With the boat in the water now, surely this log entry will talk about sailing in the Patuxent near our slip. Wrong. We’re once again updating the log while driving (not sailing) as we make our way back from NC to the boat, but we knew this would be the plan, since our niece graduated yesterday from NC State in Raleigh. (As a graduate of arch-rival Duke, Cathy took this in stride.) Also, since we are driving, it would be logical to assume the repair in Kutztown was completed, which it was. The problem was a fuel pump, and now that we have a new one, we can make this a selling point when we put the car up for sale at the end of the month.
Orion -- bottom freshly painted, deck and hull washed and partially re-waxed -- was put in the water late Wednesday. She’ll probably never look that good again. The bottom had been painted while we were away with 2 coats of Trident SR (“hard”) anti-fouling paint. Shortly after we arrived from Rochester Tuesday afternoon, the marina workers moved the jack stands to paint the area they had blocked. While watching them paint, our attention was drawn to ugly streaks on the hull above the waterline. Our beautiful wax job looked pretty sad now. The boatyard manager, Alan, said it was the residue of jet fuel from the nearby Patuxent Naval Air Station jets as they flew over daily. That meant an early morning on Wednesday, washing the decks and hull to remove the dirt before the boat was launched and the hull became less accessible. When washing alone wasn’t doing the trick, we decided we needed to quickly re-wax as much as we could to remove the rest. This was exhausting work, especially without the power buffer we had used before.
We also met our neighbor, Chuck, who had been called up from NC a day earlier than he preferred (sorry!), so we could launch Wednesday. (Since Thursday turned out to be a really nasty day weatherwise, this was actually a good thing.) He was also scrambling to wax his boat before launch, so we were sharing hoses and ladders to try to get both boats done in time. As we watched other boats being put in the water all day in quick succession, we began to wonder how quickly we would be able to get underway and out of the haul-out slip to make room for the next boat. Chuck informed us that we would be last, but that didn’t mean we were off the hook. They needed to move another boat into the haul out slip after we moved out. That meant the workers couldn’t go home until we got out of there. That’s some pressure. The main concern was whether the engine would start. Since our last trip in the fall down from Edgewater had highlighted some problems with the starting battery, Dave ensured the batteries were plugged in and charging as much as possible Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday. Surely this would do it. Also, Alan assured us that Yanmar’s always start. What could possibly go wrong?
Getting Orion to the haul-out slip was efficient and uneventful. As she hung in the water, still in the bands of the crane, we quickly checked our through hulls to ensure none were leaking. Then, came the moment of truth. We tried to start the engine. Dave decided to keep both the starting and house battery on, based on our troubles in the fall. Cathy nervously turned the key, and the engine struggled to turn over, but wouldn’t. After several more unsuccessful tries, the voltmeter indicated that the batteries were way down from full charge and no longer had the power to start the engine. We tried plugging into shore power, and still it wouldn’t turn over. (You guys didn’t want to get home on time today, did you?) They called Carl the mechanic over, who checked out the engine. We discussed air in the fuel line and the state of the batteries. After a few more adjustments, the engine finally started. Carl attributed the problem to the weak batteries and the lack of compression in the engine (which happens when it sits over winter). The combination caused it not to start. He cautioned us not to turn the engine off until we knew we didn’t need it any more. (Good thing we had ensured the anchor was ready to deploy, if we needed it.) As we headed out of the slip, we still couldn’t relax. It was going to be critical that the engine didn’t stall. Also, Cathy was used to approaching and backing into a slip on the port side. Our new slip would require a starboard approach, with a stiff breeze blowing the boat into the slip. Backing under these conditions would be tricky. As we made the short trip to Hospitality Harbor slip, Dave readied the lines for docking and Cathy tried to remember how the boat responded to the helm. After a few missed attempts at lining up for the slip, Cathy managed to get Dave close enough to cast lines on the pilings and then we essentially used them to pull Orion around into position to back into the slip. We didn’t embarrass ourselves too much, but there was a little friction in front of our new neighbors and Dave’s cousin Don on the dock, as tried to get the lines right. Since we had been spoiled by floating docks at our Edgewater slip last year, the challenge of a fixed dock meant we spent quite a while adjusting lines to allow slack for the tidal range, while still ensuring the wind didn’t push us up against the pilings. As the winds picked up over the next 24 hours and the lines stretched, this continued to require more adjustments. Our problems with the engine are not over, as we suspected. When we tried the engine with just the starting battery on the next morning, it wouldn’t start. Looks like it’s time for a new starting battery.
The next day began the project of organizing and stowing the winter’s accumulation of stuff, and Cathy began replacing the wheel cover with one purchased at the boat show. The weather wasn’t great, so we were glad we had taken time Wednesday evening to get the bimini back up for shelter.
The work of transitioning from apartment to boat required us to spend much of these past 2 weeks trying to get things done on land that will be more difficult once we give up the car at the end of the month. We both had physicals, met with our lawyer to update our wills, met with our financial advisor to review our status, and stopped by our daughter’s to get the latest mail. While getting physicals, we also decided to get a Hepatitis A immunization, and David updated his tetanus immunization, which was over 5 years old. The doctor also agreed to prescribe a 5-day supply of 7 different medications for the boat’s medicine cabinet. These will be kept in a locked container and can be dispensed by the captain in the event of their being needed. Now, the challenge is to find a pharmacist who will fill a prescription made out to S/V Orion.
We also took advantage of the time of transition to visit with family and friends. Amazingly we were able to spend time with much of our immediate family on both sides. Of course, it required 2000 miles of driving to accomplish it. We started the trip by visiting Dave’s sister, Diane, in Bethlehem, whom you may remember is the one who rescued us from the side of the road. We re-paid the favor with some plumbing repairs and took advantage of the delay in car repairs to spend time with her and her roommate, Pam. With another week until the boat launch, we enjoyed several days in Rochester with Dave’s parents and our son Adam and our grandson Droz, visiting multiple playgrounds in 2 counties. We were also able to spend some rare time with Wendy (Dave’s sister), her husband Dave and our niece and nephew, Janelle and Jeff. We enjoyed Janelle’s jazz band concert and celebrated her upcoming graduation from the Finger Lakes Community College. Later in the week, we enjoyed a dinner with her family, Adam and Droz at Dave’s parents’ house. Leaving Rochester to go to the boat, we stopped long enough to find 2 grape pies in Naples for Dave’s cousin Don. Don and his wife Cindy live in Lexington Park with their 3 children and graciously put us up Tuesday night before our boat launched on Wednesday. On Friday, we turned south toward Raleigh, NC, as our niece, Christine, graduated from NC State with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. As one of the co-valedictorians in her department, she graduated with honors (you go girl!) and has already started her job at Glaxo-Smith-Kline in Raleigh. We spent time with Cathy’s very tired family between the ceremony and a very late dinner reservation, socializing and napping in their hotel room. It was an unconventional setting (3 on the floor, 2 in chairs, 4 on the beds), but a welcome opportunity to be together, as we gathered from as far away as Russia to celebrate Christine’s accomplishment and be together. Christine’s Uncle Clint, who is glad that he is no longer the sole member of the Wolf Pack in the family, was unable to attend, but called from Russia to congratulate her. Unfortunately, the day of celebration ended with sadness for us all as we learned of the death of Clint’s mother late that evening. Our prayers go out to him and all of his family as they cope with this loss.
So, now we are dodging tornados on our way back to the boat and another week of repairs, maintenance, and maybe some sailing.
Click here for more pictures.
Orion -- bottom freshly painted, deck and hull washed and partially re-waxed -- was put in the water late Wednesday. She’ll probably never look that good again. The bottom had been painted while we were away with 2 coats of Trident SR (“hard”) anti-fouling paint. Shortly after we arrived from Rochester Tuesday afternoon, the marina workers moved the jack stands to paint the area they had blocked. While watching them paint, our attention was drawn to ugly streaks on the hull above the waterline. Our beautiful wax job looked pretty sad now. The boatyard manager, Alan, said it was the residue of jet fuel from the nearby Patuxent Naval Air Station jets as they flew over daily. That meant an early morning on Wednesday, washing the decks and hull to remove the dirt before the boat was launched and the hull became less accessible. When washing alone wasn’t doing the trick, we decided we needed to quickly re-wax as much as we could to remove the rest. This was exhausting work, especially without the power buffer we had used before.
We also met our neighbor, Chuck, who had been called up from NC a day earlier than he preferred (sorry!), so we could launch Wednesday. (Since Thursday turned out to be a really nasty day weatherwise, this was actually a good thing.) He was also scrambling to wax his boat before launch, so we were sharing hoses and ladders to try to get both boats done in time. As we watched other boats being put in the water all day in quick succession, we began to wonder how quickly we would be able to get underway and out of the haul-out slip to make room for the next boat. Chuck informed us that we would be last, but that didn’t mean we were off the hook. They needed to move another boat into the haul out slip after we moved out. That meant the workers couldn’t go home until we got out of there. That’s some pressure. The main concern was whether the engine would start. Since our last trip in the fall down from Edgewater had highlighted some problems with the starting battery, Dave ensured the batteries were plugged in and charging as much as possible Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday. Surely this would do it. Also, Alan assured us that Yanmar’s always start. What could possibly go wrong?
Getting Orion to the haul-out slip was efficient and uneventful. As she hung in the water, still in the bands of the crane, we quickly checked our through hulls to ensure none were leaking. Then, came the moment of truth. We tried to start the engine. Dave decided to keep both the starting and house battery on, based on our troubles in the fall. Cathy nervously turned the key, and the engine struggled to turn over, but wouldn’t. After several more unsuccessful tries, the voltmeter indicated that the batteries were way down from full charge and no longer had the power to start the engine. We tried plugging into shore power, and still it wouldn’t turn over. (You guys didn’t want to get home on time today, did you?) They called Carl the mechanic over, who checked out the engine. We discussed air in the fuel line and the state of the batteries. After a few more adjustments, the engine finally started. Carl attributed the problem to the weak batteries and the lack of compression in the engine (which happens when it sits over winter). The combination caused it not to start. He cautioned us not to turn the engine off until we knew we didn’t need it any more. (Good thing we had ensured the anchor was ready to deploy, if we needed it.) As we headed out of the slip, we still couldn’t relax. It was going to be critical that the engine didn’t stall. Also, Cathy was used to approaching and backing into a slip on the port side. Our new slip would require a starboard approach, with a stiff breeze blowing the boat into the slip. Backing under these conditions would be tricky. As we made the short trip to Hospitality Harbor slip, Dave readied the lines for docking and Cathy tried to remember how the boat responded to the helm. After a few missed attempts at lining up for the slip, Cathy managed to get Dave close enough to cast lines on the pilings and then we essentially used them to pull Orion around into position to back into the slip. We didn’t embarrass ourselves too much, but there was a little friction in front of our new neighbors and Dave’s cousin Don on the dock, as tried to get the lines right. Since we had been spoiled by floating docks at our Edgewater slip last year, the challenge of a fixed dock meant we spent quite a while adjusting lines to allow slack for the tidal range, while still ensuring the wind didn’t push us up against the pilings. As the winds picked up over the next 24 hours and the lines stretched, this continued to require more adjustments. Our problems with the engine are not over, as we suspected. When we tried the engine with just the starting battery on the next morning, it wouldn’t start. Looks like it’s time for a new starting battery.
The next day began the project of organizing and stowing the winter’s accumulation of stuff, and Cathy began replacing the wheel cover with one purchased at the boat show. The weather wasn’t great, so we were glad we had taken time Wednesday evening to get the bimini back up for shelter.
The work of transitioning from apartment to boat required us to spend much of these past 2 weeks trying to get things done on land that will be more difficult once we give up the car at the end of the month. We both had physicals, met with our lawyer to update our wills, met with our financial advisor to review our status, and stopped by our daughter’s to get the latest mail. While getting physicals, we also decided to get a Hepatitis A immunization, and David updated his tetanus immunization, which was over 5 years old. The doctor also agreed to prescribe a 5-day supply of 7 different medications for the boat’s medicine cabinet. These will be kept in a locked container and can be dispensed by the captain in the event of their being needed. Now, the challenge is to find a pharmacist who will fill a prescription made out to S/V Orion.
We also took advantage of the time of transition to visit with family and friends. Amazingly we were able to spend time with much of our immediate family on both sides. Of course, it required 2000 miles of driving to accomplish it. We started the trip by visiting Dave’s sister, Diane, in Bethlehem, whom you may remember is the one who rescued us from the side of the road. We re-paid the favor with some plumbing repairs and took advantage of the delay in car repairs to spend time with her and her roommate, Pam. With another week until the boat launch, we enjoyed several days in Rochester with Dave’s parents and our son Adam and our grandson Droz, visiting multiple playgrounds in 2 counties. We were also able to spend some rare time with Wendy (Dave’s sister), her husband Dave and our niece and nephew, Janelle and Jeff. We enjoyed Janelle’s jazz band concert and celebrated her upcoming graduation from the Finger Lakes Community College. Later in the week, we enjoyed a dinner with her family, Adam and Droz at Dave’s parents’ house. Leaving Rochester to go to the boat, we stopped long enough to find 2 grape pies in Naples for Dave’s cousin Don. Don and his wife Cindy live in Lexington Park with their 3 children and graciously put us up Tuesday night before our boat launched on Wednesday. On Friday, we turned south toward Raleigh, NC, as our niece, Christine, graduated from NC State with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. As one of the co-valedictorians in her department, she graduated with honors (you go girl!) and has already started her job at Glaxo-Smith-Kline in Raleigh. We spent time with Cathy’s very tired family between the ceremony and a very late dinner reservation, socializing and napping in their hotel room. It was an unconventional setting (3 on the floor, 2 in chairs, 4 on the beds), but a welcome opportunity to be together, as we gathered from as far away as Russia to celebrate Christine’s accomplishment and be together. Christine’s Uncle Clint, who is glad that he is no longer the sole member of the Wolf Pack in the family, was unable to attend, but called from Russia to congratulate her. Unfortunately, the day of celebration ended with sadness for us all as we learned of the death of Clint’s mother late that evening. Our prayers go out to him and all of his family as they cope with this loss.
So, now we are dodging tornados on our way back to the boat and another week of repairs, maintenance, and maybe some sailing.
Click here for more pictures.
