Homesteading

Adventures with Awen

Well, the time finally came. We had sold the old Moody Blue, so we now had a little bit of money to deal with boat problems. We had bought the Draiocht, so that we had a reliable runabout while we were sorting out the Awen‘s engine problems. We had bought a new motor for the Awen, and that was now waiting for us in Campbell River. Ken had created an amazing jury-rigged contraption on the back of the Awen to hold the little 9.9 hp outboard that was going to help us get to Campbell River. The westerlies had calmed down at last. We were now ready to take the Awen to Campbell River and get her “repowered”.

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A Bit of History

On the top of a bookshelf, not too far from where I am sitting now, is a wooden model, made by my father 20 or more years ago, of a boat named the Oliver Clark. That model was made far from the ocean, in the dry interior town of Keremeos where my father had been an orchardist. It has come a long way to return to the sea.

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Meeting with a Friend

Another first for us here – we just met with an old friend from Prince Rupert who was traveling down to Victoria. Being so far off grid, it can be hard to schedule meetings with people, particularly as the Johnstone Strait crossing can be so weather dependent. It’s also rare that any of our friends from Prince Rupert are coming down to the Island. So we were “doubly blessed” by this meeting.

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On the Grid

It must have been a really good summer for barnacles. When we put the Draiocht in the water this spring, she was freshly cleaned. Now, only four months later, she has multiple layers of barnacles on her bottom and leg. Looks like it’s time for another haul out and copper painting.

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