What's in a Name? Mr. Boat

Boat names that have caught my eye and shutter.

Wayne likes to name things Mr. There's Mr. Blue (the kayak), Mr. Bathtub (the dinghy), and then me, Mr. Boat. I'm Wayne and Margy's 18' Campion runabout. I get them up and down the lake in all kinds of weather. That makes me their most important boat, if you ask me.

I live up the lake at the float cabin most of the time, but my other home is in the Shinglemill marina near Powell River. My spot at the cabin is right next to the front door. Halcyon Days lives is right behind me. I know Margy explained her name means calm, peaceful and tranquil, but let me tell you it's just an act. When she gets her engines all revved up, she and get pretty rambunctious. Look what she did to me one day, took a bite right out of my butt (oops, I mean transom). Maybe she was jealous. Halcyon Days isn't the only boat in Wayne's books. Without me he couldn't get Up the Lake or Farther Up the Lake. -- Margy

Home is Where the Heart Is

Today I get to go home up the lake. It's my favourite place to be any time of the year. It may still be winter, but my thoughts are about the coming spring.

The first thing we did when we got back to Powell River was head to Canadian Tire. Lucky for Wayne, I'm an easy kind of gal. All I wanted for Valentine's Day was two bags of steer manure and a few colourful Primulas for my deck planters.

Over the next week, I'll work up the raised beds on my float garden and add the manure. That way it can rest for about six weeks before I plant my seeds in April. I've found if I plant too soon, the manure is so strong that the seeds don't sprout and mature very well.

If I get my my garden done by mid-April, there will be asparagus, strawberries, green onions, lettuce, and chard to harvest starting in June. The beets, carrots, potatoes, onion bulbs, garlic, peas, and beans will need until mid-summer before harvesting. But it will all start this week with dreams of spring and good soil preparation.

Even if I can't physically be at my cabin, my heart is always in our float home. It so inspired my husband Wayne that he wrote the Coastal BC Stories series. Read Up the Lake and Farther Up the Lake to learn more about about our unique off-the-grid lifestyle.

Do you have a place that inspires you? Maybe it's where you live, or a vacation home or destination. Maybe it's that special place to sneak away to when you want to be alone. Let us know about it and why you like it so much. -- Margy

Happy Anniversary to Us

It was 2000. Wayne and I flew in to Powell River as a part of our annual summer vacation. We extended our planned one night stay to two weeks, our entire holiday break. That first summer we enjoyed exploring all that Powell River had to offer. We went to Okeover Inlet twice to go sea kayaking. I remember well, on a drive up Highway 101 towards Lund, asking Wayne if he could ever live in a different country.

And here it is, the fourth anniversary of our landing in Canada on February 11, 2008 as permanent residents.

This year Wayne and I are celebrating with Mom in Bellingham. But Wednesday will have us back in our float cabin home snug and warm. As you can see, the answer to my question to Wayne was a resounding YES! We love our new home, and our new country.

Have you ever made a major life change? I hope it worked out as well as ours did. -- Margy

What's in a Name? Halcyon Days

When Wayne and I head out on a boating adventure, one of the things I like to do is read the names of boats. I thought I would share some that caught my eye and shutter.

To kick off the series is our own Halcyon Days. Soon after we arrived in Powell River, we knew we wanted a boat to explore the BC Coast.

Halcyon Days came to us already named. Among other things, halcyon means happy, carefree, joyful, tranquil, and peaceful. It's also a mythical bird said to be capable of charming wind and waves into calm.

Halcyon Days doesn't have the power to calm the seas, but she has taken us many wonderful places Up the Strait and Farther Up the Strait. -- Margy

Bro Goes Boating

Sometimes Wayne stays in Powell River while I'm in Bellingham with Mom. On a recent "bachelor's" week, he went boating with our good friend John and his dog Bro. Powell River is perched on a hillside rising from the Strait of Georgia, allowing many houses to have a view of the water. In front of Powell River is Harwood Island. It's part of the Sliammon First Nation reserve.

One of the reasons Wayne and John wanted to visit Harwood was because of an old winch (you can see it here) that was abandoned after the island was logged many years ago. It was a huge piece of equipment, but after getting to the long spit on the northeast side, low and behold, it was gone. That must have been some salvage operation!

From the spit on Harwood, you can see the paper mill and the town of Powell River in the distance. Even though they didn't achieve their goal, it was a nice outing on a fairly calm winter day. Besides, Bro loves an adventure as long as his can of sardines comes along. -- Margy

Winter Power Backup

We try to rely on renewable resources using solar, wind, and thermoelectric power, but on occasion we need a generator to give our batteries a good charge. If they drop too low, especially in the winter, it's very difficult to get them recharged enough to use our cabin electrical system.

Our first gas generator is an older portable Coleman. It has 1400 watts of output and still provides us with power options, especially when we want to use power hungry tools such as a circular saw.

We just purchased a new Yamaha EF1000iS, mainly because it is quieter and more fuel efficient. To the left, one of the AC outlets is being used with a plug-in 12V slow trickle charger attached to our secondary battery bank in Wayne's remodeled boat. There is also a DC connector for a fast charge. However, it's recommended not to use both at the same time.

Because there are two AC outlets, the 1000 watt capacity can run two trickle chargers at the same time. This allows us to efficiently boost the batteries in the boat's isolated system and the cabin's electrical cabinet at the same time.

The Yamaha has a "Smart Throttle" that is load sensing and can automatically change the rpm to match the need. The result is a lower (and quieter) engine speed for most applications.

The following video is at full power while using the CD charger.

While charging is going on, we still want to use electrical devices in the cabin. An additional heavy-duty extension cord from the second AC plug bypasses the inverter and plugs the generator directly into the cabin's electrical system. This way we can recharge our portable Nautilus battery pack, computers, cell phones, gameboys and have lights without affecting our battery banks.

Managing power sources and needs during short winter days is a challenge, but one we enjoy. It allows us to live a simple lifestyle off the grid with a few comforts of home. -- Margy

Singing to the Moon

Today when we got home from the Seattle Boat Show, I heard birds singing in the trees behind Mom's condo. I had to go investigate.

I then had to go out and record their raucous song. They are new to our area.

I went to Cornell's All About Birds website and think they are European Starlings. If you think I made a mistake, I'd appreciate knowing what kind of birds they are. -- Margy