FOULED PROPELLER

Today started out so well after a peaceful night in Queen Cove – but ended up with Truce alongside Westview Marina with a fouled propeller and immobile.

From Queen Cove I decided to take the ‘inside passage’ route around Nooka Island to Friendly Cove.  The inside passage goes up Esperanza Inlet, through Tahsis narrows and down Tahsis inlet and through Tsowwin Narrows.

My plan was to ride the tide up Esperanza Inlet and then pass the Tahsis Narrows at high water slack and go with the ebb to Friendy Cove.  The trip up Esperanza Inlet was pleasant, quite a few sport fishing boats out and a large humpback feeding.  I have become so familiar with Humpbacks they are not so exciting anymore, but still magical to watch.  There is a lot of logging going on around this area and its interesting to see how the logging roads zig zag across the hillsides and where the trees have been harvested.  The freshly harvested areas look pretty devastated.

I passed by the village of Esperanza, a tidy little place with rope swings from the trees along the foreshore – just like New Zealand.  The village of Ceepeecee a little further along looked pretty run down and deserted.

Just as I passed through Tsowwin Narrows the engine almost shut down, something was in the propeller causing a huge drag.  I tried to free whatever it was by going alternately ahead and astern, without success.  The engine would run ahead but there was a terrible vibration and smoke coming out the exhaust – a sign it was under high load.

I needed to get a safe berth to remove whatever was in the propeller so sailed back ten miles to Westview Marina at Tahsis.  Luckily the slight wind held just long enough to get me close to the marina where I arranged for a tow in.  Once secure alongside I could see there was something under the boat.  By this time it was seven in the evening so further investigation would have to wait for another day.

After a nice refreshing shower at the marina I discovered it was steak night with draft beer on tap.  There was also supposed to be live music but the bands wagon broke down on the road – typical musicians!  So I am now clean, fed and watered and looking forward to a good sleep before the fun of tomorrow.  Total voyage distance 875.8 miles.