2008 Cruising
6/1 to 6/15/2008
This is our log for 2008; the 2007 East Coast and other voyages are now in Prior Voyages.
We plan to post and update at least weekly. We move the older portions of the log to secondary pages accessible at the bottom of the page. Join our voyage!
Updated on 06/20/2008
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June 1, 2008 - Ruth is going to try to get to Norfolk on standby. That would be great! After threatening t-storms that never materialized by us, the morning dawned clear. Got an e-mail from Sampatecho, they are 2 days behind us after a 36 hour passage - 24 hours no wind, 12 hours high winds and seas. Fishing was good during the storm, tuna and dolphin. Coffee with Robert at 7:30am started our day. During the visit I inquired as to how his exciting new business, Great Dismal Adventures was progressing. He is offering eco-tours of the Dismal and Lake Drummond, the feed source for the canal. He has his first three pontoon boats and is adding skiffs for the trip to the lake. With his 15 year's of experience with the intricacies of this system and area he's a natural tour guide. Next it was time to hit the grocery store as it was just a short dinghy ride away. Enroute I got a call from Ruth, she had a seat to Chicago. Expecting here later in the day I provisioned for her arrival. The trip to Waterside Marina in downtown Norfolk was short, 5 miles, and uneventful though it still a thrill to motor alongside aircraft carriers, destroyer escorts and naval vessel I don't even recognize. It's nice to see our tax dollars at rest. As we crossed the river to Waterside we encountered the strong prop wash of a half dozen tugs messing with a naval tanker. After we were docked we saw that they had pulled her out of a drydock and were turning her around in the river. Neat trick! Yahhhhh! Ruthie's back. She showed up about 3pm... happy dance! Boy she looks good! We all went to a beautifully decorated restaurant near the marina - Hooters. Nicely done, had it's good points. Ruth, Jan and Adrian finally had the chance to meet. June 2, 2008 - Another beautiful morning - my sunshine has returned! We cleaned the boat up and moved to another marina for fuel and a pump-out before anchoring off hospital point. We are anchored just aft of the battleship Wisconsin. We learned a couple of days ago that while she is on exhibit she is currently still on service standby a could be readied for battle in a relatively short time. We also learned that she had collided with another ship on her maiden trip from Norfolk. She returned and was fitted with a bow of another battleship in construction... resulting in her being 8" longer than any other ship in her class. From our anchorage we could watch the marine traffic coursing through the center of Norfolk, Portsmouth and Plymouth (they are all right here within our sight). Tug, barges, landing craft and other naval behemoths. We had an interesting experience today. Adrian met a fellow Brit who was helping a family on their 114' Baltic trader, the Ring Christensen, a wooden yawl. They want to sail it for the first time today and were looking for help. Miles, Adrian, Ruth and I joined them. The boat was built in 1942, served 15 years as a freighter before being retrofitted as a private yacht. Neglected for the last 5 years it was bought by Richard, a gentleman from Iowa, who intends to to sail the world with his family. We powered it north in the channel, a first for them, then hoisted sail and sailed it, another first, before docking it for water, yet another first. It was quite the experience helming it, then serving as Richards pilot (I'd been in Norfolk more often than anyone else). Opportunities like this come perhaps once in a lifetime, glad I caught it. June 3, 2008 - Ho humm, another beautiful day. The sun rose late today, Ruth slept in a little. After coffee we took the dinghy to visit Richard & Pinparn Stafford and their three children on Ring Christensen. We gave them a few boat warming gifts and talked over more coffee for a couple of hours. They certainly have taken on a momentous task. Ariel had already headed for Deltaville well before we left with Squander. On our way our we had a helicopter squadron over fly us twice. Ariel, running ahead of us, watched a partial crew transfer from a submarine underway... complete with Coast Guard security. Our tax dollars at work - at least we're getting a good show. We sailed in increasingly strong south winds and seas... directly behind us. Enroute we blew out our gennaker - really nasty destruction. I figure if I can repair it it'll be a couple of days work. We'll figure that out after we complete our haul out and refit. Squander ran aground about half way in the complex Deltaville southern entrance. We eased past them about 30 minutes later, showing them the way to deeper water and ran aground ourselves 100 yards ahead of them. After 10 minutes of sounding with a boathook we established where the water was (our hand held depth sounder failed - again) and were able to power into deeper water and enter the harbor. We anchored in amongst the other in the harbor for the night, expecting strong winds both tonight and tomorrow. June 4, 2008 - Mother nature put on a fireworks show last night. We had a parade of thunderstorms most of the night along with a display of the wind's flexibility. It blew it's way around the compass. The rain provided a nice boat rinse after yesterday's spray. Looks like a rainy day today with gusts in the high 20's. We motored to Walden's Marina, arriving at 12:45 and smartly backing into the travel-lift well unaided. Hey, sometimes it works... usually when there's no one around to witness it. You can tell we are hauling out. Unseasonably high temperatures, in the 90's. Tomorrow we'll be lifted, pressure washed and Ruth and I will hand sand the bottom lightly for painting. We caught a ride the couple of miles to downtown and picked up a few of the supplies we'll need. It was really too hot to carry much so we shopped prices and decided where to go. Online I got the EPRIB battery and new alternator ordered for delivery next week. Lost our connection before I could order the shore power source switch - there's always tomorrow. Miles and Laureen took a slip at the marina across the channel. They'll leave Ariel there a week or so and head for home Friday. We'll be here 4-6 days for our re-fit. June 5, 2008 - Daughter Nikki's birthday today. Wow, she's... older than before. Seems like just the other day she was following me around our newly repainted IH Scout taking off the trim I'd just put on. Skilled little girl, didn't leave a scratch. AA is on the hard. We hauled her this morning. Lots of barnacles but not as many as I expected and no worms. We got her pressure washed and sanded today. Next step paint, then systems issues. It'll be about a week before she's ready to move on. Miles made and appointment for a yard to haul and paint Ariel while he's back in WI. Sampatecho called, they are a day away. They had come through the Dismal. While waiting for the south lock they'd anchored, finding they'd speared a washing machine when they tried to raise their anchor. They had to pass through the lock with the washer hanging in front of them. They are thinking about coming to Walden's Marina and hauling while we are here. It will be great to see them again! 6/6/08 - Another hard day. We touched up and painted the bottom. Ruth cleaned the sides of the hull while I rolled on the paint. Tough work as we sere still sore from all the scrubbing and sanding the day before. We lucked out... two of our thru hulls, naturally the largest one's, had frozen open, a recipe for a disaster. I worked on them for a couple of hours in the morning and got them freed up again - whew. It would have been a major task to remove and replace them. Removed the EPRIB and sent it back for a new battery. Should have it back by the end of next week. We have a couple of other devices that need to be sent and returned. UPS sent a confirmation that the new alternator was on it's way from Ferris Power. Cell phone and internet are typical of every boatyard we've been in... iffy at best. It seems our internet is more reliable than the cellular - if we log on before folks get up, while they are at dinner or after they go to bed. Couldn't send Nikki an e-card for her birthday so I tried a SkyMate satellite voice greeting. We'll have to see if that worked. Miles and Laureen are back in WI, Squander is anchored a mile away on the south side of Deltaville and Sampatecho will arrive tomorrow. It will be great to see Bradd and Maeve again - it's been since the Annapolis boat show last fall. I'd bought shrimp and scallops at Oriental for a treat when Ruth got back on board. She boiled a packet of shrimp tonight - great! What a nice meal after a day working in the yard. AA will likely be on the hard until Monday or Tuesday. We have prop work and some systems to get back in shape. When she goes back in the water we'll run over to another yard for an engine tune-up and she'll be good a new - but with over 20,000 miles of experience. 6/7/08 - Saturday, couldn't call the parts venders I need, so we hit West Marine for items we needed from them. Had to order some, others will have to wait for a bigger store. Temperature is in the high 90"s with the heat index 104... not much happening today, given the heat. Bradd & Maeve came by for a visit, they'd anchored in the south fork. Three friends of theirs came by shortly after and we all went next door to CoCoMo's for beers. It is really interesting to hear the Canadians talk about their adventures in Cuba. That could all change if Obama is our next president. Back at the boat we met Ashley and Joe, their boat had just been hauled next to ours. Arian and Jan joined us shortly thereafter and we partied in the cockpit of AA - kinda like being in a tree house, us being on jack stands. Soon Joe and Ashley were aboard, they are restoring a 40' sailboat next to ours (a one year project). T-storms threatened but never materialized. Bummer, we could have used a cool down. Tomorrow we have to paint where the jack stand pads are. Monday we need to talk to suppliers and get the last of our parts needs handled. Unfortunately Sampatecho is not going to haul here so we'll be behind them heading north... another bummer. We really miss cruising with them. At least we've agreed to be together at Annapolis next October way too long to wait for their totally enjoyable company! 6/8/08 - Sunday morning the sun rose followed by a ball of steam. The forecast for the week is mid to high 90's, cooling to 82 Thursday. Not a nice week to spend on the hard waxing and repairing toilets. Totally rebuilt the aft head. Then we moved the jack stands and painted under the pads, second coating the rudder, bow, waterline and other high wear areas. I even got the horn mounted in the heat - high 90's outside, 100 in the cabin. We've been misting Buddy periodically as it actually too hot for a parrot... go figure. Ruth waxed the port side of the hull, the two of us did the starboard side. AA is ready to go back in the water as soon as I get an answer on the propeller. I suspect the feathering prop needs to go back to the factory for a rebuild, meaning that we'll put the fixed one on for the next however long. Joe and Ashley boarded us for drinks. A nice couple with a big project. If they see it through they will have a boat comparable to Strider. It's a hot one tonight. Still in the 90's and no relief in sight until Thursday. Ouch! We had a great dinner of mashed potatoes, scallops in Florida seasoning and French cut green beans - $3.00 each. It's hard living on a budget. 6/9/08 - Monday, another scorcher. The cabin fans are keeping the boat livable. We can't run the air conditioning on land as it needs a continuous flow of water. It's time for a couple of phone calls that will dictate when we hit the water. We've set two consecutive records for high temperatures, 101 and 102 respectively - highest recorded for the month, no relief in sight before the end of the week (guess they missed on the forecast). Adrian reported he saw a thermometer inland that said 105. What are we doing on the hard? Must be pretty special to hit a historic high so easily. In spite of the heat we had to bicycle a couple of miles into town to get a phone signal to call for tech advice on a couple of issues. Found a diner with A/C, had lunch and phoned. I think there is a law that says boat yards can't have good phone coverage. Found that our prop needs a rebuild so I put on the spare, a fixed 3 blade that came with the boat. The feathering prop will be rebuilt in 3-4 weeks and go back on the next time we haul the boat, probably next year. It will cost us speed while sailing but we'll be more efficient under power. Given the relative cost of wind and diesel I'll take the efficiency under power. I still haven't been able to get the 110VAC multi source power switch on order due to poor phone connections and a dealer who doesn't answer his phone. His answering machine doesn't help because he can't call me back - no coverage. Back in the water Tuesday? I hope, I hope, I hope! Costa says yes. For now there's nothing like the cool spray of the shower... I could live there! For dinner I made two large salads, nothing else sounded remotely interesting in the heat. 6/10/08 - It never really cooled down last night. Our fans made the temperature acceptable so it didn't affect our sleeping. We even put a fan on Buddy to help him handle the heat. Regular misting helps him too. About all we got done today was to buy two prop zincs, ship out the feathering prop and arrange have the engine checked Thursday. It was actually too hot today to put the boat in the water. 104 in the cabin. Ruth and I read in the zephyrs that moved about in the cockpit and drank - water, lots of it! The heat drove us next door to CoCoMo's for a beer, burger and fries with lots of salt. All the water we'd been drinking was leaving us yearning for salt. Food, A/C, liquid and one bar cellular - what more could a sailor want? 6/11/08 - A thunderstorm passed north of us last night but didn't really break the heat... just bent it a little. Costa hoisted the boat at 9am, I crawled under and ground the rust off the bottom of the keel and applied a coat of paint. Ruth had knocked all the barnacles off the other day so the job went smoothly. By noon we were back in the water... happy dancing time! I was back on the phone trying to locate our EPIRB. I'd given them my credit card info so they could order the battery while the unit was enroute to them, they received and installed the battery but couldn't ship because they misplace the credit card data and the person who handled that stuff was on vacation. Right now I have two venders who can't manage simple transactions - wonder why we're loosing our place in the world market (or are we earning it?) We took AA out for a test run... beautiful! With the stock prop engine rpm's came right up to 3750, no smoke, and boat speed came back to normal. Given that good news we brought the boat into Norton's where they will check valve lifter clearance, flush the cooling system and change the transmission oil along with a general check-up. It appears the performance issues were a dirty hull and a prop that was going out of pitch. Our new alternator arrived yesterday so I can swap that out at my leisure, sending the old one in to be rebuilt as a spare. I added a temperature sensor to the alternator as the smart voltage regulator we installed can use temperature to regulate the load on the alternator, extending its life. We are considering a temperature sensor for the batteries also. Believe it or not, phone connection improved with the move to Norton's and internet deteriorated from marginal to none. We hear complaints from lots of people trying to source items for their boats or contact venders and having no way to do it. Some bike, walk or drive to a connection, other just shelve the project for another port. For the cellular company it's a self fulfilling cycle... we don't have service there because no one uses it. Dah? Could it be no one uses it because it isn't here? Ruth prepared boiled shrimp for supper, she has developed a fantastic recipe for peel and eat shrimp, boiling them then sautéing them garlic oil and Florida seasoning. Makes you want to eat your fingers when you are done. What a delicious treat! 6/12/07 - 6:30am, another beautiful morning... too early, back to bed until 7:30... ahhh, that's better. A quick check confirmed no internet today. At 8 the mechanics, a guy and gal, showed up and attacked the engine. Valve clearances checked okay, changed the raw water impellor and end plate, transmission fluid, and cooling system flush. Everything else looked good. by 10:00 we were ready to move back to Walden's. Our EPRIB showed up at Walden's and I re-installed it. Only one package remaining in the system, some stuff for Ariel - hopefully tomorrow. The 150' anchor chain also arrived at West Marine. Costa took me out to pick it up. They loaded it in the pickup with a fork lift as two of us couldn't lift it. At the marina we rolled the fiber drum out on the ground by the boat. I spliced it to the rope rode, attached the anchor and loaded the chain into the bow locker using the windlass. We're now sea-ready again. Didn't accomplish all we'd hoped to - not being able to run down some of the parts we needed and given the heat, but we did okay. 6/13/08 - Wake up time, we're tied to the fuel dock and can hear the fishermen coming in for fuel. Damn those fish must get up early. Adrian and I went into West Marine so he could pick up some teak cleaner and sealer. We took their almost new motor home. Very nice rig. They are putting Squander on the hard for a year and RV'ing the the US. I'm sure they will enjoy it. We're waiting for a UPS package, then we can move to the anchorage on the south side of Stingray Point. I replaced the wash-down hose in the anchor locker, removing an aggravating coiled hose that was constantly fouling on anything within 5' of it. We moved the boat to Jackson Creek to say our good byes to Adrian and Jan, tomorrow they start getting their boat ready for a year on the hard. We'll miss them, they've been great cruising buddies. With luck our wakes will cross again. It's our turn to follow them. We joined them and folks they'd met the past week for a potluck dinner and grilling on the "barbie". Had an interesting night with three English, one Canadian and two US couples (counting us). Listening around the table these folks have sailed pretty much the world - Polynesia, Australia, Turkey, the Americas, the Baltic, Africa, the Med. We felt like mere "ditch dwellers". 6/14/08 - A light wind from the south, clear skies and pleasant temperatures accompanied dawn. AA was snuggly anchored on her new chain, Buddy (with a new sense of security?) was too busy eating to greet me. We paid $20.00 for anchorage guest privileges at Deltaville Marina and got their courtesy car to provision. We were past due as I'd only picked up minimal supplies as I ran the ditch north alone. Ruth did a mega-wash today, caught up on everything that could go through a washing machine. I biked over to Ariel to check the strainers on the refrigeration unit, finding that the yard forgot to turn it on after they painted the hull. Refrigerator plate read 71 and the freezer 42 degrees. Called Miles so they'd know to check the contents on their return. Food at the bottom of the freeze still had ice crystals. Ruth was still washing when I got back so I biked into town and started collecting parts to build a switch for the new boat horn. Couldn't buy one so I designed one. Just need a couple more parts and I can assemble it. 6/15/08 - We had another light show last night, fortunately only one lightning strike close enough to rattle our teeth. Jan and Adrian stopped by to say goodbye and have a drink with us. I got up this morning to watch them thread their way out our narrow channel on the high tide. We'll miss them. The haze from the Dismal forest fires continues to hang over the Chesapeake. They've had smoke advisories on the radio for the last 3 days. The light rain isn't really clearing the air. We lazed around Jackson Creek until the rain stopped, then we headed for Solomon's Landing, about 45 miles north. We motor sailed the first 3 hours, turning an easy 7.5 - 8 knots over the water. When we came to our turning mark we had to furl the sail as the wind was on the nose. After 2 1/2 hours of motoring into the wind we came to... Fat Hog Bay (that's a whole 'nother story known to a select few that joined us in the Virgin Islands in another life). Anyway, we sure weren't at Solomon's. A quick reference to the chart revealed we were one river south and had arrived at Smith Creek. As we'd never explored it before we decided the time was right and motored slowly up the creek to anchor in 9' of water. It turned out to be a nice quiet pastoral spot - we're glad we came here.
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Click on the photos for an 8" x 10" view. Use Back to return to the site. A reminder... Our only e-mail addresses are now: All other addresses have been cancelled.
AA (right) rafted off Squander
Robert (left) hosts breakfast
I think I can, I think I can...
Ring Andersen, owner Richard at the helm, Barry as pilot heading out of Norfolk
Looking forward from mid-ship
Okayyy, I could get use to this...
Miles helms 114' of sailboat, Kewl - next boat?
Squander gets escorted out of Norfolk
She's not bad looking after 5 years and 20,000 miles.. she's home for us the next few years. Another Adventure on the hard at Walden's Marina, Deltaville, VA showing off her new bottom paint and waxing just before re-launching.
AA back in the water - ready for another year or so.
Tugs behind a home in Johnson Creek.
Some of our Johnson Creek anchor mates
Fish trap stakes at Smith Creek
Neighbors further up the creek
A beautiful anchorage It's really for real now... Ruth and I were talking the other evening - about the house being sold and the fact that Another Adventure is truly home. Interestingly we were both concerned about the same thing - how was our partner handling it now that it was not just a concept but a reality? I think it was easier for me in that I've had to stay with the boat and Buddy so going back to visit hadn't been an option (though we're working on it). The hardest part was when I gave away my life's collection of tools and realized I was no longer equipped to "build anything". I wouldn't miss mowing, shoveling, painting... the house maintenance part. When the fact the house was sold sunk in my first concern was for Ruth. Ruth related that she felt a relief when the closing was over. She'd long ago embraced boat life and wanted to get on with it without the house dragging behind as an anchor. I (Ruth) have thought for some time now that the house was really a warehouse and too big and we couldn't move it around so what's the use? It was very easy to sell the furniture and items we've collected for many years. I actually could feel a load lift from my shoulders when I looked at the empty rooms on the day of the closing. I was missing my "real" life on the boat as it was always entertaining and interesting. It was kind'a weird having ALL of your clothes you own in the boat. However, I will now go through them again and just keep our favorites. No problem; I'm getting used to getting rid of STUFF!
Hey guy, it's 500 YARDS |
Visit earlier portions of our 2008 voyage...
| Boca Raton to Miami, FL - Jan 1 to 15, 2008 | Miami to Key West, FL - Jan 16 to 31, 2008 |
| Key West to Marathon, FL - Feb 1 to 15, 2008 | Marathon, FL to Nassau, Bahamas - Feb 16 - 29, 2008 |
| Norman Cay to Georgetown, Bahamas - March 1 - 15, 2008 | Georgetown to Royal Island - March 16 - 31, 2008 |
| Royal Island to Green Turtle Cay - April 1 - 15, 2008 | Green Turtle Cay to Fort Pierce - April 16 - 20, 2008 |
| Fort Pierce, FL to Savannah, GA - May 1 - 15, 2008 | Savannah, GA to Norfolk, VA - May 16 - 31, 2008 |
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