Having sold the Moody Blue, we now have a little bit of money in the bank to deal with boat issues…
Since we live quite a ways from “civilization”, one of the things that we have been working towards is redundancy in all of our systems. This includes our boats as well, and our ability to get some place should we have an engine failure. One of the ways that we are working towards this is to get the Awen’s engine replaced so that she is up and running. In the future, we also hope to learn to sail her, so that in the absence of a functional engine, we can still get around. Another part of our redundancy planning is the recent purchase of a small 9.9 hp Yamaha outboard engine. The particular engine we purchased is a high thrust, long leg model, which makes it suitable for a number of applications.
Firstly, it will become an auxiliary engine for the Draiocht, and serve as a back-up, particularly on longer trips. We can also use it as a trolling motor for the Draiocht, which will allow us to fish at a good slow speed. The little 9.9 hp outboard is a very efficient engine, and we will be able to fish for many hours using very little fuel.
Secondly, we can mount the little outboard on the stern of the Awen. This will allow us to slowly motor the Awen to Campbell River, where we will get her re-engined (the new engine has arrived in Campbell River and is waiting for us to get the Awen across the Johnstone Strait).
And lastly … the Kipper can play with the new engine when it isn’t working on the other two boats. We actually mounted the engine on the Kipper first, and have been “breaking” the egine in by cruising around in the Kipper and exporing up towards the head of the inlet. It turns out that our aluminum herring skiff is a great “stealth” boat, and will be terrific for foraging, hauling water, gravel, or anything else we need. Until we put the egine on her, I never realized how useful she could be … much more than just a barge to be towed around.