Anchors aweigh!

I recall one occasion on the River Thames when my failure to weigh anchor resulted in our dutch barge making embarassingly slow progress to the boatyard where I was seeking to refuel.  Fortunately, I was the only one aboard at the time and it proved only to brighten the morning of the dockhand at the boatyard as he pointed out to me that there was a long chain emerging from the anchor locker and disappearing into the water below the bow.

This morning, the captain of the BC Ferry Spirit of British Columbia suffered a somewhat more public humiliation. The 7 a.m. sailing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay came to a juddering halt shortly after negotiating Active Pass when its bow anchor unexpectedly plunged to the ocean floor. 

One truck driver described how he was woken from his sleep by a loud banging sound and the ship juddering and swaying from side to side. Another witness had earler described how the vessel had "done a doughnut" before coming to a halt. Not sure what "doing a doughnut" could mean, but it sounds impressive!

Deborah Marshall, spokeswoman for B.C. Ferries, confirmed that the vessel's anchor had inadvertently released after the ferry cleared Georgina Point on Mayne Island. "The crew did not deploy the anchor," she said. At 9:20 a.m., after an 80-minute stop, the ship was underway again.

"There is nothing mechanically wrong with the Spirit of B.C.," Marshall said. So what did cause the anchor to drop?  A disgruntled passenger wanting to get home to Mayne Island? Maybe one day we shall be told.

Until then, maybe we should just remember that the Spirit of British Columbia was supposed to have been taken out of service 2 weeks ago for annual maintenance and recertification. Because of the fire aboard her sister ship Spirit of Vancouver Island, BC Ferries decided to delay the annual maintenance on Spirit of BC.

There may be no connection of course, but it does make you wonder.....

Back to basics

Removal of the old utility cupboards has been completed and the old wall studwork is next. These pictures give a feel for the space that the new kitchen will occupy.

Old kitchen meets new

Wall panels have come off the back of the internal wall to the downstairs bathroom

Wiring and wall to be removed next.

Meanwhile, the door has gone in to conceal the hot water tank and plumbing:

Good morning Whalebone!

Food for thought

At last there's food in the pantry.          Now to remove the old cupboards......

Queens at rest

Lying forlornly alongside Nanaimo's Assembly Wharf are two former Queens of the BC Ferries fleet. Although all trace of their former identity is now gone, they are believed to be the Queen of Vancouver and Queen of Saanich, two 'V' Class vessels dating from 1962 which were put up for sale by BC Ferries earlier this year.

Originally built with just one car deck, both vessels have been cut in half twice - once vertically, when an extra 35 metre length was added in 1972, then again horizontally in 1981 when a second car deck was inserted. This increased their car carrying capacity from the original 109 vehicles to almost 300.

Will they see further passenger service somewhere in the world I wonder?

Vancouver Island weekend

Time out on Sunday afternoon to visit Parksville and Qualicum Beach

Parksville's Community Park still in full colour

Parksville Bay

French Creek Boat Harbour

Welcome to Qualicum Beach

Fall colours by the ocean

Sky spectacular

Pebbles in brine

Sailing into the rainbow

Bowen Queen returns to Gabriola

For the next 6 months or so, the Bowen Queen has once again replaced Quinsam on our regular ferry link to Nanaimo.  Here she is, fully laden, entering Descanso Bay at 4pm today.

A fine vintage

A range of fine wines from British Columbia........?

........not quite; it's the product of 40 years of sediment in the 1967 hot water cylinder which I've just moved - and that's after I've flushed it through with a hose for an hour. The range of fine tipples (above, from the right) - 5 minutes, 20 minutes, 40 minutes and an hour after reconnection. The fifth glass came from the cold tap as a comparison!

 

(left) where the tank was since 1967                                                    (right) it's new home for the next 40 years

They don't make them like that any more!  Pity the same can't be said for the compression joint purchased yesterday to make the new connection. It collapsed an hour later, sending water everywhere! An unscheduled trip back to Home Depot tonight to get a different fitting. So far so good......

New laundry open for business

Back at the house, any excuse for dirty clothes is now over. There's even space to store the ironing board. Two different floor surfaces - one for the wet, one for the dry. Nice effect, don't you think? Both machines are, of course, being road tested this evening!

A little creativity was needed to get the dryer to vent through the floor.