Hot Springs, Otters, and Gunnel Fish

October 1st (Tuesday)
It has been five full wonderful months since we left Vancouver. On one hand it feels like we have been away for a long time, and on the other hand it feels like time flies by. Even though we do not have a regular job for which we get paid, we have lots of work to do, and it seems that we still never have enough time for everything. We still have so much we need to do, and so much more that we want to do, and the days keep flying by.
In the morning we spent time attempting to fix the leak in the hot spring pool. We had come up with many repair options through brainstorming last night, but since we had not been able to inspect the area well yesterday, we did not really know what we were getting into. We took a lot of options with us from the boat, and went ashore to inspect. Unfortunately, it seemed to be a whole series of cracks with no clear origin on the inside. Because it was not possible to stop all of the water flowing in, there was still a bit of water running out, which although it showed us clearly where the leaks were, it also meant that we were trying to repair an area with water flowing out.

Drained hot spring pool.

We ended up using a lot of scrap fabric and jamming it as far into the cracks as we could. We focused on the area that was flowing the fastest, which we had found yesterday that had been previously repaired. We managed to stop the majority of the flow, and then filled the remaining void with mud mixed with grass, then mud mixed with rocks, and then a layer of rocks to protect it all from the high tide. The stream of flow from the crack that had been there when we started was mostly stopped, and we were optimistic. We then opened the inflow and left.
The morning was mostly cloudy and looked very much like a low-pressure system with a warm front may be approaching. The air was still, and since everything was still dry. On the way out in Kiki, we saw one of the otters. There is a part of a dock that is anchored here in the bay, and he was up on it rubbing himself against the dock. We put the outboard in neutral and drifted.  Of course he saw us and we figured he would disappear over the edge into the water as I pulled out my camera, but he didn't.

He looked up at us from time to time, but otherwise he went about his rubbing and scratching. He was rubbing himself up against all of the 4x4s that edge the dock, and looking very cute in the process. We were still drifting closer and closer and when we got about ten feet from the dock he finally slipped into the water only to reappear at the end of the dock looking at us over a piece of wood with his cute whiskers glistening with water drops.  Otters tend to be very shy so we were definitely not expecting this little guy’s comfort and curiosity.  

On our way back into the anchorage we had stopped by the hot spring pool to check on the filling progress. It was about three quarters full with no signs of increased leakage. Yay.
A couple of hours later, the pool was overflowing as it should, and once again the high tide was lapping at the lower part of the front wall. We closed up the inflow hoping that the pool would cool enough for us to enjoy a soak later.
When we headed back over there later, hoping for a dip, we were disappointed to find that the water level had dropped by about a foot and that it was also still way too hot to enjoy. 

However, the water in the bathtub was a good temperature, so we each had a turn relaxing for a bit while watching a black bear meandering along the far shore.  We were disappointed that the hot spring pool was still leaking. After having a good look at it, it appeared that our repair had held, but that the water was simply leaking from other areas; lots of other areas. To repair it properly I think the best thing would be to tear down the wall and start again, unfortunately that is not an option for us, so we will see if we can make something else work.
In the evening we had another toilet malfunction. Once again it was when I was flushing it; I think I must be cursed. The symptoms were very similar to the aft toilet, it became hard to draw water in, there was a crack-like noise, and I could still easily pump water out, but just not in. Once again I opened up the valve and pump assembly, and there, low and behold, was the aft end of a long skinny fish, presumably a Gunnel Fish. It slipped back down the hose out of reach before I could get it, so instead we opened the thru-hull and used our blower to blow it back outside the boat into the water. After hearing bubbles exiting outside the boat we put everything back together, and the toilet worked perfectly. It sure is nice that the toilets are so easy to take apart and access.  

Our aft toilet issue has also been resolved, and it was the result of another poor Gunnel Fish. I think the reason we are having this issue here must be because of how low the tides have been in the last week.  Since our boat is sitting closer to the bottom than we normally would be, we are down closer to the area where the fish swim and perhaps Gunnel Fish like a hole to hide in, or else they are just unlucky and passing by at the wrong time and get sucked in. Either way it is a nuisance, although somewhat funny.