Puzzles

 We were up anchor at 5 am this morning. After a couple of days of constant movement, the anchorage was still. No time for breakfast. It was time to go. 

One of the things we did with our time at this location was to figure out a better way to tie up the anchor. When the waves get big, the bow pitches up and comes crashing down. If the waves are spaced at the right interval, the bow will crash down as the next wave drives up and all the force of the wave will  punch the anchor, shoving it with so much force that periodically the anchor is forced off the bow roller and over the side of the boat. Held by the chain, it swings against the hull and gouges the fiberglass. We figured out how to lift it higher off the deck, so the waves don't reach it as easily. 

We also set our jack lines. With big waves and windy conditions, it's nice to have a way to clip into a line if it's necessary to be out of the cockpit for any reason. Jack lines run the full length of the deck and came in handy when we needed to make adjustments to the anchor tie. 

The avocados we bought in Campbell River are ready to eat, so it's tacos for dinner tonight. It'll be an early dinner at a temporary anchorage and then we'll be up anchor again to transit the Chatham Channel at slack. That'll put us in Duck Cove before dark. Duck Cove is half way between our next two scheduled anchorages.  We're making up for lost time at our last anchorage. We have promises to keep and miles to go before we sleep.

The truth is we want to round Cape Caution in the best conditions possible, but the weather forecast is constantly changing. If we line ourselves up for rounding on Tuesday based on today's forecast it probably won't be the best day by the time we get there. It's like trying to do a jigsaw puzzle with pieces that are changing shape.

False Start

We spent the night pitching and rolling at anchor. The wind generator was howling or humming, depending on the wind speed. The rigging was clanking, rattling and moaning. In all that sensation, we both enjoyed a solid night of sleep. We woke at 5 AM, hoping for a reprieve from wind and waves, but got none. It was back to bed rather than head off into that storm. We'll go tomorrow when it's easier going. That gave us five more hours of sleep. We must've needed it.

French toast for breakfast, blue skies, conditions settling. Waves rolling in from the strait aren't what they were. Tides are with us no matter when we go tomorrow. We'll have a long day so an early start will be good.

High Five!

If the toilet repair made it sound like the resolution was anticlimactic, or that the conclusion was forgone, it was anything but. The pump is attached to the base of the toilet with screws that are designed to cut their own threads in the plastic. If the screws are too tight the threads in the plastic strip; too loose or use screws that are a fraction of an inch deeper and sewage leaks out. We spent a lot of time and effort looking for a way to make the old parts work because we wanted to preserve our options. We didn't want to screw up the new part by over-tightening and be left with no way to fix the problem. How tight is too tight and how loose is too loose? The effort to make the old base with the stripped screw holes work failed, but thankfully we didn't screw up the new base and all is well. High fives! It is so nice to have the toilet working again. Though it was convenient to toss our bags of garbage in the unusable bathroom. Now we have to make room for them somewhere else.

Hunkering Down

It’s been a couple days since my last post. We’ve been busy. We’re tucked behind a small island in a small bay at the start of Johnson Strait. The wind out in the strait has been blowing 35 to 45 kn. We’ll wait that out and spend a second night at this anchorage, protected from big wind and waves waves. The way the wind sounds in the fighting, I'm very glad we're not out in it  

It'll put us a day behind schedule, but that's much better than getting beat up by the weather. We're making mushroom risotto for dinner tonight. It'll be creamy, cheesy, and delicious. 

Ready set go

We are untying at 8:30 AM tomorrow. Weather is expected to be about 15 kn in our face for the next three days. That’s better than 30. I’ll take it.

The current is with us. Or should be. We’ll probably fly along at 6 kn, eat up the 8 miles to the the Seymour narrows in an hour and a quarter. If it takes 10 minutes to get out of the marina, we’ll have 20 minutes of waiting for the 10 AM slack.

Toilet is fixed, tanks are full, decks are clean, cupboards are bulging, crew is ready.

Listing

We're safely in our slip in Discovery Harbour, Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada.

It was a long day. We didn't do much except eat breakfast, pull anchor, navigate 28 miles, fill the fuel tanks, occupy our slip, fill the water tanks, check in with the Marina office, collect the parts delivered for the toilet, walk around town looking for #14 1" 316 stainless self tapping toilet screws, eat dinner, go to bed and a few other things.  

Today we'll try another place for those damn screws, think about using epoxy instead, see Tina off, go for a run, scrub the boat, re-provision, fix the toilet, fix the broken rubbish bin in the galley, check the engine, replace the sail drive oil, pump the bilge, shop, do some route planning, program the plotter, eat a couple of meals, write a better blog post, go to bed and a few other things.

Success? Stay tuned…

Weather

A weather system is making its move. A ridge is building off shore creating gale force winds from the southeast in this area. They tell us it will reach 35 knots this afternoon. We'll stay put for the day. I built a couple of weather days into the itinerary, so why not?

We're in Melanie's Cove, a landlocked anchorage that holds dozens of boats with sterns tied to shore later in the summer. At the moment there's only three boats in here. It's an excellent place to weather a storm.

We arrived in the afternoon yesterday and charged off for a 5 mile hike. Today was a little less ambitious. We hiked up to a ridge to see if a cell signal could be found. (No, but we did find one later in the day by rowing out to an island)

We put the bimini up to keep the cockpit dry. It's been raining on and off since last night. Every now and then a gust of wind comes through and rattles our world. The wind generator spins up, the bimini shakes, and the boat, suspended between stern tie and anchor, staggers like prize fighter reeling from the blow, but won't go down.

When there's no cellular coverage I have to send posts via satellite. I use an iridium Go! It's good for sending short messages, but photos are impossibly large to send.

Tomorrow we'll tie up in Campbell River. Two nights there to shower, fill tanks, and re-provision. And we'll get the toilet working again. I received an email yesterday that the parts I ordered are there waiting for us.

It turns out this message is too large to send by satellite. I'll have coverage after we leave in the morning. I'll post it then. That will allow me to include a photo or three.

Here Alone

I've been amazed that there are so few boats populating the Anchorages. Anchorage popularity is seasonal and we are here early, so it's no surprise that there are fewer boats about than in the peak summer months of July and August, but June is only a week away and there is no one out here.

Two nights ago we were in Galley Bay, a sprawling Anchorage in the heart of Desolation Sound, widely considered British Columbia’s most popular marine park and internationally renowned as one of the premier cruising and sea kayaking destinations in the world. With park provided stern tie anchors dotting the shore line, Galley bay has room for dozens of boats. Ours was the only boat anchored there. 

I've been in Grace Harbour, where we anchored last night, with fifty other boats. Last night there were two other vessels. The economy and the price of fuel has really had a visible effect. I feel for folks who pin their livelihoods on the boating economy. It's great for those of us that are out here though. We've had most of our anchorages to ourselves.

Sausage Lentil soup

 

 

Montegue Harbour

Hot Dog

Tonight's anchorage wins the award for spectacular scenery. Mountains, forest and sea; it's got it all. We found a trail and enjoyed a little romping.

We came upon a huge sign beside the trail: Absolutely no trespassing! That couldn't mean us, could it? We should at least give them the chance to be friendly. They might let us use their toilet.

We eventually walked from the forest into a clearing with an orchard and a large house. And a dog. He was not happy to see us. We beat feet, retracing our steps with the dog in hot pursuit. Or so it sounded. I was sure it was still following, if it ever was, half a mile down the trail. So... not so friendly.

On the other end of the mile long trail was an empty campsite set up for kayakers. Tent platforms, bear proof boxes for food, and: pit toilets!

All the commotion and exploration left us with good appetites, so back on the boat we ate walnut chicken on rice for dinner. Jeff doesn't eat meat, but did the cooking for some reason. He says he enjoys cooking. No complaints. Jeff is the kind of guy who enjoys everything.  

Quijote Walnut Chicken:

Sauté 1 lb chicken with 4 chopped scallions, 2 chopped green peppers in 2T cooking oil.

Combine 3T soy sauce, 2 tsp cornstarch, 2T dry sherry, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 C walnuts.

Combined sauce with walnuts and cooked chicken on low heat until thick. Serve over rice.

Whisky Golf

We know folks are perched on the edge of their seats waiting for an update on the toilet debacle. So here is your update: zero progress.

The problem is that Jabsco toilet engineers, in their infinite wisdom, attached the pump to the base with screws that are short. They barely penetrate the screw holes, so the screws strip out with very little pressure. Jeff did some research and found a few ideas for bringing stripped screw holes back to life, including: jamming toothpicks into the screw holes, or wrapping the screws with electrical tape. So far none of the ideas have worked. 

I tried filling the screw holes with adhesive, hoping to drill out new holes, but the adhesives I have on board don't bond well with the plastic they're using for some reason. I guess if I was an adhesive I wouldn't want to bond with poop pump plastic either.

Well it turns out dealing with stripped out toilet screw holes is a common problem. Who knew? Gemini even referred to it as a DIY right of passage. Is that AI humor?  

Anyway, the recommendation is to go to the big marine chandlery in Campbell River and buy a size larger self tapping screw. I think we'll try that and if it works we'll keep the part I ordered as a spare. In the mean time we are the bucket brigade.

I'll close this post with a short story that's got nothing to do with toilets. Eight years or so ago I was researching a route up the Strait of Georgia and read about the military exercise area WG, commonly known as Whisky Golf. According to the source, a respected cruising guide, it was necessary to avoid the area by traveling within a given distance of some islands, but that it wasn't necessary to go around the islands. On that trip, the exercise area happened to be active, so I dutifully followed the prescribed course and was contacted by radio and told to turn around immediately or I would be escorted out out the area. It is necessary to go around the islands I was told. Fair enough. The guide book was wrong it seems. 

I've respected that rule ever since. Area active, go around the islands.

Fast forward eight years. Quijote and crew are merrily heading north to make our cut around the islands, when the radio comes to life. "Quijote, Quijote, Quijote: turn around immediately. You are in violation of an active military area. You must turn south. " Wha...??? We weren't in WG. I didn't want to go south. How were we supposed to get to Campbell River?

I turned around and called the military on their working channel. It turns out with all the technology at their disposal and with Quijote transmitting clear position coordinates, they screwed up and mistook us for another boat. So, we turned around again and proceeded on our way north and around the islands.

Our anchorage last night was lovely. We were the only boat in a quiet cove with seals frolicking nearby. We dinghied to shore and scrambled up through the woods to a bench with sweeping views and watched the sun settle toward the horizon. It was wonderful to be so carefree for the moment.

A new part has been ordered for the toilet and should arrive in Campbell River before we do. 🤞

Rough and smooth

We are in a pristine anchorage tonight after a long, hard day getting here. We bashed into wind and waves for more than eight hours. It wiped us out. There was nothing for it except to forge ahead and endure. We could have waited for better weather, but that would have taken days. 

It feels so good to have that mileage behind us. The Strait of Georgia often gives me trouble. It's long and wide with an orientation that favors the natural flow of wind when it blows from the NW. The waves have 320 miles to build under the force of all that wind. By the time they reach the southern end the waves can be... uncomfortable.

I was hoping we'd be lucky and have calm weather while we were at the southern end of the Strait of Georgia. It didn't work out that way, but the worst is behind us now. we're heading north up the Malaspina Strait today. The weather is lovely and conditions smooth.

Porcelain malfeasance

We've been struggling with toilet problems. There's a clever device called a joker valve connected to the back of the toilet in the path of the material being flushed that acts like a sphincter. You can push waste water through in one direction (out) but it clamps shut to prevent flow in the other direction. With age or abuse it relaxes and water begins to leak backward, filling the bowl with dirty sea water.

We observed the bowl filling with water a couple of days ago so we, actually Jeff, swapped out the joker valve.

This is a common enough occurrence that I carry a bag of spare joker valves. Unfortunately the new valve leaks too. Our suspicion is that changing temperatures over several years make the rubber less pliable, so they don't seal as effectively as they once did.

An additional problem has since emerged that makes pumping difficult. For that the whole pump might need to be rebuilt. Thankfully I carry a spair one of those too - a rebuild kit and a complete pump. Jeff is hard at work replacing the pump as I write. It's nice to have someone on board that doesn't mind doing the plumbing work.

It's later in the day now and the toilet situation just keeps getting worse. We replaced the pump with a brand new one. I went to check on it and it hadn't leaked at all. The pumping was smooth and felt really good. I declared the problem fixed.

Tina went down to use it and a stream of explicatives poured out from below decks. The pump had spewed sewage all over the floor. Two screws had stripped their holes and there was no way to seal the pump properly. There still isn't.

Also, the pump seized up. The two problems seem unrelated but that toilet is not going to be operational anytime soon. I'll have to order parts and have them delivered to Campbell River. In the meantime we'll be pooping in a bucket.

I mean Seriously? That toilet has an attitude problem. It has fought every step of the way since leaving Seattle, resisted any resolution of its problems and heaped problem on problem.

Not eating as expected, but eating well

We cleared Customs today. We're now legally in Canada. I have a little roadstead on the west side of South Pender Island that's a favorite spot to anchor. We've had it to ourselves every year but one. A few years ago I weathered a big blow at this anchorage quite comfortably. I don't expect much weather this time.

The nice thing about this anchorage, aside from having it to ourselves is that it's a really short dinghy row to shore, then an uphill hike to a Ridgeline that has a nice trail. Exercise is good.

It's at about this time that our avocados always ripen, so I will forever associate Bedwell Harbor with tacos. I've had many here over the years. Tonight's tacos were meatless because a three pound package of hamburgers didn't make it from the freezer to the boat. Oops. We made them with refried beans instead. I only included a can of them because Jeff is a veg. We've got plenty of food, so I'm not worried about going hungry, but I do wonder what else we won't be having... Sloppy joes. Dang.

Last night Claire and Josh fed us in their home on Lopez Island. It was very kind of them and the pork burritos were delicious. They have a nice place overlooking San Juan channel that they operate as an Airbnb.

Tomorrow's a short day. We'll have some time to get off the boat again. This time to explore Canada's first marine park established the year I was born. It's been around a while.

Charades

We found a network of trails on the south end of Lopez Island this morning...

One word three syllables three letters short word happy happy guy happy hiker happy sounds like sky happy guy happy hat happy head happy tree happy branch horizons happy happy happy visor happy brim happy clouds happy son sounds like happy son happy one happy bun happy month sounds like tree branch cloud happy son sounds like happy son an ear in the tree sounds like... That was terrible...

Oops! I was in the middle of dictating a blog post when Jeff made me try to guess the WiFi password with charades. The thing about charades, you either get it quickly or you get frustrated quickly. I never did guess the password. If you find yourself at the general store on the south end of Lopez island, their WiFi password is FUNFUNFUN. No charades necessary.

Dinghy seat maintenance

Monument for the treaty of 1908

Picnic on Iceberg Point

A Good Start

I'm lying in my bunk, rocking with the swell that finds its way into the anchorage. Out on the strait, the seas must be feisty. Yesterday was so much more pleasant to make the crossing than today would have been. Fair weather and calm water seemed to follow us all day.

We barbecued salmon for dinner last night and ate in the cockpit while listening to the cries of birds on shore. A lovely sunset capped off a long first day.

We woke to rain this morning, but it's supposed to taper off soon. The plan is to hike, then visit friends who own a house on the island. They've invited us to dinner. That and another pulse of weather forecasted to move through are good reasons to spend a second night in this anchorage. It will cost us one of the two extra days I built into the itinerary for delays.

The heat has been turned on to take the edge off the chill in the morning air. It's time to get up and make some breakfast. Oatmeal with walnuts, strawberries, and yogurt will be a good way to start the day.

 

All smiles for departure

 

Shore party

The natives display their creativity

A productive Day

The big to-do today was, to move the boat from home on Lake Union (Fremont) to Puget sound (Shilshole). The transit through the locks and bridges was quickly accomplished; a routine day at the office for Quijote.

It feels good to be back out with Quijote and crew. Jeff and Tina are crew for this first leg to Campbell River. Today Jeff and I moved the boat; Tina was our driver.

The weather is big(ish) at the moment. The forecast predicts it will fade tomorrow and build again the day after. We'd like to get across the strait in the lull, while the sea state is friendly. Bob's lunch can tell you what crossing in unfriendly conditions will do for you.

Alarms are set for 5:30. This time tomorrow we'll be in ALEC Bay on the south end of Lopez Island.

Discussing the locks proceedures

Kay

Kay G. stopped by to say hi, intercepting us at the fuel dock. It was really good to see her. She even brought wine.

Jeff boogied.  Tina, Kay, and I sat in the cockpit and caught up while we drank Kay's wine.

I'll skip the part where I knocked my glass (plastic) across the cockpit, spraying red wine all over. What can you do but connect the hose and go to work? We hosed the boat down and filled the water tanks.

Quijote gets a new impeller

I was lying in bed a few nights ago, when it crossed my mind to wonder how long it had been since I replaced the fresh water impeller on the engine.  It last failed and left us adrift on the day I bought the boat nine years ago.  We were doing sea trials on that day, so the broker was on board.  He called the owner. Spare impeller? Yes, so he swiftly replaced it.

The boat was eight years old on that day, so the impeller was due to fail again at any moment. Replacing it moved to the top of the to-do list.

Jeff had been offering to help get the boat ready for our departure, so I texted him: wanna to dome engine work? Of course!

Jeff ponders the meaning of life.

The old impeller looking a little ragged

Out in pieces. A very good thing we replaced it.

Off we go!

Soon Quijote will be on her way north again for another summer of sailing fun. Okay, more motoring than sailing, but still fun.

This year we’re headed about as far north as we can without crossing into southeast Alaska.  My intent is to spend a couple of nights in Prince Rupert, British Columbia before turning around and heading home again. That’ll take us about seven weeks in all.   We depart May 15 and return Quijote to her slip on July 3, if all goes as planned.

I like to begin each blog with a summary of the blogs that have gone before. This year marks the tenth year of blogging for our favorite sailing vessel. There is more content in all these blogs than any sane person would want to read, but they're there if anyone is interested.  

I’ve been massaging the content of these blogs into something like a book in my spare time.  The scale of the effort is intimidating, given how little free time I have, but if I can finish a tile lighthouse mosaic in under thirty years, I ought to be able to write a book that is essentially already written.

Quijote's Blog Summary:

2016 took us up the Inside Passage to Glacier Bay, Alaska for fourteen weeks with seventeen crew joining us along the way at various times:

http://svquijote.blogspot.com

In 2017 Quijote crew did a six week circumnavigation of Vancouver Island:

http://svquijote2017.blogspot.com

Then in 2018 we headed back up the Inside Passage for five weeks to the Broughton Archipelago:

http://svquijote2018.blogspot.com

2019 was intended to be the start of a two year Pacific Ocean semi circumnavigation through the islands of the South Pacific, but like so much else that year, was interrupted by the global Covid pandemic. It's hard to visit countries that won't let you in. We got as far as the Sea of Cortez, Mexico before hauling the boat out of the water and storing her in a boat yard. We then flew home for the rest of the year.  The trip is detailed in the 2019 blog:

http://svquijote2019.blogspot.com

In 2021 we made the return trip home from La Paz, Mexico via Oahu, Hawaii to Seattle:

http://svquijote2021.blogspot.com

In 2022 we sailed to Prince Rupert and made the crossing of Hecate Strait to the Prince Charlotte islands, known to the locals as Haida Gwaii:

http://svquijote2022.blogspot.com

2023 we visited the Broken Group, Desolation Sound, and Princess Louisa Inlet:

http://svquijote2023.blogspot.com

We did a second circumnavigation of Vancouver Island in 2024, this time in the fall:

http://svquijote2024.blogspot.com

Last year was a short trip. We just did a couple of weeks up to Desolation Sound and back.

http://svquijote2025.blogspot.com