The generator over-sped again this morning. Melissa caught it because blower on the oven sped up. She shut it down within seconds. We finished up cooking breakfast. Risotto cakes with poached eggs and hollandaise with roasted asparagus. Yumo. After breakfast the guys started working on diagnosing the generator. They tried running it without load, and with loads. The governor kept failing causing the generator to over-voltage and run away. Eventually it hard failed such that any time it was started it immediately ran away. The guys diagnosed it – the controller board failed. This explains the whole sequence of failures that occurred a few days ago. The control board was in the process of failing.
Unfortunately, it’s completely sealed and there is no way to diagnose at the board level. Dave found one he could order and have delivered to Nanaimo. We will be without generator until we pick up the new part – likely some weeks from now. We can generate electricity with the engines, but its not going to be nearly as effective as the generator, which probably means we will end up staying more in marinas than we otherwise might have. There are also some systems on the boat that need 240 volts - dryer, oven, and the water maker. So even though we fixed the water maker, we can't run it unless we are on the dock and connected to 50 amps.
The team had a conversation about whether we should try for Princess Louisa. Melissa expressed concerns that with the boat issues we have been having, being trapped behind the rapids – which limits when we can escape seemed like an unnecessary risk, and the rest of the gang agreed. We will shoot for the Broughton Islands instead.
We headed over to Clam Bay for a night at anchor.
Dinner was bacon wrapped scallops, teriyaki chicken, and a spinach salad with bacon and mushrooms.
