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Crossing Queen
Charlotte Strait was superb with 20 knot winds from the SE and
plenty of sun. North of Cape
Caution the experience of wilderness grows. Towns become and
smaller and further apart. Bishop Bay is a great
stopover. Delightful hot springs just a short walk from the
dock. We got a couple of pounds of shrimp from a local
fisherman and had a feast. We experienced our
second major systems failure when the Balmar MC-612 multi-stage
alternator regulator failed after only 100 hours of use.
Balmar sent a replacement without much fuss, and the new unit has
been largely problem free, although on one occasion it forgot its
programming for AGM cells. Reprogramming was simple but I don't
feel too confident about the MC-612 as a result of these failures.
I now always carry a 20 ohm resistor to provide emergency current
to the field winding should the 612 ever fail again. Since
we were without a battery charging system for most of this leg, we
went on an energy diet: no autopilot, stereo, and only
minimal lights at night. Highlights: Fury Cove
anchorage, tour of abandoned cannery at Namu. |
