Let's start by saying that if I didn't have BAD luck, ... I wouldn't have any!
So, it goes like this, ... At Indian Head Camp we have a large, diesel powered boat that we use to transport passengers and luggage from the Airstrip at Gunnar to the lodge, ... about a 15 minute boat ride. We affectionately call this boat "Big Blue".
So, about 2 weeks ago, I make the trip over to Gunnar in "Big Blue" to pick-up a group of 8 people. Everything goes smoothly and I deliver them dock-side at Indian Head Camp without any problems.
4 days later, this same group is departing in windy, rainy weather. We load the boat with all their gear, they jump in and we push-off the dock. I put "Blue" into gear, apply power to the engine and, ... nothing happens! The motor revs-up and, ... we just sit there!
So now, I am drifting out into our bay with a full load of people and luggage, ... the plane is in the air enroute from Fort McMurray and we're just floating around. I request help from one of our guide-boats and I get a tow back to the dock.
We have a guest staying with us who has a pontoon-style houseboat. So, ... with all our clients sitting in "Blue", I race up to the lodge, ask Dale if I might use his boat to take customers to Gunnar and he says "Sure!"
So now, we transfer everyone and their luggage to Dale's houseboat and off we go to Gunnar, ... exposed to both the wind and rain, ... it was NOT a pleasant ride at all.
This transfer went smoothly, everybody got on the plane safely and I was now on my way back to Indian Head Camp to see if I could solve the mystery of "Big Blue"!
Once back at camp, the guides were working on "Blue" and the general consensus was that it appeared to be a transmission problem, ... with the boat not going into gear when we moved the shift-handle.
We lifted the covers to the engine compartment and traced the throttle and shift cables back to where they connect to the engine. The throttle cable appeared to be functioning properly, but we could not tell if the transmission was shifting as the shift-cable went directly into the lower leg of the engine.
Now, ... it's important to stress that I am NOT a diesel mechanic. However, I have been around diesel engines for the better part of the last 15 years, and, ... I am not shy about taking stuff apart. So, we decided that tomorrow would be a good time to take the back end of the engine apart to see if we could trace the problem to the transmission.
Sometimes a good night's sleep helps you see clearer! What seemed like a good idea the night before now seemed like we might be in "over our heads" ... so to speak!
So, I called the office in Ft McMurray and explained our situation to Owner, Doug Golosky!
Doug told me to sit tight, and he would get his 2 crack mechanics, Harrold and MacNeil to come up and fix the problem!
So, ... the next day I am off to Gunnar to meet the plane and bring Harrold and MacNeil back to Indian Head Camp to have a look at "Blue"!
They crawl around inside the engine compartment and fiddle around with the shift mechanism up front by the steering wheel and determine that the shift mechanism is "sloppy" and needs to be taken apart, cleaned, and reassembled. NOT a fun job, ... working on your back in a small space fighting with a control mechanism that probably has never been taken apart. Can you guess who got delegated that job? ... Uh-Huh!!
So, while our two crack mechanics drank coffee and ate fresh-baked pastries, ... I took apart the shift control, cleaned all the parts and, reassembled the mechanism. When I was done, the mechanics did a formal inspection, we fired up "Blue" fully expecting the problem to be solved and, ... we just sat there and listened to the engine rev-up while we went nowhere!
"Well?" says Harrold, ... "Looks like we have to take her apart!"
We decided that it would be best to move "Blue" closer to shore as we would need access to the back end of the engine. This required moving 3 of our fishing boats to the other side of the dock before pulling "Blue" into place with her stern facing the beach.
None of us was looking forward to this as we knew we would not be able to get the boat as close to shore as we needed to so as to avoid having to go into the frigid water to do the repair.
After the last job I had been given, I was pretty sure I knew whose feet were gonna be getting cold and wet!!!
So, ... we untied the boat and began to pull her around to where we needed it to be.
As we started to pull her backwards into the beach (read rocks!), Harrold said "hey Paul, ... better lift the motor before we run the leg into the rocks!"
I jumped into "Blue" and hit the trim-switch to lift the motor. Then, ... I heard Harrold and MacNeil having a bit of a snicker!
Now, ... you gotta understand that these boys mean well! Harrold has been working with Doug Golosky for a good, long time. Came here from Newfoundland, and still has his Newfenise accent.
I say, ... "What's so funny boys?"
Harrold says, ... "Well bye, ... I don't thinks it's a transmission problem we're dealin with here!"
"Why not?" I ask.
"Because ya got NO PROP bye!!!" he says through the laughter.
Well folks, ... we all had a good laugh at my expense! If there is a moral to this story, it should be, ... ALWAYS check your prop! Or, ... in my case, ... "You CAN teach this old dog a new trick!
Can't tell you all how embarrassed I was/am! Here we went and flew 2 guys, ... seriously good mechanics, all the way up here at the expense of Indian Head Camp only to discover that I had spun-off a prop.
I promise you this! ... If I stay in this business another 15 years, ... this will NEVER happen to me again!
As my mentor, Homer, would say, .... DOH!!
Until next time, ... Travel safe and, try to be nice to one another!
Cheers!
Paul
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