Tuesday, July 24: Jones Island to Sucia Island (the long way)

Sometimes I notice something, and it makes an impression for some reason, but I think no more about it.  I notice it again, and tuck the thought away.  After the third or fourth time, I realize it is somewhat unusual, which is why it’s making an impression, but finally there comes an observation that makes me think “I better do something about that.”  That series of observations occurred over the last few days, but it wasn’t until 2:00 AM today that it finally hit me.

When the bilge fills up with water to a certain level a pump automatically turns on to pump it overboard, accompanied by a red light illuminating on the dashboard.  The pump is very quiet, you don’t really hear it.  The sound of water being pumped into the drink is also very quiet unless you’re at just the right spot outside.  Nevertheless, I had noticed that the pump was working more frequently than normal over the last few days.  But all I did was notice it.  This morning, however, when I briefly came to consciousness at 2:00 AM, I noticed that the red light was on and that’s when I finally made the connection.  The bilge was filling with water WAY too frequently.  Of course, then I was wide awake, trying to figure out why this had been happening and what to do about it.

I don’t usually do my best thinking when I’m sleepy, but in this case I actually deduced the problem and formulated a plan.  When I got up in the morning, I remembered my plan but my first inclination was to rationalize the problem away as not being a big deal.  After a few cups of coffee, though, I decided it was a big deal and we should get it repaired while we were still in the US and near several repair facilities.

Without going into detail, a seal was leaking near where the axle for the propeller goes through the hull.  This seal normally gets replaced every 5-6 years, but as I checked my records I found that I hadn’t replaced it since 1995.  I called the closest marina to us to see if they could fit us in and, sure enough, they could.  We cruised about an hour to West Sound Marina, ate some lunch while the mechanic fixed it, and we were on our way.  This definitely counts as one of those things I worry about happening before we leave on a boat trip, but in the scheme of things it was about as minor as they come.  We didn’t have to be towed anywhere, a good thing.  And fixing it was definitely better than burning out the bilge pump from overuse and letting the boat sink.

The sun came out about noon, right on schedule according to the latest forecast, and we set off for Sucia Island.  There are several bays there, we picked one we’d hiked to before but never stayed at:  Echo Bay.  Sucia is about the northernmost island in the San Juans and is another marine park accessible only by boat.

 We found a perfect anchorage and went ashore for a four mile hike out to another bay, Ewing Cove, and back. 

At the end of the trail, we were greeted by this bald eagle.

Back at the boat we lit the barbeque, watched the sunrise, and patted ourselves for dealing with our leaking boat so successfully.  And we looked forward to more sunshine ahead!