27. O Canada! Seacock Replacement on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada, October 2021

Some things take time!

As mentioned in a previous post, when we went back to the boat in April of 2021, Giorgio sadly discovered that the seacock for the generator raw water intake was not working . During the five months we had been away from the boat, somehow, the handle had come loose and the valve was stuck in a partially closed position. Not being sure if this was the result of accidental injury or corrosion, Giorgio was especially concerned because, if this were due to corrosion, failure could eventually happen in each one of the similar seacocks making the engine or the water maker inoperative, something very dangerous when offshore or in far-flung destinations! We have 19 of them and we would need a specialized yard to replace most of them. This would be hard to find, especially since we had not had much luck in Seattle with some of the so-called “high quality” boatyards.

What is a seacock? A thru-hull?

Blue water boats have several “connections to the sea” serving one of two purposes: they either take water from the sea or discharge water/liquid into the sea. Each of these connections is formed by a seacock and a thru-hull. A seacock is a valve that can be opened or closed by the action of a handle, and is attached to a thru-hull, which is a straight or angled tube that passes through the hull of the boat.

A boat may need to take water from the sea to cool down the main engine or the generator, to make fresh drinking water with the desalinator or to exchange heat with the air conditioning. A boat may need to return water or other liquids to the sea: cooling water from the generator, water from the kitchen/bathroom sinks, sea water that flows on deck or in the cockpit from waves boarding the boat and finally waste “grey” water from the toilets. This last one should be discharged only when offshore.

The thru-hulls and the seacocks are below the waterline and are usually made of bronze or a composite material called Marelon. The seacock has a ball valve connected to a handle to close this communication with the sea when performing maintenance on these systems. We decided that Marelon seacocks, which are larger than the metal ones for any inner diameter, were not a good choice for us since there is limited space in our engine room.

Bronze: the best choice for SV JAN.

When we commissioned our boat in 2017, we told Hallberg Rassy (HR) that we didn’t want any standard DZR (dezincification resistant) thru-hulls or seacocks. We requested bronze for which they charged us extra, and they installed those sold by an Italian company called Guidi. However, the ones chosen by HR were not recommended for marine use by Guidi, and furthermore, had parts that were not bronze or stainless steel and which corroded! As a result of this poor quality, after less than 3 years, the raw water intake seacock for the generator had failed in a partially closed position!

After extensive research and numerous phone calls to boatyards in Washington State and San Francisco, we finally found our specialized boatyard: Blackline Marine Service in Canoe Cove Marina near Sidney on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. This yard was described to us by many as the best in the entire Pacific Northwest. Furthermore, after even more extensive research, numerous calls and emails, Giorgio decided that we would replace most of the seacocks and thru-hulls with the US-made Groco, an American company. The same company outsources some seacocks and thru-hulls from China, but we didn’t even considered them.

Since the boat needed to be out of the water to replace the seacocks, we decided to take advantage of this and refresh the CopperCoat bottom paint which had already been applied two years earlier in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Normally, this high-end and expensive anti-fouling paint should last an average of eight years, but the company SNIP that applied it in Palma had made several mistakes and part of the paint had already detached from the rudder and other small areas. We asked Blackline if they had experience with CopperCoat but Matt, the yard manager, admitted that they have never applied it but added with confidence “we will enquire about this product with the importer and will eventually do a good job!” We were happy to cross this item off the list and decided to trust this reputable yard.

We had the seacocks and CopperCoat shipped to the Squalicum Harbor Marina office in Bellingham, WA since we had to go there anyway for the Covid 19 test which became a requirement for entry into Canada when they opened the border in August of 2021. Since Canada does not import CopperCoat, we purchased it in the US directly from the importer. We also got the Groco thru-hull and seacocks at discount prices from the on-line store Defender. We bought a few of them, not offered by Defender, directly from Groco. This made our trip to Bellingham well worth the effort since we saved a few thousand dollars!

Finally crossing the border into Canada

Waiting for the Canadian border to open took practically all summer! When it finally opened in early August 2021, we were ready to move.

Entry into Canada required proof of a negative PCR test, which is a polymerase chain reaction test that detects genetic material of the Covid-19 virus. Bellingham airport was the only place near the northwest coast of Washington state that was close to us and able to perform this test. Once the test was completed, the results were ready after 24 hours and then we had another 48 hours to enter Canada. Fortunately, our results were negative, and we were able to make it to the Customs and Border Patrol in Canada within the designated time period of 72 hours.

Canoe Cove is a special place. Anyone familiar with the book ‘The Curve of Time’, about a family that cruised the coastal waters of British Columbia, will remember that their family home on Vancouver Island was in this neighborhood. From a navigational stand point, the Island is a kind of a wild place. The tides and currents are swift, countless rocks are hidden and difficult to spot, but the lush green of the forests and farms are extraordinary. Once we were docked, we relaxed! Connected by the bus system into Sidney and Victoria, we spent many days enjoying the local food, lovely countryside and coastline, and the wonderful museums in Victoria.

Blackline Marine in Canoe Cove

Meanwhile….Victoria Day Trips!

Victoria is the beautiful capital city of British Columbia and is located on the south coast of Vancouver Island. It is known internationally as the City of Gardens, especially for Butchart Gardens. The Royal BC Museum, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Beacon Hill Park, The Empress Hotel, and the waterfront are all worth a visit. On the days we visited, the steps of the Legislative Assembly were covered with shoes, stuffed animals and candles to honor Indigenous children after the recent discovery of 215 unmarked graves at the residential school in Kamloops, BC. From the 19th century until the 1970s, Indigenous children were forced by the Canadian government to attend such residential schools which were mostly operated by the Catholic Church.

Butchart Gardens: A floral inspiration!

These spectacular gardens and fountains were created in a hollowed out limestone quarry by Robert and Jennie Butchart in the early 1900s. Ownership of the Gardens still remains within the Butchart family.

Back at the Canoe Cove Yard

The Final Result

Blackline replaced 13/19 of SV JAN’s thru-hulls and seacocks with beautiful US-made Groco seacocks and thru-hulls. We decided not to change the cockpit drains because they were poorly accessible without removing the engine. They also repainted the bottom of the hull with CopperCoat, the antifouling paint made in England with which we had achieved good success in the areas where it did not peel off. Blackline Marine was extremely efficient in everything they did to our boat. This yard was the best and the most professional we had encountered since Europe. We were exceptionally pleased.

On the water again and back to the USA