The compression post on top of the wooden plug which is closing the hole in the boat.
After keeping a close eye on the wooden plug for the past twenty-four hours, which finally swelled so that water is no longer leaking into the boat, we both feel more confident and less pressure to act. The through-hull and fittings still need to be replaced but not necessarily today, tomorrow or even next week which gives us the time we need to research all of our options and choose the one that suits us best. Which is exactly what we’re going to do.
The barometer fell overnight and we don’t like the forecast for the area. The anchorages here on Sucia are exposed so, with the leak under control, we decided to go back to Reid Harbor rather than down to Bellingham where they’re calling for strong winds and rain.
To ensure the plug doesn’t come loose before the problem is fixed, David cut an old batten to length and wedged it in the engine room, basically turning it into a compression post. If the stern falls off a wave, the plug will have no where to go … assuming the pressure would be able to dislodge it in the first place. As it turned out, the passage back to Stuart Island was uneventful with calm seas and little wind, but we not really in a position to take any chances.
David will make some phone calls tomorrow and we’ll go from there. At this stage, our preference is to haul-out somewhere in Canada because it’s on our way north rather than a step backwards to the mainland, but our final decision will come down to who has the time and equipment to help us out of this jam.
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