July 12, 2021
Yippee!! We are off the dock, finally headed out into Chesapeake Bay. It was a little nostalgic leaving Yorktown and Gloucester Point to our stern.
Despite all the repair issues, we had enjoyed our time around the York River. There was so much history in this area and places to explore. We also met some awesome Texas folks that I really hated to leave. I hoped we would meet up again somewhere on the Bay.
Nevertheless, we bought the boat to cruise, and after a month and two days, it was time for us to get back at it. We left around 11:00 a.m. We were not going far, just around to the next bay, Mobjack Bay. It was a beautiful day with blue skies and white fluffy cumulous clouds. The wind was blowing the predicted 10-15 knots from the SW. So basically, it was a reach out and a reach back. We were not in any big hurry as long as we maintained an average of 5 knots. At this speed we should arrive in the East River of Mobjack Bay before sunset. So we only raised the jib. Since the sea state was fairly calm, it was a tranquil, pleasant sail.
We arrived in the East River about 16:30.
We puttered up through the river which was aligned with tall pine trees and majestic Virginia homes and cottages.
We anchored around day marker 17 in a picturesque cove. People were out kayaking and tubing but there was plenty of room. We were the only boat anchored in the vicinity.
It was bloody hot outside, so we both went for a quick swim to cool off. At least here we didn’t have to worry about swimming with the nettles as were so prevalent in Sarah’s Creek.
Afterwards, we turned on the AC so that the cabin would cool down before I cooked pizza for dinner. We relaxed and enjoyed not working on the boat for a change. As the sun set, the surroundings were peaceful with only the sound of the water lapping at the boat and the hum of the generator and ac. Simply nice and peaceful. As the moon came up Mars also arrive just atop the trees.
At 2130, I decided it was time to turn in; however, as I went down the stairs, I heard the AC kick off. I truly hoped that meant it had reached temperature, but my gut told me otherwise. Ben shortly confirmed that the generator had cut off. We were both stunned for a few minutes. How could this be??? It was brand new and we hadn’t seen any nettles in this bay?? What in the world?!!
So Ben, the fix it man, who had already showered and was clean, began the sweaty, not so fun job of troubleshooting the genset again!
He blew out all the lines and while there were a couple of minnows swimming in the strainer, there was really nothing that should have interrupted the water flow. He finally bit the bullet and took out the extra strainer that the dang charter company had put in with the force water pump (already taken out). One end of this strainer was smaller than the other hoses, so maybe with two little minnows clogging it up, there was not enough flow. We certainly hoped this solved the generator problem, because Ben was tired of fixing the same problem, day after day. Finally, at 0030 the air was back on and we could clean up the mess and go to bed. This was certainly not the ending we had expected to our otherwise perfect day.
July 13, 2021
The generator and ac stayed on all night until Ben turned it off as we left on the dinghy. This morning we met with Steve at Zimmerman Marine to discuss an August haul out. While the marina seemed a little rustic when we first arrived, it turned out to be an excellent yard with super nice people.
Steve spent a lot of time with us making sure he understood our needs. They even offered a courtesy car for us to use to go into town for groceries and lunch.
Afterwards the meeting, we motored around the river tributaries looking at the verdant vegetation and cute houses.
The river appeared somewhat of a bird sanctuary as ospreys nested in the trees and on the day markers. Other birds chirped from their hiding places among the lush foliage.
This would be a lovely place to hang for a couple of days. Our plan was to go into Matthews tomorrow as we had been told that visiting the town was like stepping back in time.
Once we both had a nap to catch up on the sleep we missed from the night before, we decided to turn on the generator and cool the cabin for dinner. However, the cabin barely was cooled before the genset shut itself off again. We were at such a loss as to what to do now. Ben blew out the lines again and we prayed that it might stay on, but it did not.
Luckily, there were breezes to go with the 80 degrees outside. Thus, we opened the windows, turned on our various fans and settled down to sleep pondering what we would do next to address this ongoing issue.
July 14, 2021
Going into Matthews today and continuing our journey up the bay was not to happen. Ben called the Cummings dealer and they said they would send another repairman out tomorrow. So we had to pull anchor and sail back to York River Yacht Haven which appeared to have become our 2nd home.
Nevertheless, it was a perfect day for a sail. The wind was blowing from the SW at about 12-15. So we pulled the jib and enjoyed another lovely day on the water even though we were not headed in the direction we had hoped to go.
At least at dock we would have ac as the temperature was around 90 in the afternoons, but felt like 100. I also would have access to the pool again. We were fortunate that our slip was still available as well as the bird welcoming committee.
July 15, 2021
We waited all day for the generator technician to arrive, but he never showed which was quite frustrating. I swam in the morning while Ben rebuilt another winch. There was always something to do on the boat.
Our Texas friends arrive back from DFW and came over for a visit after dinner. It was great to see them again! We always have a good time when we are together.
July 16, 2021
After hours of waiting for the repairman, we finally got word that they were pushing our problem up to tier three, because the technician was at a loss as to what he could do to remedy our problem. They were ordering another circuit board and requiring a specific test protocol be followed. The parts won’t be here until Monday. So no one would come today to work on the generator.
Ben used the waiting time to rebuild a third winch while Shelley and I went out to lunch and to the grocery store. It was a low-keyed day and a scorcher. So after running errands, I spent most of the day inside with the ac running.
Just as I began cooking dinner, Robert from a Catana 42 anchored in the creek stopped by for a visit. He was an interesting person as he has had his boat for 10 years and lived on it full-time for the last 5. I imagined we could learn a lot from him about the Bahamas.
July 17, 2021
I finally convinced Ben to take the day off from boat chores. He had been working so hard over the last month between the generator and the air conditioner. It was time he took a break.
So we spent the morning swimming in the pool. Then I made lunch and prepped food for dinner. After a nap, we borrowed our friends’ car and went into Gloucester to run some errands. Ben’s shorts were becoming threadbare. It was time to invest in some new work shorts. Ben also finally got the ice cream he had been wanting for the last week.
I think Ben enjoyed his day of rest and I enjoyed having him around in a more relaxed state.
Tonight we were listening to the storm rage outside, while cozied up inside our air conditioned cabin.
July 18, 2021
Ben decided to take another day of rest and I think it was well deserved! Robert from SV Journey invited us over to dinner for salmon. So we jumped at the chance to go see his 1995 Catana and visit with him again. We were expecting more showers but they held off until after our dinner.
We enjoyed touring Robert’s boat as the lay out was totally different from ours. In addition, he was a wealth of information. It was nice to meet other sailors and learn from them as everyone does things a little differently.
July 19 2021
It rained off and on today, so we decided to put a few chores behind us. I cleaned all four bathrooms. We have learned that we must use all the toilets on a regular basis because if the lines are not cleared regularly organisms die in them and they become extremely stinky the next time you flush. For me this was bummer because it meant I frequently had to clean them all. Luckily each head is small and not that hard to clean.
Meanwhile, Ben replaced a fan and rebuilt a fourth winch. The day was productive, and we both felt accomplished by the time we sat down to a dinner of pork chops, rice and broccoli/cauliflower salad.
We did not hear from the Cummings dealer today which was a disappointment, but Ben figured the parts did not arrive. Thus, tomorrow we hope there will be some movement in this department.
So stay tuned for Generator To Be or Not To Be….
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