Tuesday, October 30, 2012 Charleston, SC

The hot soup and sandwich was a perfect break from the wind and constant attention to other vessels, gauges and charts.  Again, the engine performed well and was little or no worry.  

The 53 miles we traveled today seemed like twice that.  Winds at a steady 20kts with gusts up to 27kts made it tough going especially since most of the time we headed into the wind.  This however, isn't all bad because crossing Charleston harbor (near Ft. Sumter) we managed to head directly into the wind and therefore, less rolling just a little more pitch up and down.  We covered most of the harbor before we started taking the waves on our port quarter.  The waves were so much smaller since there was little fetch for them to build!

The Wapoo Creek bascule bridge just past Charleston Harbor closes from 3:30PM to 6:30PM weekdays for rush hour traffic to flow more smoothly!  We arrived and requested an opening at 3:22PM.  Otherwise our wait would be at anchor for the three hours of closure and would have kept us on the water after dark.  I don't like to be out in the dark because there are too many variables most importantly the inability to accurately see what's ahead of you.  Also, the St Johns Yacht Harbor is directly past the Wapoo Creek bridge and Elliott Cut.  There are certain times  one is able to pass through the cut and approaching low tide is not one of them. We made it through at about 4:30PM and registered at the marina shortly after.

A quick call to Karen, our life-long friend, and we were soon on our way to laundry, shopping and dinner! Our two nights stay at St Johns Marina was reasonable and they have the best showers I have used on all our trips. Also, they give a discount for being a Boat US member. It is a well-kept marina with friendly staff there to help. Interestingly,  it's amazing the amount of tide and current there on the Stono River.  We always cleat our lines with the intention of when we return Fiu will still be there!

Wednesday, our college friend, Gloria, of Gloria and Ralph,  invited us to her house and to lunch at their local marina. We drove over to the Isle of Palms and spent some time catching up on our children, their activities and families.  Gloria, Karen, Bon and I were all classmates at Cortland State from 1967-1971. That was when you entered college and then graduated four years later.


Captain Sid
 

Monday, October 29, 2012 Osprey Marina Myrtle Beach, SC

Saturday and Sunday we continued to prepare for our planned Monday departure.  We met several new boaters some who docked near us.  We had snacks on Sea Quill and snacks and drinks on Windkist.  The winds were continuing to gust up to over 30 knots on the ICW!  We actually had very little wind and it reinforced our feeling Osprey Marina would be a good hurricane hole!  Lots of rain all day Saturday, part of Sandy's effects!  Much of Sunday it rained lightly but stopped most outside activities.

While the weather forecasts called for high winds we felt much of the first day's travel we would be protected by the narrow river winding down to Winyah Bay!  Georgetown is just off the bay on the Sampit River.  We turned off the ICW at R42 headed into Georgetown Harbor to get some relief from the wind, it had gusts up to 32 kts on more than one occasion during the day.  A gale begins at 36 kts.  Arriving in the harbor we found several derelict boats and our anchor wasn't holding in the mud with the powerful wind!  We pulled up anchor and headed back out into Winyah Bay.  Just two miles south we turned into the Estherville Minim Creek Canal.  Nine miles further we arrived at the South Santee River and anchored there.  This is our usual anchorage but with the weather we weren't sure we would make it.  The holding is great even though it is an open anchorage and the wind kept  gusting all night long.  The holding is so good I had some difficulty in weighing anchor in the AM!

The rest of the trip I was concerned whether or not my engine troubles were truly over or just a temporary lull in more issues!  The engine performed with all important gauges and warnings working as expected!  It's late and I need some sleep.

Captain Sid



 

Friday, October 26, 2012 Osprey Marina, Myrtle Beach, SC

Well, finally it is settled!  The diesel techies, Glenn and James were able to identify the problem and fix it!  This morning after three days of "well, maybe it's this or that" Fiu is fixed and ready for action!  It was in the end more like a vapor lock!  Here's the run-down:  my original starter works just fine; when removing the fuel injectors water came streaming out of the supply lines instead of diesel fuel.  After several attempts to drain all the water they realized it must be syphoning in from the raw water cooling system. A valve in the vent line was plugged (this happens sometimes) so instead of the pressure being released and the water stopped from building up and entering the engine, it was allowed to enter and since water doesn't compress the engine wouldn't turn over.  This would be a symptom of a bad starter motor.  They really should have checked it out before ordering a new one.  Once the vent line was clear the water completely drained from the engine and diesel fuel replaced the water in the lines. It fired right up and I let the engine run for almost an hour to help dry it out.  I thought at one point we would have to be towed, the engine removed and replaced with a new one!  That worst case scenario didn't happen.  We would have been unable to continue our trip!

The best part of all of this (besides a hard learned lesson) is that the yanmar dealer took back the new starter motor at no cost to me.  Second, he only charged 7 1/4 hours of labor for the three days they worked on the engine!  It seems to be running fine and they assured me it was good to go!  No bent rods or other potential damage from trying to compress water in a diesel engine!  We will see.  I was very depressed over this whole issue because there was no warning.  However, I will check this vent periodically.  I could only imagine this happening while anchored out in the SC grasses where a tow would be required!  Kind of like your car breaking down in the middle of the Adirondacks on a back road.

Our plan is to stay here until "Sandy" passes by.  We will check conditions Sunday morning and if high wind warnings are still in effect then we will leave Monday AM. The staff here Lynn, Miles, Richard and Sherry has been most gracious and flexible.  They have new boats coming in each day and yet they still manage to accommodate us with their limited open dock space. 

Time to retire!
Captain Sid

Wednesday, October 24, 2012 Osprey Marina

To be or not to be!  I now have the answer.  The vapor lock theory evaporated this AM when the diesel techie informed me the starter was indeed in need of repair ( it only has three seasons of use)!  After several calls back and forth a new starter is supposed to be here tomorrow, Friday or Saturday.  He did promise to install it as soon as it is delivered.  Yes, they will charge us for the new one with a hefty freight charge added to the bill.  I guess it's better to be here in a marina than anchored out somewhere in the SC grasses (often beautiful in their way) and not be able to start the diesel!

Hurricane Sandy is now a real threat!  We will stay right here regardless of when the diesel is repaired!  It is scheduled to pass this Friday and be north of us by Saturday.  We have agreed that being safe here is more important than making planned connections with friends further south Thursday and Friday.  We will reschedule our plans with them and hopefully see them as we sail south to the Keys!

We have continued to work on getting Fiu ready to sail.  Most things to do involve cleaning of some kind.  The hull has had its brown "ICW mustache" removed. The fresh water in this part of the region has lots of tannins, which are chiefly complex glucosides of catechol and pyrogallol making the water truly the color of iced tea on the strong side!  We will be reviewing our charts and refreshing our memories about anchorages during the next three days.

We have been in contact with some of our boat buddies from previous trips and they are further south than we are.  We are hoping they can find adequate shelter from the off-shore effects of Hurricane Sandy over the next few days.  Higher tides, high winds (above 20kts) and probably lots of rain will all come together to make life on a boat just a little uncomfortable for a couple of days!

I think, all things considered, we are probably fortunate to have to wait for the new starter since Hurricane Sandy has the potential to reek havoc.  We are thinking of our families and friends and want you all to know we are safe here.  Osprey Marina is the absolute best marina for friendliness and helpfulness. Everyone here will go out of their way to make sure we are comfortable and have our needs met!

Dinner awaits!

Captain Sid

Tuesday, October 23, 2012 Osprey Marina, Myrtle Beach, SC

Well the trip down to Raleigh was quick but enjoyable. We took Route 29 from Staunton, VA to almost I 40 East near the VA and NC state borders.  What we found was several micro breweries in rural VA with full parking lots.  We decided we need to stop there on our next trip!

The Nyland wedding was small and intimate.  We feel both Brian and Anna make a good pair.  The service was at a city owned historical site, The Tucker House, in Raleigh.  What was unique was Len, Brian's dad was best man!  Congratulations to them and their families!

We left the Raleigh Hampton Inn Monday AM arrived after lunch at Osprey Marina, on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and found a more complicated set of circumstances than expected.  We thought we could go food shopping, turn in the rental car and then leave today, Tuesday.  Not to be!

First, we found some mildew in spots, very upsetting, especially if it's your first experience with such stuff.  After cleaning with a solution of bleach and water we were tired and disappointed that would be delayed unless we were able to food shop in the evening.  Second, after cleaning for a couple of hours I tried to start the diesel to make sure the engine was capable to performing it's expected duties!

This also was not to be!  It wouldn't crank over.  So, with my amazing ability with electrical meters I seemed to believe it was a dead engine battery (not one of the three house batteries).  This is because the voltage dropped to 10.25 volts when the key was turned to start.  However, this also was not to be!  A new battery didn't make a difference.  A call to a Yanmar dealer seemed to indicate a vapor lock.  This may be.  The diesel techie is supposed to help out tomorrow AM.  We hope to be on our way after lunch.

Tropical storm Sandy is forecast to become a hurricane overnight.  However, the spagehtti models all show her tripping out to sea with little effect on our sailing plans.  This one, especially, we will keep a watch out for her!

It's getting late and the memory foam sounds like a good idea at this point in time!  Speaking of memory, it's more fun and confidence-building for us when we know the route and our anchorages are all known.  We are looking forward to a slow but fun voyage!

Captain Sid

"Prepare to Come About...' Sunday, October 14, 2012

We are preparing to leave on Saturday to board Fiu in Myrtle Beach, SC.  The usual Fall tasks are being completed one at a time.  It sure seems endless some days!  Those darn leaves just keep falling and I guess living in the woods that's to be expected!  We were disappointed in the lack of colors this year.  This month's rain and the summer drought may have played a part.

Looking back however, we had the best "pool" summer in recent memory (Bonnie was happy) and of course, I was able to play golf a record number of times this summer as well!  I was fortunate to play several courses with my favorite being Conklin Players Club near Binghamton, NY.  By the way, I plan to take my driver and putter on board just in case I get a chance to play down south. The summer and fall have been good to us with visits out west to see our boys and their families.  Grandchildren are amazing!  How fast they grow!  Our  41st wedding anniversary was celebrated by a surprise trip for Bon to North River and a two- day stay at the Garnet Hill Lodge, which is steeped in history and traditions of the north country.  A neighborhood wedding brought many friends and family back home to celebrate and what fun!

Short of a major technical malfunction I will try to maintain my writing on a daily basis while at our destinations and a less frequent basis while sailing. Vero Beach, FL just south of Melbourne on the Atlantic coast is our first major destination.  We'll keep Fiu there during the holidays and return to Fiu after New Years!  Bon will return home before Thanksgiving and I will be back before Christmas.

So, I will try to keep up with current events while sailing.  We have already sent in our absentee ballots for the general election November 6!  Local news we get through the Times Union using their E-edition ( Bon is addicted to the JUMBLE).  I must say she is quite quick with the solution most days! She's quick with solutions for me too, everyday!  Seriously, she is my crew and for that I am grateful.

Sailing to a destination keeps us busy each day.  With the decreasing amount of daylight hours until December we are able to safely be on the water for just hours instead of having all day.  Having traveled this route more than once our favorite anchorages are known and it becomes easier to plan the day to cover a maximum number of  miles and still not feel rushed even taking foul weather into account.  Speaking of "fowl" weather, I've noticed Canada geese heading south and that's exactly what we will do on Saturday!

Captain Sid

April 1, 2012 Sunday

Hello and it's good to be back!  Some of the reasons my writing stopped include old tired computer, remote uninhabited islands in the Bahamas with no service and so many perfect days in paradise!


We are in Man of War Cay, Bahamas.  We arrived at West End and cleared customs at the Old Bahama Bay Marina Saturday, March 10.  What a site for a destination wedding!  The course across the Bahama Bank included several days of uninhabited islands with no services.  Verizon has not provided service on my smart phone yet I'm paying for both usage and data.  Sounds like a refund to me!  I am disappointed I was unable to continue the blog.  I'm using a borrowed computer from our Buddy Boat the "Patty Ann."  This marina has free wifi so I want to let you know I will do my best to write if at all possible.

Captain Sid at top of mast-maintenance

Matt flies in to see us this Tuesday and will spend a week cruising with us.  Sailing, fishing, snorkling and rum drinks are on the agenda!  We are in what is called the "Hub of the Abacos."  There are several islands surrounding us.  All are great places to see and spend some time!

Fiu at rest Man of War Marina

The water here is so clear!  You can see the bottom at twenty some feet below.  Many places are surrounded by water less than10 feet deep.  It was difficult to cruise at 6 knots in only 7 feet of water!  The islands are low profile and the wind blows almost all the time!  We have had two strong weather fronts since arriving.  That means sudden and intense winds as high as 40+ knots.  Fiu is a great ship and she weathers the wind quite safely and we feel secure. Most days the temperature is in the 70's the sun is hot and the breeze keeps us cool.

Great Guana Cay from Whale Cut

There is so much I want to say but such a problem getting it sent along.  I can't afford a new computer just yet so I will try to write when possible.  We have had so much fun, adventure and great weather!  I understand the weather at home has been unusually warm with little snow.

We are both healthy and glad we were able to make this cruise.  We will return home the middle of May.

Captain Sid

I seem to have little control over how these pics are displayed!