Boy howdy was the strait ROLLY yesterday. At least we only had to slog through that for HOURS. We had to do a lot of tacking to try to keep it somewhat comfortable. It was a lot of trial and error trying to figure out what was the best approach. We arrived 90 minutes early for our pass, so we idled for the last hour. We ended up going through half an hour early, but the current was down to 2.5 knots and a Ranger Tug and a fishing vessel went through before us, so we knew we could make it. I’m still a little bitter about the Ranger Tug, he threw up SUCH A WAKE when he passed us so very, very, very close, WHY????
The wind really picked up once we were in the Gulf Islands. Not sure what happened to our forecasted light winds. The current and wind agreed so it wasn’t too bad though. We were happy to get to our anchorage because we were pretty chilled from being outside all day.
But, we did it! Here we are back in Clam Bay. When we arrived, the wind was not favorable in this anchorage but it is SO NICE to trust our ground tackle and not worry about it. There was someone in our “spot”, so we picked a new one. We are happy with our choice. We haven’t budged. The wind died down about bedtime and we had not even one glurp/glurp to keep us awake. It was a good sleep!
We woke up to rain today and the winds are really picking back up, so we are not going anywhere. So far, it seems like no one else is going to leave today either. There are six boats anchored in this bay, with room for more. Just as I am typing this, a Grand Banks is pulling out and not long after, another sailboat. Winds are up to 13 knots. Glad we decided to stay put.
We have been having problems with our propane lately. There are big pools of water seeping up and out through the burners on the stove top. What in the world? We can’t find anyone else having this issue. We decided to swap out the propane tank for the new one that we just purchased and recently filled. Empty. What the french toast? Is this tank defective? Was the valve not closed tightly and it leaked out? We have backup cooking sources, but our primary means of cooking is our propane stove. The water issue is driving us crazy. We have taken the stove apart and cleaned the water and just cannot fathom where it would be coming from. The other morning, out of the blue it came to Jim. Maybe the kettle has a hole in it? Sure enough. I wiped the bottom of the kettle and a very small drop appeared. Wiped again, drop came right back. Our relief was palpable. We laughed and laughed. What’s not so funny – an empty tank that was recently filled. When we go to town we will go to a professional place and not a gas station to fill the propane.
We’re going to stay inside and be cosy today. I’m going to work on some PaNNTOA stuff and Jim is going to make some electrical connections. So, there won’t be much to write about, I’ll let you know when we get to Van Isle. The weather forecast still looks good to leave tomorrow morning.
Talk Soon.