HALIFAX

August 29, 2011

TS "Irene" passed through last night and the early part of this morning bringing moderate winds that were gusting to 45 kts but nothing sustained.  The marina we are in is well protected from the S and SW and that is where the winds were from.  Phyllis and I stayed up until 0330 hrs this morning and then decided all was safe with "Solstice" so we went to bed.

I spent the day making out the Passage Plan for the voyage from Halifax to Boston.  The distance is 370 nm.  I'll get a favorable Wx window and go for it.  Also, changed out the engine oil and racor fuel filters on the Volvo Penta.  Tomorrow Phyllis goes shopping and we wrap things up for a Wednesday departure.

At long last I was notified that the marina in Montreal had received our package with the medicine that was sent Priority Mail from the States in mid-July!!  Is that possible?  Anyway, we're having it shipped back to our Florida address.  The second strike on the Canadian Postal Service is a letter we mailed  over three weeks ago that hasn't arrived yet.  I believe that FedEx would be the best bet for sending and receiving mail and packages.

We have found the source of an annoying leak in the boat that started in Lake Michigan.  A small quantity of water would exit from behind the port settee and find its way into the bilge.  The moisture caused the access boards to the sole (floor) to swell and it became difficult to get them up so that we could check the bilge.  Since we couldn't find the leak, we used  a "Shamwow" to soak up the water.  We would check it twice daily and ring it out.  This worked for the most part and became a daily routine.  After a while, it became known as "the rag" and took on the connotations of a menstrual cycle: sometimes heavy other times light.  We always figured that it had something to do with the water pressure system so we turned it off whenever it wasn't needed.  My best guess was that it was a fresh water hose leading from the galley to the head.  I pulled panels and tried to find it without avail.

A few days ago while pulling "the rag" I asked Phyllis to taste the water.  She was reluctant but did it and IT WAS SALTY!!  I immediately ran into the head and started checking lines.  Then I found it: a small crack in on of the salt water filters that feeds from a thru-hull fitting.  A litle epoxy, permatex and rigging tape has given us a temporary fix and "the rag" has been relegated to other services.