Skyline Marina, Anacortes to Trump Bay on Decatur Island, July 2
Morning dawned and we were anxious to get sailing. The last thing that needed doing was to fill the water tank, which we did rather quickly. Since we had been to Lopez Island in the past, we decided to head to the south end of Decatur Island for our first stop. We knew we had to cross the sometimes rough Rosario straits, but once through we were looking forward to a quiet day of rest, reading and relaxing after all the pressure of the last weeks. Those straits can be difficult if the currents, winds and freighter traffic is contrary. But, since it was early, we hoped we could navigate through those without much difficulty.
Sailing in the San Juan’s always requires assessing whether the strength of winds and currents will allow you to go where you want to without being blown or pulled in another direction. If necessary, course adjustments will be required. And of course, when in the major straights you have to be constantly aware of freighter and ferry traffic and take evasive action when necessary.
Sailing in the San Juan’s always requires assessing whether the strength of winds and currents will allow you to go where you want to without being blown or pulled in another direction. If necessary, course adjustments will be required. And of course, when in the major straights you have to be constantly aware of freighter and ferry traffic and take evasive action when necessary.
Chris checked the nautical charts, the current guides and decided to go through Thatcher Pass to the San Juan’s. He was confident we could make it through with the tides and currents predicted. Luckily, there was little shipping or ferry traffic to worry about when we crossed. At one point he turned over the helm to me so he could work on something that needed tweaking. I love to steer the boat and was enjoying being at the helm. Chris would look up from time to time and continue working. When he was finished, he took a serious look around and announced “We’re going backwards.” We had gotten caught in a current that was much stronger than predicted and was taking us away from our destination faster than we could sail towards it. Obviously, judging currents and course made good is not my strong point, and Chris was not so perfect either. Chris decided to change directions and take Lopez Passage that we knew and was more favorable to the currents at the time.
We arrived in Trump Bay on Decatur Island in early afternoon, anchored and started puttering around on the boat. It wasn’t as secluded as I would have liked, but was still it was nice to be out at anchor.
At one point, not long after anchoring, Chris announced that he hadn’t checked the bilges. Nonchalantly, since I was down in the cabin I said I would check them. I opened the hatch to discover a lot of water in the bilge. We have a standard joke to try to scare the other about the condition of the bilges and when I opened the hatch and saw more water than I have ever seen before in the bilges, I knew Chris would think I was teasing when I said “Yes there’s a lot of water.”
Chris said “Funny, funny.”
I replied, “No, seriously.”
“How much?” he questioned.
“About 2 ½ in.” I replied. Not believing me, he stopped what he was doing and causally walked into the cabin to see what the condition was.
Water in the bilges often indicates there’s a leak on the boat and if it’s below the waterline could collect and sink the boat. Needless to say we were worried that the boat was in trouble. Having just put the boat in the water we knew the fittings were sound and it was hard to believe we were taking on water.
However, there definitely was more water in the bilges than I’d ever seen. Down below, Chris tried to figure out what happened. He dipped his finger in the water and licked it. Realizing it wasn’t salty he asked me to try the faucet. No water. He checked the tank below the forecastle bed, and sure enough, there was no water in the tank!
Out came everything stored in that area and everything in the galley under the sink. We totally looked like a gypsy boat. Sure enough, the water pump was cracked, and all the water had leaked into the bilges…16 gallons!
We pulled out the bilge hand pump along with almost everything in the back lazerette storage area and we pumped out all the water. Now we truly looked like a gypsy boat! Then came the difficult thing…how to fix to water pump. To replace it we’d have to go back to Anacortes to buy another one, something we really didn’t want to do given how long it had taken to actually get on the water, not to mention the cost of a new one. They aren’t cheap.
Working in Eugene with Chris’ sister’s father-in-law, Ed, he had used some magic epoxy putty to fix the truck. Chris manufactured a repair to the pump that he hoped would work. As repairs go it was ugly, really ugly. The other problem was that it took a long time for the epoxy to harden. We couldn’t put things back where they belonged for many hours. Also, we would need water in the tank to test the repair. Chris is fond of saying that cruising is spending long hours fixing things on a boat in neat places. After hanging out on the “gypsy boat,” we restored as much as we could and went to bed. I had an awesome night’s sleep rocking to the motion of the wind and waves.
At one point, not long after anchoring, Chris announced that he hadn’t checked the bilges. Nonchalantly, since I was down in the cabin I said I would check them. I opened the hatch to discover a lot of water in the bilge. We have a standard joke to try to scare the other about the condition of the bilges and when I opened the hatch and saw more water than I have ever seen before in the bilges, I knew Chris would think I was teasing when I said “Yes there’s a lot of water.”
Chris said “Funny, funny.”
I replied, “No, seriously.”
“How much?” he questioned.
“About 2 ½ in.” I replied. Not believing me, he stopped what he was doing and causally walked into the cabin to see what the condition was.
Water in the bilges often indicates there’s a leak on the boat and if it’s below the waterline could collect and sink the boat. Needless to say we were worried that the boat was in trouble. Having just put the boat in the water we knew the fittings were sound and it was hard to believe we were taking on water.
However, there definitely was more water in the bilges than I’d ever seen. Down below, Chris tried to figure out what happened. He dipped his finger in the water and licked it. Realizing it wasn’t salty he asked me to try the faucet. No water. He checked the tank below the forecastle bed, and sure enough, there was no water in the tank!
Out came everything stored in that area and everything in the galley under the sink. We totally looked like a gypsy boat. Sure enough, the water pump was cracked, and all the water had leaked into the bilges…16 gallons!
We pulled out the bilge hand pump along with almost everything in the back lazerette storage area and we pumped out all the water. Now we truly looked like a gypsy boat! Then came the difficult thing…how to fix to water pump. To replace it we’d have to go back to Anacortes to buy another one, something we really didn’t want to do given how long it had taken to actually get on the water, not to mention the cost of a new one. They aren’t cheap.
Working in Eugene with Chris’ sister’s father-in-law, Ed, he had used some magic epoxy putty to fix the truck. Chris manufactured a repair to the pump that he hoped would work. As repairs go it was ugly, really ugly. The other problem was that it took a long time for the epoxy to harden. We couldn’t put things back where they belonged for many hours. Also, we would need water in the tank to test the repair. Chris is fond of saying that cruising is spending long hours fixing things on a boat in neat places. After hanging out on the “gypsy boat,” we restored as much as we could and went to bed. I had an awesome night’s sleep rocking to the motion of the wind and waves.