We are back in Hampton, but this time staying at the Public Piers for a couple of weeks. We are working on Orion, helping out some fellow boaters, swimming and visiting with friends. In the meantime, we follow the progress of Marianna as she makes her way south.
Down the Bay
Orion was finally underway again after a month on Broad Creek, motoring in a light wind out of the Magothy River, through the Bay Bridge. Having left the dock late, after 1:30, we had only a few options for ports for the night. We decided to head for the West or Rhode Rivers, depending on which had the best protection. This turned out to be the Rhode River. It was going to be a short stop, dropping anchor just before sunset and getting up a first light to head south to Solomons.
What greeted us as we awoke the next morning was quite a surprise. The night wasn’t as calm as we thought. On top of the bimini, our solar panels were covered in pools of blood, feathers and animal parts. There was blood dripping down the sides of the cockpit and running down the deck – and feathers everywhere. We were at a loss to know what had happened. We hadn’t heard anything. Using the deck washdown hose, we sprayed off some of the worst of the mess, but realized we would have to wait until we reached a dock in Solomons to really clean it off. At least the inside of the cockpit was largely unaffected. We can’t say as much for the poor bird on the losing end of that fight.
The rest of the trip to Solomons was cold and overcast, but uneventful. We pulled onto the Spring Cove fuel dock shortly after 3pm, cleaned up, fueled up, pumped out and then headed back to anchor once again in Mill Creek. The sun finally broke through shortly after setting anchor, which would be its last appearance for at least 36 hours. We knew the forecast for the next day’s planned trip south of the Potomac was not pretty – rain likely all day – but at least the wind would not be too bad and it would be behind us, making for a much easier Potomac River crossing than the forecast for the rest of the week.
Orion was finally underway again after a month on Broad Creek, motoring in a light wind out of the Magothy River, through the Bay Bridge. Having left the dock late, after 1:30, we had only a few options for ports for the night. We decided to head for the West or Rhode Rivers, depending on which had the best protection. This turned out to be the Rhode River. It was going to be a short stop, dropping anchor just before sunset and getting up a first light to head south to Solomons.
What greeted us as we awoke the next morning was quite a surprise. The night wasn’t as calm as we thought. On top of the bimini, our solar panels were covered in pools of blood, feathers and animal parts. There was blood dripping down the sides of the cockpit and running down the deck – and feathers everywhere. We were at a loss to know what had happened. We hadn’t heard anything. Using the deck washdown hose, we sprayed off some of the worst of the mess, but realized we would have to wait until we reached a dock in Solomons to really clean it off. At least the inside of the cockpit was largely unaffected. We can’t say as much for the poor bird on the losing end of that fight.
The rest of the trip to Solomons was cold and overcast, but uneventful. We pulled onto the Spring Cove fuel dock shortly after 3pm, cleaned up, fueled up, pumped out and then headed back to anchor once again in Mill Creek. The sun finally broke through shortly after setting anchor, which would be its last appearance for at least 36 hours. We knew the forecast for the next day’s planned trip south of the Potomac was not pretty – rain likely all day – but at least the wind would not be too bad and it would be behind us, making for a much easier Potomac River crossing than the forecast for the rest of the week.
Early the next morning, we put in all but one of the enclosure panels and began motoring out of Solomons back out to the Bay. It was going to be a wet, messy trip. But the weather was not going to be our only headache. During our hourly engine checks, we began to notice a disturbing trend in the fuel vacuum pressure. It was creeping up with each passing hour, meaning there was a blockage developing in the fuel line. We were likely traveling on borrowed time. Sure enough, around 10am, the engine sputtered like it was going to shut off. Cathy ran down and switched to our other Racor filter. Unfortunately, the pressure remained high. When Dave went down to check out the situation, he saw the Racor bowls were not staying full. He tried re-filling them, but the level wouldn’t stay up. So, we pulled out the sails and killed the engine. Dave had already placed a call to Deltaville when he had seen the pressure rising. He wanted to talk to Matt or Jon, before doing much more with the fuel line. In the meantime, the winds were allowing us to make reasonable progress.
We had been hoping to visit Indian Creek to see Joy and Rusty on Slow Dancin’. However, we weren’t sure what the wind would allow us to do. Just before we reached Smith Point at the southern edge of the Potomac, Dave got a call from Jon at Deltaville. After talking through the symptoms, they decided the problem was likely a blockage in the fuel line before the Racor filters. If that was the case, it might be possible to clear it by blowing through the hose. Dave first tried to clear it by blowing toward the Racor filter. Nothing happened. So, he tried blowing back toward the fuel tank. After a couple of tries, he heard a distinctive “pop”. He could tell the line had cleared. After re-connecting the fuel lines and topping off the Racor bowls, we re-started the engine. The fuel vacuum pressure had dropped back to an acceptable level. We called Joy and Rusty and told them we would see them as planned. They met us in the rain, as we pulled onto the dock shortly after 4pm.
With winds forecasted to gust to 30 from the southwest the next day, we arranged to spend 2 nights on the dock at the Indian Creek Yacht Club as guests of Rusty and Joy. This gave us a couple of days to visit with them and enjoy their hospitality. They are working to prepare Slow Dancin’ for another trip south, with a planned departure in early November. We compared notes on different boat projects and offered a little assistance with some. But we were trying to get to hook up with Steve on Bay Dreamer for the weekend, so we needed to move on, and headed out early Friday morning.
We had been hoping to visit Indian Creek to see Joy and Rusty on Slow Dancin’. However, we weren’t sure what the wind would allow us to do. Just before we reached Smith Point at the southern edge of the Potomac, Dave got a call from Jon at Deltaville. After talking through the symptoms, they decided the problem was likely a blockage in the fuel line before the Racor filters. If that was the case, it might be possible to clear it by blowing through the hose. Dave first tried to clear it by blowing toward the Racor filter. Nothing happened. So, he tried blowing back toward the fuel tank. After a couple of tries, he heard a distinctive “pop”. He could tell the line had cleared. After re-connecting the fuel lines and topping off the Racor bowls, we re-started the engine. The fuel vacuum pressure had dropped back to an acceptable level. We called Joy and Rusty and told them we would see them as planned. They met us in the rain, as we pulled onto the dock shortly after 4pm.
With winds forecasted to gust to 30 from the southwest the next day, we arranged to spend 2 nights on the dock at the Indian Creek Yacht Club as guests of Rusty and Joy. This gave us a couple of days to visit with them and enjoy their hospitality. They are working to prepare Slow Dancin’ for another trip south, with a planned departure in early November. We compared notes on different boat projects and offered a little assistance with some. But we were trying to get to hook up with Steve on Bay Dreamer for the weekend, so we needed to move on, and headed out early Friday morning.
In sharp contrast to the preceding days’ travel, Friday was sunny and warmer. We pulled out the sails soon after leaving Indian Creek and sailed south until we had to turn into Mobjack Bay. As we rounded New Point Comfort to head northwest into the East River, our angle into the wind was too tight to sail, so we motored the last few miles to the anchorage. We rejected the popular Put-in Creek anchorage due to the crab pots and chose a protected bend in the East River, next to a couple of rafted boats. We stayed a couple of nights, but since Steve was still having some transmission problems, we didn’t hook up as planned. Instead we used the time to get some boat work done.
When we decided to take a break and explore Put-in Creek by dinghy, we were surprised to find 2 new neighbors in the anchorage upon our return. That’s how we got to meet Bob and Marilyn on Peaceful Easy Feeling, a Beneteau 473 (one beautiful boat). We followed them back to Hampton on Sunday, but with their boat under full sail, they quickly disappeared over the horizon. We learned later that despite their record time down the Bay, we managed to take our slip at the Hampton Public Piers long before they made theirs in Salt Ponds. The full moon tide was lower than normal and they ran aground on a falling tide in the already shallow entrance. It wasn’t till 7:30pm before they could free themselves.
So, we settled in at the Hampton Public Piers and started working on a list of boat projects and trips that would fill our time while we waited for Marianna and Quicksilver to arrive from points north.
So, we settled in at the Hampton Public Piers and started working on a list of boat projects and trips that would fill our time while we waited for Marianna and Quicksilver to arrive from points north.
Boat Stuff
While in the East River, with the beautiful weather and the dinghy in the water, Dave used the time to clean the water line and wax the hull. We used lemon juice for the waterline, which was kinder to the environment and to our bottom paint and seemed almost as effective as the more caustic alternative. Cathy spent her time on the upper deck, polishing the rest of the stainless steel and waxing the foreward part of the upper deck that is normally blocked by the dinghy. The main reason for launching the dinghy was to allow Dave to check out his fuel line fix on the outboard (which worked well) and to run the gas out of the dinghy, since it doesn’t age well.
While in the East River, with the beautiful weather and the dinghy in the water, Dave used the time to clean the water line and wax the hull. We used lemon juice for the waterline, which was kinder to the environment and to our bottom paint and seemed almost as effective as the more caustic alternative. Cathy spent her time on the upper deck, polishing the rest of the stainless steel and waxing the foreward part of the upper deck that is normally blocked by the dinghy. The main reason for launching the dinghy was to allow Dave to check out his fuel line fix on the outboard (which worked well) and to run the gas out of the dinghy, since it doesn’t age well.
Once we arrived in Hampton, the list of projects grew. Cathy took advantage of several days of good weather and time on the dock to strip and re-Cetol the cockpit seats and the toe rails with Cetol Natural Teak, so that they will match the swim platform and the port caprail. The several days effort paid dividends in a beautiful new finish. Before re-mounting the dinghy, we covered the newly-refinished toe-rails with foam pipe insulation to keep the rails looking good.
In the meantime, Dave worked out a way to implement a temporary solution to our fuel blockage that would keep us running if it happened again. He purchased some fuel line that could attach to the Racor filters and run into a 5 gallon diesel jug. This would keep Orion going for almost 10 hours in an emergency.
Taking Time Out
In the meantime, Dave worked out a way to implement a temporary solution to our fuel blockage that would keep us running if it happened again. He purchased some fuel line that could attach to the Racor filters and run into a 5 gallon diesel jug. This would keep Orion going for almost 10 hours in an emergency.
Taking Time Out
One of the main reasons we wanted to get back to Hampton was to spend Halloween with the grandkids at the Virginia Air and Space Center. However, we had difficulty finding a slip for the weekend until the very last minute. So, instead we went to visit the grandkids in Richmond and Jarratt on Halloween weekend. It was amazing how much they change in just a few weeks, especially the littlest ones.
Of course, being back in Hampton meant we could go back to the Community Center for swimming, visit with our friends at Joy’s Marina and enjoy the downtown happenings, such as a Halloween party with a great band and lots of interesting costumes. Also, with all the boats in and out of the Public Piers heading south, we enjoyed time with some new friends, such as Scott and Lisa on Messenger, who were taking their first trip south. We helped point out some of the things to look for and some to avoid as they made the journey.
As our friends get closer, we are keeping busy, but looking forward to getting back together for the trip south. Hopefully, our next update will have us on our way.
Of course, being back in Hampton meant we could go back to the Community Center for swimming, visit with our friends at Joy’s Marina and enjoy the downtown happenings, such as a Halloween party with a great band and lots of interesting costumes. Also, with all the boats in and out of the Public Piers heading south, we enjoyed time with some new friends, such as Scott and Lisa on Messenger, who were taking their first trip south. We helped point out some of the things to look for and some to avoid as they made the journey.
As our friends get closer, we are keeping busy, but looking forward to getting back together for the trip south. Hopefully, our next update will have us on our way.
