The crab pot was empty, so we had roast beef, not a bad trade-off. John cooked it while we crossed the bumpy Strait of Georgia for Nanaimo. Yep, we have decided to detour for repairs.

John tried everything he could think of and still couldn't fix the shut-off switch. Without it, he has to climb into the engine room and shut off the engine manually. Annoying, but not devastating. We had hoped to have this fixed back in Sidney, but it was a Friday before a long weekend, and we didn't know if the mechanic could see us. Plus we were due in Richmond the coming Tuesday night. So we decided to wait until we were at Sceptre Marine. Unfortunately, the mechanic there couldn't get to the boat for several weeks, but the electrician gave John some ideas for the repair. Which, we now know, didn't work.

Meanwhile, the generator suddenly stopped charging. That and the continuing misbehavior of the auto-pilot are what prompted us to cross the strait and seek professional help. We anchored in the harbor at Nanaimo last night, where it was much calmer than Plumper Cove. (The Internet is also stronger and more plentiful.) The mechanic thinks he'll have room for us at his dock later today.

We awoke suddenly this morning to a slight bump and scrape. It was a little sailboat near us that didn't swing with the rest and scraped across our anchor. We were grateful that it didn't get to our nicely patched gelcoat. Pulling up the anchor to move took some fancy work at the helm and a boathook at the bow. Upon close inspection of the other boat, we could see what was likely a stern anchor hanging off the port quarter by a very thin line.

The bread we bought at the public market is really good. We're having roast beef sandwiches. (Just want you to know that most things are good.) Another good thing that we want to note is the bus drivers in Vancouver. They're the friendliest and most helpful we've ever encountered.

Last year we thought Nanaimo looked like someplace we would want to explore, but we didn't stop on our way south. So we have mixed feelings about being here now: we're tired of having things not working properly, but we'll have things to entertain us if we have to wait for parts.