Shearwater Lay Day

We were up bright and early the next morning so we would be ready for Mike.  Karen went off to tackle laundry while Mike joined me in the engine room to tackle the 20kW. The project itself is not difficult, but the access to that part of the generator is problematic.

Once we removed the old pump, we found a new problem. The interconnect between the pump shaft and the engine itself was extremely worn. What was once a clean rectangular shaped key now had a diamond shape. Nothing to do now but to clean things up and install the pump. It’s not clear how long this will work before the old, deformed slot deforms the new male key on the pump.

deformed engine drive slot for the generator

deformed key in the old water pump

this is what a new shaft looks like on the genertaor water pump

During out last vist to Shearwater I did not take any photos from the drone. So I made up for that below.

overview of shearwater

fuel dock on the left

ariel view looking back toward bella bella showing breakwater

Additionally, we cannot test the repair until the morning after the form-a-gasket has a chance to fully cure, so today’s work on the generator is finished.

Later in the day, we watched as a small tug towed a sailboat right up to the Shearwater docks. The tug operator was incredibly skillful and he put that sailboat right on the docks without a sweat. We learned that the sailboat had engine trouble and was towed all the way from Klemtu, as Shearwater is the only game around when it comes to marine repairs on the Central Coast of BC.

tug to the rescue

Karen later chatted with the captain of the sailboat, who said the tow took about 13 hours. Despite the stress, he said the tug captain and crew were awesome and he and his wife were able to relax and enjoy the scenery during the journey.

We decided to try the pizza at the Shearwater restaurant for dinner, as we have seen many pizzas being delivered to Bella Bella on the water taxi. It was just OK but at least I did not have to cook after a long day of boat repairs.

We had another quiet night on the docks.

Troup Narrows to Shearwater

It’s a short cruise over to Shearwater. We have a particular plan for timing our arrival. We target getting to the dock no later than 11am  because 10am to 11am is a popular departure time for cruisers. Then we add in an hour on the fuel docks for taking on diesel. We will not need all that time as we are only taking on 250 gallons. But that timing gives us a buffer in case we must wait for access to the pumps.

We both wore wide grins as there was no one at the fuel docks when we arrived. Even better, by the time it was time to tie up on the guest dock, nearly all the cruising boats had left. Mollie and Geoff assigned us a great spot with good 50-amp power and near the potable water hose. They were also there to greet us and catch our lines. Geoff was particularly pleased that we arrived on the early side, as the 2nd Waggoner Alaska multi-boat flotilla was about an hour behind us, also headed for the Shearwater docks.

shearwater marine center an boart yard

Karen had been watching the flotilla on Marine Traffic, and we knew they would be heading for Shearwater from Ocean Falls. As Troup Narrows was much closer, we were confident our arrival time would work to get fuel and moorage before they arrived.

This flotilla was well organized, and each boat arrived nicely in sequence, with ample time between so that the prior boat could be greeted and tied up by Mollie and Geoff without rush.

Oceanflyer happy on the shearwater main dock

Our primary mission on this visit was to replace the sea water pump on the 20kW generator. As soon as we were secure, I went up to the marine store to pick up the pump which was scheduled to arrive yesterday. Pump in hand, I went up to the Boatyard office to track down Mike, the boatyard manager, and confirm that we were still on for the installation tomorrow morning.

Mike suggested that he would come to the boat at 4pm today, as tomorrow looked quite busy. So back to OceanFlyer I went, to clear access to the generator and begin the process of cooling the engine room so Mike’s working condition would be more pleasant. That’s why I had originally suggested we do the work the next day in a cool engine room. But if Mike wants to do it today, great.

Karen and I had a nice lunch at Fisherman’s Grill and wandered the docks a bit in the drizzle.

welcome to shearwater

Well, 4pm came and went and no Mike. Turns out his attention was consumed by the Shearwater/Bella Bella Water Taxi which developed a problem. That’s why we always build time into our planning, so things like that do not place undo pressure on us. Back to our originally scheduled program!

Troup Narrows Lay Day 2

Just another lazy day.

It was fun to see the Canadian Casot Gaurd vessel Cape Farewell come through the narrows. We saw them approach Troup Passage at their ususal 22 knots and then slow down as they entered Troup Narrows. A crewman was posted on the bow as lookout.

Canadain Coast Guard CApe Farewell maintains a lookout as they go through Troup Narrows

In the afternoon we explored Troup Passage south of the narrows. The calm waters made for a fun dinghy ride. Our conclusion was that we liked our anchorage in Troup Narrows better than other alternatives in the area.

troup Pasage on a very calm day

Troop Narrows Lay Day 1

A solid day of rain, as forecast. Back to boat projects, working on blog, planning, watching YouTube, watching any AIS traffic that happens by and Karen working on her painting — you get the idea.

We did watch the two sailboats that were anchored in Troup Narrows Cove “proper” depart for greener pastures. We briefly chatted about moving and decided we really liked where we were and that we were alone.

We also discussed getting our foul weather gear on and doing a dinghy exploration despite the weather. We came up short on unanimous consent!

a very moody evening sky in Troop Narrows

Tom Bay to Troup Narrows

Foggy this morning with about two miles visibility in mist and light rain. The change in weather is officially here.

foogy morning at low tide in tom bay

the “new” growth on this abandoned logging facility reminds me of green island anchorage

We timed our run through Perceval narrows to still be on the flood with about two knots of current on our bow. Nice, if a little slow of a ride.

As we approached the exit of Reid Passage, the M/V Columbia 3 called us to say they would wait for us to exist before they came into the narrow pass. The professional crew of the explorer vessel were very pleasant and made both our trips through the narrowest portion safer.

After turning up Seaforth Channel we turned our attention to the radar. With reduced visibility and the knowledge that we could expect traffic leaving Shearwater, radar was our early warning system for opposing traffic. Soon a target appeared going fast and on our course line. It was a big target, but given its speed, I was not certain who they might be. No AIS, which was a surprise for such a large target. Shortly, I saw the vessel take a distinct turn to the south and resume a course reciprocal to ours but definitely offset. OK, that’s a professional at the helm. As the vessel came into view it was a police catamaran, probably 50 feet or larger and a tri-deck. All that mass accounted for the large radar return.

Shorty thereafter, two more targets appeared going south, moving fast also, but much smaller targets than the police vessel. They turned out to be sport fishing yachts headend out to the their hunting grounds.

No other traffic was spotted today as we motored up Return Channel to our destination. This route was so spectacular a few weeks back, but with the rain an low clouds, there is not much to admire.

As we made our way through the northern entrance to Troup Narrows we came upon two sailboats right where I had placed a couple of proposed locations to drop anchor. We continued to our third spot in the NW cove in 25 feet with going holding.

It’s a nice, smallish anchorage with “views” in all directions so it does not feel small. But on a low rainy day, the mountains are obscured. We are well protected and only moved a little with the tide change.