We all awoke around the same time. A marina is typically only as quiet as the boats moored near by and our dock was packed with countless Tollycraft fans that had been partying for days. A number were preparing to depart and we’d hear the muffled sounds of an engine starting as we started our morning routine.

The day before one of us had tried the shower onboard the boat for the first time. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, a boat magically gets smaller once you spend the night and, now, even smaller when you have to convert the head into a shower stall. Yes, it was designed to work that way. But, that doesn’t mean it’s roomy or that you won’t get a bunch of things wet. So, today we all took advantage of the public showers at the top of the marina. And, conveniently, they were located just steps away from the Lime Kiln Café where, according to a friend, we’d find yummy donuts. The cafe promotes them as world famous. Naturally, we had to try several to make sure their claim was valid.

It might seem crass to move from a description of food to one of waste, but the pump-out services at Roche Harbor deserve special recognition for, well, being both efficient and clever. If you’re not familiar with what pumping out means let’s just say that when you use your boat’s head (toilet) the waste has to go somewhere. And, since it’s illegal to let it go into the water and endanger plant and animal life it goes into a holding tank. It’s probably the same for campers. Come to think of it, it’s same for airplanes (though, sometimes, they accidentally release giant, frozen masses of waste – Google it, you’ll see). Getting “stuff” out of the holding tank onboard a boat is done by sucking it out with a giant, gross vacuum. Pump-out services at Roche Harbor are, rather elegantly, handled by the M/V Phecal Phreak.

As the morning progressed we prepared to meet a friend that had traveled by boat from Seattle. The plan was to meet-up for lunch and then the crew would do a little more sightseeing/shopping. I didn’t see how that was possible since Roche Harbor was so small, but I was happy being given the task of preparing the boat for our departure.

Our plan was to leave Roche Harbor in time to make High Tea at the Empress Hotel in Victoria. We were told it would take a little over an hour at our speed to make the journey. Since it’s always good to be prepared, I decided to top-off our fuel tank before heading into (drum-roll) international waters!

Here’s where it gets interesting. I fueled the boat and the crew met me at the bottom of the dock. We cast off and were heading away, at marina-speed (2-4 knots) when we started hearing a really bad sound. You become familiar with the sounds your car, blender, lawn mower and, for us, boat make. And the sound we were hearing was not normal. The cynic in me suggested that it meant one thing and that starts with American Express – as in this is going to be an expensive noise.

We coasted to an area away from other boats and, while the engines were running, opened the hatch and took a peek. Well, the problem, though not the cause, was apparent – our starboard engine was leaking coolant fluid and the glycol was spraying onto the serpentine belt and causing it to slip, producing the sound we had been hearing. Not good. So, I powered down that engine and used the VHF to reach the harbormaster. I asked if there was a local mechanic and for a slip we could use while we figured out, specifically, what was wrong.

Getting over to the new slip with one engine was easy. Docking was more difficult and after a few failed attempts due to the wind I powered up the starboard engine long enough to activate Axius and quickly maneuver into the assigned space.

The mechanic showed up surprisingly fast and was able to diagnose the problem in seconds. It was a busted coolant pump. It’s not something you can just pick up anywhere and, in our case, it would have to be ordered and delivered to us at Roche Harbor. We’re on an island. We arrived by boat. We’re at the mercy of a local marine mechanic and the ability to locate the part and have it flown to where we are.

Our two 5.0L 260hp Bravo III Mercury engines

Despite it being a Sunday, I was able to reach the good folks at Lake Union Sea Ray in Seattle and, remarkably, our favorite service agent was working. They’re not normally open on Sundays but had been this one day because of Demo Days. Our contact there was able to locate the pump and gasket at their Redmond location.

So, the plan would be to have the part sent by one of LUSR’s staff to Kenmore Air on Lake Washington in time to make the 10:30AM flight to Roche Harbor – arriving here at noon. Installation, we were told, would take a couple of hours. Costs would run into the hundreds for the parts and service, but it would all be covered under warranty. Whether the part delivery by airplane would be covered as well would be discovered in a few days.

It’s Sunday evening and we’re preparing for our third night. We were supposed to be in Victoria this evening but have remained stuck in Roche Harbor awaiting an important part. If we had to, it would be possible to limp home on one engine. But, maneuvering would be difficult and the journey slow.

So, day four is almost here and we’ll see what it brings. New friends and the Past Commander from the Seattle Sail and Power Squadron arrived for a meetup that we hadn’t planned to be part of. Now, because of our circumstances, we just might. There are far worse places to be stuck. And, as a close friend recently shared with us, “cruising is fixing your boat in interesting places.”