Category Archives: Facility work

Electrician on the Rock

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Weather

We had for a few days the last perfect Summer days: no wind ,mirror sea and heat…

Ecological

For the first time we saw 2 orcas in the passage . It was like a dream and ironically all the watching boats were outside and we were the only ones to enjoy.DSC_0502DSC_0500We did!

Hungry not anymore baby gulls! No Elephant seals .

Other

The number of watching boats this sunny days is insane !So many and all at the same time .too closed ,too fast and too noisy (engines). too often disturbing! An helicopter was above very noisy too and the birds were afraid.We had a plane above.DSC_0553DSC_0549

A visitor : an electrician 

He came to double check the electrical system on the rock. Even if the old system is running pretty well a brand new generator would be  a good solution for more efficiency.We learn a few things : The generator should work around 12 hours in a raw every 10 days even in Summer time. We would need a high voltage for 12 hours to activate correctly the mixture . The sulfuric acid  stays down and the water up and that means corrosion …If high voltage were sent for 12 hours or even more the batteries could be charged at 80 %. Right now they are charged at the best to 40-50%.The solar panels are not enough efficient because of the big and numerous batteries. Even the shadow of a pipe on the panel have an incidence on the production. The second generator is not working right now . We will make it work next week with new filters.this one produce 25AMPS instead of just 15AMPS for the first one in use presently.

 

Busy eco guardian : Alumni reunnion

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Weather

We had a pretty calm weather those last days from no wind to 25 knots in the evening at the most. Some fog like on Wednesday morning the 10th but mainly sunny most of the time and calm with a pretty good visibility.

Ecological

We had the pleasure to welcome another female Elephant seal on Tuesday but only for a short time and pretty soon they were all gone. 4 guess made a come back ;otherwise the island is getting noisier and smell bad! The Sea lions mainly californian but some Steeler too, are coming closer and closer but not as numerous as they were last year. Some eagles around once in awhile.The gull chicks get big now,they are trying to fly but not ready yet.

Boats 

Watching boats and some diving boats (2 the same day) and closed to the rocks . Planes over on the weekend.We also have 4 times a day since Saturday loaded with alumni from the college . They came around the Rocks but not ashore.

Maintenance

Guy chopped more wood for winter.He got all the electrical fence posts ready around the student’s house and he went to the college to help for the sailing activity.On the 10th he prepared the batteries and made sure that they were full of water . it took  2 hours to fill up every of them ( total of 96  ) The generator has been working for 3 hours . Tomorrow we will have an Electrician for a general check up of the Race Rocks electrical system.

Visitor

Kyle brought some peat moss for the compost and a brand new seawater pump.

 

A visitor overnight: Raisa Mirza back to the Rock

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Weather

Windy day . At 10:00AM we already had 22 knots and a gust of wind was forecast for the afternoon.We had some fog part of the night and still some to 8:00 in the morning.At 4:30 the wind reached 35 knots

Ecological

3 or 4 big Sea lions on the rocks between the student house and the helicopters platform. Electrical lines soon

Visitor

In the morning as soon as the tide allowed it we went to the college to pick up Raisa . Raisa  is an Alumni ( year 31 or 32) and has been eco guardian at Race Rocks from September 2010 to May 2011 and her husband Ryan Murphy  was here from December 2008 to November 2011. He has been a biology teacher at the college for a few months too. Both are passionate by Race Rocks ,they are experimented divers and talented photographers. It was a very special time for Raisa to be back home  and we felt blessed to share this with her.She spent almost all her time outside taking pictures!

Census day

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Weather

The weather has been gorgeous and calm ,excellent visibility to 22km ,west wind around 15 knots.barometric pressure :101.9,sunrise at 5:52 and sunset at 20:45 ,humidity:88%

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Ecological

A beautiful and healthy female Elephant seal returned on Main Rock.First chickens swimming.More Sea lions everyday around. 2 more dead birds (one by a river otter and one resulting from a territorial fight).DSC_0050 eggs are hatched : the 2 youngest I think.

Maintenance 

Student house cleaning and other daily chores

Visitor

Kyle came and bring some needed stuff.

Other

Plane above

Census

Harbour seals :around 200

Gulls :between 535 and 550

Eagle:1

turnstones:130 to 150DSC_0755

Harlequin Duck:1 female

River otters:1

Oystercatchers: 4 couples seen

Pigeon-Guillemots:around 60

Seashore Sea lions :131 (on Middle and South) DSC_0392DSC_0587DSC_0017

Elephant Seals:1

 

Beautiful Summer days but a little bit chillier at least on the Rocks!

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Weather

On Monday at 5:00 AM 22 knots west wind getting to 25 in the afternoon and cloudy to clear later. On Tuesday same kind of weather , wind closed to 28 knots in the afternoon and very clear and hot even if the wind on the sea is chilli. Water and air same temperature of 12 degrees celsius,barometric pressure stable:101.7KPA.

Ecological

The little birds are learning how to fly but it’s just the beginning. One elephant seal ,a young one, came back on Tuesday . The sea lions are getting closer and closer on the south side of the Rock and already have  to keep the window closed because of their noisy shoutings.Kelp beds are all around and we have to be cautious with the boat.I found an egg broken still liquid and a bird smoldering and 2 very young chickens.. so the season is not over yet.

Maintenance

Guy for the last time tried to make the seawater pump working but niet it’s really dead so we brought it back to the college and we will get another new one pretty soon.He chopped more wood and will got all the wood in piles closed to the houses instead of a big one at the jetty. We had after that to hoover the water sample house because with the wind :all the wood chips went inside ! the desalinator was on part of the days. Solar panels are  efficient ( Generator once a week on)

Other

Some DND activity.

We went to the college to bring back the pump and some recycling and garbage bags and at the same time we went for an interview with Aziz for the video in a quiet environment ;too much noise all the times here. Also we had a short meeting with Kyle to double check for the  next week organisation. A lot happening around the Sea front : year 31 and 32 alumni  are coming back for 4 days.

Steady watching boats activity.

 

 

First sea lions on Main!

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Weather

The night between Sunday and Saturday was a noisy one :the horn was honking a major part of the night and even in the morning on Monday. Later in the day the wind was strong 29 knots at 16:00 and 32 around 19:00.

Ecological

The first sea lions (californians) were on their favorite spot ,the flat rocks closed to the jetty. We discovered 1 and pretty soon they were 3 and among them a huge one .We have to get ready for a very noisy environment ;even 2 of them can be very tiring ,so when you think about hundreds of them…plugs plugs ! …but we are lucky ,they are late , last year they were already here at this time  .  No more elephant seal on the rock. I miss them a lot!  For now we have  found 7 dead chicken bodies,mainly because of territorial fights.

Boats

Many watching boats and some beautiful sailboats (those ones not in the ecological reserve). Actually one came on Saturday and it was something to see it speeding with the current and without engine.

Maintenance

The fire pump died! this old timer was worn out even if it worked pretty well to now! Solar panel pretty dirty and the whole island ,alleys and rocks,roofs …everything is mainly white because of the gulls .Rain will be welcome.

Busy Weekend for the watching boats

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Weather

On Friday the morning was calm ,the wind coming from West picked up only late in the afternoon at 25 knots at the most.The visibility was over 15 miles and air felt like 16 degrees celsius at 5:00 AM.Te water temperature was 12 degrees and the barometric pressure 101.4 KPA.Sunrise at 5.44 and sunset at 20:54. On Saturday it has been really calm especially around  noon where it was 0.26 knots and the flag looked like dead. On Sunday very calm in the morning and very windy in the afternoon to midnight around 35 knots;a North East wind becoming West later. July has been a pretty windy month !

Maintenance and other

On Friday, Aziz recorded more videos :by example the whaler in action and we brought him back to Pearson College before noon. We came back just in time around 5:00 because at 7:00 the wind was around 28 knots and reached 30 knots at 10:00PM. We had a plane above like usual at the end of the week. On Saturday Guy disassembled the derrick shed door that need to be changed.The seawater pump was on for a few hours .  On Saturday I sent the end of the month report and the Seawater datas

Boats 

We had a parade of watching boats without interruption  the whole day on Saturday!!! and some divers spent a long time on South Rocks ! they could stand up! I wished we had an horn!

The sea lions are coming back

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Weather

It was very foggy in the morning at 5:00 with fog horn on even in the night between Tuesday and Wednesday. it honks to 10 AM.After it was sunny and the wind picked up to 28 knots in the evening

Ecological

We found the first Sea lions sleeping on Main rock Today behind the student’s house and later we discovered  around 20 of them on Middle Rock :they are back . Many harbour seals and babies on the rocks around.DSC_7613

Maintenance

We went to the student’s house to do some needed cleaning in the kitchen and tidying up .

Boats 

We had many watching boats That day and among them we had the surprise to see 2 guys with diving suit (one from the Navy) standing up on their  surf boards with oars to propulse them. The tides and currents were OK but imagine 50  or more people doing the same ! They were in the middle of the passage but not closed enough to make them go! We checked to be sure they left safe and it took at least half an hour.They had some diving materiel with them on a bag .DSC_7614

DSC_7607VisitorsDSC_7596

Kyle brought a long time friend for a short visit.

 

 

Whaler back

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Weather

It has been a very windy day. At 5:00AM we had 34 knots with a gale warning in effect ;the sea was choppy and we had a clear sky with 10 miles of visibility. At 7:45 AM it was still around 33 knots and after a decrease at 19 knots at the end of the morning the wind picked up again and stayed strong between 25 to 28 late in the evening.

ecological

5 geese visiting on Main,no Sealions,only on Elephant seal the adult male . More gulls have returned

Maintenance

The camera on the gulls have been cleaned and stored. The seawater pump has been on for 4 hours and the desalinator for 6 hours. We cleaned the dirty panels as usual and sweeped the alleys full of feathers. We got the whaler back and everything is working well,he starts OK now.

Other

Plane over

 

 

 

 

Check up for the whaler

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Weather

West lo southwest light winds under 20 knots have been on  almost all the time since last week. We got some fog and the fog horn running the whole night between Sunday and Monday to a stop at 8:30 in the morning.The rest of the day was sunny with a flat sea…DSC_0191

Ecological

At low tide the water was pretty far discovering an interesting world of rocks covered with fresh algae. We could count only 4 sea lions (Steelers) around and 60 chickens seen from the front window. If we compare with last year we had 110 sea lions and 87 chickens from the front window .What a different situation.Last year the first one on the jetty came on the 23rd.We will see …the usual 4 elephant seals are most of the time sleeping on Main Rock and the babies are growing fast. Not so much drama I guess because they have enough space but the gulls closed to the path are still defensive and this night a new one was born with 2 more coming (the last ones )so it’s going to be even more difficult to go the jetty! No new dead birds.(only 3 to now ) On Sunday we could count more than 16 whale watching vessels  way beyond the green boyd because of a long pod of orcas.DSC_0217DSC_0220

Maintenance

Guy changed the boat pump for a more efficient one.It was 360 GPM and now it’s 750. He left in the fog early on Monday because of an appointment with a Yamaha specialist. At the college they took the whaler off the water and put it on a trailer.We took the zodiac until the trailer is ready. Camera 3 has been stoppedDSC_0194

Other

3 times this week we had a plane above. Watching boats like usual.