Lyn's Log, 2nd August 2008
Stuck in Vancouver, part 2.

Vancouver
N49º16', W123º08'
18,159 miles.

While we waited for the transmission to be fixed, we thought it would be a good idea to spruce up Sentinel a bit, in particular grinding and repainting the rust spots on the deck. It was long overdue, as other places have not let us do this work for ‘environmental’ reasons, but among the fishing boats at Fisherman’s Wharf there seemed no problem. The grab handles along the deck have been a particularly bad source of rust, so we decided to ask one of the guys in Fisherman’s Wharf to weld on some new ones. Everything was going fine until suddenly a dust-sheet protecting the cabin windows caught fire. It had probably been smouldering for a while until a breeze took it, and then a spectacular blaze set paintwork alight, one window was partly melted, and a jackstay destroyed. It left a terrific mess but after a lot of grinding, repainting, cursing and scrubbing, Sentinel did look somewhat better.

At last on 24th July we could resume our cruising. Once more we crossed the Strait of Georgia, through Active Pass which is another of the fierce tidal rapids in this area, and over to Port Sidney Marina where we had spent winter. It was a chance to meet old friends, including Richard Ludwig in the North Saanich Yacht Club where he is an instructor. He had kindly agreed to act as an accommodation address and passed over some medication for Andrew that had arrived from England. One reason for our return visit was to get our ‘Aquair’ wind generator fixed by the agents in Victoria – the bearings had seized during Sentinel’s winter lay-up.

That organised, we sailed to Ganges on Saltspring Island, a laid-back tourist resort where middle-aged hippies sell poster art, macramé, fancy candles, and all the other things hippies have been selling since the sixties. We stopped in what was the village general store a hundred years ago, but now a coffee bar, and enjoyed a coffee and cinnamon bun. After lunch next day we motored the short distance to Montague Harbour on Galiano Island. Before long a guy came over in his dinghy asking if we were British. He and his wife, Mike and June, left England in 1991 and sailed around the Atlantic for several years before selling up both yacht and home and emigrating to Bellingham, USA. They had just completed circumnavigating Vancouver Island in Sestina and despite being in their late seventies looked extremely fit. They came over for some English tea and June brought over some lovely freshly baked scones.

Then in the morning as we pulled up the anchor the windlass failed, with smoke coming out the anchor well – we were on fire again! Not our first problem with the windlass but this time it’s terminal, the motor has burnt out. If we wished to continue cruising around the islands we were faced with the prospect of having to get the anchor up by hand. No, we have to have a replacement windlass, and after the engine it is the most expensive piece of mechanics aboard. Reluctantly, once more it was back to Fisherman's Wharf where we ordered a new one, and had to hang around for a couple of weeks until it was supplied and we could fit it.

It had no sooner arrived, than as a final insult our water-heater tank ruptured, spraying hot water all round the boat! So now no hot water aboard. It was a good one, copper, working on both 120v and 240v as well as heating up when the engine is running, and it seemed impossible to get a similar replacement in Canada or the USA. So a new one was ordered from England with delivery to Victoria in about a week. It would be collected along with the wind generator.

It is not just equipment problems but Andrew’s health that has been tying us to Vancouver in July. He has been seeing a consultant there for Graves’ disease. He has been up and down with his eyes, and is disheartened by the changes in his appearance caused both by the condition and as a side-effect of the aggressive drugs he is prescribed. But at least the doctor has said that with care it would be safe to continue travelling down the coast where he would make a referral to another specialist in San Francisco.

One benefit of being stuck in Vancouver has been the opportunity to see the spectacular annual ‘Celebration of Light’ fireworks competition, held twice weekly in late July (pic above). Three times we motored out to English Bay and watched the display along with hundreds of other boats, with teams from Canada, USA and China each having a night for their musical display. The shows were awesome specially as we were so close to the fireworks barge, that at times Sentinel seemed almost engulfed by fire and light.