Bob's new (to him) boat and Vancouver

Location:  Fishermen's Wharf, False Creek, Vancouver, BC

Seabiscuit docked at Fishermen's Wharf, False Creek, Vancouver, BC

May 22-23  Victoria, BC: We ran errands and prepared to leave our winter berth in Victoria.  We returned all of our library books and DVDs, took back our cable box and Wi-Fi modem and went to the gym one last time.

Thursday, May 24th  Victoria, BC to Anacortes, WA:  We left the dock about 8:00 a.m. and headed out of the Victoria Inner Harbour and then east across Haro Strait and along the south side of the San Juan Islands.

Two cruise ships at the Ogden Point Terminal in Victoria - Explorer of the Seas and Grand Princess

Trial Island Light House

Overnight and into the morning, a west wind blew a steady 15-20 knots and the seas were a little lumpy until we turned north into Rosario Strait.  We arrived at Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes at 13:15 and tied up on "E" Dock.  We walked up to the post office to pick up a few packages and then stopped at the Safeway for some groceries.  We ran into Chris from "Lucky Duck", another boater who spent the winter at Wharf Street in Victoria.  Stops at Napa, the hardware stores and West Marine and then to Village Pizza for supper.

Friday, May 25th  Anacortes:  Our friend Bob, who has done some cruising with us on Seabiscuit, recently purchased a 27' Ranger Tug for cruising and fishing with his family.  The boat was located in Anacortes and Bob's plan was to get the boat ready, then take it up to Homer, Alaska over a 3 - 4 week period.  The boat trailer and a very large box of "stuff" they didn't need for the cruise up the coast would follow via the Alaska Marine Highway (the Alaska ferry system).

Bob's new (to him) Ranger Tug 27 on the trailer at Banana Belt's yard in Anacortes.
Bob named the boat "Annie M" after his grandfather's fishing vessel.
During WWII, his grandfather's fishing vessel Annie M was outfitted with radio equipment to monitor the activities of the German U-boats on the east coast of the US.  He was out on his boat one day when a U-boat surfaced near him.
The crew of the U-boat boarded his vessel and, when they saw the radio equipment, they knew he was working with the US Navy.  They spared his life by letting him launch his dory to get away but they sank his fishing vessel.

Along with Dave and I, Bob had several friends to help get the boat ready for the cruise north: Scott and Beth, who live nearby in Langley, WA and Les, from Scotland, who was Bob's crew for the first leg of the trip.  We spent most of the day Friday getting ready to launch the boat.  Projects included: installing a bimini over the stern, stowing gear, moving the solar panel, assembling and inflating a new dinghy, installing fishing rod holders, marking anchor chain and rode, inspecting running gear, etc.  About 16:30 the boat was ready to launch.  Bob and Dave cruised her from Banana Belt's yard to Cap Sante Marina.  As they were entering the marina, a sailboat asked if they would tow them to their slip on "M" dock.  Their engine had overheated and they were trying to use their dinghy to push the sailboat back into the harbor, but the wind and current were against them and they were struggling.  They hooked up a tow line and maneuvered the sailboat into her slip, then docked the Annie M.

Scott helping to secure the Annie M in her slip, "M" dock, Cap Sante Marina, Anacortes.

Carpe Diem is the sailboat Bob and Dave towed into the marina.

Saturday, May 26th  Anacortes:  Bob spent most of the morning aboard the Annie M getting to know her systems, making check lists for start-up and shut down, and stowing gear.  Dave and I spent the morning doing chores and maintenance.  Scott and Les stayed in Langley to construct the box for the "stuff" going on the trailer.  Bob and Dave took one of the trailer tires to the repair shop then the three of us met at the Farmer's market for lunch.  More chores in the afternoon, then Bob drove back to Langley and Dave and I had supper on the boat.

Les (on top of the box) and Scott with the box of "stuff" loaded on the trailer.

Sunday, May 27th  Anacortes:  More boat chores and maintenance today.  Bob, Dave, Scott and Les took the Annie M to the fuel dock then stopped at the pump out dock on the way back to the slip.

Bob working his way through his engine start-up check list prior to going to the fuel dock.

Bob taking a break between check list items.

Monday, May 28th  Anacortes:  More boat chores and maintenance today.  Bob and Les did the final prep work on the Annie M in the morning then returned their rental car.  For supper, all of us met at Adrift Restaurant downtown Anacortes.  We had an excellent supper, then called it a night.  Scott and Beth drove back to Langley.  Bob, Les, Dave and I walked back to the marina.  This was Bob and Les's first night on the boat with plans for an early departure in the morning.

Tuesday, May 29th  Anacortes:  Bob and Les got off to an early start, about 6:00 a.m. for their cruise north to Alaska.  They made it to Nanaimo, BC where they cleared Canada Customs and spent the night.

The Annie M, with Bob and Les aboard, leaving Cap Sante Marina.

Dave and I continued with boat chores and maintenance.  A large shipment of Perkins parts arrived along with a shipment of hull anodes.  We continued to chase parts and packages from Amazon and various marine supply stores.

B inventorying the new Perkins parts.

We had our used and new Amptech alternators posted on Craigslist and a guy called who wanted to buy them so we met him in the marina parking lot.  We had sold our old Victron inverter/charger over the weekend.  About 10:30 we moved over to the fuel dock and loaded 1100+ gallons of fuel.  From there we moved into a slip at "C" dock and spent the rest of the day doing final chores and projects for our departure Wednesday morning.

Wednesday, May 30th  Anacortes to Sucia Island:  This morning we prepared for departure: one last trip to the post office to pick up parts, garbage and recycling drop-off, stowing for sea, etc.  We pulled away from the dock at 10:15 and headed north towards Sucia Island.  The current was against us most of the way and our speed over ground (SOG) got as low as 4.2 knots at one point.  But, it was a short run and we were anchored in Echo Bay by 14:00.  We spent the afternoon reading and unlaxing and watching a pair of hummingbirds at our feeders.  Bob and Les made it to Port McNeill and spent the night at Malcolm Island.

Hummingbird at one of our feeders, Echo Bay, Sucia Island

Thursday, May 31st  Sucia Island to Vancouver:  We heaved anchor at 7:00 a.m. and headed north and east towards Vancouver.  Slightly overcast with light winds.  Got a text from Bob and Les, they were rounding Cape Caution this morning in good weather.  As we passed by the Tsawwassen Ferry terminal, south of Vancouver, it was interesting to watch all shapes and sizes of ferries coming and going.  As we passed by the mouth of the Fraser River, the current flowing out slowed us down to 3.2 knots but we quickly gained back our speed when we got north of the river.  We cleared customs over the phone, rounded the corner into English Bay and entered False Creek.  We docked at Fishermen's Wharf, False Creek Harbour Authority and were settled into our slip by 14:00.  We spent some time unlaxing then walked over to Granville Island for happy hour at the Granville Island Brewery and for supper at Sen Pad Thai.  Bob and Les made it to Shearwater and had supper at the Shearwater Lodge.

Entering False Creek looking toward the Burrard Bridge and downtown Vancouver.

Friday, June 1st, Vancouver:  Our plan is to do some major engine maintenance on our main engine while we are here including changing out the charge air cooler, the transmission oil cooler and the antifreeze/saltwater heat exchanger bundle.  Dave removed all the belts and drained the seawater circuit.  We circulated RydLyme through the main engine to clean the growth and scale from the saltwater side.  We burned up our RydLyme circulating pump in the process so used a hose and fresh water to finish flushing the system.  Dave changed the impeller in the main and changed the impeller cover to a speedseal while I updated our budget and our project list.  I walked up to the marine store and along the False Creek waterfront.  Supper on board the boat and we watched a video about kayaking the Aleutian Islands.

Saturday, June 2nd, Vancouver:  Dave got busy with his maintenance chores of the day, removing and replacing the oil cooler and heat exchanger bundle, changing the oil and filter in the ZF transmission, and removing the charge air cooler.  I went for a walk to Heritage Harbour and along the Kitsilano Beach.

Saturday morning beach volleyball at Kitsilano Beach

We received a text from Bob.  On Friday they ran into some bad luck about 30 miles south of Butedale.  They hit some submerged debris, damaged the shaft and were unable to start their engine.  A passing 42' GrandBanks "Evening Star" towed them to the dock at Butedale where they spent the night.  The couple on the "Evening Star" were long time residents of Anchorage, AK and their kids and Bob's kids used to play soccer together - small world.

The Annie M getting towed to the Butedale dock.

They arranged for a commercial tug, the Cadal,  to tow them from Butedale to Prince Rupert where there is a VolvoPentas repair facility.

Sunday, June 3rd, Vancouver:  Another day of maintenance and boat chores.

The main engine with the charge air cooler removed.

Sludge draining out of the main engine charge air cooler after removal.

Monday, June 4th, Vancouver:  Today we rented a car so that we could run errands and do some provisioning.  First stop was a radiator repair shop where we dropped off the oil cooler bundle, the heat exchanger bundle and the charge air cooler for cleaning and testing.  Next, Napa for a spare belt for the new Balmar alternator.  Then Costco for food and supplies.  Back to the boat to drop-off the Costco stuff and to vacuum pack the meat.  Next stop, a gasket shop to pick up sheets of nitrile/Buna N for use on our fuel tank and fresh water tank covers and closed cell foam for the forward hatch.  A stop at Walmart to get some storage containers and a few groceries and finally, a stop at the liquor store for beer and wine.  We stopped for pizza on the way back to the boat.

The results of our shopping trip.

Bob and Les got hauled out of the water today so the mechanics could start investigating what happened to the shaft and the engine.

Tuesday, June 5th, Vancouver:  Returned the rental car this morning then walked back along the south shore of False Creek and through the Granville Island Public Market.  Spent the rest of the day stowing our provisions and continuing with maintenance projects.

The new charge air cooler installed on the main engine.  We tested everything and all went well.

Wednesday, June 6th, Vancouver:  More maintenance and cleaning today.  Planted my summer herbs, basil, argula and oregano, and did some voyage planning.  For our afternoon adventure, we went to the Museum of Vancouver where they have a special exhibit of Haida art, history and culture.

B outside the Museum of Vancouver

News from Bob:  The shaft was slightly bent so they removed it and the prop and sent it to a machine shop for repair.  The issue with the engine is that it "hydrolocked" because of saltwater getting into the engine.  The siphon effect of water moving across the exhaust port while towing causes the water to be siphoned up a small hose that feeds water to the shaft seal while the engine is running.  Lots of discussion on the hydrolock issue on the Ranger Tug "TugNuts" site.  The mechanics removed all 5 fuel injectors and found all the cylinders had water in them.  They were able to turn over the engine and push out the water.  They were working on cleaning up the mess and planned to start reassembly in the morning.

Thursday, June 7th, Vancouver:  Today we rode the bus to an electronics store to get a new capacitor for the Rydlyme circulating pump motor.  We had lunch at a neighborhood Vietnamese restaurant and then did some additional shopping.  Our cooler repairs were completed and the radiator shop delivered them back to Fishermen's Wharf.  Friends Sean and Deb came down to the boat for a tour and for happy hour up on Monkey Island; then we went downtown to the Homer Street Cafe and Bar for supper.  Sean and I both went to Montana Tech and we had a enjoyable evening catching up and reminiscing.

B, Sean, Deb and Dave at the Homer Street Cafe and Bar downtown Vancouver.

News from Bob:  The engine runs fine and the transmission is okay.  They are waiting for the shaft and prop to be installed and hope to be back in the water by Friday morning.

Friday, June 8th, Vancouver:  Rainy, dreary day today so we hung out on the boat and did maintenance, chores, paperwork and voyage planning.  Bob got his boat launched and they rechecked the shaft to transmission alignment then took it out for sea trials.  All went well and no vibration.  Les caught the ferry to Ketchikan for his flight back to Seattle on the 9th.  Bob's son Bill, his crew for the next leg of the journey from Prince Rupert to Juneau, arrives on Saturday and they hope to be underway across Dixon Entrance to Ketchikan on Sunday morning.

Saturday, June 9th, Vancouver:  We vacuum packed the used oil cooler and heat exchanger bundle and stowed them, along with the used air charge cooler, in the steering flat as spares.  We had brunch at a small neighborhood restaurant on 4th Street, spent some time in the marine store then went back to the boat for the afternoon.

The old oil cooler and heat exchanger bundle vacuum packed and ready for storage.

The old charge air cooler ready for reassembly and storage.

Sunday, June 10th, Vancouver:  We'll spend today doing final chores and maintenance, some sight-seeing and preparing for sea.  Tomorrow we leave Vancouver to continue our journey north.  First stop, Snug Cove on Bowen Island.

Until next time...