We arrived in Ketchikan on Friday and were lucky enough to get a very nice slip on the Ketchikan Yacht Club float just a stone’s throw from the yacht club building which has laundry and shower facilities! Once tied up, I set off via city bus to the post office to retrieve my package from Trans Atlantic Diesel – a new front main oil seal for the engine. This would be Saturday’s project. On my return, and since it was nice and dry out, I took the opportunity to repair the head of our genoa as we’d somehow managed to rip the Kevlar webbing off of it the day before while beating up Clarence Strait. I had tried reaching the only sail maker in Ketchikan, but found that he’d unfortunately passed away a few months ago. Unfortunately, we did not bring the Sailright sewing machine with us on this trip, so this job would have to be done by hand. Luckily, we have all the things we need to do such a job. The top of the sail is many layers thick, requiring the use of an awl to make a hole for each and every stitch. A few hours later, and with pretty sore hands, I had it done and we hoisted the headsail and rolled her up.
On Saturday I mopped out the oil under the engine did an oil change and installed the new oil seal. Everything went without a hitch, but in the process, I also discovered the bolt holding the pulley on the crankshaft had become loose which resulted in the woodruff key wearing out. Danny volunteered to longboard to the closest Napa auto parts store to pick up a replacement and on his return, we completed the job and buttoned up the engine compartment. This should resolve the slobbering oil issue. Today I was reminded of the adage that cruising is often referred to as “fixing the boat in exotic places.”
We’ve been enjoying a few days here in Ketchikan, doing some shopping and getting our laundry done. Today, we’ll get fuel and propane, go out to dinner, shower up and be ready for our next leg – Prince Rupert, BC. We won’t be able to go ashore for anything but fuel while in BC due to Covid, so tonight will be our last night in a town for a while.