News Flashes!

Admiral Maggie Awarded Ambassadorial Status! 

Admiral Maggie has assumed a leadership role in our COVID-restricted social life.  Her waking hours are devoted to roving ambassadorial outreach, introducing herself to everyone she sees.  Fellow boaters, a wedding party, marina staff,  fishing charter clients, shipyard workers, and restaurant customers.  None are safe from her charms.  They all joyfully greet her by name, even when they have never met her minions (i.e us).  Tells where we rank.  Sheesh.

They Ain't Comin'  😦

Our son Daniel and his fiance Alexandria were scheduled to join us in Annapolis on the 8th for a few days.   Unfortunately, Maryland is not on the list of "safe" states in the eyes of the governor of Massachusetts (where they live) and travel there could subject them to some draconian quarantine requirements.  So, they ain't coming.  We are BUMMED but simultaneously pleased that they are being cautious with their health in the midst of all this madness.   (Besides, they need to get ready for their WEDDING next Memorial Day.👍)

Captain Pat IS Coming

We have hired Captain Patrick Davis to join us aboard for three days next month to provide us some instruction.  Ther plan is he will focus on making Kathleen more comfortable operating the boat (with no yelling😀) and helping Wade fill some gaps in his knowledge.   So we are busy planning the COVID management measures we will employ during his visit. 

The New Dinghy Has Arrived!!

Our new 10' Zodiac and 6 hp Tohatsu outboard arrived by truck on Thursday.  👌The guys at the boatyard graciously brought the palette to our dock with their forklift and refused our tip.  (Ambassador Maggie had previously seduced them, See above.) 

 In keeping with the spirit of this adventure, buying it has been a process.    In shopping, we quickly learned that COVID and trade wars with China had laid waste to inventories all up and down the east coast.  We were quoted unguaranteed arrival dates in Sept and Oct.  As reported earlier, Beach, we contacted Inflatable Boat Specialists in Venture, CA (yes, really).  They offered good prices and fast, inexpensive shipping but also did not have what we wanted in stock,  What they DID have was 10 of the model we wanted in transit from the manufacturer (Code For: in a shipping container somewhere on a ship in the Pacific.)  And yes, we could reserve one, if we hurried.  And while we were logging in to make our order, they were all spoken for by salivating sales reps.  We got back-ordered to Sept.  

😡POOP! DOODO!  CACA! #2!  CRAPOLLA! (and other words to that effect) 😡

But.......

They did have a "blemished" boat of our model they could offer s at a discount. The purchaser used it a few times, decided he wanted a different boat and exchanged it.  A few smudges and scuffs but with a full new boat warranty.  We could have it by August 1st.  DEAL!!  👍😁

THE NEW DINGY HAS NO FLOOR!!

😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡

After unpacking it on the dock, it was immediately apparent that they had not shipped the "air floor" for the boat.  The owner's manual and patch kit were also missing. 

(see scatological expletives above)  

We chose a soft bottom, inflatable floor boat in the interests of weight and off-season storage.  Its multi-chambered construction makes it very rigid when fully inflated.   (Think inflatable SUP.)  Makes for a light, easy-to-store boat.  Anyway, after a few hours of scrambling, our dealer notified us that the missing components were on the way via 3-Day UPS.  

Hey...........

This feels kinda familiar.

Like we've been here before

Yes, once again, we are:

Waiting For Parts!

(Heavy Sigh)

"The Song Remains the Same"

'"Gonna Make You Sweat, Gonna Make You".......well......SWEAT!*

Have we mentioned that tidewater VA is HOT?  For the past week, we have endured temps in the high 90's and humidity-adjusted Heat Indexes of 105 or more.  So, we're not talking just HOT.  Not sauna-at-the-fitness-center HOT.  Not even 7500-Level-of-the-Star-Mine (Burke, ID) HOT.   We're talkin' overnight lows of 81 and good morning humidity of 70% HOT.  We're talkin' fog your glasses when you step outside HOT.  We're talkin' hose-the-dog-down-three-times-a day-HOT.  In short, we're talkin' DAMN HOT!

That is not to say we have been idle.  Since our last blog post, we have:

• Completed the weather interrupted cruise of Mobjack Bay.  Heading up the North River from
  
  Mobjack, we made it all the way to Edington, where the water got a bit skinny.  And where we saw several authentic antebellum plantation houses.   About 60 miles and 5 hours round trip.  And Commodore Kathleen took the helm for almost half the journey. 
• "Solved" the nagging battery alarm on the starboard engine.  In the end, we concluded it was a false alarm.  Both we and a local mechanic used our multi-meters to verify the correct voltage at every point in the process.   In multiple cruises, both engines have displayed the same voltage before, during, and after.  So.......... I pulled the starboard alarm "horn" out of the dash and disconnected it.  Our obligation now is to be vigilant on the warning lights as we enjoy the silence.
• Finalized the purchase of an inflatable dingy and outboard motor.   With inventories and supply chains disrupted by COVID and to meet our price point, we ended up purchasing from a dealer in Ventura, CA (yes, really),  and are anxiously awaiting delivery this week.  Plus Wade and Maggie
  
  made a trip to Nauti Nell's marine consignment store in Deltaville, bringing home a spare anchor for Irish Lass and a fuel tank for the new dingy.

• Took time to journey down the Colonial Parkway to visit the living history museum at Colonial Williamsburg and the archeological site of Jamestown, despite the stifling heat.   The docents
  
  there were heroic to wear their period costumes (with COVID masks) under these conditions.  Sheesh!

• Discovered a fascinating parallel between the shore of the Chesapeake and those of the Arctic Ocean.  In both, under extreme weather conditions, it is not uncommon to see folks simply leave the car running while they go about their daily lives.  Here, with the AC blasting, there with the heater on maximum.   Who knew?
• Repaired our # 2 water heater (broken wire), doubling our hot water capacity, 
• Made a second 3 hours cruise on the York River.  It began with a visit to Wormley Creek Marina
  
  for some fuel (our marina has a diesel pump problem), where we navigated a challenging entrance channel followed by an even more difficult path to the fuel dock.  This one ought to be on the Captain's test.  Sheesh

• Enjoyed the new dearth of jellyfish.  Perhaps they don't like the heat, either.  Too bad, so sad.....
• Encountered our first dolphins in the Bay (as we entered Wormley Creek).  Imagine our relief, knowing that we are no longer traveling without porpoise..................

Thanks for listening


(*With apologies to Robert Plant and Jimmie Page.)

Revelations

Thus far:

1) Everything takes longer and costs more. 

Covered extensively in prior posts, and reproved almost daily. (heavy sigh)

2) Marine air conditioning is NOT a foolish, slothful, fancy-schmancy option. 

I admit it.  In the past, I scoffed at boats with A/C.  Marina queens! Wimps! Miami Vice wannabes!
Now, after a month on the Chesapeake, I have come to believe that it is as critical as diesel fuel or a compass.  You simply cannot function in this part of the country without it.  I can only imagine how people exited here before A/C was prevalent. 

3) Jellyfish are an ABOMINATION!!!

Jellyfish are a miracle of nature.  They swim around, eating, pooping, and procreating without the benefit of a mouth, a brain, or even a well-defined shape.  They just billow along in grace and beauty, seeming to have no purpose or destination.  Right up until THEY GET SUCKED INTO THE SEA WATER INTAKES FOR YOUR AIR CONDITIONING!  They shoot up from the thru-hull and hit the stainer like jello in a colander.   The water pressure ensures little bits of the little lovelies get squeezed thru the screen and wash into the AC pump and water circuit, plugging up the works and shutting down the system.  Generally at the most inopportune time.  Grrrrrrrr........

It seems that the jellies "bloom" in these waters this time of year and we have been forced to clean their remains out of the AC strainers 3 times in the past 36 hours.  I fail to see any redeeming value in these creatures.   Like rattlesnakes, killing them only slightly reduces the threat they pose.  And because their venom is still active after death-by-puree, you better be wearing gloves when you clean up their mess.  Get behind me, Satan! 

4) Dish TV is a double-barrelled, revolving pain in the patoot!

By my count, we have accumulated more than 10 hours on the phone with multiple DISH technical support reps, trying to get the secondary TV (Master Stateroom) to function the same as the primary TV (Main Cabin).  To no avail.  Using our KVH satellite dish, the primary TV offers a wide array of channels across three satellites.  The secondary TV stubbornly refuses to see more than one satellite on the same antenna.   Oh, well.  there is always rabbit ears........  

In other news.....

We have made two outings.  In the first, we cruised 22 miles up the York River to see the sights and

practice boat skills,   uneventful, except for the threatening thunderhead that cut a bit short. Managed to back into the slip without incident next to a very expensive 49' Grans Banks Eastbay.  (Whew!) 

Our second outing was a bit more adventurous.   We planned to cruise north the Mobjack Bay in the hopes of seeing some antebellum plantation houses and other sights.   The forecast was for ESE wind of 10-13 knots and waves of 1-2 feet.   Seemed doable, but we failed to anticipate that the first 25% of the voyage would be directly into the wind and the seas.  Two lessons were immediately apparent.   First, our windshield wipers do work and, second, we should not travel into a head sea with the upper sections of the windshield open.   Towels were deployed for all hands.

As we turned north, these same seas were on our starboard beam, making for a rolly ride.  So we bailed a headed back into the York River.   On a whim, we decided to check out the free dockage at the Yorktown Riverwalk Landing and perhaps have lunch.  While docking in the same stiff (and now cross-) wind, Wade managed to deeply gouge his right calf on a metal rod under the helm seat as the scrambled back to the helm to reverse engines to assist  Kathleen and the (wonderful) dock attendants in affixing mooring lines.

After securing the lines and watching it bleed for a bit, we broke out the first aid kit and wrapped it in a pressure bandage.   The dock attendants offered to call the local EMTs, who in turn suggested a trip to the ER was in order.  So while Commadore Kathleen and Admiral Maggie hung out on the Yorktown waterfront, Wade rode to the ER with the EMTs and came back three hours later with a tetanus booster and a much cleaner wound closed with 5 big stitches. Ouch.  (We won't trouble you with pictures of the injury,  Suffice to say, it weren't pretty.) 

A short bumpy run across the river in beam seas put us back in the slip, with another uneventful landing.  Enough for one day.  Sheesh.

Thanks for following. 

"Blame Canada, Blame Canada!"

Or, if you prefer, "It's up to you, New York, New York"

There is surely enough blame to go around. 

For those among you who were still hoping, it's now official.  We will not be Looping in 2020.   😖

Being able to enter Canada is a prerequisite to the section of the LOOP we planned to complete this year.  The Canadian border remains closed to recreational vessels due to Covid19 concerns, with only vague references to any possible opening date.  And Looping without seeing the Canadian north shore of Lake Huron is a Loop incomplete, IOHO.     So, take off, you hosers! 

The option to avoid Canada in favor of the Erie Canal, Buffalo, NY,  and Lake Erie is similarly off the table.  In their finite wisdom, the New York Canal Corporation suspended offseason lock maintenance activities when the state went into lockdown in March.   And they are now saying it will be, like maybe late August before the work can be completed and the canal fully reopened.  So, say we like hit Buffalo on Sept 1st and we ran like full throttle across Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, past Mackinac Island, and the entire length of Lake Michigan, we might, like maybe, make Chicago before the snow flies. (and burn, like, 2,000 gallons of diesel in the process). Like, no, thank you.

And then there are the Illinois river locks closed by the Corps of Engineers for major maintenance until October.

SO..............................

We have decided to spend the rest of this season cruising the Chesapeake.  There are several seasons of destinations here and enough history to fill multiple libraries.  So we will not be bored.  And we will have ample opportunity to better know our vessel and ourselves. 

In the Fall,  we will place Irish Lass is storage and return to Spokaloo for the winter. (Yes, really.)  Then in Spring 2021, we will return to the Chesapeake and get to Looping.

But stick around, there is much more to come!

Ta Da!!!

Marina Queens No Longer.......

Ah, Boating!

We finally went to sea.  Yes, really.   Yesterday (7/7) afternoon we left the slip (OMG!) and did a 90-minute sea trial and "check our" cruise on the Chesapeake Bay with Ryan, our Virginia Beach host (who is also our seller's broker and a licensed USCG Captain).  Started with a trip to the fuel dock.   The boat ran normally and all went well, including backing back into our slip with both a 4-knot side current and crosswind.  (Only took three tires. 😬)

Look at those voltages!

So...........

This morning we gave Fernadette back to Budget and left Virginia Beach at about 9:00 am.  After crossing over the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel/Bridge, we turned NNW on a heading for the York River.   The trip was uneventful, with smooth seas and Navionics plotting us a sound course.  (And only minor marital discord.)

12:30 found us backing into our assigned slip at York River Yacht Haven, across the York River from Yorktown. (Yes, that Yorktown, General Cornwallis.)   This will be our base of operations for the next month as we begin to explore the western Chesapeake. 

No large vessels attacked us.

Admiral Maggie offered
navigation advice.

Safe and sound.

Thanks for following our journey

The Long-Awaited, Much Anticipated......

......Photo Tour of Irish Lass.  Enjoy!

Exterior

Fwd Port Quarter View

Stern

Cockpit and Bridge

Stern Quarter View

Helm and Navigation

Interior

Dinette with Wilson

Galley

Main Cabin with Admiral

Guest Stateroom

Guest Head (with Star Trek Transporter shower)

Combo W/D (Pretty cool, huh!)

Master Stateroom

Master Head

Master Shower/Tub

Below Decks

EngineRoom (with Engineer's shapely legs)

Utility/Electrical Room

"If It's Not One Thing......

...It's Another."

>>>>>>Updated Edition<<<<<<

Breaking news at 5:00 PM. See below

First, the good news:  The much-anticipated manifold is here, is installed, and DOES NOT LEAK. 

Our man Carlton Gizzard and his brother gave up their July 3rd holiday to do the deed.  (In the process, they also diagnosed and corrected a chronic issue with the water flow our AC.)  Thank you, guys,  Sainthoods are under consideration.


But.........

In the learned words of Roseanne Rosannadana, "It's always something".   When we fired up both engines in celebration, the starboard engine very shortly gave an alternator voltage alarm.  Further investigation revealed that the starboard alternator was producing almost no power, meaning it was supporting its electronic engine controls from battery power only. 

One of our survey findings in January was that the starboard engine battery was almost flat.   A disconnected charging wire on that alternator was discovered and assumed to be the cause.  Our seller dutifully had Carlton reconnect it.  But, guess what?  That same wire also enabled the alarm.  And

📯HOOOOONNNKKKK!!!!!📯

What we suspect is that sometime in the past (perhaps even prior to our seller's ownership?)  the alternator went bad and rather than spend the $$ to replace it, someone just pulled the wire to defeat the alarm and ran the boat on only the port alternator.   And as long as the boat regularly had shore or generator power, the onboard battery chargers could make up any power deficit.

Carlton is sourcing a new alternator this morning.  Unfortunately, in the true spirit of Volvo Penta,  replacing it ain't like hanging a new alternator on a small-black Chevy.  A significant portion of the accessory drive on the front of the engine has to be disassembled in order to make the swap.  So its a 3 hour +/- job. 

Carlton is en route from Norfolk with the part.  Hopefully, we can kill this snake today.

Thanks for watching.....

5:00 PM Update

St. Gizzard has driven out the snakes!  (Who knew he was Irish?) We have a new functioning alternator.  Bless you, St. Gizzard!  U Da MAN!