Waiting for a weather window

Location: Crisfield, MD
Position: N 37 58.587 W 075 51.574

Part of the cruising life involves waiting for a ‘weather window’. This is defined in one of our books as “The period during which wind and wave conduct themselves favourably for completing a leg of a passage in safety and comfort.”

For you non-sailors this means that if the weather conditions are not to our liking, we sit and wait until they are. It’s not that we can’t sail in bad weather but when the wind is honking at 30 mph or more, the waves on the Bay are 4-5’ (and really close together) and the wind direction is not in our favour, it puts a lot of strain on the boat and the crew. So if we don’t have to move today, why bother? This was one of the reasons we quit work: so we could sit back and enjoy these waiting days rather than having to press on. Part of the reason we stayed in Vienna for 4 days was because the weather was unfavourable and see how nicely that turned out!

We left Vienna on Thursday, October 25th. The weather forecast was pretty good and as you know, we are trying to get our 50 hours on the engine. Unfortunately the forecasters were wrong and we spent a long day with high winds (gusts to 34 mph) dead behind us rocking and rolling our way back down Tangier Sound to Crisfield, MD. This may explain our hesitancy to leave here until things calm down a bit.

The plan, based on Thursday morning’s forecast, was to head back across the Bay to Deltaville on Friday, then hop down to Zimmerman’s yesterday. Three days later we are still here, waiting for our weather window. It has actually been quite a relaxing time, apart from the torrential rain, howling winds and Rachel bouncing around doing “the anchor dance”. We’ve got a few little jobs done, read a bit, cooked, and stowed some of our stuff more efficiently.

Every evening we think we will finally be able to leave ‘tomorrow’. Every morning we get up and listen to the weather, and, of course the forecasters have upped the day’s wind estimates, changed the wind direction, sprinkled in more inclement weather, and we decide it’s just not a good day to leave. We call our friends and have a little conference about whether to leave or stay, and every morning so far, have decided to stay.

The rain and wind finally did let up for a while yesterday afternoon, so we got the dinghy down, motored over to shore to meet Mike & Helen and went for a nice walk in shorts and shirt sleeves. Now it’s back to blowing around 25-30 again, but no rain.

Today the odds seem to have changed a little for the better. It looks like high pressure is moving in and will stay over the area for a few days. This means clear skies and less intense wind creating a more favourable weather window for us to finally get moving again.

But now (of course!!) there’s a new twist to the forecast: there’s a frost advisory for tonight. FROST for crying out loud!!! Well that’s just not good enough! It’s well past time for us to be heading south … stay tuned!!

Fair winds (and weather windows)

Nanticoke River

Location: Vienna, MD
Position: N 38 28.949 W 075 49.409

We have just spent 4 days in Vienna, MD, (http://www.viennamd.org/), a small town on the Nanticoke River boasting a population of around 250. The Nanticoke River is one of the Chesapeake Bay's most productive tributaries. Freshwater from the river mixes with saltwater from the ocean, creating tidal and freshwater wetlands that teem with life.

From some of the sources we’ve read: “The river harbors more rare plants than any other landscape on the Delmarva Peninsula. The forests and shallow marshes provide important habitat for numerous birds, including bald eagles and Peregrine falcons. Many species of neotropical songbirds, including warblers such as the American redstart, rely on the watershed's forests during their annual migrations and nesting. Its banks boast properties on the National Register of Historic Places, and the northernmost stands of bald cypress on the Atlantic Coast. It also has the highest concentration of bald eagles in the northeastern United States.”

We can attest to all of the above. Travelling up the river we saw bald eagles nesting and hunting over us. The river weaves back and forth around several u-turns with only marshes and trees to be seen. We only saw one other boat all the way up! We spent 4 nights (free of charge!!) at the Vienna town dock where we enjoyed beautiful, colorful sunrises and sunsets, and saw and heard geese and starlings flying over the grasslands across the river from the dock. We also met some of the friendliest and most interesting people. We were offered cars to borrow to go shopping or out to eat, we were invited into homes for tours, snacks, and wine, and given rides to show us around the area. What a friendly town! We can’t say enough good things about our stay here – the Nanticoke River, Vienna, and it’s residents have all endeared their way onto our “we’re definitely coming back here list"!!

The Twelve Weeks of Repower

Location: Vienna, MD
Position: N 38 28.949 W 075 49.409


On the first week of repower
My true love said to me
Are you sure we really need to do this?

On the second week of repower
My true love said to me
Label all the wires
Are you sure we really need to do this?

On the third week of repower

My true love said to me

Lift that engine out

Label all the wires

Are you sure we really need to do this?

On the fourth week of repower
My true love said to me
Now let's pull the fuel tank
Lift that engine out
Label all the wires
Are you sure we really need to do this?

On the fifth week of repower
My true love said to me
Oh my God! What is that smell?
Now let's pull the fuel tank
Lift that engine out
Label all the wires
Are you sure we really need to do this?

On the sixth week of repower
My true love said to me
Get down in the bilge and clean it!
Oh my God! What is that smell?
Now let's pull the fuel tank
Lift that engine out
Label all the wires
Are you sure we really need to do this?

On the seventh week of repower
My true love said to me
Change the toilet hoses
Get down in the bilge and clean it!
Oh my God! What is that smell?
Now let's pull the fuel tank
Lift that engine out
Label all the wires
Are you sure we really need to do this?

On the eighth week of repower
My true love said to me
Clean the bilge again and paint it
Change the toilet hoses
Get down in the bilge and clean it!
Oh my God! What is that smell?
Now let's pull the fuel tank
Lift that engine out
Label all the wires
Are you sure we really need to do this?

On the ninth week of repower
My true love said to me
Install the new fuel tank
Clean the bilge again and paint it
Change the toilet hoses
Get down in the bilge and clean it!
Oh my God! What is that smell?
Now let's pull the fuel tank
Lift that engine out
Label all the wires
Are you sure we really need to do this?

On the tenth week of repower
My true love said to me
What's the heck is "prop sing"?
Install the new fuel tank
Clean the bilge again and paint it
Change the toilet hoses
Get down in the bilge and clean it!
Oh my God! What is that smell?
Now let's pull the fuel tank
Lift that engine out
Label all the wires
Are you sure we really need to do this?

On the eleventh week of repower
My true love said to me
What? A new exhaust?
What's the heck is "prop sing"?
Install the new fuel tank
Clean the bilge again and paint it
Change the toilet hoses
Get down in the bilge and clean it!
Oh my God! What is that smell?
Now let's pull the fuel tank
Lift that engine out
Label all the wires
Are you sure we really need to do this?

On the twelfth week of repower
My true love said to me
Can we please go have fun now?
What? A new exhaust?
What's the heck is "prop sing"?
Install the new fuel tank
Clean the bilge again and paint it
Change the toilet hoses
Get down in the bilge and clean it!
Oh my God! What is that smell?
Now let's pull the fuel tank
Lift that engine out
Label all the wires
Are you sure we really need to do this?

Dolphins, Drones, and Delights

Location: Onancock Creek, Onancock, VA
Position: 37 24.666 N 075 45.567 W

You may be able to tell by our position and location that we're no longer at Zimmermans! Woohoo! Nothing against that fine institution and those fine folks, but it sure does feel good to be at anchor again! The second tuning of the propeller got rid of the singing, all systems were good and we were on our way on Tuesday, October 16th.

We are now busily scurrying around the Bay trying to put 50 hours on the engine. The number 50 is a bit magic for us: it's how many hours we have to have on the engine for it's first service, and after that, we can start picking our way South. The down side is that we don't get to sail since we have to run the engine at pretty high RPMs for the run in period. This results in some pretty fast travelling for a sailboat!

Today we were motoring out of Onancock Creek and Mark saw a big splash out of the corner of his eye. "Wow that was something big!!" Julie immediately leaped up and scoured the surrounding water. After a few moments she saw a dolphin... and then another playing in the entrance to the sound. She thinks this is far better than seeing floating scraps of carpet and pieces of pizza float by!

We must admit a sturdy, strong, smooth running engine is a wonderful thing. The new engine is running well and is a lot quieter then the old one. We don't think we'll ever get used to the drone of the engine running near full power all day, though, as we're sailors at heart and miss the quiet of being under sail.

Yesterday we went for a walk around the quaint old town of Onancock after our arrival. It's really pretty with old houses lining the creek and lots of history. We then went for a water side tour in the dinghy, and as we meandered our way back to our boats, saw a bald eagle sitting on top of a tall pole.

We are travelling with our friends Mike and Helen who have been with us since the day we left Zimmermans. They are valiantly putting up with having to move on and motor for 6 hours every day - good friends, indeed! Today we are heading for their dock on the Coan River, back across the Bay, for a "lay day" on Friday, as bad weather is expected.

These are some of the great delights of cruising - friends, wildlife, finding new things to see, new places to visit, new people to meet...

Fair winds (or should we say "Fair RPMs"?)

Is there life outside Zimmerman Marine??

Date: October 10, 2007
Location: Zimmerman Marine (still) - Cardinal, VA
Position: 37 24.438 N 076 21.154 W

Unfortunately our sea trial has not yet happened. There are some problems with the exhaust back pressure and a singing prop shaft. Still, we love these folks at Zimmerman Marine so much we provided a homemade BBQ lunch for them all as a "thank you" for the support, friendship, and good will they've all given us during our stay.

This was, of course, before we found out that we still aren't actually leaving, yet. And now it's too late to ask them to give us the lunch back. Oh. Maybe it isn't, but, in fact, we don't really want it back .

We did tell them that if we don't get to leave soon we may have to crash their Christmas party! And, no matter what, we're definitely not going to start paying personal property taxes in Mathews County!!

Now we have to install a 3" exhaust all the way from the engine to the outside of the boat. Mark has to tear out some woodwork in the "basement" to make room. He and the mechanic will work on installing the exhaust tomorrow. Maybe we can finally get going then.


Date: October 11
The new exhaust was installed this morning in record time. We went out for a sea trial and, haleleujah, the prop pitch is perfect - we don't have to get hauled again to have it repitched - we had been worried about it but finally something went right!!

All we have left to do now is get the pesky little "singing" out of the drive train. It only occurs between 950 and 1100 RPMs in forward and the mechanic thinks it's just an alignment problem.

After that, we just have to rebuild the woodwork around the new exhaust system, re-stow all the stuff we haven't been able to stow down there while work was being done, hook the high water bilge alarm back up, do a few relatively simple odd electrical and plumbing jobs, and we'll be ready to motor up and join some friends for a get-together on Saturday at Little Bay. It will feel great to be away from the dock and "on the hook" at last!


Date: October 12
"Remember when we quit work so we could get some of the stress out of our lives, go cruising, and have some fun?"

"Yeah."

"What happened?"

"Hellifiknow."

The mechanic realigns the new engine - the singing is still there.

We have a diver remove our line cutter - the singing is still there.

We repack our stuffing box - the singing is still there.

We start grasping at straws.

The mechanic adjusts the oil level in the new transmission - the singing is still there.

We sacrifice a chicken and arrange it's bones "just so" - the singing is still there.

One of the guys says "It could be 'prop sing'", We haul the boat again and pull the prop.

As soon as it is off the driveshaft, Julie makes a mad dash down to the prop shop, 75 miles away. They'll only be there until 1:00 PM so, even though we don't know for sure that is the problem, she leaves right away just to be sure she can make it there in time.

Mark and the mechanic mount Rachel's old prop and put her part-way back in the water. No singing. We have finally found the problem! It's about time!! Mark calls Julie to let her know it's the prop for sure and that she doesn't have to turn around.

Julie returns with the newly "de-sung" prop and, even though there isn't enough water to launch, the guys put us in far enough to test. The singing is still there, but only over a 50 RPM range. It's better, but it's still there, annoying as ever.

So now Rachel is out of the water again for the weekend and will be re-launched sometime around noon on Monday. Julie will be at the prop shop when they open on Monday morning for the second (and we hope final) round of de-singing, this time by the owner of the place.

In retrospect, the hardest part of this whole experience for both of us is being sure we'll be able to leave one day, only to find out we can't the next. This emotional roller coaster has been going on almost non-stop for the last 3 months. Except for the last half of August - at least then we knew we'd be out until the second or third week of September while the new engine was being installed. Mark has actually begun threatening to go back to work to get a break from all the stress!!

On the up side we really do feel like we are near the end and since we did still have several other little boat jobs to finish up anyway, now we have the weekend to get them out of the way. Dare we think that we may be out of here at the beginning of the week?

Regardless of what happens next week, tonight we are focused on our tasty, candlelit dinner and a lovely bottle of wine aboard Rachel. We process the day, count our blessings, let go of our worries, and talk once again about the fun we'll have and the beautiful places we'll visit when we finally do get to go "out there". Life is good.

We're back in the water again!!

Date: October 5, 2007
Location: Zimmerman Marine - Cardinal, VA
Position: 37 24.426 N 076 21.139 W

Holy Molies! Has it really been almost three freaking months? Crikies!!

Today the wonderful folk at Zimmerman Marine put our Rachel back in the water.. We can't actually go anywhere until we get our final alignment and sea trial on Monday but we ARE afloat! Fianlly!! It actually feels a bit weird, but in the nicest sort of way!!

We apologize for the lack of info as to our status lately, but we didn't want to bore you with all the day-to-day tedium. Suffice it to say that we did you a really, really big favor by not being quite as communicative as we could have been.....

We just spent 10 days with Julie's brother and his family from England, along with both of Julie's kids and their families. It was a big family gathering and we all had a lovely time. Exhausting, but at least it was in a different (and nicer, actually) sort of way from just working on the boat!!
Update: The engine is installed, the new fuel tank is in. Whoopti-freaking-do!
Well, in, but not yet "installed" - We still have some stuff to do over the weekend - but we're so close to leaving the dock that "in" is good enough for tonight. If the repower gods are looking down on us we'll be ready to leave Zimmermans on Tuesday. Hot damn!

As we are such positive thinkers and we have really had such a wonderful time here, we are treating all the boatyard, staff and management, to lunch on Tuesday at 9:30am.
"9:30am" you ask with a certain amount of incredulity??

Yep. The guys here start work at 4 or 5am so by 9:30 they are ready for lunch - who are we to argue? Julie is making her famous crock pot BBQ with all the fixins and Mark is studiously staying out of her way and lending his assitance wherever he can. As any wise man/caring husband must do...

We decided to leave the new dinghy behind this winter - there's a new crack in the keel and we just don't yet have confidence in it's ability to handle full-time cruising. We're leaving it with friends in Deltaville for the winter and will pick it up in the spring. That'll give us a chance to mess around w/ it during the spring and summer and make a final decision. We're really hoping it works out because we really miss dinghy sailing. As well as Rachel sailing. As well as pretty much any kind of sailing we can think of. Thank goodness we have friends who have given us our sailing fixes over the last couple of months! You know who you are - seriously - thanks so much!
Whew. It's good to be back afloat.