Left Safety Cove shortly before dawn. Interesting trip across the strait. The weather was sunny, with very little breeze. The ocean swells rocked us a bit, but that was no problem. We were motoring along blissfully when all of a sudden the engine started acting strangely. It would rev up and down spontaneously. At first, we thought it was the same problem we had had last February outside the Gate. That time, it turned out the fuel shutoff valve had vibrated shut, so that was the first thing Roy checked today, but this time the valve was open. The engine settled down for a while, but then it started acting up again and eventually quit altogether. We had the headsail out, but there wasn't much breeze, so we crawled along at one knot, but at least we were able to stay on course and off the rocks. Roy put on his diesel mechanic's hat and descended to the engine compartment. Within an hour he'd located the problem: the fuel shutoff valve was clogged. By noon, the engine was running again, in time to avoid a big cruise ship.
The rest of the trip was uneventful and pleasant. Arrived at Port Hardy about four p.m. Tied to the Esso dock. Filled the tank and 8 or 9 jerry cans. One of the spouts fell into a can, but the store at the dock had extra caps, so that problem was quickly solved.
We walked over to the marina and were lucky enough to find a berth. It looked plenty big enough when we were standing on the dock, but when we brought the boat over, there was barely enough room to squeeze in. Fortunately, a man standing on the dock helped us tie up.
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