Bristol RI to Norfolk VA : Leg two heading south

11/8/2012 - 11/12/2012 Heading south leg two

11/8/2012:  Thursday:  Well we are now tracking a nor’easter that came up the East Coast with 50-60 mph winds, snow, rain, and high seas.  Go figure. That could mean another delay.  

The storm hit NYC and NJ with snow, high winds and more power outages.  Incredible!  Those folks have had enough. 

I was waiting for DF Richard to come and fix the furnace so we could have heat on the second floor.  He came early so we got on the road around 10:30am and picked up our favorite crew Bill Pelletier and worked our way to Bristol. 

We wanted to get gas before heading out but the winds were still up, and no one was pumping gas because of the bad weather. Our plan to leave on the outgoing tide will have to be altered.  We stopped by Bristol Marine to pay Mike for the diesel fuel we used last week and a tip for taking good care of us.  I went in to see Doug in parts and picked up a few absorbent clothes. I ran into Mike Pearson and checked on coming onto dock later in the day.  We just can’t seem to get away from the marina.  I also checked out getting a fuel Co.  in Bristol that would come to dock but Mark advised they also would not transfer fuel in this weather.  So I said goodbye, again, and  went over to Jay’s dock to unload all the “stuff” from the truck to the boat.  It was great having another pair of hands to help. 

After loading up the boat we decided to stay on the boat instead of going over to the Bristol Marine dock. We started up the engine to charge up batteries and put the heater on.  We could smell a burning electrical smell and it was not the heater. Something was wrong.  We shut down the engine and then it would not start, the starter battery appeared to be dead, and the rate of bulk charging was not good.  After some angst, and trying to jump start the battery, Bob  suggested we hit the emergency start button and the engine started.  OK, this is reminiscent of another problem we had when Bill was on board, a wire was disconnected.  So Bill and Bob proceeded to mess around with wires, connectors and awkward positions attempting to re-attach the wires to the alternator.  Much blame was passed around in a good natured sort of way.  Ot course Bob’s shoulder was hurting, and that was after several advils.  It is cold but the repairs are progressing.

New plan, leave early tomorrow morning.

The engine is now repaired, I even assisted by attaching the wires onto the alternator, Bob says there was nothing wrong with the engine, just loose wires.  OK

We set the alarm for 4:30am 

11/9/2012 Friday:  4:30am  arrived too early, and it was too cold and dark.  After checking the weather and discovering that the seas and wind were still a problem we ran back to the warmish beds and slept another two hours. This was a  good decision, it was really cold!

We left Jay’s dock around 9am (it was still really cold and windy) and motored down to NEB about 45min away to fuel up and fill up water tanks.  We didn’t need as much fuel as we thought, took on 57gal and about 70gal of water.  Bob maneuvered the boat out of the marina after a skilled 180 degree turn off the dock into unfavorable wind.  We are on our way.

Our exit out of Newport and past Block Island was not as bad as predicted.  The seas were down, but there were still blowing 15 - 25 and there was a  small craft advisory.  The weather reports had also predicted decreasing seas and wind as we went south.  However, about 4 hours out the seas started building along with the winds. 

You gotta love the predictions, as we headed into night the winds reached gusts to 35 kts and 6 to 8ft seas with the stray 12 footer.  At night you really couldn't see the waves coming in time to make adjustments for the big ones. You knew you were in trouble when you see the wave right next to the helm at about eye level, that was fun. NOT.  Therefore no dinner for tonight, going below was not the best option for anyone.  Bob did not fare well with several bouts of seasickness.  Between the bad shoulder and bad tummy he was feeling pretty bad. 

The good part about the evening was we could shut the engines off and sail the NW winds  on a 245 degree heading toward Norfolk.  The sky was crowded with bright stars, the seas were crowded with confused waves, and the crew was getting tired and certainly hungry. However, no one was too interested in eating very much, it just wasn’t worth taking a chance on losing it. Water, apples, peanut and salt bars were the best that could be managed. 

During all this bad weather a couple birds fluttered around the boat, one looked like a yellow finch and other looked like  a female yellow finch. Oh dear i hope this is not going to be another sad ending for a little bird.  After checking out the cockpit one bird didn’t seem to mind potential danger and came right in and made himself at home.  He was very friendly and at one point hopped into my sunglasses hanging off my neck and tried to get comfy then popped up to my collar to get a better look at me.  He tried several places, flew in and out and around the boat then came back and settled on Bob for a bit.  He did finally end up in rope pocket and tucked his head under wing and stayed for the night.  

Sat 11/10/2012 Our plan was to do 3hr shifts, but when it got really rough early Sat am the boys did hour shifts on and off since you could not use the auto pilot.  I came up later after the seas and wind started decreasing and stayed on till daylight so they could get some rest.  It a long night for all.

 Our little passenger made it through the night.  Yeah, we are not the death boat.  Bob put out some water and cracker crumbs and the bird actually drank and picked at what Bob put out for feed.  I came up on deck for my shift and the bird was still looking for food, I gave him part of a fiber bar and some bread.  He hung around a bit then took off, who knows where.  Not long after a small flock of little feathered friends came by and buzzed the boat.  With a bunch of chirps they flew off.  Very cool.  

During the day Bill saw a mailbox float by and Bob saw a partially submerged orange barrel with a yellow stripe, who knows what was in that. It makes you wonder what other debris, from the recent storms, that you couldn't see was floating around. 

The weather slowly got better, the winds stayed up but the seas started to drop, we continued sailing until the wind came around on the nose.  We decided to turn on the engine and motor to compensate for the wind change.  

Not too longan alarm went off and Bob checked the engine to find there was no oil.  We shut down.  It was all hands on deck trying to figure what was wrong.  They found the fuel pressure sensor had broken off the pipe fitting and it needed to be fixed.  Bob and Bill did mange to do a temporary fix so we could start moving again but that cost us a couple of hours.  

Everyone tried to get back on the 3 hour shifts but you loose some sleep and get pretty tired.  By daylight the seas were much calmer and the sun was out.  I had heated up some of Bob’s famous goulash and served it around 8:30pm.  We were all in need of some hot nourishment and it was yummy.

Sunday 11/11/2012 We checked our schedule and are way behind.  I will have to change flights, places, etc to get them home tomorrow.  We are now thinking of staying in Portsmouth VA tonight and leaving for Coinjock very early tomorrow am.  We don’t expect to be in the Chesapeake until 6:30pm.  That will limit our options.  I have some phone calls to make  when I get signal, and research on where to stay for the week. 

We got to the mouth of Chesapeake Bay in the dark and made our way slowly into the Bay.  There were several choices and discussion about where to stay for the night, but we finally ended up in Willoughby Bay.  While navigating to our anchorage we encountered a large barge that was very difficult to see since we were looking directly at the front which just looked like a dark spot, until you looked up and saw lights on the top and they were moving toward you.  The five blasts on their horn did indicate that we should promptly get out of the way, which we did.  When you don’t know an area and there are so many lights and very large ships moving about  it can be tricky getting your bearings. The rest of the way into the Bay was relatively straight forward and we found a  good spot and set anchor around 8:30pm.  The sea was calm and the wind was down.  

 

What we forgot to do was to preheat the oven on the way in so we could cook the lasagna.  Dinner was good but much later than anticipated.  Salad, wine, lasagna, cookies, what could be better than that.  Apparently a good night sleep.  We were all tired and crashed right after eating. 

Monday 11/12/2012:  We woke to a sunny, warm morning around 7:30am.  We did take our time getting ready to head up river to our final destination, Ocean Marine yacht center.  As we were enjoying our coffee and tea the Norfolk Police boat came bay and checked us out.  They asked how were were doing and to enjoy the day.  Then they exercised their three 250hp engines attached to a very cool rib boat roaring around the bay. we got underway around 9:15a and worked against the tide up though the Naval Shipyards, the container tanker terminals, by the barges, tugs and various types of water crafts. This is a very busy and interesting harbor.  

We arrived at the Marina and Bob skillfully brought the boat into our assigned slip. Time was tight and they needed to get a cab to go to the Norfolk Airport to pick up a one way rental to take them to Raleigh-Durham int’l airport for their flight home. I had tried to change flights but nothing was available so they had to take the 3 1/2 hr trip to the airport to get home. It’s going to be a late night for them. 

I paid for the slip, got the key for shower, the password for wifi access and got Kyle to help me hook up the water, and electricity. I had some lunch, changed into shorts and then started cleaning the salt off the boat.  I finished the top sides about 5:30pm  and will do the cabin tomorrow. It is amazing what a mess you can make with all the winter clothes, foul weather gear, and assorted outfits, to stay warm and dry, dropped all over the cabin.

I checked in with Bob and they were in a traffic jam, but figured they would still make it ok.  He is going to call Bristol Marine to see if they can order the correct oil pressure sensor assembly.  

I had some wine, talked with Shirley and worked on the blog. 

I will be here till Bob returns on Friday. There is lots to do on board and around town.  I may take a tour or just grab a ferry  over to downtown Norfolk and check out the sites.

Our plan for the third leg of our trip south is to head down the ICW and then on to Charlestown SC,  St Augustine FL, and the final destination Vero Beach FL.  Looks like Thanksgiving will be on board this year.