A Very Happy Ending...
I called the bridge at 5:00am and they were finally open. Halleluiah! I got underway at 5:50am and headed for the bridge. Dark at that hour does not begin to describe the conditions. Still a bit windy, misty, and foggy and the hand held spot light can just barely pick up the reflection of the day-markers coming out of the marina. Once under the bridge the ICW markers where all flashing, so that makes it a bit easier. Thank goodness for a stellar autopilot on board. That is really the only way you can keep in the channel when you have no visual reference. Anyway, by 6:45am I could finally start and make out the markers visually and the stress level dropped 10 fold. Got up on plane and wasn't stopping until I made Carolina Beach.
The rest of the day was a piece of cake compared to the previous day. I felt like I was in my backyard and just counting the miles down to get home. By about 10:00am the wind had really laid down and there was hardly any chop on the water at all. The only thing left was to make two bridges: Onslow Beach and Surf City. I could not have hit them any better, which was just pure luck. Once I got through the Surf City bridge it was just another 2 hours to Carolina Beach.
The last 30 minutes of the trip could not have been scripted any better. The skies cleared, the sunny finally came out after 3 days and the water was like glass. There was not another boat to been seen on the ICW. It was surreal. I arrived at the owner’s marina, Carolina Beach State Park Marina, at 7:10pm after 211 miles (my estimate of 217 was close). He and his wife were so excited to see the boat and get aboard. The smiles on their faces when I pulled in made the long day all that much more worth while. They could not have been any nicer and were very appreciative of the effort that went into getting their boat home as quickly and safely as possible. That was the best reward of all.
The 34 Mainship with its single 370hp Yanmar really did a nice job on this trip and just sipped fuel. The boat achieved over 1.2mpg and averaged 15.6mph on the final day. That is impressive to me for a boat that is supposed to be run at 8kts.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Stuck, stuck, stuck!
Stuck, stuck, stuck!
I called the Alligator River Bridge this morning at 6:30. The bridge tender said the winds were down to 25mph and that the bridge was open and operating on demand as usual. I prepped the boat, fired off the engines and got underway at 7:00. Just as I got ready to go out onto the Albemarle Sound, the Coast Guard announced that the Alligator Bridge was closed due to high winds.
Well, I had already come this far, I might as well keep going and hope the winds improve. I cross the sound with seas 3-4 feet on the stern. I had to slow the boat down to about 10kts, but handled the seas well at that speed. I arrived at the bridge around 9:45 and called the bridge tender. He said the winds were 40mph and that he could not open the bridge. So I circled at the bridge hoping that the wind would die down enough for him to let me slip through. About 11:00 a 65-foot Fleming came up and was also waiting at the bridge. After 30 minutes, he gave up, said it was too rough, that his stabilizers couldn't keep up and he came into the Alligator River Marina.
Right at noon, after circling at the bridge for over 2 hours, the bridge tender finally called me on the radio and said that it was very unlikely that he would be able to open today. So reluctantly, I too came into the marina.
Tomorrow will be a big day. I will try and go 217 miles all the way to Carolina Beach where the owner is waiting for his new boat. The weather is supposed to be a lot better tomorrow, so I have high hopes that I will get to complete the trip.
65- foot Fleming
I called the Alligator River Bridge this morning at 6:30. The bridge tender said the winds were down to 25mph and that the bridge was open and operating on demand as usual. I prepped the boat, fired off the engines and got underway at 7:00. Just as I got ready to go out onto the Albemarle Sound, the Coast Guard announced that the Alligator Bridge was closed due to high winds.
Well, I had already come this far, I might as well keep going and hope the winds improve. I cross the sound with seas 3-4 feet on the stern. I had to slow the boat down to about 10kts, but handled the seas well at that speed. I arrived at the bridge around 9:45 and called the bridge tender. He said the winds were 40mph and that he could not open the bridge. So I circled at the bridge hoping that the wind would die down enough for him to let me slip through. About 11:00 a 65-foot Fleming came up and was also waiting at the bridge. After 30 minutes, he gave up, said it was too rough, that his stabilizers couldn't keep up and he came into the Alligator River Marina.
Right at noon, after circling at the bridge for over 2 hours, the bridge tender finally called me on the radio and said that it was very unlikely that he would be able to open today. So reluctantly, I too came into the marina.
Tomorrow will be a big day. I will try and go 217 miles all the way to Carolina Beach where the owner is waiting for his new boat. The weather is supposed to be a lot better tomorrow, so I have high hopes that I will get to complete the trip.
65- foot Fleming
Monday, March 17, 2014
Wanderer from MD to Carolina Beach
For those that have followed the trip of M/V Bear from Wilmington, NC up to NJ, now I basically get to turn around and go back the way I came.
I finished my delivery of Bear and went straight to my next trip. I drove on Saturday from Cape May, NJ to Ridge, MD where I picked up a 2006 Mainship 34-foot Trawler named Wanderer. She has a single 370hp Yanmar diesel that cruises around 15kts.
I set off Sunday morning at 6:30am trying to beat the weather down the Chesapeake Bay. The weather was expected to turn ugly in the afternoon so I was trying to get off the bay and into protected water as quickly as possible. The seas were a choppy 2-4 feet on the quartering stern with the wind NE at 20kts. It wasn’t too bad of a ride, but the Mainships are really meant to do 8kts. She didn’t really like trying to run on plane in a following sea.
Fortunately, I did make it down to Norfolk, VA by 1:00pm. Now all I had to do was get through the bridges south of Norfolk and I would be on my way to Coinjock, NC. Since it was a weekend, the bridges did not have a restricted opening schedule as they do during the week, so I was able to get through all the bridge mess in an hour and half. Things were looking great and I was looking forward to getting in an hour earlier than expected.
The weatherman hit the forecast right on as things started to go south in the afternoon. It began to rain around 2:30 as I was going through Great Bridge Lock and the wind began to really howl around 3:00. As I came across a very bumpy Core Sound, I noticed the engine beginning to hesitate and I started to lose some RPM. I immediately knew with the rough seas and rocking and rolling of the boat, that it was likely a clogged Racor fuel filter.
I was able to make it into Coinjock around 5:30. It was way too rough to try and stop in the middle of the sound and replace the filter then. Once I got tied up to the dock, I did go down in the engine room and change out the Racor. The picture below of the filter speaks volumes about maintenance. This is very typical for a delivery. Boat sits unused for a long period of time. The previous owner does minimal maintenance. Then you hit some weather and bingo, you have a real mess that can be dangerous. I was just glad I wasn’t 50 miles offshore without a spare filter when it happened. I was very happy to be only 12 miles from stopping for the night.
Now comes the real kick in the shorts. This morning it is still raining and the wind is really blowing hard, around 25kts out of the NE. I turn on the VHF radio and the first thing I hear from the Coast Guard is the Alligator River Swing Bridge (clearance 12 feet) is closed due to high winds. There goes the opportunity to make any distance today.
So I sit at the marina in Coinjock today and wait for the wind to die down. Days like today drive me crazy. You can’t fix bad weather.
Wanderer sits in her covered slip at the Corinthian Yacht Club in Ridge, MD
Another nice sunrise on the Chesapeake Bay
Smith Point Light
My office for the next few days
Wolf Trap Light
A very nasty and clogged Racor fuel filter
Wanderer tied up at Coinjock Marina
I finished my delivery of Bear and went straight to my next trip. I drove on Saturday from Cape May, NJ to Ridge, MD where I picked up a 2006 Mainship 34-foot Trawler named Wanderer. She has a single 370hp Yanmar diesel that cruises around 15kts.
I set off Sunday morning at 6:30am trying to beat the weather down the Chesapeake Bay. The weather was expected to turn ugly in the afternoon so I was trying to get off the bay and into protected water as quickly as possible. The seas were a choppy 2-4 feet on the quartering stern with the wind NE at 20kts. It wasn’t too bad of a ride, but the Mainships are really meant to do 8kts. She didn’t really like trying to run on plane in a following sea.
Fortunately, I did make it down to Norfolk, VA by 1:00pm. Now all I had to do was get through the bridges south of Norfolk and I would be on my way to Coinjock, NC. Since it was a weekend, the bridges did not have a restricted opening schedule as they do during the week, so I was able to get through all the bridge mess in an hour and half. Things were looking great and I was looking forward to getting in an hour earlier than expected.
The weatherman hit the forecast right on as things started to go south in the afternoon. It began to rain around 2:30 as I was going through Great Bridge Lock and the wind began to really howl around 3:00. As I came across a very bumpy Core Sound, I noticed the engine beginning to hesitate and I started to lose some RPM. I immediately knew with the rough seas and rocking and rolling of the boat, that it was likely a clogged Racor fuel filter.
I was able to make it into Coinjock around 5:30. It was way too rough to try and stop in the middle of the sound and replace the filter then. Once I got tied up to the dock, I did go down in the engine room and change out the Racor. The picture below of the filter speaks volumes about maintenance. This is very typical for a delivery. Boat sits unused for a long period of time. The previous owner does minimal maintenance. Then you hit some weather and bingo, you have a real mess that can be dangerous. I was just glad I wasn’t 50 miles offshore without a spare filter when it happened. I was very happy to be only 12 miles from stopping for the night.
Now comes the real kick in the shorts. This morning it is still raining and the wind is really blowing hard, around 25kts out of the NE. I turn on the VHF radio and the first thing I hear from the Coast Guard is the Alligator River Swing Bridge (clearance 12 feet) is closed due to high winds. There goes the opportunity to make any distance today.
So I sit at the marina in Coinjock today and wait for the wind to die down. Days like today drive me crazy. You can’t fix bad weather.
Wanderer sits in her covered slip at the Corinthian Yacht Club in Ridge, MD
Another nice sunrise on the Chesapeake Bay
Smith Point Light
My office for the next few days
Wolf Trap Light
A very nasty and clogged Racor fuel filter
Wanderer tied up at Coinjock Marina
Friday, March 14, 2014
Bear on the Delaware
The day started out great. A bit cold, but much nicer than the 40kts and wind chill of yesterday.
A bit of ice on the buoy this morning as I was riding past the nuclear plant on the Delaware Bay
And then sometimes, the pictures tell the whole story...
A shredded belt on a single screw is usually followed by...
Needless to say, it was not one of my better days. But it all ended safely with a 19 mile tow from the middle of the Delaware Bay to Cape May, NJ. The belt broke at about 9:30 this morning. BoatUS arrived at noon to start the tow and I was tied to the dock in Cape May at 3:00pm. It was a long day especially as the seas built to about 4 feet. However it ended well with the boat safe and sound. It is part of the job. The owner Steve has been very understanding and a pleasure to work with.
The sea conditions over the next week look terrible, so the owner has decided to leave the boat here until the weather improves. He will come down to Cape May and pick up the boat and make the final 160 mile run to Freeport, NY sometime next week. Bear has been an impressive 31 foot boat. I am sure Steve will have many enjoyable years aboard.
A bit of ice on the buoy this morning as I was riding past the nuclear plant on the Delaware Bay
And then sometimes, the pictures tell the whole story...
A shredded belt on a single screw is usually followed by...
Needless to say, it was not one of my better days. But it all ended safely with a 19 mile tow from the middle of the Delaware Bay to Cape May, NJ. The belt broke at about 9:30 this morning. BoatUS arrived at noon to start the tow and I was tied to the dock in Cape May at 3:00pm. It was a long day especially as the seas built to about 4 feet. However it ended well with the boat safe and sound. It is part of the job. The owner Steve has been very understanding and a pleasure to work with.
The sea conditions over the next week look terrible, so the owner has decided to leave the boat here until the weather improves. He will come down to Cape May and pick up the boat and make the final 160 mile run to Freeport, NY sometime next week. Bear has been an impressive 31 foot boat. I am sure Steve will have many enjoyable years aboard.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Got Lucky
Got Lucky
The weatherman was mostly right about the weather today, but the seas didn’t pick up until much later than expected. Lucky for me.
I knew today was going to be tough as small craft advisories and gale wind warming went into effect today at noon. I wanted to make as many miles as I could before the weather turned.
I got underway in total darkness this morning at about 6:25am. Sometimes 30 minutes can mean a lot on bad weather days. Luckily, the bay was pretty good almost all day. I had a few instances where the waves picked up and it got uncomfortable, but otherwise it was a successful day on the water. Unfortunately, Bear does not have autopilot, so spending 10.5 hours by yourself, hand-steering in open water is a bit of a chore and rather tiring. I know it is better than shoveling snow, but I have no doubt I will sleep well tonight. I finished the day in Chesapeake City at the Town Docks after covering 195 miles today.
Tomorrow is weather payback! It has already started to rain here with winds picking up to 35kts sustained and gusting to 45kts tonight into tomorrow. There is a possibility of freezing rain as well and 5 foot seas on the Delaware Bay. No thank you!
Going to keep me and the boat in one piece and stay tied to the dock tomorrow. Sometimes you got to know when to fold’em.
I doubt there will be any update tomorrow, but you never know.
The weatherman was mostly right about the weather today, but the seas didn’t pick up until much later than expected. Lucky for me.
I knew today was going to be tough as small craft advisories and gale wind warming went into effect today at noon. I wanted to make as many miles as I could before the weather turned.
I got underway in total darkness this morning at about 6:25am. Sometimes 30 minutes can mean a lot on bad weather days. Luckily, the bay was pretty good almost all day. I had a few instances where the waves picked up and it got uncomfortable, but otherwise it was a successful day on the water. Unfortunately, Bear does not have autopilot, so spending 10.5 hours by yourself, hand-steering in open water is a bit of a chore and rather tiring. I know it is better than shoveling snow, but I have no doubt I will sleep well tonight. I finished the day in Chesapeake City at the Town Docks after covering 195 miles today.
Tomorrow is weather payback! It has already started to rain here with winds picking up to 35kts sustained and gusting to 45kts tonight into tomorrow. There is a possibility of freezing rain as well and 5 foot seas on the Delaware Bay. No thank you!
Going to keep me and the boat in one piece and stay tied to the dock tomorrow. Sometimes you got to know when to fold’em.
I doubt there will be any update tomorrow, but you never know.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Bridge Surgery
Today was another gorgeous day on the water. It was sunny, warm with flat calm seas… just like we like it.
I stayed in Belhaven last night. A great little marina, but unfortunately, every restaurant in town was closed on Monday night. Fortunately, the marina owners took pity on me and loaned me their car to ride into town so I could get a sandwich at the local pizza place. It was the only place that was open. Anyway, food was okay and mission accomplished.
The other draw back to Belhaven is that the marina does not have any fuel. So I had to stop in route today to fill up the tanks. I stopped in Coinjock and topped off the tanks with 200 gallons of their finest. However, I had a timing issue to continue on to Norfolk. The last bridge I needed to get under which has a 12 foot clearance is on a restricted opening from 4:00 to 6:00pm. This meant that I would have to wait until 7:00pm to get under the bridge since this 31’ Albin has an air-draft of 12’6”. Fortunately, I knew the guys at Coinjock and they let me borrow a socket set. I had to remove the radar and the mast light to have clearance to get under the bridge. It was just a little bridge surgery to keep things moving.
Like a good NASCAR pit crew, we had that stuff off in 20 minutes and I was on my way. I had no problem clearing the bridge. As my luck would have it, after clearing the low bridge, one of the railroad bridges was down. I had to wait 35 minutes for that to open before continuing to Norfolk on my way to Hampton Roads, VA.
Tonight I sit at Bluewater Yachting Center. I had a nice salad for dinner with an amazing crab cake on top. The crab cakes are one very nice advantage of the Chesapeake Bay.
Weather is getting ready to turn really ugly. The wind is forecast to gust to 50kts on Thursday. I hope the weather man is wrong. The adventure continues…
I stayed in Belhaven last night. A great little marina, but unfortunately, every restaurant in town was closed on Monday night. Fortunately, the marina owners took pity on me and loaned me their car to ride into town so I could get a sandwich at the local pizza place. It was the only place that was open. Anyway, food was okay and mission accomplished.
The other draw back to Belhaven is that the marina does not have any fuel. So I had to stop in route today to fill up the tanks. I stopped in Coinjock and topped off the tanks with 200 gallons of their finest. However, I had a timing issue to continue on to Norfolk. The last bridge I needed to get under which has a 12 foot clearance is on a restricted opening from 4:00 to 6:00pm. This meant that I would have to wait until 7:00pm to get under the bridge since this 31’ Albin has an air-draft of 12’6”. Fortunately, I knew the guys at Coinjock and they let me borrow a socket set. I had to remove the radar and the mast light to have clearance to get under the bridge. It was just a little bridge surgery to keep things moving.
Like a good NASCAR pit crew, we had that stuff off in 20 minutes and I was on my way. I had no problem clearing the bridge. As my luck would have it, after clearing the low bridge, one of the railroad bridges was down. I had to wait 35 minutes for that to open before continuing to Norfolk on my way to Hampton Roads, VA.
Tonight I sit at Bluewater Yachting Center. I had a nice salad for dinner with an amazing crab cake on top. The crab cakes are one very nice advantage of the Chesapeake Bay.
Weather is getting ready to turn really ugly. The wind is forecast to gust to 50kts on Thursday. I hope the weather man is wrong. The adventure continues…
Monday, March 10, 2014
Bear to NY (31-foot single screw Albin)
Alright, alright, alright...
A near perfect day on the water. Actually wore shorts and a t-shirt today with high temps making it to about 75 today. Should be the same tomorrow. It was a bit chilly this morning with temps about 40 F when pulled off the dock in the dark, but the sun quickly warmed things up.
Got stopped AGAIN on the ICW at Camp Lejeune due to live firing from Navy Warship 72. The ICW was closed until noon. This was the real deal as the entire boat shook every time a shell exploded. I did manage to make it to Belhaven, about 150 mile trip today. Boat is running well and averaging about 16.5 mph, but she cruises right around 18mph/16kts or so.
Just a few pictures. Thanks.
A near perfect day on the water. Actually wore shorts and a t-shirt today with high temps making it to about 75 today. Should be the same tomorrow. It was a bit chilly this morning with temps about 40 F when pulled off the dock in the dark, but the sun quickly warmed things up.
Got stopped AGAIN on the ICW at Camp Lejeune due to live firing from Navy Warship 72. The ICW was closed until noon. This was the real deal as the entire boat shook every time a shell exploded. I did manage to make it to Belhaven, about 150 mile trip today. Boat is running well and averaging about 16.5 mph, but she cruises right around 18mph/16kts or so.
Just a few pictures. Thanks.
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