Bickley Bay to Alert Bay

We left Bickley Bay thinking we'd figured the slack times for the next (and final) two sets of rapids. We must of been wrong in our calculations. We reached Greene Point Rapids during a strong ebb flow that had us straining along at less than 2kts. We took pictures of the swirling, churning, bubbling water but in the end, they just look like pictures of water! The Whirlpool Rapids were also a tussle with strong currents and whirlpools that pulled the boat down and tried to send us off in directions that we didn't want to go (like towards the rocks and shoals!). We made it through to our night's anchorage at Forward Harbor.

I awoke early on Saturday morning and went outside to look around when what should I see? A beautiful black bear foraging along the shore! He was turning over rocks below the high tide line and munching on the little crabs that lie under the rocks. We watched him for more than an hour as he worked his way down the shore then back again. Must have taken more than 40 pictures and even a video of him. See above for a picture of Deja watching the bear from the boat. The sibs were, of course very interested in the bear. They each 'woofed' at him but very quietly. Little quiet 'woofs' that satisfied their egos but didn't disturb the bear at all. What a life we lead - sitting in our cockpit, eating breakfast and watching a bear just yards off our stern! This is why we cruise.

The weather forecast was for high winds and even gales in Johnstone Straits for Saturday and Sunday so we just stayed where we were and did boat projects. I polished the winches in the cockpit; Christine scrubbed the deck to get rid of the doggie pee smell. The bear didn't come back while we were watching. He must have other beaches he dines at. We were up at 0600 Monday morning and departed by 0700 heading north.

Our day's destination was flexible. Did we want to go through Havanah Passage and spend the night near Minstrel Island? Did we want to just go up Port Harney and spend the night where we were when we came south in '07? As it turned out, we lucked on an ebb current headed in our direction and were able to ride it almost to Alert Bay. We made more than 48 miles today in less than 9-hours for an average speed of more than 5-knots! That's great for this boat - especially as it hasn't had its bottom painted since June of 2007!

The forecast for tomorrow is high winds again. We may stay here in Alert Bay for a day or more. We'll see. The weather guys say Wednesday and Thursday should be good days to cross the Queen Charolotte Sound and get inside Calvert Island (see our Trip Log #27 on the Queen Charlotte Sound in 2007 logs). If we can get there early, we'll head over to Port Hardy and restock and fuel up before we jump off for points north. If the weather sets in earlier than forecast, we'll just stay here and look for some of the geocaches in the area.

David and Christine and Sibs
SV Raven
Juneau, AK

Currently lying Alert Bay, BC

Tenedos Bay to

Since Monday May 18th was a Canadian National Holiday and we couldn't get out new cable made until Tuesday, we decided to spend a couple of nights at Tenedos Bay. A very good decision.

Tenedos Bay is a dreamlike place of wonderful brown, black and dark gray cliffs that drop in fractured steps to the water. The whole effect is softened with a covering of velvety yellow-green moss interspersed with Madrona and evergreen trees. Beautiful! We spent two nights; I could have spent weeks. I was able to spend some time and found the bad wire that was keeping the ignition switch/starter button from working. We're all back together. While there, we met a young couple from Yellowknife who were exploring Desolation Sound from a canoe. We all had a very pleasant evening chatting over snacks.

After an overnight stop at the Copeland Islands we arrived in Lund early on the morning of the 19th where we tied up to the outer floating breakwater. I pulled the bad cable while the sibs had the run of the float. Then, we all dinghied over and walked up to the parts store. $75 cdn lighter, it was back to the grocery store for provisions. We left the next morning, after a stop for gasoline for the generator, heading north.

First night we headed back into the head of the Teakerne Arm to anchor in a small nitch right next to the Park dinghy dock. Another spectacularly beautiful place. From the dinghy dock a natural staircase of rock leads straight up the side of the cliff next to a waterfall to the top of the cliff where we found a geocache (see picture at top of entry. I'm practicing with the timer feature on our camera and took a bunch of pictures of my butt before we got a few of us all together). The anchorage was a little exposed and choppy but calmed down in the evening for a quiet night and an early start north to the rapids.

Even though I'd calculated the transit time and slack water at the Yuculta Rapids we still arrived 2-hours early. The Yucultas are not something you fool around with so we spent the next couple of hours jilling around in great big circles til we just couldn't stand it any more and headed north. We entered the rapids about 1 hour before slack and battled our way up the current running against us at about 4kts. Throttle wide open we continued to make progress through the boils, eddies, upwellings and overfalls to the pass at Gillard Island. This small stretch of about 200 yards had us slowed down to 1.6kts but we made it through and into the Dent Rapids on the other side. After all the dramatics of the Yucultas, the Dents were a breeze (we actually hit the Dents just at slack water) and we passed through them with hardly a ripple. From the Dents it was another 2-hours to our night's anchorage at Bickley Bay.

We're up early today to head north through 2 more sets of rapids (Green Point Rapids and Whirlpool Rapids) before the day's done. Thankfully, these are the last of the rapids we'll encounter as we head north.

David and Christine and Sibs
SV Raven
Juneau, AK

Currently lying: Bickley Bay, East Thurlow Island, BC

Meltdown!

5/12 My mother's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! I tried to call 3 times - really! Line was busy each time.

1030 Engine start. Christine went forward to raise the anchor. All normal. Same thing we've done daily for years every time we anchor (which is most of the time). Then, I heard an alarm buzzer. I didn't pay too much attention, the bilge pump often goes off just after we start the engine. This time the buzzer went on longer than usual. I stuck my head into the companionway and saw smoke coming out of the battery cupboard. Thinking it must be the anchor windlass frying the cables, I held my breath and jumped down to flip off the 100 amp breaker switch for the windlass then, back to the cockpit to shut down the engines. Buzzer continues, this time when I look into the cabin I see green acid smoke coming from the battery cupboard. Hold breath, jump down into smoke filled cabin, feel my way to the battery selector switch to disconnect the batteries. Battery selector switch just spins in my hand. Christine, who'd come aft to see what all the action was about, started fanning smoke out of the companionway with a towel, I, from on deck, pulled open the two hatches in the cabin and fore peak.

The Damage (see accompanying photo for composite picture of cable, battery and battery selector switch):
    - Battery selector switch fuzed and melted
    - Battery cable connecting House bank to common ground burned up - GONE!
    - Starter cable from battery selector switch to starter shorted out - less than 1/3 of its thickness remaining
    - Numerous fuses blown
    - One of the House bank batteries holed by melting cable

I pulled out the holed battery and joined the remaining House bank battery to the Starting battery (which wasn't injured during the meltdown). Then, I reconnected all the wires to their appropriate poles replacing fuses along the way. We were able to dinghy over to the Squirrel Cove community store and buy a replacement battery selector switch (an On/Off switch rather than the 1-All-2-Off switch we replaced).

I wrapped the shorted starter cable with insulating tape and rerouted it away from the place where it had worn through (it had been pinched between the engine blok and the motor mount - lots of vibration and wear). By now, we have power to most of the boat's electrical again. All the pumps, lights and radios, etc. seem to be working. I can't, however, get power to the ignition switch, oil pressure alarm and starter button.

Using a remote starter button I'd bought to use for tune-ups and valve adjustments I am able to start the engine. Starter appears to have survived just fine and engine is undamaged. We're a half-days motor from Lund where there's a marine repair shop and parts store. I called and spoke with one of the mechanics there. After I told him just about what's written above he thought a moment and told me that there must be a fused or missing wire someplace. On a Yanmar motor, the ignition system is seperate from the starter power circuit. Monday is a holiday and he can't help me before Wednesday. "You've got plenty of time, find that wire."

I'm looking. Seeing as how we're mobile, we decide to continue exploring Desolation Sound by moving over to Tenedos Bay

Bloodied but unbowed we are,
David and Christine and Sibs
SV Raven
Juneau, AK

Currently lying Tenedos Bay, BC

Nanaimo to Squirrel Cove

Area Whiskey Golf. Area Whiskey Golf is a large semi-rectangular area of the Straits of Georgia just north of Nanaimo where the Canadian Navy practices with their submarines and torpedoes.  Normally, when such practices are going to be going on, they make an announcement over the VHF radio "Area Whiskey Golf will be active from 0800 to 1700 today." They probably made that announcement on the day we left too. We didn't hear it... we left Nanaimo on the morning of the 7th of May. From Nanaimo to our days destination at Lasquetti Island is 3 1/2 to 4 hours directly through Area Whiskey Golf. This would have us taking the wind and waves on our aft quarter and running pretty much down wind and wave. It wasn't to be.

We were about 1/3 of the way across when a large range patrol boat hove up in front of us blue and red lights flashing. We were left in no doubt that Area Whiskey Golf was active! Told to turn around and head back the way we'd come, we had to head up along Vancouver Island's eastern shore until we'd cleared the active area then turn towards Lasquetti Island and Boho anchorage. The range controllers (Winchelsea Control) did monitor our progress and let us know as soon as we could proceed without interfering with the activities in the area. Unfortunately, that put both wind and wave on our beam. Seems like the Straits of Georgia start the day fairly calm then, as the day goes on wind and wind-driven waves start to build. Winds were 10-15 kts (not too bad) but the waves had built up to 3-4 ft and were causing us to roll considerably. Poor Deja was very sick even though we'd administered Dramamine to each of them before we'd left, it was apparent that on longer days, we'd need to re-administer another dose. The trip which should have been a downhill run of 3 1/2 to 4 hours turned into a rolly 5-hour drone.

After a night at Boho Anchorage, we continued north with an overnight in Sturt Bay on Texada Island (a very well protected cove with lots of curious sea lions and active ducks) and a stop in Westview to top up the fuel and gasoline tanks. Then on to an overnight in the Copeland Islands where we arrived early and ran a line ashore to keep us from swinging. Within a couple of hours several other boats came in to anchor too. What a show! Two trawler style boats spent the better part of 2-hours dragging their anchors around the cove, trying to get them hooked while backing at at least 10 kts! Then, rowing ashore with a stern line only to  find that they were too far away from shore for the line to reach so, back to the boat, let out more anchor rode, row back to shore with the stern line, by now, the boat's drifted away in a completely different direction so the guy has to try to pull it around with the stern line while trying to keep his dinghy from getting away and working his way up the bank to a tree around which to run the stern line. At first it was kind of funny to watch... then it was just painful.

Next day we went into Desolation Sound and made our way up Grace Inlet to a little anchorage where we could just kick back and wait for Monday when we wanted to head over to Squirrel Cove store and mail off my letter to Juneau. Last time we were in Squirrel Cove was in August. There were hundred's of boats anchored there. The place was a parking lot. (See our Trip Log #28 from 2007) This time we were there for 5-days due to electrical problems and alone most of the time. Much nicer experience this time. We were able to take the dinghy over to the community store (about 2-miles) and do some shopping, let the dogs run free on one of the islets in the middle of the Cove and not have to curse people speeding around blasting their PA systems.

See our next entry for details of the Great Electrical Meltdown!

David and Christine and Sibs
SV Raven
Juneau, AK

Presently lying Squirell Cove, BC

Stuck in Nanaimo

We pulled in here on the evening of May 1 expecting to spend the night and take off for parts north the next morning. Today's the 4th and we're still here.

The high pressure ridge which had been holding over the Canadian Rockies has broken up and wave after wave of low pressure troughs have rolled through. Each one bringing winds, winds and rain, winds rain and thunderstorms with lightning... You get the picture. Winds to 40kts are predicted today and maybe tomorrow with Thursday being the soonest we can hope for a break long enough to head north.

Nanaimo's a pretty good place and we'd be exploring and geocaching our time away here except that, we're at anchor behind Newcastle Island and there is a fetch of several miles to the south/southwest - the direction the winds are coming from. Waves build up along the length of that open space and make our anchorage quite rocky and unsafe to dinghy over to the island. We've been stuck on the boat for 2-days now and are looking at an additional day at least. Stir craziness is beginning to set in "Here's Johnny!" "Redrum, Redrum" (Obligatory Stephen King references.)

The plus side is that Nanaimo has a city-wide Free Wifi Internet Access. It isn't the best baudrate (very slow) and seems to drop you at least a couple of times each session and limits you to 2 hours out of a 4-hour period. But, it's free! It's available! I can blog and email my friends and family! They could email me too!

I've been occupying myself reading and hosting a Terminator film festival (audience of one - Christine doesn't like the Terminator movies). Christine has spent her time cooking scrumptious meals and playing computer games. Both of us are ready to be underway NOW! The Sibs have invented a game of 'steal the chewtoy and run around the boat barking like crazy'. They've had a great time. They like it here.

David and Christine and the Sibs
SV Raven
Juneau, AK

Currently lying
Newcastle Island, Nanaimo, BC