What's in a Face?

Tea at the Empress Hotel may not be at the top of the list for most guys; but if I can crawl around in the engine room, I guess Leonard can tip-toe around the china.  He probably would rather face 25 knot winds than negotiate the small handle of a tea cup, but he persevered and looked the part of a distinguished gentleman, or was that the look of fear I saw in his face?  He did admit that the sandwiches and sweets were good and quite filling.  To make sure he hadn’t lost any testosterone, we visited the Maritime Museum showcasing many interesting marine displays of historic interest.  The Museum is currently housed in the old 1889 Provincial Courthouse with an ornate cage-style elevator and beautiful wood doors and staircases.  To my surprise, the old courtroom is where an inquiry took place regarding the sinking of the Princess Sophia as described in a book which I had read.  All souls aboard the Sophia were lost at sea during the unfortunate grounding in 1918.

Never a Dull Moment

We left Blind Bay in the San Juan’s this morning and cruised through Mosquito Pass, winding through its narrow passage to reach Haro Strait.  Crossing the Strait (“the big pond”) brought the excitement of some big rollers and a few body slams, but I’ve experienced worse at Disneyland.  More big waves presented themselves near the Trial Islands Lighthouse before entering Victoria Harbour but that was due in part to a big cargo ship off our port stern.  Then there was the military helicopter that flew over our boat several times, perhaps checking us out.  The next challenge was to negotiate the narrow “Inbound Traffic Lane” into the harbour and stay clear of floatplanes and the water taxi while tying up at a small wooden Customs Dock in windy conditions.  Our reward – a great “parking spot” right in front of the Empress Hotel and the beautiful Parliament Building.

Left the Dock!

At last! we are off the dock and have left Anacortes behind.  It feels good to be out cruising;  engines running well and at the correct temperature -- small corrections do make a big difference!  We departed at 1300 without mishap; sadly a beautiful Nordic Tug ran up on the rocks yesterday near the fuel dock at Cap Sante Marina, she waited for the tide to come in and was then set free.  We cruised to Shaw Island averaging 8.5 knots, arriving at 1500 in Blind Bay where we anchored for the night.  Blind Bay is one of our favorite anchorages in the San Juan's; a peaceful bay with lovely pastoral upland views. 

Time Well Spent

Leonard used today's time in port to replace a sea strainer basket for the starboard engine.  A sea strainer strains out seaweed or debris from the raw incoming water, which is used for cooling the engine(s).  If the sea strainer fails to sift out foreign objects, debris can reach integral engine components and cause engine failure.  Indeed, we discovered our starboard sea strainer to be defective; and after lifting out the stainless steel basket, found shards of metal that we cleaned out with a magnetized tool.  We suspect that the last person who installed this sea strainer didn't have it in the down-locked position, which caused it to float up damaging the basket and impeding the flow of water.  This improperly installed sea strainer may also account for the starboard engine overheating at full warp speed, also known as 11-12 knots; something we noticed after purchasing the boat last fall.  Our time today was definitely well spent.  Shortly after purchasing the boat, we replaced the thermostat for the starboard engine and discovered that the thermostat had been put in backwards, no doubt adding to the over heating issue.  I must admit, crawling around in the engine room is great fun once you learn what the heck all of those things are for and how they work.

"Thar She Blows"

Cold temperatures, rain, and 25-knot winds are not the most pleasant conditions for departure, so we are currently in a "holding pattern."  Warmer temperatures should be here in a few days, renewing the boating fever.  Speaking of windy conditions, cargo vessels used for international shipping are now taking advantage of a new sail system that substantially reduces fuel consumption.  This new innovation comes from the German automated towing kite company, 'SkySails,' headquartered in Hamburg.  Unfortunately, our boat isn't big enough to be retrofitted with one of these kites as they measure nearly 3,500 square feet and fly at a height between 330 and 1,400 feet to maximize wind potential!  For launch, a telescopic mast raises the towing kite and a winch releases the towing rope.

Sea Chest

Today our son, daughter-in-law and family came to bid us farewell.  Our two-year old granddaughter had a great time looking through the "sea-chest" for toy treasures, peering through the portholes, and checking out the bunk beds.  Historically speaking, a "sea-chest" was a wooden trunk used by sailors to store their personal possessions, it usually had a curved top and was extremely well built.  Our modern version of the "sea-chest," full of toys and other sundries, awaits our grandchildren for future visits.

Respite

After getting the boat "shipshape," we drove home to take care of some business matters and prepare our home to receive a house-sitter.  We're glad we started making preparations for our cruise several months ahead of our departure date of early April, projects always take longer than they first appear.  For a well deserved respite, we spent the day aboard "Got d' Fever!" listening to the pitter-patter of rain and a selection of soft 50's music while snuggled in our warm salon heated by hydronic heat, enjoying a cup of hot coffee.  Started reading a good mystery book by the warm glow of our pet Octopus lamp, a special purchase from Armchair Sailor.  In all - a nice relaxing day.  It won't belong until the boat actually leaves the dock!