|
2030, Sunday, July 23, 2023
We spent last night in a small harbour with two entrances, Rogers Harbour on Kikkertavak Island. There are two narrow entrances, one wider than the other. The chart has no soundings at all for the entrances or the harbour. We felt our way in cautiously.
Last night, while anchoring, I looked astern and saw a swirl of bright neon green water astern of the boat. My first reaction was that we must have an engine coolant leak. However, I was relieved to then discover that the neon green water was not engine coolant, it turned out that the small dye marker on the horseshoe life ring mounted on the stern had developed a leak. I was relieved; but my relief would be short lived...
This morning, we cautiously left our uncharted anchorage and sailed in light fog and mist towards Makkovik. The first of the two Inuit communities we plan to visit. The day went well; we even got to sail for a good chunk of the way. Finally, we turned into the bay in which Makkovik is found, still some 8 miles from the town. Suddenly the squeal of the engine alarm sounded. We quickly shut down the motor after noting that the engine temperature was too high. Keeping it running can cause severe damage. At the same time, the wind died away completely with a sloppy sea left behind.
We vainly tried to sail on towards Makkovik. However, the wind was non-existent, and our sails simply slatted annoyingly with each wave that rolled by. We lost steerage and bobbed about in frustrating fashion. As we slowly drifted towards an iceberg, we turned our attentions to diagnosing the engine problem. At the same time, it all made me recall last summer when the engine failed, and the boat was becalmed.
The saltwater strainer for the raw water cooling was as clean as a whistle and the impeller was only a month and a half old. We could also see ample water flowing out the stern. This suggested a problem with the freshwater coolant. It made me wonder if I had been wrong about the leaking safety dye marker from the evening before. I rummaged in the trash and confirmed again to myself that the dye marker was leaking.
A check on the bilge showed a greenish tinge to the small volume of water. It seemed we had a coolant leak. I had checked coolant level just a few days earlier. We had to wait for the engine to cool further so that we could check both the reservoir and the heat exchanger. Indeed, we were very low on coolant. We searched for a leak, high and low, the best we can determine is that the radiator cap on the heat exchanger may not be sealing well. Thankfully, we added coolant and have replaced the cap, adjusting the gasket. The engine revived and we are going to keep an eye on the seal and coolant level. Fingers crossed...
With the engine running, we powered into Makkovik and have tied at the fish pier just ahead of a fishing boat about to head back out for turbot. One of the crew who helped with our dock lines asked, "Where are you from?" I replied, "Massachusetts, near Boston." He then asked in astonishment, "How did you get here?" I replied, "We took a wrong turn." We are only the second boat to come here this year. We are off the beaten track!
We had time for a quick stroll before dinner and will explore more tomorrow. We plan to spend two nights here. On our short walk, I took the photo of the boat shown below, and the picture of arctic char being air cured outside one home. Charlie and I are excited to see more tomorrow.
Sorry for the long-winded tale of the engine, but I know a few of my followers love the problems and the solving!
Bill
| 
