We spent our Christmas on the beautiful Strait of Juan de Fuca again this year, though we didn’t get out of the slip to sail; our typical Christmas m.o. Instead we enjoyed the brief albeit cold break in the rain, hiked a favorite beach, filled up water jugs, and ate plenty. Janine cooked up some amazing stuffing (a la instant pot) followed by berry cobbler, courtesy of the many strawberries we gathered from our house in Port Angeles earlier this year. We still have more in the freezer.
As I mentioned there was the matter of the water jugs… We’ve had to get crafty with our freshwater supply as of late. You see, the marina we are currently staying in has some plumbing issues. For starters, we’ve been told there is a major leak in the line that carries freshwater to the dock. When the system is pressurized, freshwater freely flows into the harbor, allegedly the magnitude of a typical daily consumption in roughly 1 hour… Hence, the lack of available water dockside most days of the week, regardless of holidays.
Our current source of water comes from deep underground, piped up from the depths at a friends property near here. We’ve taken to carrying a 5 gallon jug and many smaller 16 to 32 oz. water bottles to and from the well several times during the week. It is a lot of work, but the water tastes and smells far cleaner than that which does occasionally flow from the taps here in town.
Tides have been quite volatile during daylight hours, with highs allowing the waves from the Northwest to crash over the breakwater. I took the opportunity to fly the drone out to the largest of the breaches to get a closer look.
On the return flight, I stopped to check out the sea lions that call this marina home. At any given time there are 60+ hanging out toward the end of the float we are tied to. Some float in a large group, while others haul out on the empty slips. When stirred up, they make a racket, but generally they are pretty mellow and content to simply loaf.
We’re not big on Christmas celebrations, and what with our cozy living space, presents are pretty much out of the question unless it’s something we truly need. However to our surprise we did end up unwrapping presents… sort of… Janine found a somewhat hidden compartment behind the galley sink. It is a narrow slot, perhaps 6 inches wide and 28 inches long right up against the hull. Inside were a plethora of spare parts, all wrapped in plastic for protection. Here’s a brief rundown of the contents Janine uncovered:
- 6″, 5″, 4″ and 3″ 3-jaw gear pullers (bound to come in handy when you least expect it)
- a full set of bronze cabinet hinges (made in Japan, fancy)
- numerous cabinet latches, stops, knobs and such
- an unused bronze thru hull fitting with exterior strainer and interior elbow w/ barbed fitting
- a second, larger and pre-used bronze thru hull
- a 2-blade prop
- a depth sounder fitted into a rubber gasket (presumably for handheld sounding, perhaps from the dinghy)
- a brand new prop shaft bolt
- various rail fittings for the radar arch and stern pulpit
- a replacement Walbro pump (for the day tank)
- Simpson lawrence deck gasket (for the manual windlass)
- 2 short lengths of exhaust hose not pictured)
Looking forward to the new year and new adventures aboard Rua Hatu. It is starting to feel real, like we’re actually ready to set sail.