We started June with a tornado and ended it with a violent thunderstorm that brought 70 knot winds through downtown Hampton.  And it’s only June.  Isn’t the worst summer weather due in July and August?  At any rate, when we’re not dodging storms, we’re spending our time getting some technical upgrades done.  We’ve bought a new PC and have finally left the cell phone dark ages and bought a smart phone.   

Crossing the Technical Divide

Staying connected on the boat is something that makes our travels possible.  Knowing we can contact family, check e-mail, monitor our bank accounts, and update the website lets us travel to remote places without worrying that we are too out of touch.   With this in mind, before we started cruising, we chose a cell phone carrier that had the most coverage even in remote places.  Also, our carrier had a data plan that allowed us to use our cell phone tethered to the PC as a modem, consuming only minutes to make the connection, with no additional airtime fees.  So, with our cell phones, a laptop capable of picking up WiFi signals as well as a USB port to accept the cell phone tether, we were usually in good shape, able to stay connected in some remote places. 

However, technology doesn’t stand still.  

Not long after we started cruising, our wireless carrier stopped offering the data plan that we were using.  We were told that if we changed phones, we would lose the plan.  In researching alternatives, we were less than thrilled with the incredible expense of the data plans, so we have been simply been replacing our older model phone with reconditioned ones from eBay for the past 6 years, ensuring that we have a secure connection to the internet for sensitive transactions and harbors without WiFi.  But we knew we were on borrowed time.  Each time we upgraded our computer, we held our breath that the connection would still work.  When our current laptop started showing signs that its time had passed (the touchpad mouse failed; USB ports were unreliable), its replacement arrived with the latest Windows 7 operating system.  After several attempts to install the cell phone modem software on the new computer and despite long conversations with technical support, we came to the conclusion that we needed to find another way to connect. 

Enter the smart phone. 

We decided to upgrade to 2 new phones: one smart phone to provide our internet connection and one more traditional flip phone.  We found Straight Talk offered the best deal.  We opted for an unlimited plan for the smart phone and a 1000 minutes and text messages per month for the flip phone.  This would give us a secure connection to the internet via the smart phone when we needed it.   Dave has been immersing himself in the apps available for the phone and managed to limit himself to a manageable few that provide services we thought were essential.  It quickly became apparent that managing the internal memory on the phone was critical.  Some of the apps he chose are listed below:

Phone operation

• Lookout – provides virus protection, in addition to allowing you to locate your phone using its GPS and emit a “scream” to make it easy to find.
• Onavo Count / Monitor Data – keeps track of usage to monitor the space available in memory and to show minutes and data usage
• Toggle Settings/Profile Lite – allows us to establish a rule that enables different profiles if the phone is charging, not charging, “nighttime”, etc.  This is valuable in managing battery life, which will be important when we are underway.
  

Marine applications

• Marine Navigator Lite – acts as a back-up for our chartplotter, showing our position in real-time on downloaded raster charts, showing speed and course over ground.
• The Weather Channel – gets weather forecasts and issues severe weather alerts to phone
• Marine Weather – provides access to marine forecasts and live buoy data
• Marine Traffic – AIS data (ship’s names, positions, course, speed) on marine charts
• NOAA Smart Buoys - provides live data from NOAA Chesapeake Bay buoys, giving current conditions  
  
  

As with any new technology, it will take some time to fully exploit the possibilities, but we’re trying to make a leap out of the age of the dinosaurs.  Now, if we can just figure out how to answer a phone call . . .

Fixing Up

After the tornado, Cathy got our her sewing machine to re-attach zippers on the bimini and fix the enclosure panel.  She managed to purchase a strataglass scrap at a nearby canvas shop and then carefully fitted it over the damaged glass.  After sewing the sunbrella back in place over both layers, she cut away the damaged glass and the repaired panel was ready to re-hang. 

Dave put his efforts into waxing the hull.  This is a little tricky when the boat is in the water.  Using a raft available for this purpose in the marina, Dave worked his way around the boat, managing to use one hand to keep him steady and close to the boat and the other to apply and remove the wax.   

Cathy was able to make a long-delayed repair to replace a portlight “key” that had broken on the portlight above the stove in the galley.  After purchasing a replacement kit from West Marine, it was a simple job to pop off the plug over the screw, unscrew the old one, screw in the new one and pop the new plug in place.  It looks great. 

Finally, we extended the life of our camera, a Canon Powershot A590 that had been giving us false “low battery” signals frequently enough that we started looking to replace it.  In the process, Cathy learned of a simple fix to the battery sensor.  After making the simple adjustment, the false “low battery” messages stopped appearing. 

Sailing the Harbor

We were lucky to be in Hampton for the arrival of OpSail 2012 Virginia, a year-long celebration of the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, which brought together a fleet of tall ships to the Hampton Roads harbor.  The day of the official opening, we took a ride out on Steve’s boat, Bay Dreamer, to watch the parade of ships entering the harbor.  It was a picture-perfect day, and hundreds of boats were in the harbor to watch the ships arrive.  

A couple of weeks later, on an unusually blustery Friday afternoon, Dave joined Steve on a sail over to Portsmouth to reposition Bay Dreamer for the 25th annual Cock Island Race.  It was a fast downwind sail on a furled headsail, and an exciting docking, as Steve had to raft to a line of boats in the crowded Portsmouth basin north of the Renaissance Hotel with winds gusting to 25 knots.  Afterward, we joined him for the “before race” party.  On Sunday, Dave joined Steve for a calmer sail back to Hampton.  

Hampton Fixes Up


The repairs have been on-going since the tornado came through on the 1st of June.  Not too long afterward, a barge with a crane appeared to make repairs to the roofless Amory Seafood and install a myriad of new pilings to the docks along the river.  We watched it work on the public piers as it fixed the pilings right across from us. 

 

As May ended, this was going to be a pretty short, uneventful update.  But June started with a bang.  

“It’s coming right for us !”

Standing shoulder to shoulder with a dozen other people in a small bathroom, we heard those words from the last to enter our crowded refuge before it hit.  Only moments before, we had been warned of an approaching funnel cloud.  Unbelievably, we were about to have our first close encounter with a tornado.   

It was just before sunset Friday evening, June 1st, when the tornado crossed the James River and entered the Hampton River heading for downtown Hampton.  We had enough warning (boats sounding the 5 blast “danger” warning and a timely call from Steve) to get to shore and take cover in the bathroom.  We saw the funnel cloud and then the debris flying around within it before we took cover. The building rattled and we could hear debris flying, but we emerged only a few minutes later to find most things at the marina OK. One boat’s bimini ended up flying off onto our friend Steve’s boat, but no damage was done to Bay Dreamer as a result. We were fine, and Orion suffered only minor damage (eg. a D-ring snapped on the bimini and a couple of zippers ripped out when something punched through one of the enclosure panels.  Cathy will have the sewing machine out soon to fix those.)

Unfortunately, the other side of the river was not so fortunate. A couple of boats on the public piers and at anchor were dismasted. The Pride of Baltimore II is on the dock and seems to have done well, but she heeled dramatically as the tornado passed by. They also lost power on the other side of the river. The Hampton Yacht Club and Custom House Marina were in the most direct path of the storm, along with Amory Seafood, a working seafood processing plant, which had its tin roof ripped off.  (Pieces landed everywhere, including at our marina).  The most dramatic boat damage was among those on shore at the yacht club, which toppled over as a result of the impact. The tents for the Blackbeard Pirate Festival were already set up and were universally flattened.  (Luckily, all the pirates were inside at the ball at the time.)  However, there were no deaths or even any serious injuries, even though there was little warning of the storm’s approach.  The lack of notice was partly due to the nature of this kind of storm, but was exacerbated by a problem with the National Weather Service emergency broadcast system.  The local NOAA weather channel was off the air and couldn’t activate the emergency broadcast system because a cable had been cut. 

Since darkness fell soon after the tornado passed, it wasn’t until the next day that we understood the full extent of the damage, which you can see in the pictures below.  However, in the true spirit of the festival, the “pirates” were out at first light cleaning up and setting things right.  By 3pm, all the venues that weren’t too damaged were open and the festival was underway. 
It appears that the tornado that passed through was an F-1, and our observation was the wind strength seemed to be enough to break limbs off trees, throw boats around in their slips, tear off canvas and pull down tents.  The more serious damage was caused by the falling trees, boats slamming into something or flying debris.  If any structure was weak at all, the tornado exposed that weakness.   In an ironic twist of fate, one of our neighbors here at Joy’s Marina, Beau Soleil, moved over to the Hampton Public Piers for the weekend, and ended up having a seriously bent bow pulpit and stanchions as a result, whereas no one at Joy’s had that kind of damage.

Now, we’ve experienced an earthquake, a hurricane and a tornado during our time in Hampton over the past year.  It’s a little scary to think about what could be next. 

The following links are videos taken of the tornado’s approach from locations on the other side of the river:
Tornado approaches from Crowne Plaza restaurant, Oyster Alley
Tornado approaches from Parking Garage behind Pride of Baltimore II

Boat Marketing 101
So, after talking about such drama, almost everything else is a letdown.  However, we were doing other projects during the last 2 weeks.  One of these was finding new ways to promote Orion.  In that vein, we created a video showing a virtual tour of Orion that we posted on YouTube.  Taking recent pictures of a freshly scrubbed interior and exterior, we pieced these together into slideshow.  You can check it out on Orion's For Sale website.

Changes in the Neighborhood

We were sad to say goodbye to our friend Sue, who moved her boat, Daisy Sue, to another nearby marina on the same day the tornado passed through.  (Lucky choice.)  We helped her pass her Coast Guard inspection, which included sending her and another friend up her mast to fix her anchoring light before she departed.  Dave joined her as crew to help reposition the boat and Cathy met them on the other end with Sue’s car. 

On a brighter note, Steve returned from an extended trip to the west coast, and Dave spent some time helping him with a few projects on Bay Dreamer, including a trip across the bay to Little Creek to haul the boat and bottom paint it.  It wasn’t all work, though.  We joined him for a couple of sails on the bay and for a picnic on Memorial Day. 

Pirate Festival

This was our 6th year enjoying the pirate festival, and the first with all of our grandchildren together.  The kids had a good time despite the late start and were in full pirate regalia.  

With the bigger jobs taken care of, the work on Orion has slowed quite a bit.  We’re getting a few small tasks done, though.

Over time, the marine environment has taken a toll on the lazarette latches, making them difficult to open and, sometimes, equally difficult to close.  In looking up the Southco part number online, we found some replacement latches on Ebay.  Once they arrived, it was a pretty simple job to pop out the old ones and install the new ones.  Now, they work great and also look so much better.

More refinishing?

Perhaps once you get started, you just can’t stop.  Or maybe the wood that’s not been recently stripped and re-finished starts to look shabby in comparison to its gleaming counterparts.  At any rate, after Cathy had declared her woodwork done, we started looking at the hatch boards and decided it was time to strip and re-finish them.  Needless to say, they look much better.

Other Boat Stuff
  
So, when we’re not working on Orion, we’re on one of the neighboring boats on the dock: Daisy Sue needs a coat of polyurethane, Bay Dreamer needs a new bilge pump, Marjorie Grace needs to have her dock lines marked before a sea trial, and so forth.  And Dave is answering questions of prospective buyers and looking for new ways to market Orion.  Cathy is digging further into Orion’s hidden corners and cleaning them out.  Not as busy as working on Orion Jr, but it’s keeping us out of trouble.

 

Orion is officially on the market after a couple of weeks cleaning her up and taking care of some cosmetic work to make her look her best.  In between boat projects, we got back to swimming and got to visit with the grandkids for a bit as well.

Cleaning up the Caprail
There was only one major project to be done on Orion before we put her on the market.  The teak around the forward and mid-cleat on the starboard caprail needed to be replaced since it had split due to the problem with the cleat installation typical of Beneteaus (i.e., an stainless steel cleat in a aluminum sleeve that expands and contracts due to the dissimilar metals in the saltwater environment).  While we were considering our options, we discussed the problem with a recent arrival on the dock at Joy’s Marina.  Dan had some woodworking skills and offered to do the job for a very good price.  So, we just needed to marshal the supplies and the work could begin.

We had already purchased the teak and new cleats from Beneteau last summer.  Since the teak has to come from France, which takes about 12 weeks, we wanted to get it in while we were in one place and could arrange for its shipment.  The teak comes in sections.  We purchased the forward section for the starboard side.  We would cut this to fit both the forward cleat and the mid-cleat.  The final supplies were more easily acquired:  Maritime teak caulk some ½” teak plugs, some Tef-gel and epoxy.  

Once the supplies were assembled and the weather cleared, Dan and Dave got to work.  First, they removed the old cleat, popped the teak plugs, and removed the screws holding the forward section in place.  After making a cut in the teak which would become the new seam, the existing teak was pried off and the fiberglass underneath cleaned of the original caulk. The teak from Beneteau was pre-drilled with holes for the cleat and the screws, which made the bow cleat installation a little easier than the mid-cleat.   To prevent the split from recurring, the original metal spacer would be replaced with FRP to prevent the expansion problem.  Dave and Dan filled the pre-drilled holes with FRP, which would become the new spacer.  Once set, it was sanded and drilled to allow the cleat bolt to move smoothly through. 

After a final fitting and adjustments to ensure a smooth transition to the existing wood, Dan applied the caulk to the deck and the seam, then fitted the new board in place.  Once the new cleat was installed, the teak plugs were fitted in place, and the repair was complete.  The mid-cleat required a little more work, since the teak rail was not cut for that section of the boat.  This required more work to cut the board to fit and to ensure the cleat and screw holes lined up. 

Once both repairs were complete, Cathy took a day to strip and sand the entire rail, then re-finish with Cetol Natural Teak  -- something she’s been wanting to do for several years now.  The starboard caprail now shines like the rest of Orion’s brightwork, which now actually earns that description.

And what about the rest of Orion?

 With the caprail repair done, what else was there to do?  Nothing major, but a lot of little things that would make the boat show her best. 

Fresh Water: Since the fresh water had been winterized, we emptied, refilled it with some bleach added and then emptied and refilled it again.   The antifreeze had fouled the PurestOne filter as well, so we replaced it.  We now routinely drink the water again.

Head/Holding Tank: We put several gallons of vinegar through the head into the holding tank and let it sit for several days to eat away anything left in the lines and the holding tank.  Now the head has no odor at all. 

Bimini / Enclosure: With the sewing machine back in Hampton, Cathy took down the bimini and re-stitched all its seams and bindings.  She inspected the enclosure panels and re-stitched any that needed it.  Finally, she cleaned and polished the strataglass panels.

Coast Guard Safety Inspection:  We checked over our safety supplies and prepared for a safety inspection. We realized we had taken Orion's flares to the little boat by mistake, so we bought some more and passed our inspection with flying colors.

On Deck: Cathy stripped the swim platform, the swim ladder stairs and the cockpit drain, which were showing some more wear than the other wood.  She re-applied the Cetol to all the wood on deck and it’s looking the best it has in years.  She also waxed the deck and polished the stainless steel to add to the shine. 

Engine: Having changed oil and filters before leaving in the fall, we just had to run the antifreeze out of the engine and it was ready to go.

Bilge: We checked under the floor boards and cleaned under all of them.  The bilge pump in the aft cabin, which had been wired to run continuously when installed, was changed to switch on only when the instruments were on or the manual switch was thrown.  This will prevent it from accidentally running down the batteries.  The bilge pump in the main saloon had been inadvertently disabled when our friend cleaned out the filter and didn’t secure the cover cleanly.  Once back in place the bilge worked fine.

Bottom Cleaning: Our friend Sue cleaned the bottom and replaced the zinc.

Instruments / Electronics:  We turned on the instruments and checked out the electronics.  Some work done over the winter had jostled a connection loose under the helm that was easily restored. 

Deck Washdown: Another problem we discovered was the deck washdown fitting under the sink in the head had broken, presumably due to too much pressure being applied by items stored in the compartment.  Dave ordered a new fitting and installed it, but we were grateful we discovered it before we opened the thru-hull for the deck washdown.  Whew!

With the boat cleaned up and in shipshape, Dave began placing ads on various internet sites and posting flyers locally.  Thanks to his efforts, we’ve already had a few inquiries and have shown the boat once.  We’ll see how it goes.  

So, as we spend our time in Hampton, we're enjoying our friends and family here, as well as those who keep passing through at the Public Piers across the river.  Most recently, we saw Patty and Frank on Dream Weaver, who made their first trip to Hampton this year.  We showed them the sites and after a few days said goodbye as they headed up the bay.  If you're passing through this way, stop into Hampton.  We'd love to see you. 

She’s stripped down and tied up, sitting in her freshwater slip in LaBelle.  Orion Jr is as prepared as we can make her for the coming months of her stay in central Florida.  We’ve returned north to Hampton and are back on Orion, getting her ready to put her up for sale. 

Getting Jr Ready

We pulled into Port Labelle Marina on a windy Thursday afternoon, stopping first at the few floating slips with power near the fuel dock.  From this location, we could wash her down, charge up the batteries, do laundry and finish any other tasks that require water or power.  We had a long list of things to do and the marathon was just beginning.  It would take us all of the next 5 days to get them all done before we got in the car and headed north.   (For an inventory of the things we did to get her ready, see the checklist we prepared.)

The marina is in a rural area, about 2 miles out of the town of LaBelle.  This is what they call the real Florida.  We woke up in the morning to hear cows mooing and saw alligators and turtles swimming in the marina basin.  For most of our stay, the winds were up, keeping the bug population down, but we were sure to put screens in every night.  There are 2 basins with dozens of slips, with fixed docks in excellent shape, looking brand new.  The slips are large and the finger piers are long, giving access to the outermost pilings.  Orion Jr would be able to be centered in the slip to keep her away from the dock in large winds.  

With the next few days forecast to be windy, we took advantage of a calmer Saturday morning to move from the floating docks to our slip on the fixed piers in the east basin.  We pulled in beside a 60ft steel-hulled sailboat, Dave making his 2nd docking with Orion Jr, backing her into her home for the next few months.  He spent the rest of the day rigging lines to the various pilings.  Cathy had made additional chafe protection and Dave supplemented the standard dock lines with some “hurricane” lines that needed to be cut and spliced before deploying.  We had delayed stowing the dinghy, which Dave employed to get to the farthest pilings.
Cathy divided her attention between the inside and outside.  She had to clean and remove the enclosure and bimini and secure the supporting arches.  The compartments below had to be cleaned and anything flammable or perishable removed.  Anything of value or that we needed on Orion needed to be pulled out and staged to be loaded in the car when we picked it up on Monday.

By Tuesday, we were getting down to the wire.  We needed to start stowing things down below, which meant we weren’t spending another night on the boat.  By the time we were done, the dinghy, the smaller outboard, the solar panels, the bimini and enclosure were all stowed below and we had removed everything we think we need on Orion.  Dave rigged the small solar panel to keep the batteries charged and we declared her “done” and ready to leave.   

There was just one more thing.  We were concerned that we didn’t know anyone that we could ask to check on the boat while we were gone.  However, our next door neighbor, Robert, lives on his boat year-round with his cat (who was eager to explore our boat once we arrived) and was willing to help us by keeping an eye on her and giving us a call with any concerns.  That would give us peace of mind.  By around 4pm, we were in the car and underway, feeling we had done all we could for the little boat.  We were heading north toward Orion in Hampton.

Back on the Okeechobee Waterway

We left Fort Myers Beach early on a Wednesday morning, again trying to beat the power boat traffic, heading through Fort Myers and up the Caloosahatchie River toward LaBelle.  All was going smoothly until we approached the Franklin Lock.  When we had traveled through it westbound, the lock was on request.  However, when we called at 2pm to say we were 15 minutes out, we got the unfortunate news that the lock opened only on the odd hours.  This was because the lake levels are lower and the locks need to limit the outflow of water.  We had almost an hour to kill.  We throttled back and did large circles in the river waiting until 3pm.  These circles were made more difficult by the nearby Ranger training course where park rangers were weaving at high speeds in and out of buoys.  With relief we locked through at 3pm, alone except for the manatees who were also headed eastbound toward the Lake. 

We pulled into a slip at the park on the other side of the lock.  It was our first time on a dock since our last visit here almost 2 ½ months earlier.  Unlike our stay in January, we were accompanied by 7 other boats, most of them cruisers on their way to Glades or Turkey Creek to put their boats away for the summer. We spent some time with our neighbors who were interested in cruising advice on seeing the Chesapeake Bay.  Cathy pulled out the sewing machine and sat at the picnic table in the shelter sewing more chafe protection for our hurricane lines. 

The next day, we made a later start, using the morning hours to pull the dinghy over to the boat ramp and clean the bottom.  With winds and storms forecast for the afternoon, we were pushing to get through the 3 opening bridges as soon as possible and into LaBelle before conditions worsened.  The warmer weather was an eye-opener as the season brought out the alligators who were nowhere to be found in January.  Also, the citrus trees we passed were scenting the air with the sweet aroma of orange blossoms.  It was almost a completely different experience. 

On to Hampton

Taking 2 days to travel north, we arrived in Hampton only 1 day ahead of Pat and Fred, who had made a record run north on Marianna.  Cathy joined them for dinner, but unfortunately Dave had come down with a virus that took him out of commission for the day and he had to send his regrets.  After a weekend spent with the kids and grandkids, we’re now taking stock of Orion and finalizing her to put her on the market.  If you know of anyone who might be interested in a wonderful cruising boat, send them our way.  Orion could be the boat for them.