Roche Harbor to Nanaimo

After a leisurely breakfast at the Lime Kiln Grill with Jim & Cheryl Matheson, we headed out in moderate rain for Nanaimo about 0900. We called Canadian Customs and got a clearance number over the phone, but about 30 minutes later a large black inflatable with blue flashing lights pulled up alongside and asked about clearances, since we sailed right by Bedwell Harbor, the natural point for most people to clear. We explained that we had a number posted in the window and were clearing in Nanaimo, which seemed to satisfy them.

Rather than wait for slack water at Dodd Narrows, we headed out Active Pass at slack water, and by 1600 were at the Nanaimo customs dock after a smooth crossing up Georgia Straits. We were formally cleared by 1615 and headed a few hundred yards to Cameron Island docks where we tied up just before Jim and Cheryl Matheson arrived. We did our shopping for fresh produce which we could not bring across the border and then had a great time at the Dinghy Dock Pub for dinner.

Weather permitting, we will head for Desolation Sound in the morning.

2011 Selene Rendezvous

Some of the 31 Selene's at Roche Harbor

The 2011 Selene Owner’s Rendezvous is over

It is a sunny but cool Sunday morning in Roche Harbor and most of the 31 Selene's attending this year's gathering have left, either starting their trip north to Alaska, or returning to their home ports. We intended to leave this morning also, but several events transpired to delay our departure by one day, including a newly discovered main engine coolant leak. Three boats have headed north already and we expect to see them along the way.

The three day program this year included a number of seminars including one by Cummins Northwest on preparing for long distance cruising, including emergency repairs and spare parts. Very timely, since that is how we discovered the coolant leak.

Except for that leak, Spirit is ready to go! We have tested all the systems, including launching the tender.

We expect to go to either Ganges or Nanaimo tomorrow.

3 Days to our 2011 Departure

It is early on Sunday morning, April 24, 2011 and we are getting ready to attend Easter Sunday services, one of the last events we will attend in Bellevue before heading back to Anacortes on Tuesday morning. In the afternoon we will celebrate Easter with Patrick's Mom, sisters Julie and Rosemary (husband Jim), brother Michael and son Sean and his wife Margaret.

Spirit is nearly ready to depart. The fuel tanks have been filled (and a hole created in our bank accounts with diesel fuel now at $4.19 per gallon). We only need to put our clothes and last minute perishables on board and we are ready to cast off the lines and head for our first destination, the Northwest Selene Owner's Rendezvous at Roche Harbor on San Juan Island. That first short leg is only about 28 nautical miles.

The Selene owners gather each year at the end of April before many head out for a summer season of cruising. We get to see what others have done to improve their vessels, exchange cruising tips, attend seminars, take lessons and socialize, as well as browsing the displays that a number of equipment and service suppliers set up at the event. This year we arrive on Wednesday and the Selene fleet departs on Sunday, May 1, 2011.

We will be joined on the trip to Roche Harbor by Joyce and Tom Hawkins, who keep their Catalina 42 sailing vessel "Liberty" moored at Roche Harbor during the winter. We hope to spend several days cruising with them after the rendezvous as we make our way north through the Canadian Gulf Islands.

55 Days to Departure for the 2011 Adventure

Since Spirit arrived back in Anacortes after the sojourn in Lake Union, planning for the 2011 trip to SE Alaska has been intense. We spent time at the Seattle Boat Show looking for additional safety equipment to better prepare for offshore cruising and additional equipment for fishing while cruising.

In February we took Spirit back to Seattle's Bell Harbor Marina for the Roche Harbor Yacht Club event over the Valentine's Day weekend. We took 2 days to go south; spending an evening at the Everett Marina moored next to the Matheson's (fellow RHYC members) on their 65' Pacific Mariner "Sea Jay". The trip down was uneventful under clear, but cold skies. The weather continued to cooperate the next morning as we made our way down to Bell Harbor where we joined a total of 8 more RHYC boats.

We had a great potluck dinner on Sea Jay, but the next morning the weather deteriorated, with high winds and waves coming in the marina entrance. We doubled up the lines after the potluck breakfast on Spirit. We had 20 people on-board for that event. Dinner that evening was at Anthony's Bell Street Diner. Sunday morning was the main event, brunch at the Space Needle Restaurant, with 76 attendees. The service, views and food were all great, since the weather had cleared.

Since the event ended in early afternoon, we decided to stay one more night and return on Monday in a single leg back to Anacortes. The weather report was deteriorating, with gale force winds predicted, but not till noon, so we had hopes of beating the wind.

No such luck! By the time we entered the Swinomish Slough the winds were in excess of 35 knots and the waves washing over the entrance breakwater made for an interesting few moments until we were inside the channel proper. We were glad we had not gone out the west side, since Smith Island was reporting sustained winds of 38 knots, with higher gusts and seas to 8 feet.

As we headed out the north end of the Slough, the wind increased to a steady 35 knots, but now the gusts were in excess of 45 knots from the SE. Visibility was poor going down the channel to Anacortes Marina due to spray over the bow and we were worried about getting into the marina entrance which requires tight turns even in calm water. However, lots of throttle and thrusters worked, but once inside we needed reverse thrust to keep the boat speed down due to the wind pushing us.

The tricky part turned out to be the turn into our slip, when the wind gusted to 45 knots on our stern, but once again, the thrusters were able to allow us to stay in control and we actually docked without any particular problem except keeping more reverse thrust than usual to stop us in the wind.

The cold weather has persisted, and except for having the diver change zincs, we have not done much work on Spirit except to keep Spirit winterized so the outside water lines do not freeze.

Except for provisions, we are ready to depart. We now plan on attending the annual Selene Rendezvous the end of April at Roche Harbor and departing directly from there on May 1^st.

Spirit is back in Anacortes

After nearly two months in Lake Union, Spirit is now safely moored at her home port, Anacortes Marina.

We are now on the 4^th ECM for the Cummins main engine, and hope the problems with the ECM, wiring harnesses and other engine controls have been put to rest. Most of the other warranty work was accomplished, as well as most of the planned upgrades to make both fishing and cruising more enjoyable. We are ready to head back to SE Alaska in April or May, 2011.

The trip back from Selene Yacht Service was interesting due to the high winds, floating debris in the water, and an errant log boom in the Swinomish Channel. John and Kay Scott accompanied us as we tried to make a silent departure in the dark from the dock in Lake Union. The rain and gusty wind arrived just as we cast off the lines, a foretaste of winds to come. We were almost successful in the quiet departure, but needed a little bit of bow thruster to safely depart. We hoped all the nearby live-aboard residents were already awake when we nudged Spirit away from the slip and headed for the locks. We even beat out most of the rowing shells that practice in the lake and canal every morning, but there were already a few out between the Fremont and Ballard bridges, with their red and white strobe lights showing their position. Our intention was to get to the locks well before 0800 so that we would not get trapped in the 0800-0900 dead time.

It was a good plan, arriving at 0730, but we did not count on having the small locks closed for maintenance, so we tied up in the waiting area and then were told over the PA system that we would lock though the large locks at 0830 or later. However, in just a few minutes the lock attendants changed their minds and flooded the large locks and let us in, the only boat. The locking thru maneuver was uneventful; the engine ran fine, our first real test of the latest ECM.

All the rain we had the last few days had created a lot of overflow runoff in the locks, and the current as we exited was turbulent, but in just a few minutes we passed under the railroad bridge and out into Puget Sound. It was now daylight and we were greeted by a solid wall of whitecaps as far as we could see. However, the wind was behind us, so the seas and wind actually helped push us speedily north. The winds continued to increase, until we had gusts of 40 knots off Edmonds, and the stabilizers were working hard in the quartering seas. About 1000 we enjoyed a delicious breakfast dish of corned beef, eggs, potatoes and cheese prepared by Kay Scott as we relaxed with our cups of coffee. It was very nice being warm, dry and stable given the wind, rain and seas.

Spirit was virtually the only small boat in sight as we continued past Everett, Langley, the west side of Camano Island and started to head into Skagit Bay. We the saw our friends, Jim and Cheryl Matheson coming south in SEA JAY, their 65 foot Pacific Mariner. Jim warned us about the debris in Skagit Bay from the river floodwaters, so it was time for a close lookout. Sure enough, there was a lot of debris in the brown floodwater runoff from the Skagit River. As we made the turn into the Swinomish Channel, we were blocked by a tug trying to regain control of a log boom that had broken loose. After negotiating on the VHF radio, we managed to squeeze by in the narrow channel. The Selene 58 "Rhapsody", headed the other direction, was not so lucky and had to wait some time to get by the log boom. After passing the tug, the debris lessened, the current pushed us swiftly north up the Swinomish Slough, and we then dodged numerous crab pots in the channel as we headed for Anacortes Marina where we docked just after 1500.

We averaged 8.6 knots as we headed north, and all systems operated well. We now have 4554 nautical miles on the log since May 1, and a total of 820.1 hours on the main engine since new, with total miles now over 6000 nautical miles since delivery in July 2009.

The Downside of Electronic Engine Controls

Failed Main Engine wiring harness SIM module connector

Last week we decided to go to Victoria, BC for a few days since the Fall weather has been so nice. Joe and Sarah Dreussi were going to go with us and had placed Gracie, their black lab, into doggie playschool for a few days. We had most of the lines off, the shore power disconnected and went to start the engine.

NOTHING!

No lights, no displays on the Smartcraft gauges – NOTHING.

Patrick checked all the fuses and breakers, everything looked normal, so we called Cummins Northwest and they suggested we contact North Harbor Diesel who sent down a technician the next morning. In the process of checking connectors he detected an electrical burning smell and pulled a connector off the SIM module, which promptly burst into open flame when the watertight seal was broken and oxygen reached the overheated and shorted connector.

At that point Patrick rapidly pulled the fuses rather than have the technician cut the wire and the flame could be put out. In the process of removing the main harness, a leaking coolant level sensor was discovered. Apparently the slow leak, under pressure when the engine was operating, forced conductive coolant up the inside of the wiring harness, through watertight connectors and eventually reached a connector which shorted, overheated and failed. Many of the connectors on this harness were wet with coolant. There were no indications of leaks on the outside of the harness!

A new harness was ordered, as well as a new coolant sensor, new SIM module and the ECM, which showed corrosion on some of the connector pins was sent to Cummins Northwest for checkout.

In the process of reinstalling the new harness we also discovered that 24VDC power may be present at the engine even with the engine battery switches off, if the Blue Seas ACR's (automatic charging relays) are in the "AUTO" position and the battery chargers are on, or in the "ON" position at any time. Apparently the battery safety switch (to remove power from the engine room in the event of fire) is only between the batteries in the engine room, so the ACR's provide an alternate path between the house and thruster battery banks and the engine starter, which actually makes sense from an ability to cross connect the battery banks to start the engine in the event of an engine starting battery problem. This fact also implies that the "echo charge" connection from the chargers to the engine starting batteries is redundant when the ACR's are in the "Auto" position. Just another addition to the manuals!

The ECM uninterruptible power from the engine battery has a similar issue. The only way to remove power is to go into the engine room and open the battery box and pull a fuse. We have asked Cummins for permission to install an emergency shutdown switch outside the engine room for use in the event of a fire.

Today, Wednesday, October 20 we hope to have a test run and then take Spirit to Seattle in the morning. We expect Spirit to be in the yard for approximately one month.