’t get any shorter because projects accomplished are replaced by projects desired. Two years ago a project was to open two “wing” hatches over the engines. By wing hatches I mean hatches that allow us to stand on the outboard sides of the engines. Without these hatches, access was around the front of the engines, which seem to have grown in size. I used to squeeze through the narrow openings all right and lie twisted and contorted to attend to any maintenance required out there. Now for some reason the spaces have become smaller and more constricted. Crawling out there really isn’t a workable option. Ernie, the superb carpenter at Miller and Miller Boatyard, cut the hatches into the outboard sides of the cabin sole. He did a wonderful job. I didn’t ask what it cost.
I mention this because the new hatches are worth whatever the yard charged. The drip-drip-drip water leak was fixed easily because I could get to the problem. This winter, a new furnace was installed, replacing the Volvo Ardic furnace that no longer is supported with parts. John Flaherty, the mechanic, could work out there much more efficiently, resulting in a better installation in less time. I don’t know why I’m telling you about these hatches, except that they make us happy.
I mentioned Sidney, B.C. a moment ago. We learned several things during our visit. First, Discount Car and Truck Rentals in downtown Sidney is closed. If you want a rental car it’ll come from one of the agencies at the airport. Second, bus transportation from the Swartz Bay ferry terminal, through Sidney, and down to Victoria is excellent. We couldn’t rent a car because several navies were in Victoria, including the USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered super carrier with something like 5,000 crew aboard. There wasn’t a car to be had, anywhere. So we took the bus.
The Ocean Discovery Centre, next to Port Sidney Marina, is very much worth a visit. Don’t miss it. The web site is www.oceandiscovery.ca. While you’re in downtown Sidney, walk up Beacon Avenue to the old post office. The Sidney Museum is in the basement, and it’s unusually good. We were impressed and we think you will be, too. Admission is by donation, which you’ll be pleased to make. Web site www.sidneymuseum.ca.
We also discovered the charms of the Capital Iron store, across the parking lot from the Safeway. Capital Iron has everything you might need, even if you didn’t know you needed it. We barely got out with our pocketbooks intact. The main store is in Victoria. I haven’t seen it. I’m almost afraid to go.
Speaking of Victoria, the venerable Bosun’s Locker Marine Supply at 580 Johnson Street is closing its doors effective July 31. They’ll be missed.
We left Seattle the morning of Sunday, June 6, and instead of heading north we went south, through the Tacoma Narrows. We spent the night at Longbranch, where we learned that they have a little problem. The concrete supports for the wharf that leads from shore are deteriorating, and the County wants to condemn the structure. This would leave the floats isolated from shore, which is Not Good. The Longbranch Improvement Club is working to find funding for repairs.
We departed Longbranch for the San Juan Islands the early next morning, something like 80 miles. Our route and the reasons for it will be subjects for a separate report.
Blakely Island Marina. Steve DeCourcy is the manager, and visiting pleasure craft are welcomed. Steve told us many of the wine offerings at the store are from vineyards and/or wineries operated by people who have property on Blakely Island.
Rosario Resort & Marina. Christopher Peacock, whose Wurlitzer pipe organ concerts in the Moran Mansion have entertained visitors for more than a quarter-century, is general manager. Everything is operating at Rosario this year, although on a reduced scale. Nightly dining in the Mansion was set to begin shortly after our visit, as was daily operation of the Cascade Grill and store at the head of the docks. The family swimming pool was open. The adult pool at the Mansion was not. Organ concerts will be given Mondays through Saturdays. The spa has been extensively remodeled and expanded, but the large gift shop is now a nearly empty room. It’s a handsome empty room, however, with an ornate tile floor, strong architecture, and comfortable chairs in front of a cheery fireplace. Rosario is about a century old, with all the maintenance problems an old property suffers from. The Waggoner summarizes Rosario as a “sweet old dear with worn clothes and a warm heart.” It’s a good description.
Friday Harbor. The big news at Friday Harbor is the new first-class laundry facility located next to the U.S. Customs office. The ramp that leads from the floats to the customs office will get you there.
Circumstances got in the way of my usual car visit to Sidney and Victoria in April, so we left Friday Harbor for Van Isle Marina in Sidney, where we planned to rent a car for a couple days. As noted earlier, no rental cars were available. The Victoria appointments had to be cancelled, but we hoofed it around Sidney for a day, and took the bus from downtown Sidney back to Van Isle Marina at Tsehum Harbour. That’s how we learned that the bus system is effective.
Next week: Cowichan Bay, Genoa Bay, stops in the Canadian Gulf Islands, and crossing the Strait of Georgia to Pender Harbour.v
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