May 8, 2018 - May 11, 2018
Our alarm (that is Jack our cat whining for food) woke us up early and we were greeted by bright sunshine. A good nights sleep helped both of our attitudes even though we both felt totally beat up by our harrowing day on the Chesapeake yesterday. I have three ugly bruises from falling down on the bow and numerous scrapes on both knees from barnacles on the swim ladder steps. Bob’s arm was bruised, scratched, and scraped from putting his arm in the engine when he was trying to figure out what was wrong. We discussed the fact that yesterday was our worst boating day ever and we had both contemplated changing our cruising lifestyle at sone point.
I dragged out all of the carpets and began cleaning them of the bilge water that had flooded the cabin. One of Zahniser’s mechanics stopped by the boat to diagnose the boat’s problems. At first, he thought we would need a transmission rebuild (not good), but on further inspection he discovered a broken key and shaft coupling that he believes caused our break down (so much better). The first diagnosis would take two to three weeks to fix whereas the second one would only take a few days. We are still going to have the boat hauled out to inspect the shaft and the propeller to insure that the breakage was not caused by issues underneath the boat. By the time the mechanic was done with his inspection I had finished the carpets, hung them out to dry, and started a thorough cleaning of the teak floors inside. When I was done the floors looked beautiful and I was done with work for the day. Bob and I borrowed bikes from the marina and rode downtown to The Pier Restaurant. Bob had oysters and a crab cake which he described as the best he has ever had and I had the Maryland crab soup and a crab Caesar salad which was so loaded with lump crab meat I had a chunk in every mouth full. So glad to be eating Maryland seafood again! Back at the boat it was time to relax and heal. Our attitude toward cruising was much improved, but we still are considering a shorter trip next fall.
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| I made strawberry daiquiris for happy hour. |
While we are waiting for the coupling to come in and the short haul out we are tackling some of our summer projects. On Wednesday we hauled the dinghy out of the water and Bob cleaned the bottom of the green slime that had collected. I did all of the laundry including washing our quilt and blanket. We borrowed the bikes again and rode to West Marine to get the bottom paint for the dinghy and have pizza at Jerry’s Subs. We picked up a few necessities at the grocery store and rode back to the boat to paint the dinghy bottom and then relax. The weather has been spectacular - warm sun and cool breezes - perfect Maryland spring weather. Let’s hope it stays that way for the rest of the week.
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| We finished painting the bottom of the dinghy in the early afternoon. |
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| Bob got very creative and made Mexican style twice baked sweet potatoes for dinner. Delicious! |
On Thursday I wrestled all of the enclosure panels out of the quarter berth and washed the salt water off both sides hanging them on the life lines to dry. Solomans is a great place to lay over for these repairs. It’s a great little town with a great marina with a competent and experienced yacht yard crew. Plus, we have had perfect spring weather.
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| Here’s a picture of the marina from an outside table at the Dry Dock Restaurant where we had a wonderful dinner. |
The coupling came in this afternoon and the mechanic installed it easily. Our boat was hauled out briefly to check the prop, shaft, and strut for damage and nothing was found. Wonderful!!!
On Friday I thoroughly cleaned the cockpit in the morning. Then we borrowed the bikes for a trip to West Marine, Weis Market, and The Ruddy Duck Restaurant. We will leave bright and early tomorrow morning to continue our trip and dock in Galesville at the Hartge Yacht Yard. Sadly I won't be back in Baltimore for Mother's Day, but life is good!
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