We have left Maine and are working our way down the East Coast. I wasn't able to post updates because almost everywhere we went we had very poor to nonexistent cell phone coverage. We are currently just south of Norfolk VA.
Where did we go and what did we do? Here is a recap:
Leaving Portsmouth we started moving up the Maine coast first stopping at Richmond Island, a little short of Portland, and anchored for the night. In the morning we started on our way but quickly discovered a problem and moved over to an empty mooring to tie up and figure out the problem. We spent the day working on a cooling water problem and the next day continued on our way to Boothbay Harbor. We had been here before and decided to revisit. We rented a mooring that allowed us a short dinghy ride to the dock and walking distance to downtown. On the third day we dropped the mooring, moved to the other side of the harbor to take on fuel and continued on our way. Once out of the protection of the bay we found ourselves beating into a headwind and waves. Since we are not on any kind of schedule we diverted into the next bay and picked up a mooring for the night in Christmas Cove off of the Damariscotta River. In the morning the wind and seas had calmed down and we continued on to Long Cove just off from Tenants Harbor. Unfortunately we had to motor instead of sail. In the morning we launched the dinghy and went to shore on Clark Island to hike the trails there, part of the Clark Island Preserve. After lunch back on the boat we dinghied over to High Island and hiked the trail there. We use a combination of apps that show us the trails in the areas we are at. The next morning we moved up Penobscot Bay to Vinalhaven Island, motoring through the fog, our first foggy day. We had decided that with the limited time we had left this would be as far up the coast as we would go.
We chose to go up into Southern Harbor since we had not been there before and it was in walking distance to the town of North Haven. We rented a mooring for the night and while in the boatyard to pay they helped solve one of my outboard problems by giving me several pieces of fuel line and parts off of a scrap outboard. They also provided information on other anchorages in the area that we had not been to. The next day we dropped the mooring and headed down to Hurricane Island which was new to us. The island has a research center which provides moorings and a dock and a number of hiking trails. The island was the location of a major granite quarry and the trails take you around, through and above the quarry. We spent three days hiking the trails on this island and dinghying to a nearby island to hike the trail there. On the dinghy ride we noticed a couple of heads popping out of the water and stopped to watch a dozen seals watching us.
By now the weather alerts were warning of the former hurricane, now tropical storm heading towards Maine. We moved up to Perry Creek, one of our favorite anchorages and picked up a mooring there. We spent several days hiking the trails and relaxing on the boat. The storm tracked further east hitting up by Arcadia National Park and we only experienced some winds up to 20 knots and rain. We also had our second day of fog. We also made the short dinghy ride around the point to North Haven to pick up cellular service and attach to WIFI while having lunch. Business taken care of we headed back to the boat for a couple more days.
By now it was time to start heading back, the temperatures were dropping, days in the 50's and nights in the 40's and we don't have heat onboard. Consulting with our weather advisor and checking several weather sites we found a window that would allow us to make the jump to the Cape Cod Canal and move into Buzzards Bay, a 25 hour trip.
We moved down the bay and spent the night at Allen Island and prepared to leave the next morning. The day started out with light winds but the forecast was for the winds to build from the southwest and west allowing us to sail instead of motoring. The forecast was off on the timing and the winds didn't arrive until around midnight blowing up to 20+ knots. We arrived at the Cape Cod Canal at 9:30 the next day just in time to ride the current trough the canal. Once through the canal and at the entrance to Buzzards Bay we usually pick up a mooring to prepare for the next leg. This time with advice from friends we stopped in Onset and rented a mooring for two days. Cori took the opportunity to get some laundry done and pick up some groceries and I worked on another mechanical problem. We also took the bus for some shopping and had lunch and dinner ashore instead of on the boat. Our next jump would be to Norfolk VA which would take four days.
We were advised that due to weather moving up the coast we needed to be in Norfolk by Wednesday afternoon. We finalized preparations Sunday morning and headed down Buzzards Bay and out into the Atlantic. We had good winds and were able to sail, going past Block Island in the late evening. From there we set a straight line to the mouth of the Chesapeake. We had winds overnight in the 20's so we only had a reefed headsail and the mizzen doing 6-7 knots. Unfortunately the seas were big and we were getting bounced around a lot. By morning the winds and seas dropped down but we were able to continue sailing. One of the things that broke the boredom was the arrival of a small bird followed by a second. They spent the afternoon checking out the cockpit and flying below to check out the rest of the boat. Eventually they settled into the v-berth to spend the night. About mid-morning they both decided to try making their way back to shore, I hope they made it. By mid-day the winds had shifter and were too light to keep the sails full so we started motoring. Nothing else exciting happed the rest of the day which is a good thing. Sunrise Wednesday morning we were approaching the mouth of the bay and we decided to continue on to the anchorage at hospital point in downtown Norfolk. While passing through the naval base and looking at the variety of ships we had a submarine go past us on their way out to sea. We dropped anchor in Norfolk just after noon after sailing/motoring 440 nautical miles, or just over 500 miles in about 73 hours. What so we do on these long passages? We take turn being on watch, there is always someone in the cockpit keeping a lookout usually listening to music, podcasts or an audible book. The other is either relaxing or sleeping, eating when convenient. That afternoon I set about solving an oil leak problem, more about that later. Once that problem was solved we pulled anchor and moved up the river and took the turn to follow the Dismal Swamp Canal. Once through the lock we pulled over to the free dock and tied up. Once settled in we walked up to the shopping area for lunch and picking up some groceries. That's where we are now, taking a break and recharging the batteries, literally, there are power outlets on this dock.
I have mentioned several maintenance issues along the way. A boat is a combination of a house and a car with a lot of the same issues. This time I had issues, again, with our 3.3 horsepower outboard. I have two carburetors for it and often switch back and forth depending on how cooperative they are. This time I tried swapping parts between them to get one that ran right. Among the problems was that the fuel line had gotten hard and could not be used again. This was one I got from a scooter repair shop in Florida. The boatyard we stopped at in Vinalhaven gave me a possible replacement and also pulled several of different sizes and lengths from scrap motors. I also got another replacement carburetor off of one of them. It turned out that the new hose fit and when I tried the new to me carburetor it ran better than ever. Problem solved for now. Another issue was the cooling water. The engine is cooled by seawater pumped through a heat exchanger and pumped out with the exhaust. One morning as we got underway we noticed there was no water coming out. We were able to get to a mooring and tie up before it overheated. I spent the day taking almost all of the cooling system apart trying to solve it. I finally got it working by rerouting some hoses using a variety of adapters to accommodate different hose sizes and added a pump into the mix to push water to the engine to help the main intake pump. This got us on our way and was solved, temporarily, with adapters and new hoses from the hardware store in Boothbay Harbor. The next issue I had was the fresh water pump acting up. We take what are known as "navy" showers where you get wet, shut off the water, soap up and then rinse off. During my shower when I tuned the water back on to rinse off there was no water. I have a washdown pump at the bow that I use to wash the mud off the anchor and chain. It also had valves that will allow me to switch it to fresh water. While still soapy I had to access the valves in the v-berth to switch to fresh water and then go up on the bow to rinse off. After several attempts at troubleshooting I got the pump working and tried again to finish my shower and once again I was left covered with soap and no water.. One more time up to the bow to rinse off with very cold water. It was a good thing we didn't have neighbors. The next morning I went to work on finding the problem. There was an electrical connection to the pump that was loose and decided that was the best time to fail. New connections were made and better crimpers and connectors have been ordered. The biggest issue was an oil leak. When arriving at Onset I found that oil had been spraying in the area around the new transmission. First I confirmed that it was not transmission fluid. I finally found a spot on the hose connecting the oil filter to the engine. The filter is separate from the engine with two hydraulic hoses to make it convenient for filter changes. I tried sealing it with rescue tape and wrapping it with oil absorbent pads. When we arrived in Norfolk I found that we were low on oil and the pads were soaked. After calling several shops to find replacement hoses I went to work on removing the old. I found I didn't have the proper tools but got by with a crescent wrench, vice grips and a screwdriver. I was able to get them off struggling with the connection to the engine which has a very small access area. The next morning we dinghied to shore and walked the almost three miles to the shop. They were able to make them while we waited and took an Uber back to the boat. I had done enough walking. For some reason they went on easier then they came off. So far there are no leaks so I must have done it right. Next was cleaning the area with degreaser and cleaning the bilge. Problem solving is an important part of cruising. It' not all rum punches and sunsets.
We had a great time visiting some of our favorite spots and discovering new ones and will miss being there but the Bahamas are calling.
These photos can be enlarged if you click on them.
