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Monthly Archives: June 2016

Anchor Rollers were disassembled, cleaned and greased.

Anchor Rollers were disassembled, cleaned and greased.

I spent most of the weekend prepping the boat for multi-week trips to the San Juan’s and Gulf Islands this summer. I changed the oil and filters in the main engines, then removed both of the Anchor Rollers so I could clean up and grease the shafts. The aft roller was squeaking and the forward roller was frozen. After a little elbow grease followed by some real grease, they are rolling smooth as silk and silently.

Marking the Anchor Chain for depth.

Marking the Anchor Chain for depth.

Once the rollers were working, I flaked most of the anchor chain out onto the deck to inspect and mark it for length/depth. We have always used Red, White and Blue paint and chain markers every 50′. It’s very easy to remember the red, white and blue color scheme. I also found some old yellow paint every 25′, so have intermediate lengths marked as well.

I replaced the start battery for the generator, even though it appeared to be functioning perfectly. The date code indicates that the battery is 11 years old (as are the house and start batteries) and I wanted to be sure we were able to start the generator in case we needed to charge the other batteries. The generator battery was the hardest one to get to, requiring a painful crawl forward and around the outside of the port engine, all the way aft to where the battery is hidden away next to the tail shaft. The positive terminal stud was very loose and was growing green corrosion, indicating it had been a long, long time since the battery had been serviced.

Replacing the Generator Start Battery.  Notice the date code from 2005!

Replacing the Generator Start Battery. Notice the date code from 2005!

I understand why, recalling that Matt (surveyor) had been unable to physically get to the battery or the Fireboy extinguisher during the survey. Fortunately, I’m shorter than he is so managed to worm my way back and get er done!

Boats rafted up at McMicken Island State Park

Boats rafted up at McMicken Island State Park

McMicken Island is a Marine State Park that is popular with boaters in Southern Puget Sound. On three day weekends, the anchorage fills up with large rafts of boats that party hard into the night. The rest of the year, the 11.5 acre park is quiet and peaceful, a great place to take the family. There is a sand bar that appears at low tides which connects McMicken to Harstine Island.

On Memorial Day weekend, we decided the join the crowds and headed up to McMicken to catch up with old friends. We weren’t disappointed, arriving midday, we discovered nine boats full of our closest friends rafted up. We tied up next to Serenity and Sea Ya so that Lauren could visit with Chloe and it didn’t take long before the two of them were off exploring the sand bar in the kayaks.

Sea Ya, Serenity and Yes Please rafted together

Sea Ya, Serenity and Yes Please rafted together

Meanwhile, after catching up with several families we hadn’t seen since last summer in the San Juan Islands, Captain Boyd took the dog ashore for his very first potty stop via the dinghy! Yankee wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but figured it out very quickly and by evening would hop in the dinghy as soon as we put his life jacket on him. Now we know that he is good to go for multi-week trips this summer.

Mike and Glen slow cooked a big slab of Halibut on the grille which melted in your mouth and made for an excellent dinner. The wind kicked up and swung to the north, which makes this anchorage very uncomfortable (no protection) and forced the large raft of boats to untie and reset anchors. Fortunately, it calmed down at dusk and everyone slept like babies after a great day on the water.

The girls love exploring in the kayaks

The girls love exploring in the kayaks

I normally steer clear of crowded anchorages, but had a blast at McMicken Island and may make Memorial Day an annual even there, like so many of my friends do.