Up at 4:30 untie lines and power cord. Walk and pee Spencer. Jump on board. Turn the key. Push the start button.....and......nothing! What! Try again....Nothing!!!!....! #$%...wtf!! Adjust the transmission lever....Nothing...Try the port motor....Start! OK. Down into the engine room. There is a switch on the transmission cable that disengages the starter for the motor, if the transmission is in gear. It's corroded and the terminals are loose...so....What would you do? Hold the button on the switch in while someone tries to start the engine? Didn't work. Tighten up the loose connection? Didn't work. Look at the other engine to see if anything is different? It looked different. To make a long story shorter here is what I did. I jumped the terminals with a jumper wire....and ...it starts. Turns out this switch probably never worked because the cam from the cable never engaged the push button on the switch...easy fix...connected the wires together and eliminated the switch...but ...must be real careful the transmissions are not engaged when the motor starts ....or voom voom, the boat is in gear and immediately moving.
We tank up with the cheapest diesel fuel so far (at Tidewater Marina) $3.18/gal. As we wind our way out past Hamden Roads ( home of the naval ships) we are cautioned by the coast guard that an aircraft carrier( #69) is leaving port. We can proceed, but stay outside the red cans marking the channel. No problem, 50 feet of water out there! Helicopters, F16 fighter jets and the coast guard patrol boats flanked the aircraft carrier and kept us proud curious onlookers, at a respectable distance.
Norfolk Naval Base....very hazy day!
Aircraft Carrier "69" leaving base.
"Stay Away"!!!!
Impressive! Damned Impressive! Not just the immense size of the aircraft carrier. As the ship pulled out we could see that the entire circumference of the bridge was lined by smartly dressed sailors in their whites. They stood at attention for about an hour and a half as they exited the port of Norfolk, passing us, still at attention, about 10 miles out! Impressive! Damned impressive!
I don't know where they are headed, but I wish them all, a safe journey.
Coast Guard Escort as Air Craft Carrier very quickly slips by.
This boater got a little too close for Naval discomfort.
Now , for the Chesapeake. Like a lake! The most serene comfortable cruising we have experienced so far. A high pressure settled over the area and we cruised at a comfortable 8 to 9 knots north, covering about 66 miles and anchoring in an idyllic bay, to enjoy sun downers and burgers on the barbecue. The perfect cruising day that this trip was supposed to be.
Sunset at our anchorage on Great Wicomico River
Crab Fisherman on Great Wicomico River, VA
Birds hitching a ride on a barge going down the Chesapeake
Next morning we left the anchorage by 7:20 with the idea that we would cover as much water as possible while the weather was good. We did. 88 miles before we anchored for more sun downers and shish- ka- bobs on the grill. We anchored at Dobbins Island, on the Magothy River in Maryland, which is little above Annapolis and slightly south of Baltimore.
A high pressure had settled in, and with the humidity, created a heat index of 110 and a haze that hung sullenly over the water. The haze, known as an avection fog, limits visibility to about one and one half miles. Leisurely cruising over the very slight swells in the flat water, I noticed a blip on the radar screen..There was something about 2 miles off our port bow. I strained with my eyes, than the binoculars, until finally an apparition appeared....the faint outline of a large war ship...a ghostly appearance. I called for Beth to take a look...and there it was....A GHOSTLY APPEARANCE OF A WAR SHIP! We tried to get pics..(.Beth will post.)..and as we were taking the last pic, two F16 Jet fighters swooped in, circled around the boat and headed directly for the apparition. They circled and passed again! Then an armed forces helicopter flew over Doc's Holiday...It was clear...we were in a prohibited zone!..and we quickly exited. It turns out this wasn't an apparition. This was a war ship that the navy used for target practice....Thank heavens ...not live! ...while we were present! but there are reports from smaller boats that have entered into the area, of being able to see through this ship where shells have pierced the hull. There are also reports on active captain that this ship is not lighted at night and other vessels have run into it and been sunk!
Ghost Ship
US Navy Helicopter Surveilling us!
Charts say this is an obstruction but 2 F16 jets were flying over this "obstruction" Could not get a picture of the F16 jets because by the time we heard them they were gone. They did this at least 4 times.
As we travelled north past the Potomac River, we floated by several military/naval bases...all heavily covered by security boats, helicopters and jets! This nation is very well protected...and they practice...all the time!
Baltimore Light House.....100 years old. Guided North bound vessels to the Port of Baltimore and Southbound to the Atlantic
Sailboats rafted at Dobbins Island, MD
Sunset at Dobbins Island, MD
There is so much history and so much to see on this bay that it would provide endless days of exploration to really get the flavour of this part of the country. Unfortunately, not this trip. We are focused on getting the boat to Maine for the summer.
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