CanBoat (formerly Canadian Power and Sailing Squadron) is holding a special livestream on their YouTube channel on Tuesday April 1st. Lyle Wetsch will be presenting this live seminar on “Updating Paper Charts or Using Electronic Charts – Legal Requirements for Boating in Canada”
Please note: The layout of the the main website and the Members’ Page have changed but the booking procedure has not not changed since this video was made. Click here for more information
The WLSA Members’s Page has two types of calendars. The Bookings and Events calendar is a comprehensive, colour-coded calendar thar shows bookings for all three WLSA vessels.and club events. It shows not only which days a vessel has been booked but also which member booked it.
Each vessel has an individual Availability Calendar. Availability Calendars are intended to be used for a single purpose – booking a vessel.
Why use the Availability Calendars?
Availability Claendars are instantly updated when a booking is made. When booking a vessel always check the Availability Calendars as changes to the Booking and Events calendar may be delayed up to 12 hours.
Just to let you know that our dinghies are available for both our boats. You’ll find them secured with lock cables. The keys are attached to the boat keys including the outboard that is currently on KK. Regarding the outboard: It’s a 2 stroke type of motor; which means the fuel is a mixture of 50 parts of gasoline with 1 part oil (50:1) ratio. I have filled the internal tank for yours to enjoy on your next cruise. A 5 litres jerrycan with that mixture is in the aft starboard lazaret in case you run out.
Rudder and indicator gauges have recently been installed on both helms. There are slightly different procedures for each helm.
Main helm – The rudder angle gauge is connected to the same circuit as the depth sounder, The breaker for the depth sounder must be in the “on” position. Gauge will work even if ignition switch is off. The 3 way switch below the gauge controls the backlighting – yellow/off/red.
Flybridge – Ignition switch must be in the on position. A backlight switch still needs to be installed
The last few months certainly have been a Grand Adventure. Lots of changes, updates and maintenance to the boat. Here is a quick list of some of them:
New anchor installed.
Anchor windlass repaired. New solenoid installed.
Varnish removed from much of the brightwork. Will finish the rest next Spring.
Old varnish removed from the teak on the cabin and flybridge. Teak has been sanded and resealed/stained.
New paint on the cabin and flybridge.
New decals installed.
Old hydraulic steering pumps removed, and new pumps installed.
New toilet in the forward head.
Fixed the vacuum problems with the holding tank.
New macerator pump installed for holding tank.
New sump for the aft cabin shower.
Freed up all through hulls.
Installed new teak sealant where water pools on the aft port-side walkway
Working our way through other potential leak areas.
Replacing old inflatable dingy with a Livingston dingy on davits.
Honda outboard made operational.
Work on stern thruster.
Replaced all fuel filters. This seems to have fixed the problem with getting air in the fuel lines. Engine running smoothly and reliably.
Updated DC electrical schematic.
New diesel heater ordered. Should be installed by mid-October.
In the process of trying to repair leaks in old inflatable in order to sell it.
All safety items to meet Transport Canada requirements have been dealt with.
About to finish installation of new step and railing to help members and guests move safely on/off the flybridge.
All canvas cleaned and re-installed.
New foam mattress for rear-cabin bed has been purchased. Hopefully installed this week.
Currently, the boat is good to take out for at least day trips in areas where you have good local knowledge as the depth sounder at the lower helm and the chart plotter at the upper helm are not working properly at this time. We have identified a small leak in the propane stove which we will address shortly. BBQ works but in need of a good cleaning. After a good cleaning of the interior, we will put basic pots, pans, dishes, etc. on the boat.
Please remember that our insurance requires that, even if you are highly qualified, you still need to be formally approved by the Board as a “club-qualified skipper” before you can take the boat away from the dock. Please contact Doug, Cam, or me, if you wish to set up a time to become familiar with the various systems on Grand Adventure.
Blue Belle now has a Garmin chartplotter. It’s not new but it works well. The chartplotter does not, however, have a depth sounder.
The chartplotter mounts on a bracket at the top of the steering pedestel. It needs to be removed and stored in the cabin when not in use as the steering wheel cover does not fit over it.
The chartplotter is currently stored in a brown plastic bag in the storage area (sliding plexiglass door)
below the VHF radio. There is a user manual in the bag.
After the chartplotter has been mounted using the two thumb knob screws there are two cables that need to be attached. The gray/white cable (gps antenna) with metal connector is easy – twist clockwise on/counter-clockwise off.
The black cable is also clockwise on/counter-clockwise off but is a bit more fiddly and requires some practice to get the feel of twisting the connector on and off. Be careful, the connector is plastic and too much force could damage the connector or the chartplotter.
To use the chartplotter the “big red” main 12V power switch must be on (normally “2” for house battery). The chartplotter uses the same circuit as the VHF radio so the switch labelled “Radio” must
Some important information for you to be aware of regarding recent repairs to Kitkatla’s shifter cable and ongoing rear seal transmission leak.
SHIFTER CABLE The shifter cable on Kitkatla has been replaced and this has changed how the shifter “feels”. You will notice that the shift lever moves easily into F, R, and N. The location of Neutral is now with the lever in the vertical position. Forward and Reverse now have “hard stops”. Once the shift lever hits stop respectively for F and R, it is important that skippers do not put additional pressure on the shift lever as that has the potential to change the shift lever position for each gear. No need to “strong arm” the lever anymore – as soon as it hits the stop, let go of the lever. TRANSMISSION LEAK The oil level in the transmission was down as the rear seal is leaking. It has been topped up. Please check the oil level each day before using the boat. See attached photos which show the transmission casing with yellow bolt (7/8 socket). The dipstick is connected to the underside of the bolt and you can see the fill line right near the end of the dipstick. It only holds a small amount of oil – do not overfill. Use the 30W Oil in one litre container in the plastic tub in the starboard lazarette. There is a funnel in the same tub. . We will need to get a mechanic out to change the rear seal soon. Please Do Notuse the marine diesel oil in 4 litre container – this is for use in the engine only. Also, do not overtighten the bolt when screwing back on. MISC. The unused fuel return line from the engine had a split in it with the result that small amounts of unburnt fuel was going into the bilge. The hose has been repaired and the bilge has been cleaned. Many thanks to the members who responded so effectively to these repairs: Mike Copley, Mike Hill, Doug Johnson, Glen Smith, David Redd and also Doug’s son, Bruce Johnson. Your skills and work save us a lot of time and money. Happy and Safe Sailing everyone! Debra
I joined an online presentation by the Nanaimo Power & Sail Squadron presentation on June 28, 2021. The topics were “Dodd Narrows, False Narrows & Pirate’s Cove”.
Videos from the presentation are now available on Youtube”