​ We finally cast off the dock lines early on a Tuesday morning, having completed our official duties over the previous weekend. Dave had officiated at Steve and Linda’s wedding on Saturday, and now we were joining them as Orion Jr and Bay Dreamer headed across the bay to Cape Charles.  

The Wedding
 As most of you know, May 19th was the day of the big wedding. No, not the one in Windsor Castle -- Steve and Linda’s wedding with Dave officiating. We started the day by watching that other much-covered event, while Dave took pointers on what to do and what not to do. 

While the skies were clear and blue across the ocean, that was not the case here in Poquoson. We dodged downpours on our way to the venue, and the actual ceremony was delayed in hopes of a break in the wet weather. No such luck. However, many guests reminded the couple that rain on your wedding day is a good sign.

We’re sure that will be the case, since this was truly a lovely couple and a lovely match. We were honored to be a part of their special day.  

Back on the Bay

It was an unusual plan to say the least. On Orion Jr, we would be joining Steve and Linda as they traveled on Bay Dreamer on their honeymoon. The plan was to leave on Monday after Saturday’s festivities were done and the house guests had departed on Sunday. However, Monday was going to be a late departure, since there were many post-wedding items to take care of (not the least of which was Dave’s filing the paperwork to make the marriage legal at the court). Luckily for all of us, Monday’s weather forecast was too stormy to be comfortable, so we deferred our departure to Tuesday.

Overcast skies greeted us as we prepared to shove off from our slip at Sunset Boating Center early Tuesday morning. However, there was no bad weather in the clouds, so it proved to be an uneventful trip across the bay, and that’s what we aim for. The outboard started smoothly (after Dave re-connected the fuel hose that Cathy hadn’t secured correctly), and it puttered along as we motorsailed east across the bay to Cape Charles. For the first time, we were able to use the tachometer to gauge the engine speed and compare it to our fuel consumption. There was almost no large ship traffic as we crossed the shipping channel into Hampton Roads and later the York Spit channel that angled up the bay. However, we were surprised to see almost 20 big ships at anchor off Cape Charles. It took us about an hour to get from one side of the anchorage to the other.   

 Shortly after noon, we were making our entrance into the Cape Charles channel. Steve and Linda had entered about 30 minutes before us. As we were approaching the final turn into the harbor, we heard their exchange with the dockmaster. By 1pm, we were tied up next to them on C dock, with only a few other boats for neighbors. The weather started to clear, and after checking in we decided to make our way to town in search of – what else? -- ice cream. To our dismay, the signature Brown Dog eatery is only open on the weekend, so we settled for some samples and tastings at nearby Gull Hummock Gourmet. But we were not completely disappointed, they also sold Brown Dog ice cream in pints. Needless to say, the pint didn’t last long after we got back to Orion Jr.

Our rough cruising plan for the week was to head to Onancock, further north on the Eastern Shore, maybe to Crisfield, move back to the western shore near Deltaville and back to Cape Charles to join the Yacht Club on the Memorial Day weekend. With our late start, the aggressiveness of the this schedule was starting to become intimidating. However, as always with cruising, we would just take one day at a time.  

​ Our hopes of making a hop to Onancock on Wednesday were scuttled when the forecast shifted. No problem. We decided to explore Cape Charles by visiting its Museum, where we learned a lot about Cape Charles strategic role in connecting Norfolk to markets in the north. The innovation was the ability to load RR cars on barges to cross the bay to Norfolk. Once the rails and barges were in place in the mid 1880’s, Cape Charles became a boom town. The boom lasted for decades, but ultimately the need for a freight ferry evaporated with the opening the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel in the 60’s. It took several decades since then for Cape Charles to reinvent itself and focus on tourism with a beach, a harbor, and a quaint historic downtown.   

 Our walk back to the harbor allowed us to come across Rayfields, the local independent pharmacy and, more importantly, soda fountain. Good ice cream and onion rings. Later that evening, we got together on Orion Jr to grill some burgers and share a meal with Steve and Linda. We discussed the plan to head out early for Onancock. As we made plans to make an early departure, we got a heads up from Steve. The weather again looked questionable the next day. The good news was we’d get to sleep in for the first time in more than a week. And the decision to stay put turned out to be even better when we discovered Steve wasn’t well the next day. Glad he wasn’t feeling that bad out on the water.   

Old Point Comfort Yacht Club Memorial Day Weekend at Cape Charles

Our yacht club has a long tradition of cruising across the bay to Cape Charles on Memorial Day weekend. This was the first time we had been able to join them on our own boat. By Friday afternoon, the slips started to fill up. (We had to move before they did, but it was only across the fairway.) Commodore JD and his wife Sandy arrived on Steve and Sue’s boat and much of the activity seemed to gravitate to the dock near them. “Docktails” (i.e. hor d’ouvres and drinks) were followed at sunset by the firing of the cannon (an old nautical tradition) and the playing of Taps. The next day’s dinghy races were cancelled, because nobody wanted to launch their dinghy just to participate, but they were followed by a joint potluck with the Cape Charles Yacht Club.   

On Sunday, the day stated with a fundraiser pancake breakfast prepared the Sea Scouts Venture Crew sponsored by the Yacht Club. Steve and Linda left shortly after, but the strong southerly winds made their first hour a bit of a ride. For the rest of the club that stayed behind, the day’s highlight (for some) was the Fireball Challenge (i.e., gulp a paper cup of Fireball Whiskey and jump into the water). Since temperatures were sweltering on the dock (and down below, reaching 95 degrees on Orion Jr), this was not that much of a challenge for many, who once in the water were reluctant to get out.   

 We enjoyed reconnecting with several of our friends and fellow yacht club members and meeting new ones. Dave struck up a conversation with a couple that had also arrived on their trailer-able Cal 22 sailboat and we spent some time comparing notes on the little boats and the bigger boats that were in the future for them and the past for us. We also spent some time getting to know a couple on a nearby trawler who were heading out to cruise the bay more extensively once she retired in the next year. But as Monday dawned, the exodus was quick and thorough. Near collisions occurred as boats pulled out to make their way home. We joined the crew on Sue and Steve’s boat for breakfast and then helped them stow their gear and cast off. We would be one of only 3 boats remaining for a Tuesday departure.

The weather never fully cooperated for our trip further up the bay. Our timeframe was too short, and our ability to travel long distances limited by our slow speed. Since we needed to be back in Hampton for the Blackbeard Pirate festival the following weekend and the winds were going to stay out of the south, we motored back to Hampton on Tuesday, having enjoyed our brief cruise on the bay. If the weather cooperated, we would head back out after the festival.

Boat Stuff

Where is all this water coming from? When the water in the bilge is high enough that the main saloon floor starts to get wet, you know something isn’t quite right. Is it coming from a thru-hull? No. They’re all dry. Is it coming from a leak on deck. Maybe, but we can’t find any water trail below. We did discover that one of the cowling (cover) for the starboard dorade (air vent) was no longer sitting on its base. So, we took both of them out and installed new ones, which caused us to think the deteriorated seal inside the old ones was the problem. Maybe, but the water kept accumulating in the bilge

Another theory was the fresh water system. We kept putting off looking at this. It required Cathy to get down into a small space under the companionway and stick her head into an even smaller space to look. Eventually she did, and it was a good thing. The filter cover on the freshwater pump was a little loose and was dripping water in a very small stream. Since we’ve tightened the cover, no more water of consequence is coming out of the bilge. Oh, and what about the fact that the float switch didn’t expel, the water before it got so high? We can’t figure that one out. Once we manually pumped it all out, the float switch started doing its job just fine. And Cathy visually inspected it to find no problems. Go figure.

 We took some time at Cape Charles to revise the lazy jack lines on the stackpack so that the material sagged less at the stern. The attachment point for the forward lines was raised higher and we connected the stackpack aft end to the topping lift. It looks better, but we haven’t had a chance to test it.

Our trip back from Cape Charles was made much more challenging than normal when our chartplotter’s gps failed to give a position. While using a phone app allowed us to navigate, it was far less desirable. A phone call to Garmin had us reset the chartplotter and all was well again. But it might not be so in another 6 months after no use. Only time will tell.

The good news was that with only minor exceptions, the systems on the boat worked well. We could sleep, cook, navigate, sail, entertain and even watch movies without problems. Is it smaller than the RV? You bet. But we were able to bring her back to life again, and she’s probably better than she ever was. And that felt good.

 It’s been over 3 years since Orion Jr has been in the water, so it was a momentous day when she finally floated again. We’ve spent much of the time since then scrambling to get her ready to travel, and helping our friends Steve and Linda get ready for their wedding.

​Into the Water – And Out – And In Again

​“Honey, there are bubbles coming out of the exhaust. Maybe we’re back a little too far. “

​Not a very good exchange as you are backing your boat down the boat ramp in preparation to launch. The truck could stall, leaving us stranded with a 3 ton boat and trailer halfway in the water. However, this was the situation we found ourselves in as we attempted to launch Orion Jr from the trailer one Wednesday afternoon. Attempting to float her from the trailer at mid-tide in Sunset Creek in Hampton, we had a simple plan. Launch at mid-tide rising. Motor a short distance up this quiet tributary of the Hampton River to our slip. Tie up and call it a day. No problem, right?

With high tide due around 6pm, we aimed for a launch between 3 and 4. Recognizing it would take us an hour to get her ready to launch, we arrived just before 3 and backed halfway down the long driveway leading to the ramp. Working through our checklist, with Dave on the ground and Cathy up on the boat, we readied Orion Jr for her launch and short inaugural journey. By 4, we thought we were ready. The engine, rudder and tiller were mounted, lines and fenders were rigged, straps removed, etc. The final step was to extend the trailer tongue we use for launching and attach it to the hitch pin. As we backed her into the water, it became apparent the ramp at mid-tide wasn’t steep enough to get her to float, even with the extended tongue. While Dave released the winch from the bow, Cathy pulled with the dock lines from the dock, no movement. Orion Jr wasn’t budging.

 We took some time to study the situation and decided the ramp was steeper as it rose. A launch near high tide might give us the water depth we needed. Since we had to wait an hour, we decided to take a walk to the marina and check out the slip we would be assigned. The afternoon heat was enough to convince to take refuge in a Food Lion store to cool down on the return trip. We made it back in time to try again, but short of submerging the truck beyond a safe limits, this was not going to happen here. Our sense that the ramp was steeper was an optical illusion. Given that it would take us almost as long to ready the boat for the road again, we decided to cut our losses, pack up and head back to Steve’s. However, whatever we did, it was unlikely Orion Jr would be launched down a ramp. We needed some extra help.

 With help from a fellow boater who happened upon us at the ramp, we located some reasonably priced options around Poquoson, where Steve lived. We had settled on one of these – Dare Marina in Yorktown, that would launch us for just $85 – when we got a call from Sunset Boating Center back in Hampton. When they offered us a free launch and haul out, we committed to return on Monday to have them put Jr in the water. Using a forklift with extra long arms and more than 2 story rise, the boatyard workers studied their options. The full bunks made it too tricky to use straps under the boat, so instead they decided to lift her like a power boat. The wrinkle in this plan was the location of our depth sounder. The solution? A block of wood on the forklift arms to protect it. Sure enough, the boat was easily lifted and placed in the water. After a check for leaks, we were good to go.

We towed the now empty trailer back to Steve’s for storage for the month. Dave had the first opportunity to test his new brake controller on this very light load. The previous controller didn’t ramp up the braking, and would therefore lock the wheels with every brake application, sending smoke up as the rubber was dragged across the road. As he had been promised, the Tekonsha P3 allowed him to adjust the settings for the light load so no skidding occurred. Since the trailer had been dunked, Cathy took a morning to wash it thoroughly with soap and water and Dave sprayed it once again with Fluid film to protect against water incursion and corrosion. (He had done this just before our failed launch as well.) Finally, he replaced the trailer tire that had failed on our trip north, ensuring we had a spare for our return in a month.

Becoming a Sailboat Again​

With Orion Jr in the water at the haulout slip, Cathy slid up to the outboard and carefully tried to remember the process for starting it. Lower the outboard, lock in place, prime the fuel line, choke out, press the ignition switch, into gear and we’re off. Or more correctly, try the ignition over and over and over and over. More fuel. More attempts. Dave repeats. And repeats. Since the engine was serviced only weeks before in Daytona and the fuel was only days old, we knew it had to be something we were doing wrong. Finally, Dave figures it out. The kill switch should have a clip inserted behind before the engine will start. It was missing. Oops. Once the clip was inserted, starting problems were resolved.

After maneuvering Jr into her slip, we set about the business of putting her systems and her interior into order. Cathy stripped the cushions from their bags and sorted through the debris that had accumulated in the main saloon. Meanwhile Dave worked on deck, setting it in order, hauling water and cleaning the water tanks before we started the big task for the day – raising the mast.

Carefully sorting through the standing rigging, Dave carefully routed each shroud and stay to its turnbuckle on deck, ensuring it would rise without tangling as the mast lifted up. Once he had put them all in place, we waited for Steve and Linda to help us with the actual raising. We guided the mast astern until the base was in line with the tabernacle. While Steve and Cathy supported it, Dave and Linda drove the pin through through the mast and tabernacle. After attaching the gin pole, Linda manned the block and pulley, while Dave managed the pole and Steve and Cathy guided the mast. With only minor snags, the mast rose easily and was quickly in place. Not bad work for our first day in the water. And unlike previous launchings, we didn’t have to rush to complete all of the remaining set-up tasks in a single day.

Over the next week, we put up the bimini and enclosure, raised the stackpack and sails, deployed the anchor, started up the refrigeration and re-activated the head’s compost medium -- to name just a few of the set-up tasks. Prior to launch, we had laid out the solar panels on the new bimini. Then Cathy sewed webbing to secure them. That allowed Dave to mount them easily once the boat was in the water. We scheduled a vessel safety inspection, which prompted us to review our fire extinguishers. The oldest was a refillable 5 lb one that registered empty. We took it to a local shop that said it was one year too old to refill. We decided to replace it with a new one of the same type, so we were in good shape when the inspector arrived the next morning.

There were some more unpleasant surprises that we had to deal with as well. The first was --- ants. First one, then a couple, then a couple more. Big red ants. It had taken several days for them to appear, but their numbers appeared to be growing. We fogged the boat a couple of times and we’ve seen none since. Since we also launched the boat before the rainiest week we had seen in a year, we also re-discovered some leaks. Although Dave had fixed a major one with some fiberglass work before we launched, every day seemed to reveal a new one. By week’s end, we had tracked down and repaired a few of them, but still a couple persist. After all, it Is a boat.
With a couple of days before heading out, we were feeling pretty good about being ready to cast off on schedule.

Family and Friends

It was an excited call from Joe, our neighbor back in Reston. “I’ve finally bought my boat.” After 20 years of dreaming, he was days away from taking possession. Dreamtime, an Oceanis 37, sat in her slip on Little Creek in Norfolk and he would be arriving in a couple of days to pilot her north to her new slip in Deale. So, on the following Tuesday, we met him as he was loading supplies on his new pride and joy. We helped him with a few pre-departure tasks before heading out for a celebratory supper. His was a fast journey north, but within a couple of days, the boat was in its new home and he was looking forward to many more journeys aboard.

A couple of different weekends found us at Bonnie and Troy’s place in Jarratt, getting to spend time with them and our grandchildren. We even squeezed in a brief visit with Adam who has been busy finishing hiis school semester, and achieving the milestone of earning his Associates degree. Sue and Steve invited us to join them for a movie night at their church. And perhaps the biggest surprise was finding our niece in town with her oldest, allowing us to visit with them briefly for breakfast one Sunday before they headed home again.

And while not socializing and spending time on the boat, we were helping Steve and Linda get ready for their big day. The biggest task turned out to be getting Dave certified to perform the ceremony. It took him several days of trips to the local courthouse before he finally secured the coveted authorization for his role as officiant. And it was his (and Cathy’s) first time writing a wedding ceremony (other than their own). By the Wednesday before, he was able to help them run through a rehearsal until everyone was comfortable with the process. Who knows, maybe this will be the start of trend?