MISADVENTURE ON OUR SHAKE DOWN CRUISE

The first two years that we had the boat in the water, we had a problem with seized fuel injectors. 

The first year 2004 we put the boat in the water in time for the August long weekend and we knew the engine had not been run for about ten years, but she had been running fine when she was stored, but the transmission was a big question mark?? 


So we had it towed over to our berth for us to use it as a "cottage on the water" and so that Dan could have the engine things worked on during that summer while we enjoyed living on board.  First the old fuel was pumped off and replaced with new.  Then the same thing was done with the oil in the engine.  This was also done with the oil in the transmission, where Dan discovered "The clogged up filter", but that's another story. Any ways, Sean Hurry, our Son Ken's school friend, who is a diesel mechanic came out to the boat to give Dan a hand to get the engine started.    He soon discovered two seized fuel injectors.  He freed them up and she started.  After a lot of adjusting, and starting and restarting, they had her purring like a kitten.  That year she left the harbour under her own power and up onto the trailer with no problem. 

The next summer 2005 we didn't launch until June 28th and at launch time she wouldn't start again.  But we enjoyed our long weekend at the dock, with guests etc.  Then on July 16th Sean came out to look at the engine and a couple of injectors were seized again.  We realized that this was going to be an on going problem each spring and all the injectors were going to have to be replaced. So, during the next couple of weeks, Dan started her up from time to time, with no problem, and let her run for an hour at a time to in the hopes of loosening up those injectors. 

On the Sunday of the August long weekend we decided to fire up "The Bird"  and take her out for her "shake down" cruise.  This would be the first time out of the harbour since we owned the boat.  She started with no problem and with the help of some friends to get us out of our tight docking spot, we cruised on out of the harbour.  Everything was running properly, and no unexpected problems.  The day was beautiful and the lake was like glass.  We cruised along heading north looking for Judy and Bob's shoreline property, finally finding it and taking pictures of them waving from the shore.  We continued on northward enjoying the day and the cruise until we realized we were past the half way point to Gull Harbour.  So, we made a decision. 

 None of our guest crew needed to be back at work till Tuesday and the cruise was going so nicely, we decided to continue on to Gull Harbour, stay overnight and return to Gimli on Monday. 

We approached Gull Harbour with caution and decided to slow to a stop to survey the harbour as we had not been there for many years and thought we should take it slow to look for any changes that may have taken place.  The "Slow to a stop", did not go too well.  No matter how Dan tried he could not get her into neutral.  He opened the engine compartment and tried to shift it manually, to no avail. 

So, now we had a real dilemma.  If we shut off the engine and coasted into the harbour, we were sure people would assist us in docking, but without neutral, Dan was afraid, if he killed the engine, he would not be able to get it started again.  There were no parts stores in Gull Harbour and we had no transportation (not even a bike) and a tow back to Gimli would be quite costly.  On the other hand we knew we had lots of fuel to make it back to Gimli, but we did not have navigation lights for night running (that was on our to do list) and the day was waning.  It was past 7:00PM.  What to do?  We circled around outside Gull Harbour debating the situation and came to the decision that we would light the boat up with as many cabin lights as possible (in lieu of nav lights) and set a course back to Gimli. 

It had taken us 8 hours to get to Gull Harbour at our leisurely pace, so even if we ran wide open we would be at least midnight or later and we would need assistance docking, with no neutral gear.  So Tracy made food for everyone for the long trek back and we telephoned our situation to Gord Gowie, the Gimli Harbour Master.  We asked if he and some of our friends could stand by and be on hand to assist us in docking because we would be very late getting back.  He assured us that if we got her into the harbour they would be on hand to help us dock. 

After a long a tedious journey in the dark (not as nice as the sunny leisurely cruise of earlier that day).  The weather was perfect and the lake was like glass, we approached Gimli Harbour just before midnight.  That good GPS was the greatest thing we have invested in.  Worth every penny.  Navigating in the dark, with our old boat, used to be very scary, but with the GPS it's a snap.  But we did need a better compass, for the odd time when the satellite signal fails. (guess what Dan got for Christmas that year.) 

The two dogs on board had been so patient, having been on board for so many hours they were really starting to whine at the doors.

 As we rounded the corner of the breakwater, there was me at the helm and Dan with his head down in the engine compartment.  He was going to shift it into reverse (which we still had)  manually and when the boat came to a full stop, I was to hit the kill switch.    Well I panicked.  When Dan shifted into reverse, I didn't wait long enough for it to come to a full stop.  I hit the kill switch while we still had plenty of forward momentum.  So, now we were moving forward, toward the Namao, the huge research vessel and the main dock with no control at all.  Dan always says, "when I lifted my head out of the engine compartment all I could see was this huge red hull of the Namao(The Namao was painted Red at the time), looming in front of us and us careening toward it".  We got lucky though, our trajectory skimmed us just past the Namao and moved us at a 45 degree angle straight on toward the main dock and we were slowing nicely.  We were in a good position to throw lines and manhandle the old girl gently into the dock.  Which with the help of friends went very smoothly. 

The First order of the night was to get the dogs off of the boat and give them a run.  Then good stiff drinks all around and finally Gord, Bill Phillip and Mike Sinden helped us back into our own berth. 

Dan soon fixed the transmission.  It was a worn shifter connection.  A simple fix and we were back in business. 

SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE MANY MISADVENTURE OF

THE THUNDERBIRD  



 



 

BOARDWALK DAYS CARNIVAL LIGHT PARADE

I have been busy this morning stringing Christmas Lights on my boat in preparation for our up coming Light Parade. 

Yes, it’s time again for the Annual Boundary Creek Yacht Club Light Parade on Saturday night July 27th. For those that don't know about this, Winnipeg Beach has a huge fireworks display on that night in celebration of their "Boardwalk Days".  

Us boaters not only take our boats out of the harbour to watch these fireworks. A lot of us decorate our boats with Christmas Lights and when the fireworks are finished we do a parade, along the beach front and back to the harbour similar to Canada Day. Everyone is invited to take part.  The more the merrier. 
 

Jeff Arnason is in sharge and can fill you in on any details or questions you might have.  He has decided that the theme of this years light parade is  "Caribbean, Carnival, Reggae Music and, all that kind of thing".   That should be real fun.  Anyone got a lighted Palm Tree or Parrot from their patio, to put on the bow of their boat? 

 

 

These are some very important precautions we should all follow:   

1.      Do not put any lights across in front of your   helm/windshield. 

2.      Turn all helm area lights off or set your dimmer switch to the lowest setting.  Darkness is your friend in the helm area.  It allows your eyes to adjust to the darkness outside and improves your night vision.  If you must have lights in your helm area keep them dimmed. 

See US Coast Guard Recommendations about night vision  http://www.the-lake-life.com/boating-after-dark-follow-these-safety-tips/

 

3.      When decorating your boat be sure to put some lights across your stern, so that you are clearly visible to any boat approaching you from behind.  Most of us neglected this area last year. 

4.       Remember your regular Navigation lights will not really be very visible amongst all the other lights out there so, be very very careful and go very slow.  When following other boats, all your extra lights can make your vision and visibility difficult. 

TAKE CARE, HAVE FUN  AND ENJOY THE SIGHTS

 

 

 

 

 

PLEASURE BOATING ON LAKE WINNIPEG

Living on board is a real pleasure.  Weather permitting, we take the boat out of the harbour for a “No Destination Cruise”and just bob around out there (if we don't anchor, for safety sake, we always trail a rope when off of the boat), Wear a life jacket and you don't even have to put the effort in, to swim.

 

We usually have lunch, or some snacks and drinks, swim some more, then head back to port. And if it’s exceptionally nice or hot we will sometimes stay out and Bar-B-Q dinner as well.   Dan calls that taking me out for Dinner.

 

 

Then there are the “Destination Cruises”. Pick a sight you would like to see. (like the North East tip of Elk Island)  Cruise there and back on a day Cruise.  Very relaxing.



Or, we can pick a port and cruise there for a day, a week, or more. As seen here at Gull Harbour.

It’s just like camping, you pay for your docking, just like you do at a campground.

 


There are many of these destinations available to us.  Silver Harbour, Hnausa Harbour, Gull Harbour, Hecla Village, Wells Harbour, Biscuit Harbour, Princess Harbour, etc. etc. etc. The list is endless. 

WE HAVEN'T VISITED THEM ALL, BUT WE ARE WORKING ON THE LIST

 

 

 

 



 

DOGS, DOGS, DOGS

My daughter Wendy and her family are away on a trip, so we are having our Grand Dogs on board for a stay.  This should be interesting for the next 10 days or so.  These on board guests are Misty:  The Westie



And Felix:  The Beagle

And of course our own sweet Sea-Enna:

So we certainly will have our hands full for the next couple of weeks.  At least we are out at the lake and not in the Condo. 

WE'LL HAVE SOME FUN

 

 

 



ANOTHER GREAT WEEKEND

The weekend started off early with a Thursday night celebration of our new boarding ramps.  We are all getting new boarding ramps leading to our all new docks.  The first one was finished on Thursday, so of course it had to be christened. 

We celebrated our new on ramp when it was completed on Friday.  And just on time too, as the water was coming up fast. 

I love my new ramp.  It's so firm and stable compared to the old ones we used to have. 

 

Then on Saturday night was the Potluck dinner we have all been looking forward to. 

There was a great turn out and lots of wonderful food.  Thanks to everyone that took part and brought all the great dishes. 

And a Special thanks to Art Wilks for supplying the Turkeys and to Derek Debets for cooking them.  I can now say I've tasted Deep Fried Turkey, and it's Great. 



I HOPE WE HAVE AS GOOD A TURN OUT FOR NEXT WEEKENDS LIGHT PARADE






 

 

LIVING ABOARD A BOAT IS FUN

Living on board closes us to some possibilities, and opens us up to others.  We cannot watch TV, but we do have internet, while in most marinas and ports, and we do have a drop down DVD player (like you have for the kids in a van) over our bed in the Captain’s Quarters, So that we can watch a movie in the evening, therefore we certainly do not miss electronic entertainments. 

The pluses are, our harbour is within walking distance of a public beach where we can swim. 

If the seas are a little rough, we can do that, but  weather permitting, we take the boat out of the harbour for a “No Destination Cruise”and just bob around out there and swim off of the boat.  

 

 

But living aboard is especially fun on the weekends.  Now Dan and I are retired, and there are a few others, also retired, that live on their boats all summer, from launch day in spring to pull out day in fall.  During the week the only real activity is the odd cruise.  And we get some cottagers on vacation and the commercial fishermen coming and going, but even the fisherman are finished for the summer.   We live a very quite existence all week long, but, come the weekend almost all boats (approx. 200 in our marina) come to life as the owners arrive for the weekend. 

It all becomes a hive of activity.  Everything from 30-40 ft. live-a-boards, Sailboats of all sizes, Pontoon boats, Run-abouts and Sea-Doo’s, all start coming and going throughout the marina or lining up at the launch ramp.  And of course the partying starts as well.   Everyone catching up with each other’s week, sharing a few drinks and a few laughs. 

 And the great thing is you can choose to take part or stay on board your boat and forgo the activities.  The party atmosphere starts on Friday night, always continues right through the weekend and everyone has a wonderful time. 

 

Come Sunday afternoon, things begin to reverse themselves, as the weekenders slowly pack up and head to the city to face another work week.  Slowly the mood changes to one of resignation.  But, I for one, (being retired) love Sunday evenings. 

 

There is a quiet lull and hush that comes over the whole beach area and I get back to my tranquill retirement home on the water.  Not that I don’t love a good party at least once a week. 

 

 

AH....BACK TO RELAXING

 

 



 

 

THE POT LUCK DINNER IS COMING UP ON SATURDAY

This weekend is our "Deep Fried Turkey Pot Luck Dinner".  Is everyone signed up?   Please check with everyone around your dock to make sure they know about it and have signed up.  We wouldn't want anyone to feel left out.  If you find someone that still wants to sign up, send then to Linda on Thunderbird. 

I've never had Deep Fried Turkey, so I'm really looking forward to it. 

See you all at the Gazebo Saturday at 7:00 PM

 

And this weekend I guess we should all start stringing the lights on our boats for next weekends Light Parade.  It's best to test them out this weekend in case something doesn't work you still have time to fix things.   

 

 

 

MORE FUN WEEKENDS COMING UP.