Sorry I don't have a great update tonight. I have a bit of a cold and am feeling a bit under the weather. I did take a lot of pictures today, but I have a crappy internet connect and the upload is taking forever, so I gave up. We left Waterford this morning at 7:00am. We were the first boat in the lock. We had a bunch of guys in suits from the NY State Canal System there and taking pictures. We were surprised that we only had 5 boats in the first lock of the season.
Daryl and I made a great team in the locks today. Everything went very smoothly and the boat continues to run great. We ran 70 miles today to St Johnsville Municipal Marina and went through 14 locks. We fueled up tonight at $3.88/gal (which is great), pumped out and topped off the water tank as well. We had a good day overall on the Erie Canal. The water level was not very high and there was very little debris in the water. We will move across Lake Oneida tomorrow and finish in Brewerton.
If I have a better connection tomorrow I will upload a ton of pictures.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Just Call Him MacGyver
Just Call Him MacGyver
Today was a planned “down” day. We knew the canal was not going to be open until tomorrow, so we took today to make any final adjustments from our maiden voyage up the Hudson River. We came across a few minor things yesterday that needed to be repaired so it worked out perfectly for us to fix those items today.
Knowing the boat was not going to move today, I took the opportunity to sleep in this morning not getting out the rack until about 7:45. Not Daryl… he was up and at it bright and early. By the time I got up, Daryl had already knocked out most of the punch list. The boat had a port fuel gauge that did not work. It was reading 100% full the entire trip yesterday. We also had an alarm go off on the port motor mid-day yesterday indicating that the alternator was not charging. MacGyver, I mean Daryl, had both of these things fixed before I got up.
Daryl had traced out the wiring to the fuel sending unit and fixed it. He also found a bad connection on the port engine alternator that needed to be fixed. He had the dash apart and was checking all the connections on the autopilot as well. This was all done before 8:00am. Daryl is a very smart guy and knows his way around a tool box.
We had one other problem with a pulsing water pump that we have not gotten to the bottom of yet. We worked on that until about 9:30 before we decided it was best to leave that until we got the boat home. At that point Daryl decided it was time to walk to town and have a nice breakfast.
We walk about 4 blocks to a little hole in the wall place that was packed full of locals. We both had a great ham & cheese omelet. After a refill on the coffee, we decided we would continue our walk in search of an auto parts store for some spare 15W-40 engine oil. The walk was great, but unproductive as we did not find the oil we needed. I came back to the boat to work on dockage and fuel for tomorrow and Daryl took a 5 mile bus ride to the other side of town to an Advance Autoparts store for the oil.
We are now all set for the rest of our trip. The long-term weather forecast is looking great so far, so we are very hopeful we will be able to complete the trip without any further delays.
Below are a few more pictures from the first lock on the Erie Canal and the boat sitting at the Waterford, NY town docks.
Today was a planned “down” day. We knew the canal was not going to be open until tomorrow, so we took today to make any final adjustments from our maiden voyage up the Hudson River. We came across a few minor things yesterday that needed to be repaired so it worked out perfectly for us to fix those items today.
Knowing the boat was not going to move today, I took the opportunity to sleep in this morning not getting out the rack until about 7:45. Not Daryl… he was up and at it bright and early. By the time I got up, Daryl had already knocked out most of the punch list. The boat had a port fuel gauge that did not work. It was reading 100% full the entire trip yesterday. We also had an alarm go off on the port motor mid-day yesterday indicating that the alternator was not charging. MacGyver, I mean Daryl, had both of these things fixed before I got up.
Daryl had traced out the wiring to the fuel sending unit and fixed it. He also found a bad connection on the port engine alternator that needed to be fixed. He had the dash apart and was checking all the connections on the autopilot as well. This was all done before 8:00am. Daryl is a very smart guy and knows his way around a tool box.
We had one other problem with a pulsing water pump that we have not gotten to the bottom of yet. We worked on that until about 9:30 before we decided it was best to leave that until we got the boat home. At that point Daryl decided it was time to walk to town and have a nice breakfast.
We walk about 4 blocks to a little hole in the wall place that was packed full of locals. We both had a great ham & cheese omelet. After a refill on the coffee, we decided we would continue our walk in search of an auto parts store for some spare 15W-40 engine oil. The walk was great, but unproductive as we did not find the oil we needed. I came back to the boat to work on dockage and fuel for tomorrow and Daryl took a 5 mile bus ride to the other side of town to an Advance Autoparts store for the oil.
We are now all set for the rest of our trip. The long-term weather forecast is looking great so far, so we are very hopeful we will be able to complete the trip without any further delays.
Below are a few more pictures from the first lock on the Erie Canal and the boat sitting at the Waterford, NY town docks.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Michigan Bound (Wired IV - Cruisers 455 M/Y)
Michigan Bound
I am aboard Wired IV, a 2006 Cruisers 455 Motor Yacht with a pair of 480hp Volvo Penta Diesels. She cruises at 25mph burning about 36 gph. This was a trip that Daryl (the owner) and I have been planning for awhile. So we were both excited to get this trip underway.
This was about as good as a first day of a delivery trip north as you could hope for. We departed from Staten Island, NY this morning at 6:40am with temps in the mid-50’s with nothing but bright sunshine and gentle breezes out of the south. Coming through New York Harbor and past the Statue of Liberty was nothing short of amazing this morning. I have gone by Lady Liberty at least a dozen times and it never gets old. There is something special about coming into the harbor.
Up the Hudson River we went. It was just a beautiful day on the water. Daryl was all grins as he took the helm. The break-in voyage was almost perfect. The boat ran very, very well. There was quite a bit of trash (logs, sticks, debris, etc.) in the water from the heavy rain this past week, but we managed to dodge most of it. There was also a fishing tournament which had every small boat in NY out on the water today, so we were slowing down a lot so as not to upset the anglers.
Our trip up to Michigan was almost postponed due to the rain this past week. The Erie Canal was in jeopardy of not opening on time due to high water. However we received notification yesterday that the Erie Canal would open on Monday. So today we made a 174 mile run from Staten Island up the Hudson to Waterford, NY where the Erie Canal starts.
We are looking forward to getting on the canal on Monday. The weather looks good for the next few days and the boat is running very well. Daryl did a great job of getting the boat out of winter storage and making everything perfect for our trip. I have to also give a big shout out to his wife Tina for making us all kinds of great meals for the trip. Tina, if you read this, I owe you one! I hope to get to meet and thank you in person when we get your new boat home.
Here are a few pictures from the day:
I am aboard Wired IV, a 2006 Cruisers 455 Motor Yacht with a pair of 480hp Volvo Penta Diesels. She cruises at 25mph burning about 36 gph. This was a trip that Daryl (the owner) and I have been planning for awhile. So we were both excited to get this trip underway.
This was about as good as a first day of a delivery trip north as you could hope for. We departed from Staten Island, NY this morning at 6:40am with temps in the mid-50’s with nothing but bright sunshine and gentle breezes out of the south. Coming through New York Harbor and past the Statue of Liberty was nothing short of amazing this morning. I have gone by Lady Liberty at least a dozen times and it never gets old. There is something special about coming into the harbor.
Up the Hudson River we went. It was just a beautiful day on the water. Daryl was all grins as he took the helm. The break-in voyage was almost perfect. The boat ran very, very well. There was quite a bit of trash (logs, sticks, debris, etc.) in the water from the heavy rain this past week, but we managed to dodge most of it. There was also a fishing tournament which had every small boat in NY out on the water today, so we were slowing down a lot so as not to upset the anglers.
Our trip up to Michigan was almost postponed due to the rain this past week. The Erie Canal was in jeopardy of not opening on time due to high water. However we received notification yesterday that the Erie Canal would open on Monday. So today we made a 174 mile run from Staten Island up the Hudson to Waterford, NY where the Erie Canal starts.
We are looking forward to getting on the canal on Monday. The weather looks good for the next few days and the boat is running very well. Daryl did a great job of getting the boat out of winter storage and making everything perfect for our trip. I have to also give a big shout out to his wife Tina for making us all kinds of great meals for the trip. Tina, if you read this, I owe you one! I hope to get to meet and thank you in person when we get your new boat home.
Here are a few pictures from the day:
Thursday, March 20, 2014
A Very Happy Ending
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.
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.
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.
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