Repairs and more delays...

June 25, 2021
Decided to head up to Ha'thayim/VonDonop... a little closer to the rapids but still in warm water (swimming in the sea).

Just as we were coming to our usual anchor spot, our gear shift at the binnacle stopped working. After a minute of (usual) confusion, we found we could still use the gear shift at the inside steering.

After anchoring, we inspected the cable in the engine room. Didn't look good (we eventually found it had snapped within), so a trip to Campbell River for repair would be required. Of course, it was Friday afternoon, so nothing could be done until Monday morning.

We also had a very tiny leak (1 drop/day) at a joint in our hydraulic steering (duscovered the day we left Vancouver), so we decided to get it looked at too.

We headed over to Discovery Marina on Sunday, and were at the Ocean Pacific Boatyard at 8am Monday morning. Although very busy, a mechanic came to our boat by 11am.

Gear shift was simple (a new cable). The tiny hydraulic leak seemed more problematic. It was so small, Mike the mechanic seemed to feel we shouldn't "open a can of worms". But since we were there and had his attention, we decided to try taking off the connection. Doing so, Mike couldn't see anything wrong, and importantly, the flared connection was nothing standard. To replace would mean replacing 2-3 metres of copper line. Parts would need to be ordered. There was always the small chance the fitting simply needed tightening. We decided to have Mike put alback and tighten, and we'd reconsider issue in the off season.

After two nights in Campbell River, we headed back to Von Donop (we couldn't go North from CR because Seymour Narrows was flooding strongly (12+ knots) against us.

We had lost at least 4 days due to this repair trip. By then, the gales in Johnstone Strait had started up. We would have to wait for another window.

On the other hand, Von Donop was nearly empty, not even 25% of the usual number of boats. And the weather was sunny and the ocean temperature warm (22°C).

We were planning to meet up with cruising friends (SV Carousel and SV Chanter) up in the Broughtons, supposedly tomorrow or the next day. But delays (COVID-19 restrictions, 2nd shots, repairs) and then Johnstone Strait gales have set us back.

Never a good idea to try to adhere to a schedule when cruising. The cruising gods will have other ideas.

Frankly, we felt like spending more time in Desolation Sound; we had hot weather, warm swimning to cool off, and once-in-a-lifetime empty anchorages (anchorages that will be filled-up soon, especially if the USA/Canada border reopens late July).

So, we headed from Von Donop back down to Roscoe Bay in Desolation Sound, which we found also nearly empty (only 4 boats, compared to 30+) and warm swimming.

On another positive note: we have yet to see a drip from the hydraulic steering!