It's sunny on Granville Island. I have been remiss in updating the blog. The reason is simple... I have been feeling a little out of sorts with everything going on.

As I said before, everything happens for a reason. We had a list of issues that called for attention. Some could have waited and others we felt could not.

As you know, we came to Granville Island due to unsettling weather at the north end of the island and on the west coast. Ron and I determined this was the best decision considering he will be working out of Vancouver at the beginning of October.

One item on our list was a water drip in our aft cabin that was definitely more than condensation on the window frames. It seems that we had a major leak in two areas - the propane tank bin and through the arch where the canvas frame attaches. I cannot imagine what a nightmare it would have been this winter having to contend with these leaks. I don't even want to go there! Needless to say the crew here, Sara, Darren and Mark have been directing their attention to our issues.

We have been getting water in the bilge and may have solved that problem by stopping the leaks. We will see over the next couple days.

A primary reason for being here is our secondary refrigeration/freezer. It has not worked since we took delivery of Ta Daa. We now know that to access the secondary system, the primary system had to be completely removed from the galley. To do that our companion way stairs had to be removed. Freddy Freezerman was supposed to have a look at the system on Thursday afternoon but didn't make it until Saturday morning. We understand the delay and are very thankful he came out yesterday just for us. Problem now solved except that the crew here is not in until Monday to put everything back in it's rightful location.

Having mentioned all the above the galley is virtually unaccessable 'cept for coffee in the mornings. Our freezer and fridge food is being held under lock and key on another boat. The ceiling in our sleeping cabin was hanging down for three days until we were confident the rain would no longer penetrate and drip on our woodwork.

Ron and I will run some experiments to see if we can figure out the water in the bilge. As you know, when you want something to happen, it won't.

Through all of this I was not feeling my old chipper self. We were working alongside the people here to discuss and assist with the list of items. We have been eating out which is not my favourite thing to do.

We have breakfast and lunch pared down the a minimum cost. For breakfast the BELTCH sandwich is enough for two and only costs $6.00. For lunch I purchased a Tiffen Tin and it gets filled with two curry dishes for only $5.oo and the amount is enough for the two of us. The curry has been outstanding.

Another item on our list will be taken care of on Monday / Tuesday. It involves removing part of the canvas from the cockpit to replace the buffalo hide with elk hide. Our buffalo hide reinforcement is deteriorating much faster than it should. I guess elk are more though than buffalo - who would have thought?

Yesterday and today we went for long walks. Today was four hours which also involved off-leash areas for Winston. In addition we have been taking some pictures to help pass the time. There is so much here.

We are hopeful that we can leave here on Wednesday. It's up to the canvas guys now so we shall see. I will keep you posted.

While this is not the adventure we intended we made the right decision. While on the SSB this morning I became aware of a catamaran who was sailing the west coast. They endured three big storms which resulted in the loss of BOTH their rudders. They were being towed into Ucluelet by the Coast Guard. If we had insisted on sticking to our original plan, we would have been out there too.

Thank you all for checking the blog. It means a lot to us.
Until later - be happy!