Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Kitimat, B.C. 08.19.2013

Left for north on Devastation Channel to Kitimat today so that we would arrive in the harbor in time to contact a couple of fabrication machine shops to see about straightening our port forestay pole.

It was fortunate that the first shop Bruce called may be able to do the job – all we have to do is bring the forestay pole to their shop.

The weather was a bit ruff, wet, and windy in our travels today and when we arrived at MK Marina there was no room inside the marina so we are tied up on the outside wall in the slop!  This should be fun – NOT!


 

We continue to meet really nice people while on our journey and today was different.  Tied off in front of us on the outside wall was a 78’ Hatteress charter boat called Sea Chalet.  Dr. Bob and his wife Reinette live on their vessel.  He is a retired naturopath and she is a physician in Vancouver B.C.  Very nice couple and what a nice boat.

 

Ok, let’s talk about the forestay repair. 

When we were leaving Prince Rupert we decided to top off our fuel tanks.  When we were heading into the fuel dock, the wind picked up and caught the pilot house & at the same time, there was a current running under the boat.  We realized we would not make a smooth landing at the fuel dock so we backed away. 

Well, we got caught in the current and ran alongside the pilings that hold the platform where the fuel dock office is located. 

They have a crane that lowers down oil and other supplies in a cage to an oil changing station located at the end of the fuel dock which the commercial boats use to change their oil.  What we forgot to take into consideration is the dock above has a beam that comes out past the pilings below. 

You guessed it – we hit that beam with our port stabilizer pole which then bent the forestay pole. Opps! 


 
So once we got to the dock we were able to get two guys from other boats to help us drop the stabilizer pole so that Bruce could reach where the forestay pole attaches.  It was quite a job getting this off – lots of rain and wind!

 

Tomorrow should be an interesting day.

1 comment:

  1. Sorry I missed out on your breakfast burritos this morning, I didn't realize the water taxi was coming but it was good meeting you and visiting

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