Queen Cove to Zebellos, June 23

The Dock at Zebellos

Rain, rain, rain.  We awake this morning to yet more rain.  We start the day with a “Larry Breakfast” made famous on our trip to Alaska with Larry Determan when Larry was the “Breakfast Boy” and would make a lumberjack breakfast of eggs, sausage and hash browns.  With breakfast over and the dishes put away, we turned our attention to a number of small chores before we pull the anchor and head to Nuchatlitz Inlet.  

We cross Esperanza Inlet and work our way through several very small passages at low tide (1.8 feet).  At one point we are in such a narrow channel and the tide is so low that the red buoy is just a few feet off shore!  We see lots of sea otters, eagles, and a seal.  Farther along we see 3 canoes working their way through the same channel.  We have been running the generator so we can make water and do laundry this morning and just as we enter the inner basin of Nuchatlitz, a fuse blows on the generator.  This is such a beautiful place that we decide to drop the anchor and address the problem (and have a bite of lunch). 

Barrie pulls out a screwdriver to open the fuse panel and soon finds the problem fuse (we only wish we knew where the load came from that popped it – did the freezer cycle at just the wrong moment?).  The good news is that he has a spare and we are soon back in business.  Barrie also determines that the radiator cap on the generator is not making a complete seal, which is causing it to leak.  It is not critical but should be replaced.  I take advantage of the break in the weather (it isn’t raining) to install Barrie’s new anchor bridle.  It looks a good sight better than the one with rusted thimbles and shackles.  

We pull the lunch hook and retrace our steps to Esperanza Inlet where we see three humpback whales!  We continue past old First Nations sites into Zeballos Inlet and finally reach the town of Zeballos. Once again, Caper is here when we arrive.  We mill about the docks trying to determine if there is room for us to moor.  We are told that there is sufficient draft on the inside dock for us and Barrie does an admirable job of backing into the only remaining spot.  We tie up the boat and head down the dock where we find Laperouse already tied-up.  We greet our now “old friends” who tell us to check-in at the Community Center where we can get maps and information.  

On our way to the Nature Trail in Zeballos

Keen Rusty Junk

So, we follow their advice and get local advice.  Barrie asks if there is a place in town where he could buy a radiator cap.  The woman at the counter tells us “that is not how we do things here” – since there are no stores, they suggest asking Tommy if he has something from his collection of old cars.  She offers to call Tommy for us and arranges for him to drop by the boat later this evening.  We also ask about the museum and are told it is not yet open for the season, BUT if we would like to see it, they can arrange a private viewing.  Finally we learn of the town’s nature trails and are told that the bears are not aggressive.  So, why not, we take the nature trail and Barrie loves all the keen rusty cars and trucks we see enroute.  Everyone in town is friendly and helpful.

Back at the boat, the weather continues to deteriorate and the mountains in the background have disappeared.  We have dinner and I work on updating the blog.  We have not yet seen Tommy and it may be that the weather has affected his plans.  Barrie says if a slightly leaky radiator cap is his biggest worry that things are looking pretty good.