More Setbacks.

I spoke too soon on the last blog entry suggesting that we had uncovered “the last of our required/delayed maintenance.” On the morning of 5/1 (our original dream date for starting this adventure) our engine wouldn’t start. We determined that our brand new house batteries were dead. We further surmised that it was our battery charger. Our buddy, Scott Hyland, confirmed this and ordered a new battery charger, that would take two days to arrive and install. Our new charger was installed yesterday afternoon, with instructions to “sleep on it,” and let the charger do it’s thing all night long. We were to use shore power and don’t run anything DC (including the electric toilet). We complied. 

The shifter cable did get replaced on 5/1 and felt smooth, but we were not able to test it on the water since we were stuck at the dock. 

Then, the aft bilge pump quit working. It’s in a tricky location, so I went down, head first, into the generator compartment to access the device. Pete coached me through some troubleshooting on the pump and float, and had me trace the wiring. We both agreed that this job should be left to a professional. Rock Hall Marine Railway referred Pete to Steve Cullis, a man of slight build, who could best navigate the awkward space, plus he had specialized tools for the job. We now have a new bilge pump. 

Two posts back (“Wicked Water”) I mentioned bending the anchor in high winds. We retired that anchor, bought a new Fortress FX-23 (lighter and stronger for our back-up), and ordered a Spade S-100 (our primary 44-pound anchor), plus we ordered 150 feet of 5/8-inch G-4 high strength chain. It seems West Marine “lost” our order, so we have scrambled to reorder the Spade and chain. We were “guaranteed” delivery by this evening, 5/4. It seems there are no guarantees (something to do with weather and/or train derailment), and we can expect our anchor end of business Monday, 5/7. We did get the chain locally, along with 150 feet of 5/8-inch, three-strand anchor rope (x2 because…two anchors). Pete did a nice job on a rope-to-chain back splice, and made a nice bridal (anchor snubber) for calm, shallow anchorages.

This week’s highlights: 

Yesterday we met Pete’s niece, Amanda Sanchez Logan, for a terrific lunch at Panera, in the town of Bowie. It was so nice to catch up and we laughed for most of the visit, something we sorely needed! The time passed too quickly. We hugged goodbye with the promise of seeing each other at the family reunion in 2019. 

This afternoon, we were boarded (by my request) by a United States Power Squadron Vessel Examiner from the Wilmington, DE, Squadron. John Bailey did a thorough walk-through and gave us a big thumbs up! His two suggestions for optional equipment included a manual bilge pump and a distress flag, even though we have two 5-gallon buckets for bailers and multiple sets of flares. Within 30 minutes, we were properly outfitted with the optional items. 

We have our colors up! We retired the tattered and faded Stars & Stripes that came with the boat and put up a brand new American Flag. We attached the USPS flag to the same pole. We have our AGLCA burgee up front for easy recognition. With limited options, we are still seeking the right home for our Sacramento Power Squadron burgee. (It cannot be flown higher than our American Flag, and can’t obstruct the view of the Helmsman.) An aft pillar is probably the best option. We’ll post a photo when we decide. 

Our new departure date is 8 May, 2018.