You probably wonder what broke now?! We are always getting something fixed. That seems to be a boat thing for many people, so we are not alone. Today, as we motored two hours to Portsmouth, where the ICW starts, while anchoring, Joe noticed that our engine was overheating. It didn't take too long to recognize the problem was the altenator bolt, which had broken before, about 2 months ago. This time we knew what to do; so after dinghying ashore, taking a cab to West Marine to pick up a few new bolts, we returned and fixed it ourselves. We are crossing our fingers that there is not an underlying problem, causing these bolts to break.
Our friends joined us here in the anchorage and tomorrow we will enter the ICW through the Dismal Swamp. Isn't that a great name? Make you want to come?
While traveling into Norfolk up the river, we passed numerous battleships and aircraft carriers. Too bad we haven't found a camera store yet! Our anchorage is across from the Wisconsin, a museum battleship. We had to take our little dinghy around the huge battleship to shore. It certainly gives you an appreciation of the size and power of a ship like that.
Joy
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Hampton, VA
Hello Everybody,
We spent the day in Hampton, Va. Arrived last night and are staying at the Hampton Public Piers for two nights. The boats for the Caribbean 1500 are assembling here in Hampton, and are supposed to leave on Monday, Nov 1. Also power boaters are coming for the Hampton University football game tomorrow. So Sat morning we are moving across the river and anchoring in Portsmouth, VA and waiting for some friends to arrive from Deltaville via their boat.
Today we went to the Virginia School of Hair Design after breakfast. I got a $5 haircut, and Joy got a facial, manicure and pedicure. The total cost was $45 for everything. The students have to do about 1,500 hours. The lady who cut my hair is doing a career change from nursing to hair cutting. She does not want to work the night shifts as a nurse.
After Virginia School of Hair Design, we split up. Mom went to Hampton University Art Museum, and I went to the Virginia Air and Space Museum which is next door to our dock. They had a good IMAX 3D movie about building the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Lot of good exhibits, better than some of the exhibits at the Smithsonian Air Museum.
Tonight we are going out to dinner at Marker 20, popular restaurant that has bands on Friday and Saturday night.
Then tomorrow morning we have to move across the river and anchor at Hospital Point and wait for Chuck and Patty.
Joe
ps The only camera store in Hampon went out of business. We hope to buy one at the next city, Elizabeth, VA.
We spent the day in Hampton, Va. Arrived last night and are staying at the Hampton Public Piers for two nights. The boats for the Caribbean 1500 are assembling here in Hampton, and are supposed to leave on Monday, Nov 1. Also power boaters are coming for the Hampton University football game tomorrow. So Sat morning we are moving across the river and anchoring in Portsmouth, VA and waiting for some friends to arrive from Deltaville via their boat.
Today we went to the Virginia School of Hair Design after breakfast. I got a $5 haircut, and Joy got a facial, manicure and pedicure. The total cost was $45 for everything. The students have to do about 1,500 hours. The lady who cut my hair is doing a career change from nursing to hair cutting. She does not want to work the night shifts as a nurse.
After Virginia School of Hair Design, we split up. Mom went to Hampton University Art Museum, and I went to the Virginia Air and Space Museum which is next door to our dock. They had a good IMAX 3D movie about building the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Lot of good exhibits, better than some of the exhibits at the Smithsonian Air Museum.
Tonight we are going out to dinner at Marker 20, popular restaurant that has bands on Friday and Saturday night.
Then tomorrow morning we have to move across the river and anchor at Hospital Point and wait for Chuck and Patty.
Joe
ps The only camera store in Hampon went out of business. We hope to buy one at the next city, Elizabeth, VA.
Arrived in Hampton
Yesterday, the 28th, we left Deltaville after paying our bill! Yikes! Anyway, we had a good mostly motor with one hour of sailing down the rest of the Chesapeake Bay to Hampton, which is just across the river from Norfolk and the start of the ICW (Intercoastal waterway). It was still warm from the front that had passed, the clouds broke and the sun shown, and the Bay was fairly calm with strong breezes from the SW, thus the need to motor a great deal of the day. As we got closer to Norfolk, we caught glimpses of very large ships- one a warship. On the VHF radio came a broadcast warning ships to stay clear of the Missouri by 500 yards or they could be fired on! That was an ominous warning!
We are staying at the Hampton City Marina for 2 nights with one free night coupon that Joe got at the Annapolis Boat Show. After arriving, we had dinner on the boat and took a short walk around town, trying to find the interesting parts of town- cobblestone streets, quaint shops, restored homes, etc. Just as we got to that area, rain showers started and we headed back to the boat. Joe found the Science Museum and IMAX to explore and I will head back to town and probably over to Hampton University Museum tomorrow. The museum holds a large collection of African and American Indian art and numerous sailors have mentioned it as worth seeing.
The Caribbean 1500 leaves from this port on Monday, so there are about 70 sailboats at marinas in town participating. They will leave from the Chesapeake to sail directly to Tortola, about a 10 day crossing. There are some huge sailboats(60-70 feet) that we passed as we came into the harbor. All weekend there are events- dinners, seminars, etc for this annual trek. We met a couple in early July at Put-in-Bay that are going and we will try to look them up while here.
One last note- Josh is on his way to Suriname, South America, with a group of doctors from Johns Hopkins. Suriname is in the north, bordering Brazil and the ocean, and the smallest country in SA. He gave us a call last night from Curacao, where he was getting on a plane for their last leg. He reported that he worked from 7pm to 2am Wed night, showered at the hospital, and went directly to the airport for a 6am flight. He fell asleep as soon as he got on the plane to Miami and didn't wake up until after landing. What a schedule! The group will travel by helicopter into several different villages to provide medical care while there. Josh is the only first year resident in the group. What a great experience that should be!
Joy
We are staying at the Hampton City Marina for 2 nights with one free night coupon that Joe got at the Annapolis Boat Show. After arriving, we had dinner on the boat and took a short walk around town, trying to find the interesting parts of town- cobblestone streets, quaint shops, restored homes, etc. Just as we got to that area, rain showers started and we headed back to the boat. Joe found the Science Museum and IMAX to explore and I will head back to town and probably over to Hampton University Museum tomorrow. The museum holds a large collection of African and American Indian art and numerous sailors have mentioned it as worth seeing.
The Caribbean 1500 leaves from this port on Monday, so there are about 70 sailboats at marinas in town participating. They will leave from the Chesapeake to sail directly to Tortola, about a 10 day crossing. There are some huge sailboats(60-70 feet) that we passed as we came into the harbor. All weekend there are events- dinners, seminars, etc for this annual trek. We met a couple in early July at Put-in-Bay that are going and we will try to look them up while here.
One last note- Josh is on his way to Suriname, South America, with a group of doctors from Johns Hopkins. Suriname is in the north, bordering Brazil and the ocean, and the smallest country in SA. He gave us a call last night from Curacao, where he was getting on a plane for their last leg. He reported that he worked from 7pm to 2am Wed night, showered at the hospital, and went directly to the airport for a 6am flight. He fell asleep as soon as he got on the plane to Miami and didn't wake up until after landing. What a schedule! The group will travel by helicopter into several different villages to provide medical care while there. Josh is the only first year resident in the group. What a great experience that should be!
Joy
Thursday, October 28, 2010
odd day - Oct 27
It is early on Oct 28, but I wanted to write about yesterday since it was my odd day to write.
We are having a great time here in Deltaville and the good news is that our three projects are finished.
The stove project was a success- 90%. The three burners are work well, the stove is giving us a little trouble but we have to experiment in the best way to keep it at temperature for cooking. Need to buy a stove thermometer at a hardware store at our next stop.
The engine project is finished. We had the starter cables replace, a new belt installed. We also purchased a new alternator, 60 amps, current one is 50 amp., A new water pump to go with our
impeller kits. Figured after talking to people, these are two critical parts to have especially out of the States. Even learned how to replace the alternator belt, and how the alternator is attached to its housing.
Had another nice dinner with everybody in the marina. People bring their food to share at the covered picnic area on D dock. Usually have about 12 people eating together starting between 5:30 and 6:30 pm.
We are going to leave today for Hampton, VA.
Joy will write about today's activities after we get there
Joe
We are having a great time here in Deltaville and the good news is that our three projects are finished.
The stove project was a success- 90%. The three burners are work well, the stove is giving us a little trouble but we have to experiment in the best way to keep it at temperature for cooking. Need to buy a stove thermometer at a hardware store at our next stop.
The engine project is finished. We had the starter cables replace, a new belt installed. We also purchased a new alternator, 60 amps, current one is 50 amp., A new water pump to go with our
impeller kits. Figured after talking to people, these are two critical parts to have especially out of the States. Even learned how to replace the alternator belt, and how the alternator is attached to its housing.
Had another nice dinner with everybody in the marina. People bring their food to share at the covered picnic area on D dock. Usually have about 12 people eating together starting between 5:30 and 6:30 pm.
We are going to leave today for Hampton, VA.
Joy will write about today's activities after we get there
Joe
Monday, October 25, 2010
Boat Repairs & Knitting
Today was a day of boat repairs and Joy started on her knitting project. We got up early as the yard crew starts at 7 am with a staff meeting and they are on the boats by 7:45 am. We had four people working: 1) Eric & Christy worked on the engine, replacing the starter cable as it was too small and chafing against the engine block, and 2) Mike and Tom were working on the stove project.
The engine project ended up replacing the two cables for the starter, replacing some wires that were rubbing and wearing out their insulation, and tomorrow they will finish the engine project with a new belt and adjusting the alternator. We are getting a spare alternator and two belts to put in our spare parts locker.
The stove project has all the tubing in place, the stove connected up to the tubing.
Still to do is the mounting of the solenoid and the gas regulator and hooking up the gas supply to the grill on the back of the boat. That also should be done by Tuesday night.
Joy worked on the cockpit floor trying to glue down pieces. I went to the store for some supplies. They have a car here that you can use for one hour, costs $1 for gas but you have to stay in Deltaville.
Tonight we had a group dinner with 5 other boaters who have been south to the Bahamas. Had some nice tips about sailing south. Some of the group will be traveling south to the Bahamas. One couple is going to Mexico after they get to Florida.
It will be interesting to see if the yard finishes tomorrow. The heater guy never showed up, and other people have been complaining that it is taking much more time to finish jobs than they were promised. Lots of complaints about spare parts not getting her on time, or the wrong parts showing up.
Joe
ps still not pictures as no camera.
pps This is added on Tuesday morning 6:30 am. I am slowly adjusting to the fact that one has to always to remember that everything does not get done on time, and that in the boating world this is especially true. There many people here in Deltaville who are in the same situation we are in, they want to get the boat fixed and get going. Still it is nice that we can sit down and have dinner together, sharing our experiences in life with each other.
We just found out that one of the women has breast cancer, and has to return home for treatment. They had planned on going to the Bahamas this winter, but now their life is changing and they are on a different path.
I was thinking about what I was thinking when I fell in on Saturday. Thankfully Joy was there to give me a big hand. I was fortunate that I was not injured too badly, like hitting my head on the dock when I fell in. That would have been extremely serious. It only takes a split second for your life to change, either an accident or receiving some health news.
We are grateful for what we have. We are thankful for the gift of each other
The engine project ended up replacing the two cables for the starter, replacing some wires that were rubbing and wearing out their insulation, and tomorrow they will finish the engine project with a new belt and adjusting the alternator. We are getting a spare alternator and two belts to put in our spare parts locker.
The stove project has all the tubing in place, the stove connected up to the tubing.
Still to do is the mounting of the solenoid and the gas regulator and hooking up the gas supply to the grill on the back of the boat. That also should be done by Tuesday night.
Joy worked on the cockpit floor trying to glue down pieces. I went to the store for some supplies. They have a car here that you can use for one hour, costs $1 for gas but you have to stay in Deltaville.
Tonight we had a group dinner with 5 other boaters who have been south to the Bahamas. Had some nice tips about sailing south. Some of the group will be traveling south to the Bahamas. One couple is going to Mexico after they get to Florida.
It will be interesting to see if the yard finishes tomorrow. The heater guy never showed up, and other people have been complaining that it is taking much more time to finish jobs than they were promised. Lots of complaints about spare parts not getting her on time, or the wrong parts showing up.
Joe
ps still not pictures as no camera.
pps This is added on Tuesday morning 6:30 am. I am slowly adjusting to the fact that one has to always to remember that everything does not get done on time, and that in the boating world this is especially true. There many people here in Deltaville who are in the same situation we are in, they want to get the boat fixed and get going. Still it is nice that we can sit down and have dinner together, sharing our experiences in life with each other.
We just found out that one of the women has breast cancer, and has to return home for treatment. They had planned on going to the Bahamas this winter, but now their life is changing and they are on a different path.
I was thinking about what I was thinking when I fell in on Saturday. Thankfully Joy was there to give me a big hand. I was fortunate that I was not injured too badly, like hitting my head on the dock when I fell in. That would have been extremely serious. It only takes a split second for your life to change, either an accident or receiving some health news.
We are grateful for what we have. We are thankful for the gift of each other
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Substitute Writer - Sunday Oct 24
Well, this is Joe substituting for Joy. As it turns out, she hurt her ankle more than we originally thought. It is swollen on both sides and black and blue on the inside. Right now she is resting on the starboard side of the saloon with her foot elevated in an ice bag. She is reading a book, while I am writing.
We drove 30 minutes to church today to a very nice church, Church of Frances de Salles, in Matthew, VA. It was a very musically and community oriented service. We stayed for coffee and talk to Rosemary who told us all about the parish. They have a fairly new pastors, two years or so, who replaced an African American pastor. We are talking about rural Virginia which is a very conservative place.
After church we drove to Walmart to buy engine oil. It is about $5/gallon cheaper than the marine stores. We change oil every 50 hours, so that is about every 8 days or so.
Also tried to find a battery for my phone. Jen had sent me my replacement phone but it came with no battery. I was supposed to put the old battery in the replacement phone but the battery got wet when I fell off the dock.
We spent the rest of the afternoon with Joe on a PBE conference call, and Joy talking to other boaters here for repair work. The marina has an enclosed picnic indoor area with grills and tables. Met more new boaters who are here for repairs.
Ate our leftovers from gong out to eat with Reid Ashe for dinner tonight.
Joe
PS no pictures until we get a new camera. Ours was in my pocket when I fell off the dock.
We drove 30 minutes to church today to a very nice church, Church of Frances de Salles, in Matthew, VA. It was a very musically and community oriented service. We stayed for coffee and talk to Rosemary who told us all about the parish. They have a fairly new pastors, two years or so, who replaced an African American pastor. We are talking about rural Virginia which is a very conservative place.
After church we drove to Walmart to buy engine oil. It is about $5/gallon cheaper than the marine stores. We change oil every 50 hours, so that is about every 8 days or so.
Also tried to find a battery for my phone. Jen had sent me my replacement phone but it came with no battery. I was supposed to put the old battery in the replacement phone but the battery got wet when I fell off the dock.
We spent the rest of the afternoon with Joe on a PBE conference call, and Joy talking to other boaters here for repair work. The marina has an enclosed picnic indoor area with grills and tables. Met more new boaters who are here for repairs.
Ate our leftovers from gong out to eat with Reid Ashe for dinner tonight.
Joe
PS no pictures until we get a new camera. Ours was in my pocket when I fell off the dock.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Swimming Lessons
Yes, the title is correct. I decided to go swimming in the water where the boat is docked.
Actually I kind of fell in the water by not paying attention to what I was doing on the dock.
The docks here are small finger piers and are not that long. So I was carrying two packages that I had picked up this morning down in Hampton. I was not paying attention to putting the packages on the boat first, and then in a half a second I was in the water. I was able to keep one package above the water, and the other package was on the finger pier. Fortunately, Joy was on the land and ran over and extended our large fishing net for me to hold onto. I ended up swimming to the back of the boat, holding on the package and the next and climbed up the back ladder. Quite an experience. Joy hurt her ankle but is okay. My shoulders are a little sore.
Major casualty was our camera, but saved today's pictures. Jen had sent me my new phone, battery seems to work, but phone needs to go to a Verizon store to be turned on. Lost a valve that we had bought for the grill on the back rail but that was not that expensive.
The projects on the boat should be finished by Tuesday late afternoon. We have found a couple of other boats heading down to the Bahamas and we plan on sailing with them.
In the afternoon I had gone to Yorktown to visit the National Park site. Joy stayed back to work on her flooring project. She is working the flooring in the cockpit, trying to glue down all the strips of wood that are loose. I was very impressed by the Park Ranger who led my tour. She talked about the siege of Yorktown, how American artillery fired over 15,000 cannon balls into the British position. Eventually the British knew they ad to surrender when their plan to escape by boats down the York River did not work out. The French fleet defeated the British rescue fleet and drove them back to New York City. Yorktown is definitely worth going to.
At night, one of fraternity brothers from the Class of 1970, Reid Ashe, drove down from Richmond and we went out to dinner at this place called the Whitestone Wine and Cheese Shop. It is a small restaurant built around wine and cheese for sale. On Sat night they have a fixed price menu which Reid and Joy choose. They had a scallop/cheese bisque, tomato brescetta, and lasagna rolls for starters. Joy had a chicken dish, Reid had a sausage/pasta dish. Joe with his food allergies had Caesar salad along with fish which was tasty. We got to the boat after 9:30 or so and it was time to hit the bunks.
Joe
ps Pictures today are from Yorktown, the cannon shown is over 230 years old, it was a British cannon that was seized after the British surrendered. The other picture shows the trenches that were dug by both sides to protect their troops from artillery fire.
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