Sunset at Crisfield
Well, we finally did it. We cut the lines, so to speak, and left our last “home” slip for parts unknown. (Although still limited to the Chesapeake Bay, so they’re not that unknown.) The frantic pace slowed only a little as we neared the last day, and the marina manager graciously gave us a couple of extra days to finish as much of the “list” as we could before we left.
Anchors Aweigh!
Since our general plan has been that we would spend a majority of nights at anchor, we still needed to confirm that all the pieces of the anchoring puzzle were in place and would fit together as expected. This involves not only the anchoring process itself, but also a reliable source of electricity and water.
Although David had purchased the new Delta 35 anchor and 130 feet of chain rode back in March, we hadn’t attached the chain rode to the anchor, because we needed to first mark the rode in standard lengths to allow us to know how much had been deployed. After researching a number of alternatives, we finally went with the recommendation to paint the chain lengths with Rustoleum, using a technique of painting 1 chain link per ten feet deployed (e.g. at 10’, 1 link, at 20’, 2 links, etc.). Since the paint required 24 hours to dry, we once again took advantage of Don’s hospitality and spread the chain out in his back yard to paint and let dry. (We didn’t think the marina would want this all over their transient dock for a couple of days.) All chain rodes also require something called a “snubber”, which keeps the boat from jerking on the inelastic chain. A snubber is nothing more than a piece of nylon rope with a thimble and chain hook in one end, which is hooked through a link of the chain and then cleated. David made 2 of these to ensure we had a spare.
With the anchor taken care of, the next piece was ensuring we could recharge our batteries when anchored several days. We needed to test the generator and the newly installed 55amp Iota Battery charger. This would have been simple enough, except we couldn’t find a waterproof box to house the generator on deck. (Since, once we put gas in it, we no longer could keep it down below.) After looking high and low, we stumbled across a deck box at an Annapolis consignment store, Bacon and Associates. Amazingly, it was exactly the right size for the generator and 2 small cans of gas. With the box safely lashed to the deck, we fired up the generator, connected it to the battery charger, and both worked exactly as expected. A first! The new battery monitor also nicely confirmed the charger was delivering the output expected.
The last thing we had to confirm was that we could drink water from our freshly scrubbed tanks. Since it didn’t make sense to continue buying bottled water, but since we were both waiting for the other to be the first to drink, we were gradually getting dehydrated in this game of chicken. Finally, push came to shove. Since Cathy is always pushing the limits on foods (e.g. eating things past expiration dates, etc.), she drank the first glass. David watched carefully for 24 hours. When she didn’t seem to be too ill, he finally drank a glass too. We haven’t turned green or anything, and we’ve been drinking it for several weeks now. Phew! (We do continue to filter all water going into the tank, we add chlorine to the tank and, our last defense, we have a PUR water filter on the galley sink.)
Up the mast . . . again
As you may recall, the last trip up the mast was particularly unsuccessful in resolving our anemometer (wind speed) problem. After exchanging some e-mails with Raymarine, it became apparent that we had to return the masthead unit to them for servicing. So, Cathy took another trip up the mast. (She’s getting much better at it. David says he’ll go next time.) Raymarine repaired the part, but couldn’t get it back to us before we had to leave Solomons. It has since arrived at our daughter’s house, so David should be able to mount it again once we connect with Bonnie and Troy for a fishing trip the last weekend in June.
Rope tricks
We had purchased 200 feet of braided line for one of our many anchors, the Danforth S1600. However, it needed a thimble inserted in the end to attach to the anchor shackle. David had been putting his Boy Scout skills to work splicing a number of three-stand nylon ropes, but he had never spliced braided line. Margaret, our neighbor in Solomons, graciously taught us both how to do this and lent her tools (called fids) that are necessary for this type of splice. We successfully put an eye splice in not only the anchor line, but also a new spare halyard we plan to run to the top of the mast. (Something else David will be carrying up there on his first trip. Right?) Also, David shared his 3-strand splicing techniques with Margaret, which she had never done before.
Shopping trips
It seems there is no end to the number of “little” things that are needed before you set sail. We made more trips to local Boaters World, West Marine, Lowes, and Wal-mart to keep buying (and returning) items for the various projects we’ve been trying to finish. We also made a very productive trip to Bacon and Associates, a consignment store in Annapolis. We managed to pick up 2 folding bikes, the deck box, and a number of smaller items for less than $200. David also received an early Father’s Day present, when Bonnie and her fiancé, Troy, took him shopping for a fishing rod and reel and related supplies. (That’s why we’re meeting them to go fishing, so Troy can teach us how to use it.) On the recommendation of other sailors, we decided to buy another anchor. This was a small 14 lb. Danforth S12, which is now our stern anchor. This will be used as a “brake” for emergencies or to kedge off (i.e., pull ourselves off when we run aground).
Sail Trim 101
We had a few more opportunities to go out sailing with Don, who showed us a number of things we hadn’t been doing which would get more speed out of the sails, especially in lighter winds, which are common on the Chesapeake in summer. This came in handy on our 2 long days of sailing across the bay to the Eastern shore and back in light winds after we left Solomons.
Goodbyes
It’s hard to believe that just a month spent at the marina could generate attachments that made the departure harder to do. Our neighbors, Chris and Margaret, had become friends that we had shared experiences and laughs with. As we mentioned above, Margaret and David exchanged splicing techniques and we helped with dog sitting on one day in exchange for a ride to return our rental car the next day. Also, we watched them return from a harrowing weekend trip to Dunn's Cove on the Choptank, which became instead a very long day trip, when their anchor started dragging as they were on the shore, not on the boat. After they rushed back and caught the boat (which had drifted enough that another boat had to move to avoid it), they were unable to haul their anchor back on board, so they had to cut the rode and leave it at the bottom of Dun Cove. Unfortunately, without another anchor, they had to have a slip for the night, which meant another 10 miles up the Choptank or back to the safety of their own slip in Hospitality Harbor. Home seemed the better choice. As they came back in the Patuxent after dark (first time night sailing for both), they realized that the Solomon’s channel markers are not lit. With a flashlight and their GPS hooked to charts on the PC, they navigated back in, exhausted, after 10pm. We helped them with their dock lines and listened to the story of their day. As the winds howled the next day, they decided it was fate that they came back early, but they spent quite a while talking to David about anchors (one of his favorite subjects) and researching alternatives. We suggested this would be a great Voice of Experience episode for Sail Magazine. (We hope we didn’t spoil it for them by including it here.) It was this experience that caused David to make sure we had bolt cutters (in case we had to sever our anchor chain) and a trip line (float attached to a line on the anchor) so we could be sure of the position of our anchor once it was set.
Where to?
All of our focus had been concentrated on boat mechanics at the expense of any trip planning. When we finally turned our attention to this, we had to make a basic decision. North or South? We finally decided to go south so we could meet up with Bonnie and Troy. Our first stop was across the bay to Crisfield, MD on the Eastern Shore. Crisfield is about as far south as you can go and stay in MD. The marina there, Somers Cove, was recommended by the guide book we were reading, and they had a buy 2 nights, get one free offer that we took them up on. This proved a good choice, since it poured the first day and the winds were gusting above 25 knots the 2nd day. We took the opportunity to tour Crisfield one day (we had a personalized trolley tour) and visit Smith Island the next (by mail boat). It was a great first stop. The towns folk were very friendly and the marina was very nice. Smith Island was beautiful. After seeing the village, we sampled some 9-layer Smith Island cake and a delicious crabcake at Ruke’s, from their porch overlooking the harbor. Friday took us back to the Western shore and anchoring in Mill Creek. (We finally put all that preparation to good use.)
We’ll continue to work our way south for another week, and then probably head back north for a while. We’re still learning a lot about charting our course, sailing, anchoring and, of course, just living in close quarters. Each day brings something new.
Anchors Aweigh!
Since our general plan has been that we would spend a majority of nights at anchor, we still needed to confirm that all the pieces of the anchoring puzzle were in place and would fit together as expected. This involves not only the anchoring process itself, but also a reliable source of electricity and water.
Although David had purchased the new Delta 35 anchor and 130 feet of chain rode back in March, we hadn’t attached the chain rode to the anchor, because we needed to first mark the rode in standard lengths to allow us to know how much had been deployed. After researching a number of alternatives, we finally went with the recommendation to paint the chain lengths with Rustoleum, using a technique of painting 1 chain link per ten feet deployed (e.g. at 10’, 1 link, at 20’, 2 links, etc.). Since the paint required 24 hours to dry, we once again took advantage of Don’s hospitality and spread the chain out in his back yard to paint and let dry. (We didn’t think the marina would want this all over their transient dock for a couple of days.) All chain rodes also require something called a “snubber”, which keeps the boat from jerking on the inelastic chain. A snubber is nothing more than a piece of nylon rope with a thimble and chain hook in one end, which is hooked through a link of the chain and then cleated. David made 2 of these to ensure we had a spare.
With the anchor taken care of, the next piece was ensuring we could recharge our batteries when anchored several days. We needed to test the generator and the newly installed 55amp Iota Battery charger. This would have been simple enough, except we couldn’t find a waterproof box to house the generator on deck. (Since, once we put gas in it, we no longer could keep it down below.) After looking high and low, we stumbled across a deck box at an Annapolis consignment store, Bacon and Associates. Amazingly, it was exactly the right size for the generator and 2 small cans of gas. With the box safely lashed to the deck, we fired up the generator, connected it to the battery charger, and both worked exactly as expected. A first! The new battery monitor also nicely confirmed the charger was delivering the output expected.
The last thing we had to confirm was that we could drink water from our freshly scrubbed tanks. Since it didn’t make sense to continue buying bottled water, but since we were both waiting for the other to be the first to drink, we were gradually getting dehydrated in this game of chicken. Finally, push came to shove. Since Cathy is always pushing the limits on foods (e.g. eating things past expiration dates, etc.), she drank the first glass. David watched carefully for 24 hours. When she didn’t seem to be too ill, he finally drank a glass too. We haven’t turned green or anything, and we’ve been drinking it for several weeks now. Phew! (We do continue to filter all water going into the tank, we add chlorine to the tank and, our last defense, we have a PUR water filter on the galley sink.)
Up the mast . . . again
As you may recall, the last trip up the mast was particularly unsuccessful in resolving our anemometer (wind speed) problem. After exchanging some e-mails with Raymarine, it became apparent that we had to return the masthead unit to them for servicing. So, Cathy took another trip up the mast. (She’s getting much better at it. David says he’ll go next time.) Raymarine repaired the part, but couldn’t get it back to us before we had to leave Solomons. It has since arrived at our daughter’s house, so David should be able to mount it again once we connect with Bonnie and Troy for a fishing trip the last weekend in June.
Rope tricks
We had purchased 200 feet of braided line for one of our many anchors, the Danforth S1600. However, it needed a thimble inserted in the end to attach to the anchor shackle. David had been putting his Boy Scout skills to work splicing a number of three-stand nylon ropes, but he had never spliced braided line. Margaret, our neighbor in Solomons, graciously taught us both how to do this and lent her tools (called fids) that are necessary for this type of splice. We successfully put an eye splice in not only the anchor line, but also a new spare halyard we plan to run to the top of the mast. (Something else David will be carrying up there on his first trip. Right?) Also, David shared his 3-strand splicing techniques with Margaret, which she had never done before.
Shopping trips
It seems there is no end to the number of “little” things that are needed before you set sail. We made more trips to local Boaters World, West Marine, Lowes, and Wal-mart to keep buying (and returning) items for the various projects we’ve been trying to finish. We also made a very productive trip to Bacon and Associates, a consignment store in Annapolis. We managed to pick up 2 folding bikes, the deck box, and a number of smaller items for less than $200. David also received an early Father’s Day present, when Bonnie and her fiancé, Troy, took him shopping for a fishing rod and reel and related supplies. (That’s why we’re meeting them to go fishing, so Troy can teach us how to use it.) On the recommendation of other sailors, we decided to buy another anchor. This was a small 14 lb. Danforth S12, which is now our stern anchor. This will be used as a “brake” for emergencies or to kedge off (i.e., pull ourselves off when we run aground).
Sail Trim 101
We had a few more opportunities to go out sailing with Don, who showed us a number of things we hadn’t been doing which would get more speed out of the sails, especially in lighter winds, which are common on the Chesapeake in summer. This came in handy on our 2 long days of sailing across the bay to the Eastern shore and back in light winds after we left Solomons.
Goodbyes
It’s hard to believe that just a month spent at the marina could generate attachments that made the departure harder to do. Our neighbors, Chris and Margaret, had become friends that we had shared experiences and laughs with. As we mentioned above, Margaret and David exchanged splicing techniques and we helped with dog sitting on one day in exchange for a ride to return our rental car the next day. Also, we watched them return from a harrowing weekend trip to Dunn's Cove on the Choptank, which became instead a very long day trip, when their anchor started dragging as they were on the shore, not on the boat. After they rushed back and caught the boat (which had drifted enough that another boat had to move to avoid it), they were unable to haul their anchor back on board, so they had to cut the rode and leave it at the bottom of Dun Cove. Unfortunately, without another anchor, they had to have a slip for the night, which meant another 10 miles up the Choptank or back to the safety of their own slip in Hospitality Harbor. Home seemed the better choice. As they came back in the Patuxent after dark (first time night sailing for both), they realized that the Solomon’s channel markers are not lit. With a flashlight and their GPS hooked to charts on the PC, they navigated back in, exhausted, after 10pm. We helped them with their dock lines and listened to the story of their day. As the winds howled the next day, they decided it was fate that they came back early, but they spent quite a while talking to David about anchors (one of his favorite subjects) and researching alternatives. We suggested this would be a great Voice of Experience episode for Sail Magazine. (We hope we didn’t spoil it for them by including it here.) It was this experience that caused David to make sure we had bolt cutters (in case we had to sever our anchor chain) and a trip line (float attached to a line on the anchor) so we could be sure of the position of our anchor once it was set.
Where to?
All of our focus had been concentrated on boat mechanics at the expense of any trip planning. When we finally turned our attention to this, we had to make a basic decision. North or South? We finally decided to go south so we could meet up with Bonnie and Troy. Our first stop was across the bay to Crisfield, MD on the Eastern Shore. Crisfield is about as far south as you can go and stay in MD. The marina there, Somers Cove, was recommended by the guide book we were reading, and they had a buy 2 nights, get one free offer that we took them up on. This proved a good choice, since it poured the first day and the winds were gusting above 25 knots the 2nd day. We took the opportunity to tour Crisfield one day (we had a personalized trolley tour) and visit Smith Island the next (by mail boat). It was a great first stop. The towns folk were very friendly and the marina was very nice. Smith Island was beautiful. After seeing the village, we sampled some 9-layer Smith Island cake and a delicious crabcake at Ruke’s, from their porch overlooking the harbor. Friday took us back to the Western shore and anchoring in Mill Creek. (We finally put all that preparation to good use.)
We’ll continue to work our way south for another week, and then probably head back north for a while. We’re still learning a lot about charting our course, sailing, anchoring and, of course, just living in close quarters. Each day brings something new.
