12/11 Waiting for parts
We’ve made pretty good time, in sailboat terms, working our way down the coast. With only a few multi-day stops it took three weeks to get from Annapolis to Florida. But the watermaker woes finally left us stuck for a over a week. We found reasonable dockage at Riviera Beach so the warranty work on the watermaker could be done. Most marine service companies will not work on a boat that is not at a dock. Something about insurance. For us, it means the added expense of docking at a marina. But at least the Riviera Beach town marina has a cool tiki bar restaurant and great grouper tacos. IATO was at the dock too for most of the time, so it was nice to have some time to hang out with Rick and Linda, and to finally meet my 2nd cousin Keith and his wife Lori, who came up for lunch on Sunday.
Beard Marine responded pretty quickly, but then we had to wait for days for the replacement feed pump to come from California. Sure enough that fixed the problem and we were glad it was covered under warranty. Watermakers are alchemy to me. Sea salinity, Energy Transfer Device pressure, brine discharge, membranes, flow rates, diverter valves, backflush and pickling…. And it’s all about reverse osmosis and the ultimate “product water” that dribbles into our water tank at a few gallons an hour. As a trained engineer, I’m usually pretty good at troubleshooting systems, but so far I’m mystified by the watermaker. Something else to learn.
Finally, we left Rivera Beach and it wasn’t easy. With a stiff breeze blowing us onto the dock, I was worried we would scrape against the pilings or blow into other boats. Rick helped from the dock and we were able to spring around the end of the dock and back out into the channel. By mid afternoon we were at anchor in Lake Boca. The plan was to meet Keith and go to their home for dinner. But now comes my biggest peeve about the cruising life. In so many towns there is no place to go ashore. Lake Boca is stuffed with luxury condos, homes, and hotels. There is a small public boat ramp, but no place to leave the dinghy for a few hours. We fruitlessly ran up and down the ICW looking for a suitable spot. Keith was looking from the shore. We even spotted him one time. But alas, to no avail, we went back to the boat and didn’t get a chance to visit them. What a disappointment!
12/13
Miami Blue
We timed our 0645 departure from Lake Boca with the first bridge opening. By mid-day we had staggered through a myriad of ICW bridges and waited behind two racing sailboats for the last obstacle between us and the Atlantic…. The 55 foot bascule bridge at Port Everglades. Out the huge inlet we were greeted by a 15 knot easterly, 4 foot seas and the bluest of seas. Despite it being a little rough, the sails pushed us along at almost 8 knots and we enjoyed watching Miami draw near over the brilliant blue. We quickly made the short offshore leg and sailed into Miami’s Government Cut… South Beach on our right and Fisher Island on our left. Enormous docks and ships lay ahead, with the Miami skyline as backdrop. As we took the south side of Lummus Island, a confusing commotion approached in the channel. We saw a couple of small tugs and pilot boats and a small ship belching white smoke. It was old and rusty, perhaps 100’ long. The deck was strewn with rusty bicycles and parts, as if salvaged from the bottom. Its hailing port was African, and about 25 very unhappy looking men were on the deck milling about. We wondered. We still wonder.
Out of Miami we made for Key Biscayne and No Name Harbor, a beautiful little harbor that is part of a state park. We didn’t get out and explore, but with a late arrival we settled in and were out early the next morning. The wind was perfect for a sail down Biscayne Bay, and we made good time to Islamorada. We tried to anchor at Tavernier, but ran aground in the Community Harbor channel. It is very shallow all over the keys, and it felt a little weird to be under sail at 7.5 knots with only a couple of feet of water under the keel.
12/15 Tropics
After our sprint to the keys, we figured we had plenty of time to make it Ft Myers Beach, so we decided to linger in Islamorada for a couple of days. The famous Lorelei restaurant provided dockage and breakfast, and we were able to walk to provision nearby. The water was warm and clear and we finally felt we had accomplished something cruiserly by having delivered ourselves to a tropical anchorage in December. To celebrate, we dove in. A quick inspection of the hull revealed a rope around the starboard prop. Probably one of the myriads of crab pots dotting Florida Bay. Our line cutters had done their job, and it was easy to get the remnant clear of the prop.
12/18 Cruiser Central
Marathon’s Boot Key harbor is the end of the line for many snowbirds. A large protected harbor, winter warmth, and a cruiser-friendly attitude bring the crowds. There is even the Smorgasboat, which will act as a taxi and delivery service. Every morning there is a radio net to talk about local news, special offers from local businesses, weather, and want-ads. Marine services abound. We were anxious to get north but we waited a few nights for a front to pass. We sailed close-hauled at 6.3 kts past Bullard Bank and on to Cape Romano. The crab pots were so thick we were constantly dodging them. Everywhere, for miles. It was a long stretch and it was dark before we reached the Cape Romano shoals. The charted shoal light was nowhere to be seen, and for a while we confused radio tower lights near Marco Island for navigation lights. The wind was predicted to stay offshore, so we tucked in at about 9:30 north of Cape Romano Island just off the beach. It seemed a little strange to anchor in the Gulf of Mexico, but the offshore wind kept it calm all night, and we were close enough to the beach to be lulled asleep by the surf and the occasional breathing of a passing dolphin.
12/19 Destination
After a leisurely start, we sailed north until the wind died off Marco Island. We motored toward Ft Myers Beach, but decided to do a drive-by at the Naples pier. It looks so different from the other side. For a while, we had a hard time spotting it, but passed a couple of hundred yards off the pier and waved to the tourists. We tried to spot familiar sights along the way…. The Registry, Vanderbilt Beach, Wiggins State Park. Finally we were there, our winter destination. We slid underneath the bridge by the Matanzas Inn and decided to pick up a mooring in the east field past Salty Sam’s. As we approached, we spotted another Manta. We pulled near to see who it was. It was a new boat, a Mark IV named Serenity. It’s easy to tell by the added footsteps on the hull. A figure appeared, and called out “Sally, we meet at last!” Thanks, John. How nice to end our first cruise with a friendly Manta family welcome.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Friday, December 07, 2007
Water
29 November - 1 December - The watermaker worked less than a week, but we were hooked. 5 days after losing the source, we had to find water. The laundry had piled up, and our luxury of having a washer/dryer means a sacrifice of 12-20 gallons a load. We were on vapor, and that means it's time for a marina. We called in early to Vero Beach municipal who could accomodate us only on the fuel dock, and only if we arrived after 4:30. That fit our schedule if we motored on one engine, so we booked it. We tried to stop at the old Jones Fruit Dock, but were told the water is not good for tanks. I think the fruit dock may have been fun. Evidently, Mr. Jones entertains visitors with his recollections of old Florida. Next time. Vero Beach is cruiser central, with many of the St Marys crowd attached to the many mooring balls. Actually, there aren't enough mooring balls, and a lot of boats were rafted up in pairs or even three to a ball.
Next morning, we made a short trip to Riviera marina, as they advertise themselves as Suzuki outboard repair specialists. We still haven't gotten the outboard kill switch to work, so this looked like an opportunity. They had a cheap dock for $35 a night, so we figured we could hang out a day or two and finally get the thing fixed. Dan thought it was the kill switch, so he ordered one..... 2-3 days to arrive. Sigh. .... We didn't want to commit that time, so we asked them to forward it to us. On the south dock, folks there catch bait fish for local fishermen, and in return are paid in fish. One of the fishermen came back with a 2.5 ft King mackerel and gave it to one of the locals. He said he had enough, but needed some smokes. I took it off his hands for two packs worth. The next evening, Lora grilled the best fish we've had on the boat. She soaked it in milk overnight, and then marinated it in a mix of soy sauce, olive oil, and Montreal seasoning (recipe thanks to Rick from IATO). It was fabulous.
We departed at dawn in the rain and fueled at Ft. Pierce Port Petroleum for $3.149/gal. 40.5 gallons since Fernandina. This equates to about 6.3 statute miles/gallon or .77 gals per engine hour since entering Florida. Not bad.
The numerous bascule bridges to pass were a chore, but we enjoyed marvelling at the fabulous homes in Hobe sound, including the emerging compound of Lora's hero, Tiger. We dropped the hook in downtown Palm Beach next to our friends Rick and Linda from sistership IATO, a Manta 40. This is where we were sent to get the watermaker fixed, so we'll probably be here for a while. We don't mind so much. The weather is sweet, and it is very nice indeed to be down south in December!
Next morning, we made a short trip to Riviera marina, as they advertise themselves as Suzuki outboard repair specialists. We still haven't gotten the outboard kill switch to work, so this looked like an opportunity. They had a cheap dock for $35 a night, so we figured we could hang out a day or two and finally get the thing fixed. Dan thought it was the kill switch, so he ordered one..... 2-3 days to arrive. Sigh. .... We didn't want to commit that time, so we asked them to forward it to us. On the south dock, folks there catch bait fish for local fishermen, and in return are paid in fish. One of the fishermen came back with a 2.5 ft King mackerel and gave it to one of the locals. He said he had enough, but needed some smokes. I took it off his hands for two packs worth. The next evening, Lora grilled the best fish we've had on the boat. She soaked it in milk overnight, and then marinated it in a mix of soy sauce, olive oil, and Montreal seasoning (recipe thanks to Rick from IATO). It was fabulous.
We departed at dawn in the rain and fueled at Ft. Pierce Port Petroleum for $3.149/gal. 40.5 gallons since Fernandina. This equates to about 6.3 statute miles/gallon or .77 gals per engine hour since entering Florida. Not bad.
The numerous bascule bridges to pass were a chore, but we enjoyed marvelling at the fabulous homes in Hobe sound, including the emerging compound of Lora's hero, Tiger. We dropped the hook in downtown Palm Beach next to our friends Rick and Linda from sistership IATO, a Manta 40. This is where we were sent to get the watermaker fixed, so we'll probably be here for a while. We don't mind so much. The weather is sweet, and it is very nice indeed to be down south in December!
Skipper Bob
26-28 November - The anchorage possibilities in St Augustine were poor, so we decided to keep moving. The wind was up, and the main anchorage was pretty rolly. This is where Skipper Bob comes in. In addition to our electronic charts, paper charts and glossy guidebooks, we have a little spiralbound book called "Anchorages Along the Intracoastal Waterway" by Skipper Bob Publications. This great little book has details about good places to drop the hook. It may sound simple, but finding a good anchorage has been, at times, challenging. One thing you don't want to do... find yourself without safe harbor when it gets dark. We tested a few places en route, but found no depth out of the channel. There weren't a lot of places in the guides to anchor as we approached Flagler Beach, but Skipper Bob listed a couple of little undeveloped canals at ICW mile 812.9. Skipper Bob says go in the south one, but curiously, there were two boats in the north canal and nobody in the south one. They scoot back about a quarter of a mile, but are only about 100' wide. We eased in the mouth, which had a shoal cutting off about 1/3 of the entrance. If it hadn't been in the guide, we'd never have gone in there. Lora read out the depth as I gingerly motored in. 7'.... 6'..... 5.5'.....5. Then we were in. The depth crept back up to 8 and 9 feet. The next challenge was how to anchor. We usually drop the spade anchor, conveniently attached to chain and easily lowered with the windlass at the press of a foot-controlled switch. But we would swing into the bank and trees with only about 30' of water on each side of the boat. So we took out our secondary anchor, a Fortress, and attached it to the stern. Lora lowered it off the stern and we motored forward, setting it and then paying out much of the rode. Then we dropped the spade with about 50' of chain and backed up, taking slack out of the stern anchor as we backed so as not to get tangled in the rode. It worked like a champ. The boat didn't budge all night. We were tucked in so well that it was still despite the windy night. The next morning the depth gauge crept up to 4.5' at the mouth of the canal, but we didn't hit bottom.
We spent the next couple of days making tracks, and anchored in Daytona and Titusville. Approaching Titusville, we could see the famous NASA Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) from miles away. I remember going there for the Apollo 14 launch with my dad the NASA rocket scientist. Despite the incredible advances in technology since that time, I still stand most amazed at the Apollo program. And, as a NASA brat having grown up with it all around me, I now have a perspective on how incredible it is.
It was tempting to stay and see the shuttle launch, scheduled for Dec 6, but we decided to press on. On Wed we were able to sail from Titusville to Cocoa and decided to stop for some errands. The watermaker had since quit, and we were bummed about that. I needed a new phone, since mine died a slow death in a soapy bucket, and we needed some hardware for minor repairs such as the dinghy seat, which cracked on a rude wave in Titusville. The town dock made it an easy stop, and nearby Travis hardware is in itself worth a stop. The anti-Home Depot, they have everything, even in single quantities, and folks who know how to help you. Nothing against The Home Depot, but this place makes you miss old fashioned hardware stores. We also picked up an irresistible boat gadget, a RIDGID See Snake, an LED illuminated video system with the optics and lights on a gooseneck type stalk. It lets you look down pipes, around nooks, etc. We've already used it fishing cables through the boat. With a shiny new Verizon Voyager phone and hardware, we were ready to keep moving.
We spent the next couple of days making tracks, and anchored in Daytona and Titusville. Approaching Titusville, we could see the famous NASA Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) from miles away. I remember going there for the Apollo 14 launch with my dad the NASA rocket scientist. Despite the incredible advances in technology since that time, I still stand most amazed at the Apollo program. And, as a NASA brat having grown up with it all around me, I now have a perspective on how incredible it is.
It was tempting to stay and see the shuttle launch, scheduled for Dec 6, but we decided to press on. On Wed we were able to sail from Titusville to Cocoa and decided to stop for some errands. The watermaker had since quit, and we were bummed about that. I needed a new phone, since mine died a slow death in a soapy bucket, and we needed some hardware for minor repairs such as the dinghy seat, which cracked on a rude wave in Titusville. The town dock made it an easy stop, and nearby Travis hardware is in itself worth a stop. The anti-Home Depot, they have everything, even in single quantities, and folks who know how to help you. Nothing against The Home Depot, but this place makes you miss old fashioned hardware stores. We also picked up an irresistible boat gadget, a RIDGID See Snake, an LED illuminated video system with the optics and lights on a gooseneck type stalk. It lets you look down pipes, around nooks, etc. We've already used it fishing cables through the boat. With a shiny new Verizon Voyager phone and hardware, we were ready to keep moving.
Florida!
24 November - Florida was a milestone.... for some reason. Somehow, crossing the state line made us actually feel like we'd come a long way. After missing cheap diesel at the Fernandina petroleum port, we shelled out $3.59 a gallon for 70 gallons. Since we only sailed about 4 days coming down, we burned 185 gallons from Annapolis to Florida at a cost of $587. We overheard some powerboats chatting in NC hoping to make it to Charleston on 1200 gallons. I'm not complaining.
We motored into a wonderful, desolate anchorage at Pine Island by the Guana River State Park. There aren't a lot of anchorages around there, so by dusk 14 boats had settled in. Some of them, such as "Scandia", we recognized from St. Marys. As the sun went down, we heard the strains of pipes in the distance. On deck, we could see that it was the crew of S/V Strathspey helping us settle for the evening. The lovely sound, so appropriate in the lonely setting, reached even the farthest boat, and everyone was on deck listening. It went very well with single malt Scotch.
We motored into a wonderful, desolate anchorage at Pine Island by the Guana River State Park. There aren't a lot of anchorages around there, so by dusk 14 boats had settled in. Some of them, such as "Scandia", we recognized from St. Marys. As the sun went down, we heard the strains of pipes in the distance. On deck, we could see that it was the crew of S/V Strathspey helping us settle for the evening. The lovely sound, so appropriate in the lonely setting, reached even the farthest boat, and everyone was on deck listening. It went very well with single malt Scotch.
A Cruisers Thanksgiving
19-23 November - Dozens of sailboat masts marked the way long before we could see the St. Marys. We anchored right in front of the town dock between two huge mooring balls. Of megatanker scale, I have no idea why they are there. It didn't take long before the fest organizers came to greet us. The crew of Morning Glory made us feel quite welcome and were glad to add Lora's famous Mediterranean style potatoes to the menu. They listed the activities.... doggie meetings, happy hours, a swap meet, etc. along with the Thanksgiving meal. At 5 a crowd of happy cruisers squeezed into Seagle's Saloon. We met newbies like us to an older couple who'd been cruising for over 25 years. A jam session formed in the hotel lounge and I was happy to grab a guitar and pick for a few tunes.
Over the next couple of days we enjoyed relaxing, meeting folks, and finishing up our weather system installation. Amazingly, over 100 boats had arrived by Thursday! The feast was jammed with people, and for a while we didn't think we'd find a place to sit. But everyone was accomodated, and there was more than enough food and folks were sent back to their boats with leftovers. Fat'n'happy, we dinked back to the boat for the American Thanksgiving tradition of football and digestion.
Over the next couple of days we enjoyed relaxing, meeting folks, and finishing up our weather system installation. Amazingly, over 100 boats had arrived by Thursday! The feast was jammed with people, and for a while we didn't think we'd find a place to sit. But everyone was accomodated, and there was more than enough food and folks were sent back to their boats with leftovers. Fat'n'happy, we dinked back to the boat for the American Thanksgiving tradition of football and digestion.
A pause at Jekyll
18-19 November - Some towns make an effort to welcome boaters. Others seem oblivious, and a few even seem outright hostile. St. Marys, GA sets the standard for hospitality. The town has opened its doors to boaters and for the last few years thrown a Thanksgiving feast for the visitors. Not wanting to miss that, we decided to pace our progress, and with palms and dolphins greeting us around every bend, it was time to slow down.
Jekyll Island is a trail-laden state park, an ideal spot to break out the folding bicycles. We loaded them into the dink and assembled them on a nearby public dock. The trails are fabulous, taking you through woodland, swamp, beach and golf courses. We did a little provisioning and decided we needed to break out the golf clubs as well. Jekyll was once a retreat for the likes of JP Morgan and the Rockefellers. Many of the 'cottages' and the club house have been restored and are fascinating to see. The Sunday brunch at the club is a worthwhile luxury.
The golf courses are gorgeous, yet public and reasonably priced ($59 for 18 holes including cart). The challenge was getting our clubs to the course. We decided to try to bike to the course... with our clubs slung over our backs. We got about a third of the way there, but they kept sliding off and we were getting pretty sore and tired. We mounted the clubs on the bikes and walked them. It didn't hurt but they kept sliding off the bikes. When we came to a road, a maintenance truck stopped, and we thankfully got a ride, with all our gear, to the course. Ed and Sue from Homestead, FL, nice folks and good golfers, rounded out our foursome. Lora and I stank, but it was fun. Fortunately, Ed and Sue had a shiny new truck that fit us and our stuff, so we were back on the boat in time for cocktails.
The first couple of weeks had pretty much been a sprint to get south, so a few days at Jekyll Island was quite welcome. We used the extra time to do what boaters do.... boat projects! First came the watermaker. Although we've had Synchronicity for over a year, the watermaker had yet to be re-activated. Even though I'm an engineer, the watermaker always seemed a bit like black magic to me. Simple in theory, but chock full of tubes and pumps, the desalination process works simply on the reverse osmosis (RO) principle.... forcing water through filters under pressure to take out salt and impurities... yielding a very high quality drinking water. We were so scared of screwing it up that we had the RO membrane stored by professionals since last winter. But since we were finally spending a lot of time in clean water it was time to hook it up. We bought some distilled water to do a fresh water flush (yet another slog with heavy stuff on bikes), and then held our breath. Chug, chug, whirr! and after about 5 minutes the POTABLE WATER light came on. We were makin' water!
Having a watermaker changes things. Suddenly, you are not tethered to marinas after so many days to fill the tank. With all the low energy systems on the boat, coupled with the solar collectors, Synchronicity can stay off the grid for a long time. The limiting factor is often fresh water. It's a beautiful thing to be flush with fresh water.
The next challenge to tackle was the Raymarine Sirius weather data system. This is a nifty high tech capability that downloads weather data from the Sirius satellites and lets you view it on the E-Series chartplotter. It's great to have up to the minute weather, including radar, buoy data and forecasts graphically presented right at the helm. The challenge here was running cables throughout the boat. So we decided to take this one in stages. First, we fished the antenna cable down the radar arch into the engine room. Fortunately, I found twine left by Tropica, the original installer, that let us pull the cable through with little problem. Then we had to run it behind the guest berth cabinets where we mounted the receiver unit. Power wasn't too much of a problem, as Manta had conveniently left an uninstalled 12V outlet cable right where we needed it. The big hassle was the network cable. This required pulling out both berth cabinets, the range in the galley, and the master head cabinet.... all in search of the SeaTalk HS LAN cable. The little culprit was tucked between the electrical panel and master head. We pulled it back through to the berth and connected the SeaTalk coupler. After activating the Sirius service, and the data started coming through. Hooray! All in all, it took 3-4 work sessions of a couple of hours each, and we learned more about the boat. That was a lot better than the $900 an installer in Annapolis wanted to charge us for installation! Total cost: Sirius SR-100, $725, cables $100, misc (including dropping two drill bits overboard) $25. Then there is a $29.95 monthly subscription fee.
19- 23 November - Since the weather looked good, we decided yet again to go outside for the next leg... St. Marys. Shoals at St. Andrew Sound continue for several miles, and here we almost ran into trouble. The chart showed red buoy which looked out of place with the line of the other buoys and the depth contours. I followed the line of greens out as we left the sound. I looked for a red but didn't see it. But about 4 miles out, the depths suddenly fell to 6 feet. The sea was pretty calm, but I was not happy about being in the Atlantic with 2 feet of water under the boat. I stopped and called Lora to bring the paper chart, and thought about doing a 180. But was that the best route? The paper chart showed the red buoy, too, so I got out the binoculars and looked back. There it was! I'd been blinded by the morning sun and missed it, fueled by my assumptions from looking at the chart. Knowing where the channel was, I elected to take the shortest path to it. Sure enough, it got deeper quickly, and within a few yards we were back in 12 feet of water. Lesson learned: don't assume quirky buoys are chart errors. Sort it out before you go.
As this was a short run, we quickly reached the St Marys inlet to find a bustle of activity. The unmistakable shape told us it was a nuclear sub. Not surprising since Kings Bay sub base is just inside. There was a hive of Coast Guard patrol boats buzzing all around. We were hoping to sneak in the channel first to get a closer look, but weren't surprised when asked, nicely, to stand off until the 'deep draft naval vessel event' was over. Why can't they just say "wait until the sub passes"? We got close enough for a good snapshot, though. Looks like the crew was glad to get some fresh air.
Jekyll Island is a trail-laden state park, an ideal spot to break out the folding bicycles. We loaded them into the dink and assembled them on a nearby public dock. The trails are fabulous, taking you through woodland, swamp, beach and golf courses. We did a little provisioning and decided we needed to break out the golf clubs as well. Jekyll was once a retreat for the likes of JP Morgan and the Rockefellers. Many of the 'cottages' and the club house have been restored and are fascinating to see. The Sunday brunch at the club is a worthwhile luxury.
The golf courses are gorgeous, yet public and reasonably priced ($59 for 18 holes including cart). The challenge was getting our clubs to the course. We decided to try to bike to the course... with our clubs slung over our backs. We got about a third of the way there, but they kept sliding off and we were getting pretty sore and tired. We mounted the clubs on the bikes and walked them. It didn't hurt but they kept sliding off the bikes. When we came to a road, a maintenance truck stopped, and we thankfully got a ride, with all our gear, to the course. Ed and Sue from Homestead, FL, nice folks and good golfers, rounded out our foursome. Lora and I stank, but it was fun. Fortunately, Ed and Sue had a shiny new truck that fit us and our stuff, so we were back on the boat in time for cocktails.
The first couple of weeks had pretty much been a sprint to get south, so a few days at Jekyll Island was quite welcome. We used the extra time to do what boaters do.... boat projects! First came the watermaker. Although we've had Synchronicity for over a year, the watermaker had yet to be re-activated. Even though I'm an engineer, the watermaker always seemed a bit like black magic to me. Simple in theory, but chock full of tubes and pumps, the desalination process works simply on the reverse osmosis (RO) principle.... forcing water through filters under pressure to take out salt and impurities... yielding a very high quality drinking water. We were so scared of screwing it up that we had the RO membrane stored by professionals since last winter. But since we were finally spending a lot of time in clean water it was time to hook it up. We bought some distilled water to do a fresh water flush (yet another slog with heavy stuff on bikes), and then held our breath. Chug, chug, whirr! and after about 5 minutes the POTABLE WATER light came on. We were makin' water!
Having a watermaker changes things. Suddenly, you are not tethered to marinas after so many days to fill the tank. With all the low energy systems on the boat, coupled with the solar collectors, Synchronicity can stay off the grid for a long time. The limiting factor is often fresh water. It's a beautiful thing to be flush with fresh water.
The next challenge to tackle was the Raymarine Sirius weather data system. This is a nifty high tech capability that downloads weather data from the Sirius satellites and lets you view it on the E-Series chartplotter. It's great to have up to the minute weather, including radar, buoy data and forecasts graphically presented right at the helm. The challenge here was running cables throughout the boat. So we decided to take this one in stages. First, we fished the antenna cable down the radar arch into the engine room. Fortunately, I found twine left by Tropica, the original installer, that let us pull the cable through with little problem. Then we had to run it behind the guest berth cabinets where we mounted the receiver unit. Power wasn't too much of a problem, as Manta had conveniently left an uninstalled 12V outlet cable right where we needed it. The big hassle was the network cable. This required pulling out both berth cabinets, the range in the galley, and the master head cabinet.... all in search of the SeaTalk HS LAN cable. The little culprit was tucked between the electrical panel and master head. We pulled it back through to the berth and connected the SeaTalk coupler. After activating the Sirius service, and the data started coming through. Hooray! All in all, it took 3-4 work sessions of a couple of hours each, and we learned more about the boat. That was a lot better than the $900 an installer in Annapolis wanted to charge us for installation! Total cost: Sirius SR-100, $725, cables $100, misc (including dropping two drill bits overboard) $25. Then there is a $29.95 monthly subscription fee.
19- 23 November - Since the weather looked good, we decided yet again to go outside for the next leg... St. Marys. Shoals at St. Andrew Sound continue for several miles, and here we almost ran into trouble. The chart showed red buoy which looked out of place with the line of the other buoys and the depth contours. I followed the line of greens out as we left the sound. I looked for a red but didn't see it. But about 4 miles out, the depths suddenly fell to 6 feet. The sea was pretty calm, but I was not happy about being in the Atlantic with 2 feet of water under the boat. I stopped and called Lora to bring the paper chart, and thought about doing a 180. But was that the best route? The paper chart showed the red buoy, too, so I got out the binoculars and looked back. There it was! I'd been blinded by the morning sun and missed it, fueled by my assumptions from looking at the chart. Knowing where the channel was, I elected to take the shortest path to it. Sure enough, it got deeper quickly, and within a few yards we were back in 12 feet of water. Lesson learned: don't assume quirky buoys are chart errors. Sort it out before you go.
As this was a short run, we quickly reached the St Marys inlet to find a bustle of activity. The unmistakable shape told us it was a nuclear sub. Not surprising since Kings Bay sub base is just inside. There was a hive of Coast Guard patrol boats buzzing all around. We were hoping to sneak in the channel first to get a closer look, but weren't surprised when asked, nicely, to stand off until the 'deep draft naval vessel event' was over. Why can't they just say "wait until the sub passes"? We got close enough for a good snapshot, though. Looks like the crew was glad to get some fresh air.
Georgia from the outside
16 November - We got underway early in hopes of sailing offshore with Salty Paws. Port Royal Sound was much more pleasant than the jarring ride the day before, and we quickly spotted Salty Paws coming down the Beaufort River. Sails up, and out we went. Threading our way past the shoals, we turned on course for a lovely morning sail. This little stowaway visited for a while, hopping all about the cockpit, on me, in our basil plant, and finally took off for shore.
The wind died around lunch time and the motor took us the rest of the way to our quiet Walburg Creek anchorage near St. Catherine's Sound, Georgia. The loudest sound that evening was of dolphins breathing.
17 November - We got going early and planned to take the ICW. But as we headed back into St Catherine's Sound, we saw boats lined up single file, with the powerboats calling on the radio to announce overtaking sailboats. Ugh, too much like the I-95. That was enough to change the plan and head to sea for a calm and hassle-free day of motoring on the outside to our anchorage at Jekyll Island.
The wind died around lunch time and the motor took us the rest of the way to our quiet Walburg Creek anchorage near St. Catherine's Sound, Georgia. The loudest sound that evening was of dolphins breathing.17 November - We got going early and planned to take the ICW. But as we headed back into St Catherine's Sound, we saw boats lined up single file, with the powerboats calling on the radio to announce overtaking sailboats. Ugh, too much like the I-95. That was enough to change the plan and head to sea for a calm and hassle-free day of motoring on the outside to our anchorage at Jekyll Island.
South Carolina 2
12- 13 November - The next morning was a short trip to Isle of Palms Marina, where we met with my friend Elizabeth, a native of the area. We took a slip at the marina ($1.50/ft) to make it easier for meeting up with Elizabeth. We hung out for a couple of days, and Elizabeth toured us around the historic old city. We were able to top of our propane right at the marina, which was a welcome convenience. Our generator had lost it's output, so we suspected the notorious capacitor. The marina found a supplier for us and Elizabeth took us to get the parts. We decided to mount the capacitor outside of the generator housing to make it easy to replace, as it is really hard to get to. As it turns out, the old capacitor was good after all, and the breaker inside the housing had tripped.I figure we must have been running both air conditioning units (for heat) and the battery charger at the same time. Some quick calculations indicated that load might exceed 5 kilowatts, so that's probably what did it. Note to self: keep up with what you flip on!
14-15November - Motored to Bass Creek, near Beaufort, SC. This is a stunning anchorage, partly because of it's isolation. Nothing but grass and water for miles. Except for a few fisherman who cleared out at dark, we had it to ourselves. We made it to Beaufort the next morning and took advantage of the free city dock to have a look about town. We lunched at the Magnolia Cafe, got some cash at Wachovia and headed out. The wind was picking up but we had no problem getting off the dock. As we pulled out of the harbor, there was Salty Paws passing right by, so we decided to sail with them. They suggested going down the river on jib alone, which makes it easy. Jim, a fabulous photographer, snapped this photo of us sailing down the Beaufort river. The wind kept building over 25kts and we were moving quite smartly on jib alone.
Jim and Bentley decided they were going to go outside the next day, so they dropped anchor near the river's mouth. We weren't thrilled about being exposed with all the wind, so we decided to make for Skull Creek at Hilton Head. But unfortunately, we didn't take into account how rough it might get in Port Royal Sound. We rounded the buoy and pounded our way into a very unpleasant chop, with gusts creeping up to around 40kts. The cats got sick and our speed came down to under 4 kts, and even a couple of times to about 2.5. Stuff started sliding off of tables inside and clattering about the cabin. But by this point it didn't make much sense to turn around as the stretch was thankfully only about 4 miles. It took us about an hour to cover that distance and finally as we made it to the lee shore things calmed down.
14-15November - Motored to Bass Creek, near Beaufort, SC. This is a stunning anchorage, partly because of it's isolation. Nothing but grass and water for miles. Except for a few fisherman who cleared out at dark, we had it to ourselves. We made it to Beaufort the next morning and took advantage of the free city dock to have a look about town. We lunched at the Magnolia Cafe, got some cash at Wachovia and headed out. The wind was picking up but we had no problem getting off the dock. As we pulled out of the harbor, there was Salty Paws passing right by, so we decided to sail with them. They suggested going down the river on jib alone, which makes it easy. Jim, a fabulous photographer, snapped this photo of us sailing down the Beaufort river. The wind kept building over 25kts and we were moving quite smartly on jib alone.
Jim and Bentley decided they were going to go outside the next day, so they dropped anchor near the river's mouth. We weren't thrilled about being exposed with all the wind, so we decided to make for Skull Creek at Hilton Head. But unfortunately, we didn't take into account how rough it might get in Port Royal Sound. We rounded the buoy and pounded our way into a very unpleasant chop, with gusts creeping up to around 40kts. The cats got sick and our speed came down to under 4 kts, and even a couple of times to about 2.5. Stuff started sliding off of tables inside and clattering about the cabin. But by this point it didn't make much sense to turn around as the stretch was thankfully only about 4 miles. It took us about an hour to cover that distance and finally as we made it to the lee shore things calmed down.
Monday, November 26, 2007
In and Out - South Carolina
When we arrived at Carolina Beach, NC, we had plenty of time to anchor. We like having plenty of time to anchor, because we've found that at sailboat speeds it can be a major planning factor to get to a safe place to settle down for the night. We raced through Snow's Cut, riding a 2 knot current, and were into the Cape Fear river and promptly found our anchorage. But we didn't like it. It was exposed and I could see large ships traversing the area on the other side of a small island. I re-checked the guide book and chart and realized this was not the place. Even though it was only 2 or 3 miles back to the place we meant to go, it was getting late and we had to slog back against the current in Snow's Cut. We got back to Carolina Beach, and dropped the hook, still with some light. But it wouldn't set. We tried in the same area 3 times. the anchor dragged. Then we got out the Fortress, a Danforth style anchor, and it just skidded like we were just pulling it across the road. Then it got dark. We were tired after a full day at sea and missing the first place, and just didn't want to mess with it. But some healthy winds were forecast that night, so we kept at it. Finally we went into an area that was a bit more exposed and slowly felt our way into position. The hard part was trying to see other boats around us. Some didn't have anchor lights. Go figure. Thankfully, we didn't hit anybody, the anchor held, and we were soon in bed asleep.
The next morning, things again looked good to go outside. We'd missed visiting friends George and Nancy at St. James Plantation as they were out of town just as we were passing through, so we headed out of Cape Fear for another day at sea. Into the Little River Inlet, we were met by so many fishing boats, it was almost like dodging crab pots. But it helps us know when it's a weekend. We quickly tucked in behind Richmond Island and realized we were near the small town of Calabash, famous forlightly battered, fresh fried seafood. Fried is not our favorite, but when in Calabash, lower the dink and check it out. We had a good meal at Ella's. It reminded me a bit of barbecue restaurants back home in Alabama.
The cruise through Myrtle Beach was an interesting way to tour the area, and we found that impressions of a place from the water are very different indeed from land. Although we didn't stop in Myrtle Beach, we passed through with a much more positive view of the area. There are lovely homes and golf courses along the ICW in that stretch.
We were eager to enter the Waccamaw river, and were not disappointed by its beauty. We tucked into Cow Creek, just across from Wacca Wache marina so we could meet up with Lora's Fannie Mae colleague Leslie and her husband Doug, who live only a mile or so away. They whisked us off to Murrells Inlet for dinner, and then to their place for coffee, before heading back to the boat.
By this time it was quite dark and I was a little worried about feeling our way back across the river and into the creek in the dinghy. So on the way I had left some GPS breadcrumbs. With the handheld GPS I had put waypoints at a couple of places so we could steer to them and then know there would be something we could see. That worked out perfect, as we could confidently offset the current in the river and know we were going for the mouth of the creek.
Sunday morning we pulled up the anchor and picked up Doug and Leslie at the marina so we could show them the boat. After a brief tour, we deposited them and were on our way. The cypress forests of the Waccamaw gave we to the low country marshes as we approached Charleston. As twilight approached, we tucked into Whiteside Creek, near Isle of Palms, SC. It was amazing how close we could be to such a bustling metro area and yet be in such a stunningly beautiful and remote spot
The next morning, things again looked good to go outside. We'd missed visiting friends George and Nancy at St. James Plantation as they were out of town just as we were passing through, so we headed out of Cape Fear for another day at sea. Into the Little River Inlet, we were met by so many fishing boats, it was almost like dodging crab pots. But it helps us know when it's a weekend. We quickly tucked in behind Richmond Island and realized we were near the small town of Calabash, famous forlightly battered, fresh fried seafood. Fried is not our favorite, but when in Calabash, lower the dink and check it out. We had a good meal at Ella's. It reminded me a bit of barbecue restaurants back home in Alabama.
The cruise through Myrtle Beach was an interesting way to tour the area, and we found that impressions of a place from the water are very different indeed from land. Although we didn't stop in Myrtle Beach, we passed through with a much more positive view of the area. There are lovely homes and golf courses along the ICW in that stretch.
We were eager to enter the Waccamaw river, and were not disappointed by its beauty. We tucked into Cow Creek, just across from Wacca Wache marina so we could meet up with Lora's Fannie Mae colleague Leslie and her husband Doug, who live only a mile or so away. They whisked us off to Murrells Inlet for dinner, and then to their place for coffee, before heading back to the boat.
By this time it was quite dark and I was a little worried about feeling our way back across the river and into the creek in the dinghy. So on the way I had left some GPS breadcrumbs. With the handheld GPS I had put waypoints at a couple of places so we could steer to them and then know there would be something we could see. That worked out perfect, as we could confidently offset the current in the river and know we were going for the mouth of the creek.
Sunday morning we pulled up the anchor and picked up Doug and Leslie at the marina so we could show them the boat. After a brief tour, we deposited them and were on our way. The cypress forests of the Waccamaw gave we to the low country marshes as we approached Charleston. As twilight approached, we tucked into Whiteside Creek, near Isle of Palms, SC. It was amazing how close we could be to such a bustling metro area and yet be in such a stunningly beautiful and remote spot
.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Makin' tracks - North Carolina
After the big blow, we finally entered the ICW at Mile Zero in Norfolk. The rite of passage is to negotiate bridge openings and shallow spots. I think we might have lucked out with the bridges, because after all the windy weather there weren't a lot of boats out on Saturday. As for shallow, it appeared we'd come at a record low. The winds had blown a lot of water out, and the droughts are not helping. We saw boats aground at docks where I imagine they thought they'd be safe.
We made it to Pungo Ferry, VA and met up with our friend Steve, who happened to be in town to celebrate his cousin's promotion to Captain (USN). We learned quickly it can be a challenge to find a place to anchor in the ICW and for a while we were thinking we might not find a place to put the boat when we met up with Steve. The low water didn't help. The guide suggested Blackwater Creek, but we didn't want to venture inside. So we anchored at the mouth and were fine.
On Sunday we fueled at Coinjock, NC, and added 80 miles to our ICW count, anchoring at the end of the Alligator river in wonderful Tuckahoe Point. The cold front was upon us so we ran the generator to stay warm. The night sky was spectacular, with civilization far enough away to make the milky way easy to see.
Eager to get further south, we put in another long day on Monday, starting with the cut to Belhaven. It was quite a parade of boats, with lots of passing. We learned the difference between a good and bad pass. A bad pass sloshes you all about, and a good pass disturbs the boat very little. A lot of the power boats going south seem to be deliveries by professional captains, and many of them know how to do a good pass. The actually come quite close to you, but then throttle down suddenly and creep by. It can be done well if you know how. But it isn't always good, and tempers flare. We know, because we hear it on the radio. So much for the tranquility of escaping the I95.
Tuesday was a short day to Swansboro, NC, where we stopped to meet Lora's old Burke neighbor Joyce. Since we were meeting her and expecting even more cold weather, we decided to park at a Marina. We called ahead and got the last slip at Casper's. They were great.... friendly and helpful, and reasonably priced to boot. Swansboro is a charming little town; historic, clean, and with a few gems like Yana's, a 50's style restaurant brimming with Elvis, Marilyn, and James Dean memoribilia. The breakfast was great. We had very good food there at the Riverside and the Italian Trattoria as well.
Joyce had a car and toured us around the area, so we got to see the Crystal Coast and backtrack a bit to Beaufort, which we had bypassed on the way down. When we got back we saw a crew detailing the marina's truck, so we asked them about giving Synchronicity a clean and wax. They were available to do it the next day, so we extended our stay in Swansboro another day. It was a nice break after a couple of long days.
Each evening it has become routine to plan the next day's cruise. We get out the charts, guide books, and hopefully can get internet or TV for the weather. I was not looking forward to more bridges on the next stretch, so I started pondering going outside (into the Atlantic). The weather looked good, so the question was getting out of the Bogue Inlet. Inlets can be tricky due to shoaling and currents. The marina folks suggested I talk to the Tow Boat US guy, and they gave me his telephone no. What a great idea! With his notes, and an Army Corps of Engineers map of an Oct 07 surve of the inlet I pulled off the internet, I felt pretty confident. So Thursday morning out we went. It was cold, but the weather was perfect for sailing.... 15 knots broad reach. We did about 7.5-8.5 knots for several hours, before the wind calmed down in the last couple of hours. The sun warmed us up a bit, and the guys at Sirius radio must have known they needed to play Debussy's La Mer for our day at sea.
But the highlight of all was another cruisers rite of passage..... having dolphins come and check us out. I'll never tire of that.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Hunkering Down
After three easy days motoring down the bay, we arrived last night in Norfolk. We were hoping to go ahead and enter the ICW, but everyone is hunkering down for the big blow. Hurricane Noel is skirting the coast, and the outer bands are butting up against a high pressure area creating a good nor'easter right in this area. We anchored in the Lafayette river across from the yacht club and got out our 2nd anchor (a Fortress). We've been checking position with the GPS and visually. We haven't budged, but the gusts are supposed to get up to 50 kts or so overnight. We'll probably end up here tomorrow night as well, as the wind is supposed to be tomorrow morning as well. Although we're not worried about sea conditions at this time, our concern becomes safely passing other boats, going through bridges, and debris blowing onto us or in the water. So we'll wait until things calm down. If the anchors stay put, it's actually rather cozy.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Winged Migration
We spent October based in Annapolis, which was a great place to stage a number of trips (cheap BWI flights), see friends, and go to the boat show. This was an especially pleasant time thanks to our new friends Dick and Kathy, who helped us feel right at home in that great town.
We also used the time to do some work on the boat.... especially the bottom, as we had access to a lift. Lora kept at it when I went south for 10 days to see my mom. Now we've freshened up the bottom paint, cleaned the hull and props, and are ready to slide through the water.
We knew it was time to go yesterday when we found frost on the deck. So off we go again... first day to Solomons, and this morning at the crack of dawn to Deltaville. Deltaville is a curious little town of 800 residents and about 3000 boats. One of our boat show purchases was a satellite data receiver for weather information (Raymarine SR100). I'm pretty keen to install it, but on cracking open the box I found I needed a couple of parts. Sure enough, Marine Electronics in Deltaville had what I needed, and Connie at the store was willing to drive to the town dock and bring them to us. I don't think we could have found this stuff in Manhattan, but if it's a boat part, they probably have it in Deltaville. Tomorrow we head for Norfolk and hope to finally put the sails up, as we've motored into the wind the last two days.
Oh, don't forget to check our position reports if you're tracking our progress down the ICW.
Monday, October 01, 2007
The only way to go
Visiting a great city is a wonderful thing. The sights and unique treasures of each are always such a pleasure to discover. But getting there is so often a stressful chore. From a far-flung airport a zoom-n-creep cab ride plunks you down... disoriented... somewhere in an urban canyon. Are you sure this is my hotel?
Sailing into NYC will go down as one of the best things I've ever done. I was a little nervous about dealing with all the ship traffic, but it turned out to be quite manageable. We thought of all the years of immigrants coming in, soldiers shipping out, the great cruise ships, and then, of course, liberty. Dodging the Staten Island Ferry, we passed Ellis Island and turned our attention on Manhattan. Battery Park, Wall St and ground zero greeted us first, and we were amazed that it was still quite a distance up the Hudson to get to our mooring at the 79th St Boat Basin.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Not a bad place to get stuck
Atlantic Highlands has been a pleasant surprise, and not a bad place to be stuck waiting for parts. Services and restaurants are easily accessible, and folks have been very friendly. The anchorage has been nice and quiet, and quite picturesque. All this within sight of the Big Apple, 20 miles away. We had thought we'd actually be in NYC on 9/11, but our prop saga kept us at a distance. Nevertheless, the reminder of that date was clear from our anchorage, and it was very moving to see the tribute of light,like a tether to heaven.
Outsourcing outboards
Johnson outboards have been around forever. I remember when I was a little kid seeing them all over the lakes and rivers of Mississippi and Alabama. So when we took possession of Synchronicity, the sight of a Johnson outboard hanging on our dinghy was a nostalgic site. During the survey, though, we found that the kill switch wouldn't work. The only way I could stop the engine was to pull the gas line and let it die of fuel starvation. So when we moved aboard this spring, we tried to find someone to fix it. Nobody in Colonial Beach wanted to bother with a little 15hp. So after cruising around the Chesapeake for a few weeks we got real tired of leaving the dink with the engine putting away. We took it in to a repair shop in Annapolis. $100 later we got a recommendation to take it to a Johnson dealer. Oh, and he Johnson dealer tells us that our Johnson isn't really a Johnson, because Johnson is now really Bombardier, and since ours is the 4-stroke 15hp, ours is really made by Suzuki..... so take it to a Suzuki dealer. Now it's three months later, and the outboard still won't stop.
But at least it goes. That is, until last week. We were anchored just across from Atlantic City in Brigantine Beach, and decided to head to town and go to Trump Marina casino for a giant buffet dinner. We knew it would be a bit of a challenge to find the tiny channel inlet back in the dark, but I had my tiny GPS to help guide us in. The tide was out and sure enough, we missed the inlet enough to hit the sand bar. We pushed off and continued in, but little did we know that the rubber cushion hub on the prop that protects the engine shaft had done it's job and wouldn't push much longer. And sure enough, when we got to Atlantic Highlands, the engine started running at high RPM, but the boat would only do about 1 mph. We weren't sure what it was, so I called around to a few service shops (now do I call Johnson, Bombardier, or Suzuki?), but nothing was quick and easy. So we figured we should first replace the prop. We found Atlantic Marine Supply right here in town, so they quickly ordered a prop, due the next day. OK, sounds good. But I should know by now that it's too easy to work. We got the prop on time on Tue and then found the splines didn't match. I found the exact replacement at Defender, and Mike at Atlantic Marine Supply was gracious to let us have it delivered to his shop. We figured we needed a spare, so we thought we'd try some more avenues, and even found a suzuki dealer right here in Atlantic Highlands. Hey, maybe we can get the kill switch problem fixed. But no, they focus on larger engines and parts would have to be ordered, and our 4 day stay here would probably stretch to a week. Then we found a local prop repair shop, and Jake really worked hard to help us out. But alas, no parts to fit, no prop to match. I'm still not sure if a suzuki prop would fit our boat. But UPS says our exact replacement is out for delivery this morning, so we're hoping to finally pull up anchor and head to NYC this afternoon.
But at least it goes. That is, until last week. We were anchored just across from Atlantic City in Brigantine Beach, and decided to head to town and go to Trump Marina casino for a giant buffet dinner. We knew it would be a bit of a challenge to find the tiny channel inlet back in the dark, but I had my tiny GPS to help guide us in. The tide was out and sure enough, we missed the inlet enough to hit the sand bar. We pushed off and continued in, but little did we know that the rubber cushion hub on the prop that protects the engine shaft had done it's job and wouldn't push much longer. And sure enough, when we got to Atlantic Highlands, the engine started running at high RPM, but the boat would only do about 1 mph. We weren't sure what it was, so I called around to a few service shops (now do I call Johnson, Bombardier, or Suzuki?), but nothing was quick and easy. So we figured we should first replace the prop. We found Atlantic Marine Supply right here in town, so they quickly ordered a prop, due the next day. OK, sounds good. But I should know by now that it's too easy to work. We got the prop on time on Tue and then found the splines didn't match. I found the exact replacement at Defender, and Mike at Atlantic Marine Supply was gracious to let us have it delivered to his shop. We figured we needed a spare, so we thought we'd try some more avenues, and even found a suzuki dealer right here in Atlantic Highlands. Hey, maybe we can get the kill switch problem fixed. But no, they focus on larger engines and parts would have to be ordered, and our 4 day stay here would probably stretch to a week. Then we found a local prop repair shop, and Jake really worked hard to help us out. But alas, no parts to fit, no prop to match. I'm still not sure if a suzuki prop would fit our boat. But UPS says our exact replacement is out for delivery this morning, so we're hoping to finally pull up anchor and head to NYC this afternoon.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Now This Is More Like It!
After spending a couple of months just hangin' out at Colonial Beach we're finally off on a new impromptu adventure. At this writing, we're passing the Chesapeake Bay Cove Point Lighthouse, Coast Guard Station and nuclear power plant enroute to Annapolis. Conditions are very good with winds expected to run 10-15 knots and on a broad reach all day. We've gained a passenger/crewmate in David whose boat remains in CB while we 3 venture out. Our destination for September is New England via Delaware Bay and Cape May to Block Island. More on that as the trip progresses.
Lest we forget to share all the fun of the last 2 months, let us hit some of the highlights. My particular favorite was the week that Sally left to visit her mother in Huntsville. I must say I can't remember when I've had such a good time in many years. Temperatures hit record highs with heat indicies in the area of 100-105F. Dew points were up in the 70's and even the kitties went into semi-hibernation as the oppressive heat and humidity settled in for several days. But then the fun really started.
Sitting at dock in CB for any length of time allows a lush growth of sea grass and barnacles to cake the hull and invade the thru hulls with the same abundance and abandon as kudzu overtaking the southeastern U.S. The sea water cooling came to a complete stop and both AC units went out within minutes of each other. Almost simultaneously, and with the starboard waste holding tank full, the macerator began to leak into the bilge via the cabinet floor beneath the sink. A photo wouldn't be helpful here, but smell-o-vision would certainly help our readers to share more fully in the experience.
Lest we forget to share all the fun of the last 2 months, let us hit some of the highlights. My particular favorite was the week that Sally left to visit her mother in Huntsville. I must say I can't remember when I've had such a good time in many years. Temperatures hit record highs with heat indicies in the area of 100-105F. Dew points were up in the 70's and even the kitties went into semi-hibernation as the oppressive heat and humidity settled in for several days. But then the fun really started.
Sitting at dock in CB for any length of time allows a lush growth of sea grass and barnacles to cake the hull and invade the thru hulls with the same abundance and abandon as kudzu overtaking the southeastern U.S. The sea water cooling came to a complete stop and both AC units went out within minutes of each other. Almost simultaneously, and with the starboard waste holding tank full, the macerator began to leak into the bilge via the cabinet floor beneath the sink. A photo wouldn't be helpful here, but smell-o-vision would certainly help our readers to share more fully in the experience.
I managed to slow the macerator leak and rinsed out the bilge using the shore water making conditions slightly more tolerable so I could at be in the hull to start working on the AC water pump. Our neighbor, David, gave me a hand opening the filter housing and removing the seacock end of the sea water hose. Surprise, surprise! Virtually no water flow from the seacock, even in full open position. The strainer was caked with about an inch of grass which held tenaciously to the filter basket. At that point I cleaned the basket but was pretty tired having worked on the whole mess for about 3 hours. With a lapse in concentration I forgot that the o-ring that holds one end of the strainer in shape was still in the cleaning bucket. Yup, I tossed it into the bay and didn't have a spare. I shared the whole adventure with Sally, cleaned up and had some dinner around 9:00pm before collapsing into bed - temp around 85 and dew point still in the 70's.
When I awoke the next morning I was ready to tackle the AC once again so I headed to the local Ace hardware where I picked up a $4.79 brass fitting. Back on the boat I removed the hose from the filter to the pump, inserted the brass fitting and attached the shore hose to the other end, thus bypassing the filter and sourcing fresh water for the AC. Finally, both units working, I got some much needed relief from the heat and humidity. We got a new filter basket via overnight express, cleaned out the seacock as best we could, removed and cleaned heavy grass growth from the intake hoses and reconnected the seawater intake through the filter. All remained well for a time but we did experience another failure in about 3 weeks due to grass in the intake hose. When Sally returned we tackled the macerator together and fixed it with the service kit which had luckily been supplied by Synchronicity's former owner.
Here are some pictures from our September journey. At this writing we're sitting just south of New York City on September 11 and again mourning the loss of so many lives and painfully aware of the missing towers on the skyline.
Departing Solomons, MD
Sally and David, Ready for Annapolis
The Admiralty Rests after successfully hoisting the spinnaker.
Passing the "Pride of Baltimore II" on the C&D Canal.
"Proteus" on Delaware Bay
For more info on this amazing craft, click here:
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Getting started
wa
Finally, after months of selling homes, packing stuff, moving mom, and a few breathers in Florida between moving experiences, we headed back to Virginia in early May and moved aboard the boat. As we packed Sally's stuff for storage, we grabbed things we thought might be useful and filled up a few boxes with clothes and odds and ends like art, clothespins, and spatulas. We had a few days to get settled, and puzzled a bit in the what goes where category. The biggest questions, were how the Pfeiffer (aka Pifford or Piff) and Miss Marple (Marpie, Mipoo, Mips) were going to handle life afloat. We had a deadline to meet, as we had a hired gun from the Manta, Capt. Joe Hanko, coming to spend a week with us to get us ready to cruise. We got most everything aboard, and found that Lora's CRV works well as a rotating on-the-fly storage locker. Of course, that's in addition to the two PODS and storage unit we've got crammed to the brim. But we somehow managed to cram stuff somewhere, and felt ok about it.... that is until Capt. Joe arrived and gasped at our low waterline.
We'd invited our friend Steve to come along with us since he was interested in cruising and getting certification for chartering. Steve picked up Joe at the airport and when they arrived it was clear they were already comfortable with each other. We knew this was going to be good.
Finally, after months of selling homes, packing stuff, moving mom, and a few breathers in Florida between moving experiences, we headed back to Virginia in early May and moved aboard the boat. As we packed Sally's stuff for storage, we grabbed things we thought might be useful and filled up a few boxes with clothes and odds and ends like art, clothespins, and spatulas. We had a few days to get settled, and puzzled a bit in the what goes where category. The biggest questions, were how the Pfeiffer (aka Pifford or Piff) and Miss Marple (Marpie, Mipoo, Mips) were going to handle life afloat. We had a deadline to meet, as we had a hired gun from the Manta, Capt. Joe Hanko, coming to spend a week with us to get us ready to cruise. We got most everything aboard, and found that Lora's CRV works well as a rotating on-the-fly storage locker. Of course, that's in addition to the two PODS and storage unit we've got crammed to the brim. But we somehow managed to cram stuff somewhere, and felt ok about it.... that is until Capt. Joe arrived and gasped at our low waterline.
We'd invited our friend Steve to come along with us since he was interested in cruising and getting certification for chartering. Steve picked up Joe at the airport and when they arrived it was clear they were already comfortable with each other. We knew this was going to be good.
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