Finished my course on maintaining my diesel engine. If the outcome of the course was to make me paranoid then I would consider it a success. Sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I would have preferred a little more hands on learning but it was helpful to understand at least on paper how things work. This has come in handy but more on that later.
On April 8th, I passed my Canadian Yacht Association Basic Cruising Standard course. This consisted of both on the water lessons and classroom. Private lessons are tough as there is never any down time and I was exhausted by the end of each day. Jim and Debbie got to see me in action as I was put through the test of man overboard drills. That was my biggest fear as Jean-Luc and I brought the boat back to Canada - what would I do if he fell overboard. Now I know!!
Unfortunately for a variety of reasons I haven't been out sailing since. One reason is that the weather has been less than favourable, another that I was volunteering at the Maritime Society, I also went back to Toronto, Winnipeg and Revelstoke for 3 weeks and then came the engine troubles.
When I returned from my trip back east I needed to run the engine as it hadn't been run for 3 weeks. I always check the oil before starting the engine but when I opened the engine cover I noticed liquid at the bottom of the bilge. My first thought was that it was coolant. I asked for some advice from people at the marina and got everything from it's probably minor to the heads could be cracked which would be major. So what did I do? Went and had a pedicure with Sandy! Then it was a matter of finding a mechanic and of course throw in the preparations for the Maritime Festival just for fun. It turned out it wasn't coolant but diesel. Still not good but better than cracked heads. It was determined that the cooling system is fine but we could not find where the diesel was coming from. Need to monitor it for a bit - the thought is that there is a possible leak in the tank. Ah the joys of owning a boat.
I realized how much I came to rely on Jean-Luc (especially when it comes to technical things) and how nice it was to have someone to bounce ideas off of or discuss options. I miss my partner.
I found a great support group in Nanaimo for people who are under 60 and have lost their spouse. I'm finding it very helpful to talk with other people who know exactly what you are feeling. On the whole I feel like I'm doing pretty good but there are times when the wind gets taken out of my sails. Luckily that doesn't last.
At the Maritime Festival last weekend, the Society took the time to publicly thank the emergency response teams that helped on the night of the fire. I asked Dave if I could write a thank you of my own and have someone read it. I was so grateful to be able to recognize everyone who helped me that night. I got to personally thank the paramedics, the firefighters, the victims service volunteer, the corner and of course John, Lucy, Charlotte, Kingsley, Merv and John.
So here we are June 1st. Hopefully the engine will not keep me at dock too much longer. I am going to join Paul tomorrow or Friday for day one of his summer trip to circumnavigate Vancouver Island. He thought I might like to experience going through Dodds Narrows and then I can catch a ride back from Nanaimo with his wife. And later in the month a group of us are hoping to rendezvous with Merv somewhere in the Gulf Islands. I hope to get in some day sails in between.
So that's the Coles Notes version of the last three months. I'll try to be a little more regular with the blog and add some photos now and then.