So Who Says We're Not Lucky?

Yesterday (Friday) we decided to move south as far as Solomon's, MD. Yes, there were small craft warnings (but we're not really a small craft - we're blue-water material) and the wind gusts were upwards of 30 knots, but we knew the wind and waves would be on our stern, so we headed out. It was a brisk journey, and we certainly exercised our steering in the following sea, but at one point I remarked to Bill "I have confidence in this boat." After all, we were on only one engine, yet we averaged 7 knots, and reached a top speed (running down a wave) of 12 knots! After about 5 hours we were entering the harbor at Solomon's Island.

Having been here last summer, we knew where we last anchored, so headed that way. Deciding to go back to a different spot, we turned the boat hard right, and then discovered we couldn't turn left! Our steering had failed! Fortunately we steered a slightly different course, and it caught again, but we decided to pick up a mooring at Zahniser's, and I called to make sure the remaining moorings would take a boat our size. We headed toward the mooring, but just missed picking it up, and had to do a circle. As I headed back out into the harbor channel, a ferry blew its horn at us, but again there was no steering, so my only option was to put it into reverse, which fortunately did the trick. Then the challenge was to get us back to the mooring. Again, we lucked out and the steering caught just enough for us to head to the mooring. We grabbed it! Hurray! Two people, shaking like leaves, never felt so fortunate as to be attached firmly to a mooring.

As harrowing as this was, we count ourselves very lucky. Why?
1. It could have happened when we were still in 30 knot winds and 4-foot seas (although we would have had time to install the manual tiller)
2. We could have wiped out not only our boat, but many others in this harbor. Instead, there isn't a mark on Deeper Season or any of our neighbors
3. We grabbed a mooring at Zahnisers, a yacht center with good mechanics, who will tow us to the dock Monday morning and fix our steering (we know exactly what the problem is, but prefer to have the experts fix it, because we will be sending the bill to Oxford Boatyard, who installed a new steering system in July. By the way, they have already agreed to pay for the repair).
4. Solomon's is a great place to spend a weekend
5. We got to watch the Jon Stewart Rally to Restore Sanity in the office of Zahniser's!
6. We met some really good folks, who we hope to hook up with in the Bahamas.

Isn't this what boating is all about? Periods of intense "adventure" followed by periods of quiet contentment? And a slow but steady building up of amazing stories, guaranteed to put all listeners off the idea of boating ever in their lifetimes!

A Beautiful Day on the Chesapeake

After holing up in the Bohemia River for an extra day (rainy, high winds, tornado warnings) we took off at dawn today and had a beautiful run down to the West River (just south of Annapolis). On the way, we watched a submarine come into harbor (the Coast Guard kept everyone from getting too close, but we could see enough). We anchored, took Mindy ashore, brought her back to the boat and still managed to get to a restaurant (Thursday's) in daylight. Shared a dozen oysters and a dozen crabs, and sat for several hours taking them apart. Photos of the harbor from our picnic table at Thursdays, and of Bill at the table.

There are small craft warnings for tomorrow, but only because of high gusts (no rain or thunderstorms, seas only 2 feet) so we may press on. It will probably take us at least 2 full days to get to our destination from here, so we will likely take it slow and plan to arrive at the marina on Monday instead of trying to get there by closing time (2PM) Saturday. Weather looks good through Monday, so we're just going to enjoy the ride!

Moving Forward Again

After a week in Cape May trying to fix our starboard engine (to no avail), and talking with a whole lot of people about options for repairing or replacing it, we left this morning at first light (7 AM) and with perfect winds and tides made it all the way up the Delaware Bay, through the C&D Canal, and into a snug anchorage in the Bohemia River, at the northmost point of the Chesapeake Bay. We're headed for a yard in the Severn River in VA (in Mobjack Bay) where it seems they have the expertise and the reasonable rates we need to get us going again. We may stay at anchor tomorrow, depending on wind direction, but at this point we plan to go where it makes sense to go each day rather than trying to push against wind and weather. May not do another update until we are in the yard, but the most difficult part of our journey is behind us now, so we're breathing easy and plan to enjoy the next few days!

Still in Cape May

We ducked into a lovely marina last night and rode our bikes to a restaurant with a terrific and inexpensive lobster dinner special. Today the winds died and the sunshine is warm. We headed out of the marina on two engines but were quickly reduced to just one again, so we are once again anchored in Cape May harbor. We'll stay here until we can have an engine mechanic look at our starboard engine on Monday. We're safe, dry, and taking care of other little projects while we wait. Perhaps a Canasta game or two tonight????

Cape May update

We're back in business - starboard engine humming as I type this update. Now all we need is a liitle sunshine and our spirits will be right back where they should be!

Underway again!

Whoever said the best days with a boat are the day you buy it and the day you sell it was right, or at least it seems that way at the moment. We're in Cape May - it's raining, cool (but not as cold as at home, fortunately), and we have only one engine.

We picked the best day we could for an overnight sail from Raritan Bay to Cape May. Temps started in the high 50s and dipped down to the high 40s before morning, but the winds were perfect (from the west, 10-15 knots) and the seas were calm almost all night. We motor-sailed with one engine and averaged 7.5 knots. I, for one, was very stylishly dressed (see photo) in multiple layers, starting with long johns, ski socks and a fleece hat, covered by ski pants, my warmest North Face fleece and a baseball hat (to keep the fleece hat in place and my jacket hood out of my eyes), and topped with my foul-weather jacket, bright red waterproof (and windproof) boots, and mittens. Quite a picture, but it did the trick. We took turns in 2-hour shifts, and arrived in Cape May just after sunrise (although the sun did not actually make an appearance).

During the journey our starboard engine had a melt-down (a small pipe burst and sprayed oil all over the engine compartment). Needless to say, without oil the engine shut down. With only the port engine our maneuverability is nil, so instead of getting a slip (with power, and therefore heat) we anchored and have been on the hunt for a replacement part ever since. This morning we got lucky and found at least a temporary replacement, so our on-board mechanic (Bill) is putting things back together now, and we're hoping the engine will still run. The permanent part has been ordered and should be here by Friday. Since the weather is lousy and the winds aren't good for a run up the Delaware Bay, we're not going anywhere anyway, and this anchorage is the most peaceful one we've ever experienced, so things could definitely be worse. Meanwhile, we're just glad we brought warm clothes!