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.

Hurricane Sandy Delays our departure

Heading south delayed for Hurricane Sandy

10/27 Sat: our plan was to get the boat ship shape for cruising but there is a hurricane coming up the coast so we altered our plans.  Jay’s dock would not be a good place for us to stay so Bristol Marine said we could use one of their moorings.  It was a beautiful day and we took advantage of the calm waters and moved the boat over to the mooring.  

Instead of getting ready for cruising we were now getting ready for hurricane Sandy.  

10/28 Sun: the day was spent taking down sails, tying off lines, storing just about everything below. We decided to take off all the canvas since it was looking like the hurricane landfall could be close to RI.  The wind predictions were reaching 80mph and we doubled up lines through the mooring.  The weather was grey, cloudy with on and off rain and building winds.  We did the best we could deflating and  tying down the dinghy on the dock and removing the motor and anything that could get blow away.  The folks at the Marina were great, very accommodating. It was the best place we could be right now.  We left the marina with hopes that the boat will still be there after the storm with no damage from any other boat that may break loose.  The storm is now predicted to come ashore in the CT, NYC, NJ coastal area with high storm surge. I guess we wait and see. 

10/29 Monday: Hurricane Sandy was as bad as predicted, it hit the New Jersey shore and lower Manhattan with a vengeance. The devastation was incredible.  

My cousin Jay checked on the boat during the day and it was doing fine. I hope it makes  it through the night when the worst of it will hit here. 

10/30 Tuesday:  The news was full of photos of damage along the coast line and into NYC.  I called the Marina to see if the boat was still floating but did not hear back. I know they must be busy but watching all the horror stories on the news did not help.  I will go to RI tomorrow and check out the boat. I checked out the NH coastal area to see what was going on.

10/31 Wednesday:  I left for RI a little after 9am and while on the way I got several calls, one from the Marina saying the boat was still floating.  They said they had a gust up to 70 mph but the boats were doing well.  The surge was of the most concern.  The road to the marina was closed so I went through Colt state park to get to the marina.  The dinghy was good, and so was the boat.  The mooring was a tangled mess. 

I made some room below by moving the kayaks and fenders out.  It took about 45min to untangle the mooring.  I had the boat heads pumped out.  The boys were going to help with the motor but they were so busy I decided to wait for Bob.  The rowing back and forth to the boat was fine.  If it gets too windy it won’t be.  So I chose to stay on board have some wine and soup and catch up on emails, blog notes, etc. 

11/3/2012:  Friday:  Bob and I headed back to Bristol to put the boat back together.  We 

arrived late and pretty much crashed.

11/4/2012: Sat:  We put up the sails, canvas, etc and put motor back on dinghy.  After a long day of putting the boat back together we decided to stay on the mooring at Bristol Marina.  We went for pizza, Bob was impressed with the pizza place on rt 138. Then back to boat to crash again after a long day of manual labor.  Advil was needed for Bob’s shoulder which was not in good condition. It was also getting cold and we had no heat on board.  

11/5/2012: Sun:  We cleaned up the boat, changed racors, cleaned raw water intake etc then decided to head out and see if all the sails would work.  The weather was great, sunny but cool, not much wind but just enough to fill the sails. The main sail was a bit of a struggle until the boom height was adjusted.  It was nice to have the new running rigging and sheaves that actually move. We checked it out  then headed to Jay’s dock.  went in bow first to avoid the stern first challenges.  Our plan is to head back to Bristol Nov 8 with our crew, Bill Pelletier, and start our journey south. 

BOOTHBAY, ME to PORTSMOUTH, NH to BRISTOL RI, August 12 - Oct 15

 PORTSMOUTH TO BRISTOL; LEG ONE OF HEADING SOUTH 

Sat Sept 22: We left Portsmouth Yacht Club at 5am heading to Plymouth MA.  The weather  was overcast, windy with building seas.  There was a Front coming in and it was a good time to be heading in the other direction. Full foul weather gear was the preferences for this trip.  Bob got to wear his new musto bib pants, he looked good and more importantly he was comfortable.  The Seas and wind calmed down as we approached Cape Cod Bay and the weather overall improved.  Coming into Plymouth Harbor was interesting, lots of turns, that were thankfully well marked.  When we got close we called the Plymouth Yacht Club (PYC) to  take us to our mooring for the night at a cost of $45. We had made reservations and it was a good thing since the harbor was full. 

We stopped for a drink at PYC and checked out the club.  It had a nice atmosphere and had some more services then ours.  My friend Cindy picked us up outside club and we at the East Bay Grill. We enjoyed our time with Cindy and then we were off to the boat to get some sleep for early am departure at "o dark thirty".

Sunday Sept 23: 3am came much too quickly, but we got up and headed out of harbor. It was not all that easy, we had some issues with lighting the channel markers but did make it out without incident.  The spot light did not last long so we used my dive light. The weather was cold but not bad, at least we didn’t need the foul weather gear.  

Bob tried to get some sleep on the way to the Cape Cod Canal but I had to interrupt him when an alarm went off.  It was the engine and it had run out of oil. Bob tried to find the problem but we needed to get to the Sandwich Marina and a dock.  We sailed to the entrance of the canal, put the last quart of oil in the engine and then motored to a facing dock, shut down and spend the rest of the day working on the engine.  The oil sending unit sensor broke off in the block, we are assuming from age and engine vibration. The oil must have sprayed out of the engine at about 62psi, what a mess. After walking to town and being misguided to several different places for diesel oil we came back with oil but not what we wanted. 
 Cindy and her sister Sue were on the way to the Cape and picked up the diesel oil we needed.   They stayed on board for a bit and brought Bob back to hardware store for parts. It appeared he would not be able to repair engine so we made plans to stay till we could get a mechanic to come on Monday.  Just as I was making the plans he came into the office and said he needed one part and we would be fixed.  The lady in the office took him to town for the part, very nice.  The Marina really wanted us off the dock since they had lots of boats coming in for haul out the next morning.  Bob installed the part and we were ready to leave.  

We tried to buck the current in the canal but after dropping to less than 2 knots we had to turn around and wait in the Bay for the tide/current change, predicted for 4:10pm.  We anchored, took showers and then headed back into the canal for a nice ride to Buzzards Bay.  

The winds were with us so we put the sails and headed south toward Newport RI. As the winds and seas picked up we reefed sails and made good progress to the Sekonnet  River.  I took us to our mark at the mouth of river and Bob took us up the river to Bristol.  Figuring out the bouys and lights was again a bit tricky since there were so many other distracting lights.  I am not sure how you would do this without a GPS. 

Monday 9/24 At 2am we arrived at  Bristol Marine, found the mooring, hooked up and headed to bed.  Bob had to get up at 4am to go back to NH to work.  Two hours sleep was not enough, we were both very tried all day.  I stayed with the  boat and talked with the Bristol Marine folks, and all the other venders we had lined up for work.  I hope I was coherent.

My cousin Jay picked me up at 5:30pm for a shower and then dinner at his house with Trish. He returned me to the boat around 8:30pm.  I crashed hard until I woke up abruptly to a strange noise coming from the hull.  I determined it must be outside, but it sounded like nothing I had heard before.  What now I ask!  It would get loud right in my ear, I think back to Shirley saying the aft cabin was noisy, hmmm.  Then the sound would travel forward and around the other side, fade a bit, then come back down the hull and get louder, sounded like tapping and scratching and water slapping at weird places. I finally got up since I was envisioning all kinds of strange things, and looked outside.  I am not sure what I was expecting but when several ducks took off I figured out what was going on.  The darlings were cleaning the boat, now nice, but not in the middle of the night, please. How I long for the popcorn shrimp that were at least predictable.

LAYOVER IN BRISTOL RI 

Tue. 9/25 - After my late night adventure I tried to sleep in, but there were people coming on board so I got up at 6:30am  and got ready for action. I Took the kayaks off the bow, and tried to clean up the boat. Dan Murphy and Bill Killian came by to measure for the awning and check out the mast. I may have them do the strata glass for the cockpit.  It seems pulling the mast today is not a good idea because the tides are not good, so next week we will pull mast.  Bill and Dan were very helpful and I would like to continue to use them for future needs.  Bob is picking up the running rigging from R&W on his way back to the boat.  There is an electronics person, Mike, coming out to boat to check out what we need for wind indicator, that blew off, auto pilot and GMI 10. The weather today is warm but very windy. 

9/28 - 10/2 - At mooring at Bristol Marine waiting for more favorable tides to pull mast.  Bob went back to Dover Sunday.  Jay introduced us to a welder, George, a Vietnam vet, who will repair the davits and weld a piece in each davit to reinforce it.  
 Bill Killian came on board  with his wife Shirley to do final measure for awning. They are very nice people. Mike, the yard manager came by Monday to pull mast, but said he could wait for Tuesday since all was not quite ready.  Bob came back down later in the day and got boat ready for pulling mast. 

After mast was pulled the Yard said we could haul out the boat for a reduced price so we could have the bottom cleaned, check zincs and work on boat. I videoed pulling mast in water, it was interesting and all went well so we were relieved.  

Bob checked the sheaves at top of mast, they were frozen and the lines swollen, it was a bit of a mess.  Bob managed to get the sheaves out of mast and we brought them to George to see what he could do. He said he could fix them for us so we will pick up sheaves and davits next Friday.  

10/5 Friday  I  picked up the new custom mattress in Portland, then we headed to Bristol.  We stopped at George’s first to pick up davits and sheaves, he did an amazing job. We decided to stay on the boat, no one was around so no problem.  After unloading the truck we went to bed in a very comfy aft cabin. 

 10/6 Sat. We  got up early and went to breakfast then started running the rigging through the mast, The day consisted of cleaning the mast closet, cleaning  standing rigging, davits and rails,  cleaning spots missed by pressure washer on  bottom of boat. It was a long day, Bob crashed at 7:30pm.

10/7 Sunday We continued work on the mast and then started unhooking the Garmin. Bob started buffing the hull.  We ordered GMI 10, wind indicator, stainless steel frame for the chartplotter and display pods, more running rigging, radiator cap, insulation for mast closet, led lights, NMEA 2000 ends, connectors, short cables, bosuns chair, and checked on cover for mattress. 

10/8 Columbus Day: To celebrate the holiday we completed buffing and waxing all 90’ of the hull; it was a major accomplishment and looked great when finished.  However, we did need some Advil.  The mast is ready to go back on tomorrow, but the tides are not right for launching the boat so one more week on the hard. I will come back on Thursday to meet Bill for the final awning measures.

10/11Thursday: I met Bill and Shirley for the final fitting of the awning.  The boom had to be put back on so he could get the correct measures. I showed Shirley the art work and the color scheme for the forward cabin.  I may have them cut down the spread so it fits better.  She took my material for the fenders and may fix them.  

I had a break so I got some lunch and when for a ride around Colt State Park.  It was impressive, I did not realized how large an area it covered.  

I took some photos and then went back to work.

 I did stay at Jay’s house for the night since it was cold and I needed a shower.  

10/12 Friday:  Bob arrived late in the evening, the traffic was very bad, it took him 4 hours to get here. We decided to stay at Jays since it was cold and we had dinner with Jay and Trish.  I had gone back to house earlier to work on computer and stay warm.

10/13 Sat:  We headed to boat early, but had breakfast at the Hope diner, very good home fries. Our challenge today was to to get rigging up for sails. we were going to pull the main out but thought it would not be good if the wind picked up and blew us off the stands.  So, we will save that for the water. Bob worked on tapping and drilling holes on the stainless steel frame for the chart plotter cables.  This all took longer than expected but it always does. All challenges were overcome and another successful day was had. We had to finish up by 4:30 so we could go to Peg and Herbs for dinner.  Bob picked up the pizza and we had a nice time with Peg, Herb and Tony. Back to boat and tried out sleeping in the forward cabin with new mattress, sheets, blanket and comforter.  Nice.

10/14 Sunday: Today was a bit warmer and our goal was to rewire the mast closet.  I went to Newport West Marine for some parts and a heater.  I forgot to pick up the zinc for the prop shaft. I Hope the yard has one for tomorrow's launch.  Bob had to leave so he could work tomorrow, so I picked up a chicken dinner and  worked on the computer.  The new heater is pretty good, much better than the older one. I got as much as I could ready for the re-launching tomorrow.

10/15 Monday:  It’s a good thing I was up early because the boys were buzzing around the yard at 7am getting ready for the launch.  The wind was up and the bay was very lumpy.  The launch went well and they put me on the facing dock.  I hooked up the electricity and put the kayaks back on the deck.  They may have to move me to a mooring later this week.  Dan did not come by with the invoice, and I missed Bill who dropped off the awning.  Dan is going to email the bill and Bill and Shirley will meet us for cocktails next week on board.

As I was preparing to leave I stopped in the garage to see Mike, the yard manager, to tie up any loose ends.  I met Marty Needleman, a fellow sailor, and we exchanged stories and email addresses, he said he would like to read my blog and follow our sailing progress. That is the best thing about the sailing community, they are actually interested in what you are doing and where you are going.  There is always something to be learned from others experiences. And what great stories from those seafaring folks.

SISTER SHIRLEY VISITS BOOTHBAY

August 27 - 28:  Shirley and I headed to Boothbay Harbor.  We arrived at the shipyard and I found a ride out to the boat  from from Jean in his prototype  electric Downeaster small lobster boat.  Very quiet.   We cruised  around town and stopped by Ed Brown’s Art Gallery to discuss art work then enjoyed dinner at the boat house tapas grill.  

August 28 Shirley and I went to the Maine coast botanical gardens.  The gardens, sculpture, stone work and over landscaping was incredible. we spent the day exploring most of the area. 

BOOTHBAY to PORTSMOUTH NH

August 31 Friday: Bob, Shirley and I prepared for departure to Portsmouth NH.  The engine guy came by late to finish up. 

Sept 1: The weather was very nice as we departed for Snow Island.  Shirley caught up on reading, since she had seen enough of the Maine coast line with all the trees and rocks. 

At Snow Island the cocktails on board at anchorage were perfect.  I put the swing, went for a windy  kayak ride then Bob took us for a dinghy ride around the Islands.  

Sept 2: It must be Shirley's influence because the weather was very nice on our trip to Jewell Island. We went ashore and  Shirley got all kinds of information from VInny, the steward, about island. Apparently there were 400 troops on the Island during war. The wood from the  structures left behind, were used by locals to build houses. I took lots of photos and Shirley tried to scare the kids in the abandoned tunnels.  

The dinghy was beached when we got back from exploring.   Bob kayaked in and pulled the dinghy off  the rocky shore and got us back on board for cocktails and dinner.

Sept 3: Again our departure for Portsmouth went smoothy and we had a good sail in good weather.  We Picked up our mooring in front of Portsmouth Yacht Club and headed home.  

t was a very nice end to the summer cruising along the Maine Coast. It must have been Shirley's good influence, because it was the best weather of the entire trip to Maine. 

LAYOVER AT BOOTHBAY SHIPYARD

From August 12 - August 31st The boat was in Boothbay Harbor Maine for engine work, hull cleaning, shopping, visiting with friends and sister.

Sun Aug 12 - 13:  Our plan was to head for Falmouth, however Bob checked the oil, it was fine, I checked the weather and was crappy. Oh and of course it was foggy.  After a sleepless night we made the smart choice and navigated through thick fog back to Boothbay Shipyard and picked up mooring #12. After removing two dinghy loads of "stuff" off the boat, 

Bob had to take the dingy back to the boat in the rain, put it on the davits and then get into the kayak and paddle back in.  He was wet when he arrived but at least he had not fallen in.  

Tue Aug 14 I headed back to Boothbay and spoke with Eric at the Shipyard about a diver and mechanic. My friend Kate stopped in Boothbay on her way home from Swans Island.  

We cruised around town and had lunch at the Boat house Bistro. The engine mechanic came to the boat and  I took advantage of his visit and hitched a ride back to the shipyard otherwise I would have had to come back out and take the kayak ride in.  Kate and I headed back to Dover NH ffor the night.