A Slight Change In Plans

Our plans have changed, as usual.  Once we made it to Maine we were going to work our way up to Harpswell, put the boat on a friends mooring and spend the next couple of months in South Dakota working on our remote cabin.  Due to the problem with the transmission we have hauled out at Portsmouth NH and will leave the boat on the hard for the next couple of months.

The transmission is water cooled and the cooler has failed letting water into the transmission.  Fortunately the transmission continued to work enabling us to get to Kittery then motor up the river to the marina to be hauled out.  We were able to find a well recommended mechanic to do the transmission overhaul.  We anchored off of the Kittery Town Dock for the weekend and on Monday we borrowed a car and visited and called marinas looking for someone that could haul us out in a timely manner.  We chose Great Bay Marina as they could haul us out the quickest.  We needed to time the tides so on Tuesday we pulled anchor and headed up the river.  There were two bridges to be concerned about, the first was a drawbridge that opened on the hour and the half hour.  We rushed to get there for the three o'clock opening and continued up the river fighting a current.  We needed to be at the last bridge at low tide.  The bridge has a vertical clearance of 46 feet.  Our mast is 50 feet off the water.  The marina assured us that at low tide the clearance is 53 feet.  We arrived just as the tide was turning and started for the bridge.  As we got closer it looked like we were going to hit it.  Looking up at the mast when going under something almost always looks like you are going to hit it no matter the amount of clearance.  We were so sure that we were going to hit that we did a quick reverse and motored around while calling the marina to verify the height.  Being assured that it was more than 50 feet we tried again and made it.  It was the most terrifying feeling that at any moment there would be a crash.  It took some time after for the nerves to calm down.  We picked up a mooring and spent the night planning to be hauled out the next morning.  We were glad to be on a strong mooring because the current rips through on every tide change.

In the morning we dinghied in and made the final arrangements to be hauled.  We were scheduled for slack tide when we would have the least amount of current and at 11:00 we dropped the mooring and motored into the lift only to find that we would have to back in to be lifted.  Backing out, making a u-turn and backing into a narrow spot is not my favorite maneuver.  This time with no current or wind it looked like I had been doing this on a regular basis, if they only knew the truth.  Once out of the water I was amazed at the condition of the bottom.  There was no growth, no barnacles and a quick power wash made it look freshly painted.  I strongly recommend Sherwin Williams bottom paint.  After taking a lunch break they moved us to the yard and got us set up convenient to water and electricity.

Once we were settled in I went to work on pulling the transmission.  With only a couple of problems it was free of the engine but needed to be lifted out and lowered to the ground.  Fortunately we are a sailboat and have block and tackle and plenty of rope onboard.  Once lifted into the cockpit we lowered it to the ground using one of our halyards used to raise sails.  One big project completed.

This morning we needed to pick up our rental car and our friend Adina offered to give us her car or to take us.  Once back to the marina with the car we loaded the transmission and delivered it to the mechanic.  I explained that we would not be back to pick it up until late August so there was no rush.  Once back at the marina we started loading the car.  We have a full size SUV and it will be packed full.

Over the next few days we will be driving back to Spearfish SD to spend time with Cori's Mother and siblings and work on the cabin.  This years big project will be to finish the solar electric system to make us self-reliant.  Last year we were using a portable generator to keep the batteries topped up.  I also expect that there will be time to relax and have some fun.

That's what has been happening and what we expect to happen, only time will tell.

I won't be posting any updates until we are back on the boat, late August or early September when we plan to visit some of our favorite places in Maine before being chased south by the cold.

We Have arrived in Maine

 We have arrived in Maine but just barely.  We are on the Kittery Maine side of the Piscataqua River looking across to Portsmouth New Hampshire.

We waited a week at Norfolk and Hampton VA for a weather window to allow us to go offshore to Buzzards Bay MA instead of traveling up Chesapeake Bay and down the Delaware River then jumping off at Cape May.  This route would be shorter and require less travel time.  We spent several days with fellow cruisers in the Hampton area and were able to attend the Blackbeard Pirate Festival which commemorates the defeat of Blackbeard the pirate.  It was very entertaining and educational.  I was able to watch a demonstration on how rope is made and there were several canons of various size being shot off.  Once again we were able to get together with my Great-nephew for dinner and a visit.

The forecast was favorable for a Monday departure and at 6:30 AM we pulled anchor and started motoring out of the Chesapeake Bay and into the ocean.  Once clear of land we turned North-northeast for Buzzards Bay.  The winds were light and we had to motor but there was a promise of the winds increasing.  Unfortunately the winds that we got were from behind us and we did not have enough apparent wind to sail.  The apparent wind is the actual wind on the sails when you factor in the boats speed.  For example, we had ten knots of wind from behind and the boat was moving at five knots we would have five knots of apparent wind not enough for us to sail.  Because of this we continued to motor on.  The forecast was for the winds to shift from the northwest but when they did they were under ten knots so we continued motoring.  This continued through the night and in the morning we were able to sail for a short time before the winds dropped off again.  We continued motoring.  Wednesday, day three, we had about four hours of favorable winds and we were enjoying the sail when once again the winds died. During the night we passed by Block Island and continued up Buzzards Bay.

On day four we arrived at the mouth of the Cape Cod Canal in time for the tide change and had a favorable current to go through the canal.  Last time in the canal we did not have a favorable current and had to fight a two to four knot current making the passage much longer.  Once out of the canal we set course for Gloucester MA.  Once again we didn't have enough wind to sail.  We arrived at Gloucester and attempted to anchor in a small bay rather then go into the main harbor.  We were unsuccessful in getting a good set so we continued on to Thatcher Island.  The cruising guide said that there were several guest mooring there.  We arrived and picked up a mooring and shared the harbor with one other boat.  We had not been here before and the two lighthouses were so interesting I had to look up the history.  Very interesting island with the first lighthouses built by the British before the Revolutionary War all the way to the island used to hide someone in the Witness Protection Program.

This was our first stop in four days.  We had motored/sailed 461 miles in 84 hours, most of it motoring.  We carry 80 gallons of fuel and another 15 in jerry cans on deck.  I have always calculated that we could motor around 400 miles before adding fuel.  When we arrived at the anchorage the fuel gauge was getting very close to empty.  By not pushing too hard and maintaining our speed round five knots we were able to conserve fuel.

The next morning as the fog cleared we were getting ready to continue.  We added the fuel from the jerry cans, checked the engine and v-drive oil and the transmission.  Here we had a big surprise, instead of bright red transmission fluid we had a dark grey sludge.  I suspected water had gotten into the transmission, possibly from the transmission oil cooler.  I pumped out the sludge and refilled with fresh fluid, started the engine and did a quick test, the transmission worked shifting forward and reverse.  After completing our preparations we restarted the engine and continued on, hoping to sail instead of motoring.  I did notice that our exhaust had some oil in it telling me that the transmission oil cooler was most likely the problem.  We tried sailing for several hour but the winds were shifting and too light, so again we were motoring.  By mid-afternoon the winds came up and we were once again a sailboat.  We were heading to Kittery Maine to visit friends we made in the Bahamas and we were able to sail all of the way into the harbor dropping the sails just before we reached the anchorage.  After three tries to get the anchor set we finished off the day with adult beverages.  During the day we had been calling different facilities to find a mechanic and where we could keep the boat for the duration of the repair.  Checking the transmission we again found the grey sludge.  No matter what the cause is I am sure the transmission will need to be rebuilt, it's not designed to run with salt water.

This being the weekend we are spending time on the boat and will be visiting our friends.  Monday we should have a better idea of what our options are.

Waiting on Weather

 We have been waiting on weather in a variety of locations for the last few weeks.  First we waited a couple of days before leaving the dock we were staying at.  Once we had good traveling weather we headed up the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) pushing hard.  Our first day we moved up the waterway, crossed the Pamlico River, traveled through the Alligator/Pungo Canal and anchored for the night about halfway up the Alligator River.  In the morning we pulled anchor planning to cross the Albemarle Sound.  The wind kicked up to 20+ knots and we pulled over to wait for the winds to drop.  The Albemarle Sound is notorious for being extremely rough in high winds.  After a couple of hours the front had moved on and we continued on crossing the Sound and entering the Pasquotank River.  Leaving the Alligator River we had two choices on how to continue, up the North River following the conventional ICW or up the Pasquotank River following the alternate ICW going through the Dismal Swamp Canal.  Due to the heavy boat traffic and problems with bridge and lock maintenance we chose the lesser used Dismal Swamp route.  We bypassed Elizabeth City and found a quiet anchorage next to Goat Island for the night.  In the morning we continued up the river and caught the 11:00 am lock opening, locking up to the canal.  Once out of the lock we continued to the Dismal Swamp Canal Visitors Center dock for the night.  The canal parallels Highway 17 and shares a rest stop/visitors center.  They provide free dockage for boats traveling the canal.  Also at this location is the Dismal Swamp State Park Headquarters and hiking trails.  We stayed an extra day to check out the park and hike several of the trails.  During the day several other boats moved on and others arrived.

The weather forecast was for high winds offshore for the next several days but we were ell protected in the canal.  After staying two days at the visitors center we continued a short way up the canal tying up at another free dock.  This was along the Dismal Swamp Canal hiking and biking trail that was a part of Highway 17 in the past.  Along with the dock the State has also built restrooms for the boaters and hikers/bikers.  It has the added benefit of being far enough away from the highway that it is very quiet and peaceful.  Two other boats joined us at the dock and we stayed for two days relaxing and hiking up the road. 

The weather was still bad offshore so in the morning we made another short move up to the Deep Creek Lock but stopped to tie up to the free dock just before the lock.  We waited at this dock for three days waiting for the weather and winds to improve.  We had several days of rain but were protected from the winds.  While here we were able to visit with my Great-Nephew who is stationed at Fort Eustis for training.  It had been six years since we had last seen him.  The next day Cori's brother delivered a package we had shipped to him and we got a chance to catch up with him.

Finally the weather improved and after spending a week in the Canal we moved into the lock and locked down to continue on to Norfolk.  In the past we have transited the canal in a single day and again two days.  A week to go eighteen miles is almost a record.  After stopping to top off fuel we moved up the Elizabeth River and anchored at Hospital Point in Downtown Norfolk.  The next day it rained and the winds picked up again.  We spent two days at anchorage letting the weather move on then motored down the river and across the James River to anchor outside of Hampton VA.  Yesterday we dinghied into town with two other boats that we had met in the Dismal Swamp to have lunch and beverages.  Today we dinghied to Downtown Hampton to attend the Blackbeard Pirate Festival.  Lots of vendors, food, information and cannons being shot off.  The people dressed in costume were also very entertaining.

This morning the weather forecaster told us that by Monday the weather patterns will change and we have a very good chance to make our run up to Buzzards Bay in New England, a three day offshore passage.  We may have finally gotten the change in the weather everyone traveling North has been waiting for.  Our weather forecaster has been saying that the last six weeks have been very unusual and not typical spring weather.  That is still a couple of days off so we will see how accurate he is.  If this works out we will then pass through the Cape Cod Canal and continue up to Maine.

Obviously we did not make straight runs like this map shows but followed the waterways. This is the map from our Spot Locator showing the locations we stopped along the way.