20 Aug 19

We were up at the break of 08:00 and got ready to run over to False Creek. I talked to the man at Battery World in Vancouver on the phone and, after describing the house battery performance, he confirmed that it is time for new house batteries. I ordered them over the phone so he can get them in his shop and will work out delivery after we get to Vancouver and I work out the logistics of how to get the old ones out and the new ones in (they weigh about 120 lbs each, so it is a job for strong backs or clever rigging). We got away from the mooring ball at Plumper Cove at 10:00 at motored around the north end of Keats and Bowen Islands to stay in smoother water until we left Queen Charlotte Sound (Howe Sound) at Point Atkinson and turned east into English Bay. The wind was very light all the way and we were tied up at False Creek Fisherman’s Wharf at 13:25. After a quick chat with the dock master to confirm that they would help me out with the heavy lifting, if necessary, I arranged for the new batteries to be delivered first thing tomorrow morning. The Admiral set to work on the laundry and I went back to the boat to tackle boat chores. First, I went to work on the manual bilge pump, which has been recalcitrant all summer; naturally, it started to work almost immediately with very little input from me. So, I then disconnect one of the house batteries and confirmed that it is indeed too heavy for me to lift out of the engine room on my own by brute force. So, I rigged up a 4-part block and tackle slung from the boom and was able to lift it out of the engine room, then, after closing the companionway ladder, I hoisted it up into the cockpit and set it down. After relocating the lifting point to the end of the boom, I could easily hoist the battery up over the seats and backrest and swing the boom over to allow me to set the battery down on the dock. Job done; at least for the first battery. The second should be a repeat of the first, but I cannot shift it until tomorrow morning; we have to keep the battery hooked up as we cannot run the 12 V systems (like lights and freshwater pressure pumps and gas solenoid valve - i.e., no coffee or tea) without at least one battery hooked up. The delivery truck is not due in until about 10:00, so I should have plenty of time to hoist out #2 in the morning after breakfast. No joy as yet on the repair of the forward water tank lid; Beneteau no longer stocks the lid and the guys at First Yachts need to talk to their fiberglass expert (about building a replacement) before they can give me a quote; and I have not heard back from either CSR Marine (who service Beneteaus in the Seattle area) or North Island Boat in Anacortes. Happy hour and dinner (prawns with pasta) aboard and early to bed.

49-16.416’N, 123-08.282’W; Log = 19.8, Sum (2019) = 885.1 N-m  

21 Aug 19

We were up early to tackle the day’s tasks - primarily, swapping out the house batteries for new ones. Battery World confirmed the delivery truck would be at the dock at 09:45, so we went to work removing house battery no. 2. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain and since my lifting gear went through both the windscreen and the Bimini (at different points in the process), we got a lot of water in the cockpit and the boat and on us. I also managed to break loose the tie-down bracket on the starboard side of battery no. 1, so that had to be repaired (with West Marine epoxy repair) before we could get this battery installed. I also knocked loose the seal piece at the bottom of the companionway, so that also had to be re-attached (with a few wood screws). After that fun, I did a minor service on all four of the cockpit winches; they are all in pretty good shape. That all took until about noon. After lunch, the Admiral went grocery shopping and I ran up to Steveston Marine for round 2 of the grandchild-proof safety netting. Back at the boat, the Admiral went up to the laundry for another go at that chore and I started working on installation of the aforementioned safety net; this time managed to get the starboard aft panel laced up - its a bit rough, but I believe young Henry will not be able to fall through, which is the primary aim. Just before happy hour, we got the second battery installed; we are back in business now with a full 396 A-hrs of battery capacity.  For dinner, we went out to the Afghan Horsemen - very nice.

22 Aug 19

It was much cooler last night, so we slept like dogs, until awakened by a phone call from our daughter in Maine, who cannot seem to remember that we are 3 hours behind her and like to sleep in until 07:30 or 08:00. Anyway, we got going after breakfast: the Admiral did more laundry and I went to work on the child safety netting. It took until 15:00, but I got the starboard side looking pretty good. I then spent a bit of time inspecting the steering cables for correct tension, the steering cable sheaves for lubrication and the quadrant for proper operation - all good. John and Laurie invited us out to their house for dinner, so we road the bus out; lamb roast paired with a very nice bottle of wine (Syrah from Falernia, product of Chile). Laurie managed to score tickets to tomorrow night’s Bard on the Beach presentation of “Coriolanus”.  We got the bus back to the boat, arriving before 23:00.

23 Aug 19

It rained a bit overnight and early this morning and is still quite cool. After breakfast, I got a coat of Le Tonkinois on the starboard cap-rail, which took all morning. After lunch, we went up to Steveston Marine for some more essential boat toys and on for a big grocery shop at Safeway. We got back in time to clean the boat a bit - amazing how much grime and seagull s41t accumulates on the boat during 4 days in a big city marina. At 17:30, we walked over to Rocky Mountain Flatbread for dinner with John and Laurie, and then walked over to Bard on the Beach to see a preview showing of “Coriolanus”. This was a very intense presentation; we were exhausted after the show. First time we had ever seen “Coriolanus”; it was the best show of the summer season, in our humble opinion. We said temporary goodbyes to John and Laurie (they are coming back out on the boat next week and we will meet them for a few days in the Gulf Islands) and got back to the boat before 23:00