Windwalker Chronicles V
July 10, 2007

We’re anchored in Windy Bay, which is not windy today. Fortunately. We rather need a day without stress.

From Ocean Falls Windwalker motored the long-way-around to Shearwater, avoiding the eight-mile shorter Gunboat Passage. We didn’t want to have to try to explain to the insurance company why we had deliberately chosen Gunboat Passage at low tide.

Shearwater is a cruiser’s Nirvana with a large boatyard, a marina with docks that don’t wobble, a pub, a five-star laundry with showers, a store with ice cream, and a post office. The boatyard and the new fishing lodge with its own airport are what actually support the area; our two-dollar showers won’t go far toward paying the bills. We spent two days there because…I’m trying to remember. Oh yes. The bilge pump kept cycling on during our first night. Instead of heading for the gas dock at seven in the morning as planned, we started tearing the boat apart looking for the source of the leak. Two or three hours later, we were satisfied that the contributing source was a lose hose clamp on the fresh water pump. We consoled ourselves that good practice dictates that those twelve though-hull values should be “worked” every twelve months or so. Good practice (and the neglect thereof) will be referenced again later in this epistle.

The sun was shining! That is another reason we liked Shearwater. We mussed and fussed and talked to people on the dock. Heinz from Avoca (Namu-land) was on the dock to take our lines when we arrived. Going anywhere in this small community was just like trying to go for a walk on the Sandspit: people are friendly and want to talk. I walked up to the marine store to buy my fishing license and was gone for forty minutes. Where have you been? Where are you going from here? Have you been to (insert name of anchorage)? Have you done any fishing?

We took the sea taxi, Shearluk, (I liked the name) across to Bella Bella where little boys jumping off the pier was the high point of our explore. Not a friendly native village. (V002 and V0003)

Three hours out of Shearwater, we were in the ocean once more. We don’t look forward to crossing Milbanke Sound again on our way south. As we rounded the classic-looking lighthouse at Ivory Island, we noticed that there were no windows on the south side of the buildings. We did not have to wonder why. Oliver Cove offered Windwalker and crew a quiet night.

Rain. RAIN. Rain. Rain all the next day as we motored to Windy Bay which would be our base for exploring Fjordland Park with its high snow-covered peaks and ridges with vertical granite ramparts rising above Kynoch Inlet. Unfortunately, the Rain, RAIN, Rain was accompanied by very limited visibility. ‘Tis hard to see the high snow covered peaks when you can hardly see the vertical granite ramparts that are a substitute for shore.

I decided to go for a row in Ratty in the drizzle. As I crabbed my way toward the little patch of beach in the bay, the inflatable from the only other boat in the bay headed toward Ratty. The skipper told me he had spent two hours the night before photographing a grizzly bear on the beach. I decided to just row around in circles, which, come to think of it, it the way I always row.

The next day was SUNNY!!! and we headed toward Fjordland Park, backtracking through Mathieson Narrows (no treacherous current) where we saw our first humpback whale and then gazillion waterfalls as we entered Kynoch Inlet. # V019, V028 We motored along in the sunshine, for five hours all the way to the end, ohhhing and ahhhing at this amazing place. Not another boat shared this spectacular place with us. In fact, we had only seen four boats in the last twenty-four hours. #V039, V037, V048

There was no wind and a slight outgoing current when the engine lost power, and I shut it down. Windwalker drifted along, heading lazily down the middle of the fjord, slowing making her way toward the wall on the right as the skipper and crew…well, we didn’t panic, but we were not stress-free. Open the lazeret to get access to our good friend Mr. Kubota. His fuel pump was hot. Doug got out the spare and figured out how to wire it. A little more trouble-shooting. Remember the earlier reference to best practices? We have two fourteen-gallon fuel tanks that Doug periodically refills from our jerry cans. You’ve already figured this out. We switched to the Full Fuel Tank, (what a concept) and the wall on our right receded to its appropriate place, along with our stress levels.

Twenty minutes later, the reduced-power-shut-down-the-engine procedure was repeated. We needed to sail. The sails and our stress levels ballooned out in the three knots of wind as we reached the main channel. Which way to go? Where the most wind? Where was any wind? No wind. There was not place to anchor. We were in 600 feet of water….right up to the walls. We saw a sailboat five miles in the distance and Doug tried to call them on the VHF. Then he called for any boat in the vicinity of Mathieson Narrows. Prince Rupert Coast Guard answered. We were amazed. We explained that we could not keep our engine running and needed to get back to Windy Bay, so we could anchor and find the problem. What is your position? Are you in danger? We are not in danger, but we can’t anchor and we can’t sail. Stand by on Channel 84. They called us back, but could not hear our response, and we lost them. Doug tried the engine again, and it ran, at about half-speed. Grateful prayers were prayed. We were able to make radio contact with the Coast Guard, and told them that we were proceeding under reduced power to Windy Bay. Windwalker out.

About five miles from Windy Bay, we noticed a little boat off in the distance obviously fishing, and then saw a big official-looking inflatable roar up the channel and approach him. Let’s hope the people on that boat have their fishing licenses. Official Looking Boat headed toward Windwalker. The two men and the dog on board White Bear Rescue, out of Klemtu, about forty miles south, had been sent by the Prince Rupert Coast Guard to see if they could assist us. # V074 More grateful prayers. We proceeded along at a fine steady speed of three knots toward the anchorage. White Bear followed us to the entrance to Windy Bay and told us to be sure to call if we couldn’t fix the problem. You’ll be the first to know…assuming we have VHF capability. (We’re thinking dirty fuel filters at this point.)

We anchored in 80 feet of water and shared a stunningly beautiful evening with our friends, Navy Rum, no-see-ums (far too many to name), and Muskol Insect Repellent. Life is terrifying and good. #V075, V077

The next day, we changed all of the filters as well as the oil (now THAT is fun) and hoped that we had solved the problem brought on by our becoming so engrossed in the scenery and experience of Fjordland that we forgot our normal routine.

Disclaimer: The fuel gauges gauge nothing at all. They just sit there and wiggle back and forth, rather enjoying themselves. We kinda’ sorta’ know that, and just go by hour many hours we’ve been on one tank. Or not.

Also of interest: Windwalker came with a spare (used) fuel pump because the prior owner had a fuel problem, replaced the pump, and then discovered that, since he had let one tank run dry, the gluck in the bottom had fouled the filters. History (almost) repeating itself.