Sept 11 thru 22

Again, I'll lump a week together.  A large part of the week was spent dealing with why the boat's batteries went dead so fast on the mooring.  After having moved it to the dock the batteries were fully charged.  The first thing I decided to do was disconnect all the batteries and test them individually to see if one was bad and causing a problem throughout the system.  As I was testing the batteries, Barb moved one of the cables, and the end came off of it.  This can't be good.  The ends are crimped onto the cables.  The cable that had the bad connection was the one that connected the first battery to the second.  (There are four total.)  My theory is that we were really running off the first battery only.  When I tested them individually, the voltage was less in the first one than it was in the other three.  We took the cable out and went to the marina next to the yacht club, which has a repair facility.  They were not used to dealing with a large battery cable from a diesel.  I guess the power boats they normally work on don't use as big a cable.  But, they had the end we needed and the tool to crimp it on.  For five bucks and ten minutes, I had a repaired cable.  We re-installed it and a day later moved the boat back to the mooring to see how it does.  It went three days with the fridge and freezer running and did fine.  I did screw up though and left the battery switch in the ALL position, so the starting battery got drained too.  When we came to move the boat back to the dock to load up and leave, I had to tow it with the dinghy.  There does still seem to be an issue with the engine alternator charging the batteries when the selector switch is not in the ALL position.  For now we'll deal with switching it back and forth. 

On Saturday, the 17th,  the Yacht Club was having a big party.  We attended and found that there were several other members who I knew.  One member was another high school classmate.  Another was a guy I worked with at IBM back in the early 70's, and he had invited another guy I worked with back then.  It was nice catching up with them as well as meeting some other folks who were interested in our story.  We got back to Bob & Kitty's house in time to have desert with them and a couple of their friends who had joined them for dinner to celebrate Kitty's birthday.

Monday, we moved the boat back to the dock, and reloaded all the stuff that had migrated to the house.  We then went grocery shopping and stocked back up with perishables.  After loading the boat and pretty much getting ready to go, we joined Blair (my high school friend who arranged staying at the Yacht Club) and Rosemary (another high school friend who is a member) on the clubhouse porch for pizza and beer.  We enjoyed a final evening or reminiscing.  Again, I can't say enough about the hospitality of the Marlboro Yacht Club.  We had the flexibility to be on the mooring or dockside as our needs dictated, and we were welcomed as if we were members. 

Tuesday, we were up early, which was a departure from the routine we have gotten into.  We wanted to get underway fairly early, and we wanted to be sure to be able to say goodbye to Kitty before she had to go to work.  We loaded up the cat and the couple of things we hadn't taken back Monday and Bob took us to the boat.  By about 08:45 we were headed south.  The weather was cool and overcast, with the threat of rain.  Of course, being in the river, we motored all the way to NYC.  We did have a few light rain showers, but nothing significant.  Our original plan was to go to Sandy Hook, NJ and anchor out for the night.  But, since we fought a current most of the way down the river, it was apparent that we could not reach Sandy Hook before dark.  So we decided to get a marina near Manhattan again.  We called Liberty Harbor Marina, which is across he channel from Liberty Landing where we stayed on the way north.  They said they had no room.  So, we called Liberty Landing, but had to leave a message.  Our third choice was a place about five miles further north, called Lincoln Harbor Marina.  Skipper Bob's Marina Guide said this was a rolly marina, but, it was only $2.00/ft as opposed to $3.50/ft at Liberty Landing.  We called and were told to come on in.  Well, the first problem we had was water depth.  We had told them we needed six feet, but as we pulled into the slip they assigned us, we ran aground.  I called on the radio and was told to try the next dock - any open slip.  (There were a lot of empty slips.)  I backed out of the fairway we were in and went to the next one.  This time I was able to get about forty feet into the fifty-five foot slip before I hit bottom.  Close enough.  I did know that we were at the lowest tide, so we had nowhere to go but up.  Now for the rolly part.  To say this was a rolly marina was an understatement.  The docks were wooden and floating, and the sections were all attached to one another with large steel tabs that had three inch holes in them.  These holes each had a big steel pin through them.  The result was that as the whole marina rocked and rolled, it sounded light a freight train was going by.  Walking on the docks was a challenge because they rolled and pitched so much.  The location was nice - there were several restaurants within a short walk, and a great view of Manhattan .  But, the noise and ride was pretty incredible.  Fortunately, in the evening, after most of the river traffic died down, we actually slept very well.

Wednesday, we left the marina and headed down river.  Our plan now is to stop at Liberty Harbor for fuel, then head offshore.  We got to Liberty Harbor and tied up at the fuel dock.  There didn't appear to be anyone in the office though.  I looked around and saw no one, so I called on the radio and got no response.  I then called their number from my cell phone, and after four voice mail dead-ends, I got a person who said the fuel dock wasn't open today.  Yesterday when we called we had specifically asked when it opened, and were told 8:00.  So, I hailed Liberty Landing, across the channel, on the radio.  They have a long fuel dock, but only one diesel pump and it is at one end .  The only other boat at the dock was a large motor yacht and it was at the diesel end.  The person on the radio informed me that the motor yacht would be there for some time, and there was no other retail diesel place nearby.  So, I put two of my jerry cans of fuel into the boat, and we took off.  That would give us enough to motor to Cape May if needed, but we hope to sail anyway.  As we departed Liberty Harbor and passed the Liberty Landing fuel dock, the motor yacht had moved.  The dock hand looked at me as if to say "come on in", but I just passed by.  It was hard to resist saluting him.  These places that don't care to sell thirty gallons of fuel to a sailboat, but trip all over themselves to kiss the asses of people who buy hundreds of gallons really piss me off.  They didn't care that I spent just shy of five hundred bucks to stay there for three days six weeks ago.  Jerks.

Back to the pleasant part of the story.  We headed south through New York Harbor.  There was a pretty good chop, and opposing current, and a lot of traffic.  Other than that, is was a nice ride.  We passed the landmarks which we had seen on the way in - Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, and the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.  Once past the bridge, we diverged from our track that brought us north.  Southbound, we plan to say closer to the NJ coast and away from the commercial shipping that we encountered northbound.  We passed Sandy Hook, where we had originally planned to spend the night, and then unfurled the sails.  We shut off the motor and enjoyed perfect sailing. The wind was just aft of the starboard beam at about ten knots.  We were making a little over five knots and were not heeled over much at all.  That lasted about fifteen minutes.  The wind started to die and within thirty minutes it was almost calm.  So, we fired up the motor again. 

We motored through the afternoon, and then I noticed the engine temperature gauge doing an odd thing.  It normally runs at a steady 190, but now it was going up to 200 for about thirty seconds, then dropping to 180 for a minute.  Then it would repeat.  This went on for about an hour.  Then it went up to over 220 and stayed there.  So, I shut it down and out came the sails again.  By now, there was a little wind, and we were sailing at between three and four knots, although, to do that we had to change our course to southeast instead of due south.  This will take us further offshore, but at least were moving.  I checked the raw water strainer, and while there was some grass, it was not clogged.  I checked the raw water impeller, and it was fine.  I restarted he motor and we are pumping raw water fine, but the engine overheated immediately.  So we sailed.  We encountered much less traffic this time than on the way up.  Twice, as we got to a point about ten to twelve miles offshore, we were getting close to the path of an oncoming large ship, so that would be where we tacked back to shore.  Once, on our course back to shore, which was almost due west, we encountered another southbound sailboat.  They had sails up, but were obviously motoring too based on their direction of travel.  They apparently never saw us, because I quickly fired up the motor and floored it so that we passed their course before they hit us.  We passed within a few hundred feet and they never seemed to notice us.  The whole cabin was lit up, so maybe they were enjoying dinner instead of maintaining a watch.  The rest of the night was uneventful.  Our speed varied from a high of four knots to a low of two.

By morning, the wind died entirely.  We now had a choice to make.  Sit and wait, try to fix the problem, or call SeaTow.  I figure that the problem is the engine's thermostat based on the symptom.  I think it was sticking closed for a bit, then opening for a bit, then sticking again, until it finally stuck shut causing the overheating.  It just so happens I have a spare thermostat, so I thought I would take advantage of the calm conditions to change it.  It only took about ten minutes to see that I was not going to be able to do this myself.  The two bolts that hold the thermostat housing use Allen wrenches instead of regular hex heads.  I had an Allen wrench that fit, but it was not long enough to give me enough leverage to break the bolts loose.  So, I gave up on that option.  Very frustrated, I told Barb to fire it up and see if it miraculously fixed itself overnight.  Low and behold, the temperature never went over 180.  That's cooler than it normally runs, which tells me now that the thermostat is stuck open.  There is no harm in that, so off we went, keeping a close eye on the gauge all day.  We motored for about eight hours with no problems. 

Our destination today is Utsch's Marina in Cape May, NJ.  We had called yesterday and made a reservation for one night.  The entrance into Cape May from offshore is a typical jetty arrangement.  Once again, like Miami, we encountered an outgoing tide hitting the incoming rollers from the ocean.  It was rough, but not nearly as bad as Miami had been.  Once inside the jetties a few hundred yards, it smoothed out, although the current was still strong against us.  Utsch's is the furthest marina in the small bay at Cape May.  About half way in, I contacted hem on the radio.  I was sure glad I did, because to get there with a boat that draws more than a few feet, you need to follow their directions exactly.  But we got in with no problems. 

For all the bad things I said about the NYC marinas, I can't say enough good about this marina.  It is by far the best marina we have encountered on the whole trip.  It is family owned and operated, and right from the first phone call to make the reservation, they were outstandingly friendly.  They don't act like transients are a pariah that they have to put up with.  The guy on the radio gave clear and perfect instructions for how to get in the marina, there was a dockhand at the fuel dock where we stopped first to fill up, the fuel was reasonably priced by today's standards, the guy in the office (same guy as on the radio) checked us in and presented us with a welcome bag that included a bottle of wine, some biscotti, and lots of local information.  How kewl is it that the time I need a diesel repairman, the marina gives me a list of three to call without me even asking?  The marina has two bathroom/shower facilities and both are brand new looking, clean, and like showering at home.  There is a large new laundry facility.  The slip fee is $2.00/ft which is reasonable for this area, and it includes electricity and cable TV.  They will lend you a cable to hook up with if you don' have one.  There is a well stocked marine store, a fishing & bait shop, free treats for your pets, bike rentals, and it's within walking distance of several good restaurants.  If you ever cruise near here, it would be worth planning a stop.  Other marinas should look at this place as a model of how to run a marina.

Once secure in our slip, and after one welcome beverage, we headed to the showers.  We cleaned up and then went out to dinner.  Right next to the marina is The Lobster House.  It is a very nice old-style restaurant, on the waterfront.  They bring in their own catch every day, and it's obviously a very popular place, as the wait was almost an hour.  But, the bar was open and it had free cheese and crackers on the bar.  Could have just made a meal here if we'd known that.  Our meal was very good, and the tab, excluding the pre-dinner drinks, was only fifty bucks.  Once back at the boat, we watched TV a little and then hit the sack

Friday morning, we got up and started calling the diesel mechanics that were on the marina list.  On the third call, I got a good response.  They had a man in the marina working on another boat, and would send him over when he was done with that job.  It was a little after noon when Nate, the mechanic came by.  I explained what I thought was wrong, and Nate agreed.  He had the tools that I wished I had and he jumped right in.  Well, after a few minutes, it was clear that the right tools weren't going to get the job done.  After rounding out the bolts, vice-grips were tried, to no avail.  Then the alternator was removed to get more access, to no avail.  After an hour we had a choice to make.  We could put things back together and hope the thermostat stays stuck open, or we could stay here through the weekend and tackle cutting off the bolt heads next week.  Initially, I voted for staying, since this is a great marina.  But, Nate pointed out to me that he was going to be on vacation next week, and given the shortage of mechanics, it might not be Monday or Tuesday or even next week, before somebody got back to work on it.  So, we decided to put it back together, hope it stays stuck open, and press on.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, Hurricane Rita is threatening the Houston/Galveston/Beaumont/Port Arthur area where we have so many friends.  Specifically, Barb's son is in Houston.  She has been understandably worried about him.  In addition, the forecast here for tomorrow is less than perfect, so we are going to stay one more day.  That way, we can watch the storm coverage on TV, and be in touch via phone.  While it seems to me we are being a pain to the marina, extending our stay one day at a time, they have been great about it. 

While we were at my brother's house, I developed a bad habit.  We spent a lot of time out on his wonderful screen enclosed, covered deck.  This included using my laptop out there, since he has a wireless system in the house.  Well, lazy me frequently left the laptop out there overnight.  Since we have been back on the boat, I have noticed several keys on the keyboard not working right.  Specifically, the 'T' and the '.' keys are not always working.  So, if despite the spell checker and Barb and I proof reading this text, some errors occur, please forgive me.  Spelling errors in any type of published text are one of my pet peeves.  Even in something as amateur as this website.

Also, some of you may have wondered how the cat has been doing.  He is doing fine and has enjoyed his adventure ashore at my brother's house.  Initially, he was a little skeptical of the new surroundings, especially the big dog and street-wise cat.  We took great care to introduce them all, with interesting results.  The dog was curious, but basically ignored Bimmy.  The cats hissed at each other, but then also basically ignored each other.  By the end of the six weeks we were there, Bimmy and the dog would pass right by each other without much notice of each other.  The last few days we were there, Bimmy started running at Mr. Man (the host cat) like he wanted to play.  Mr. Man just ignored him.  There never were any fights.  Bimmy did discover Mr. Man's food supply though.  Bimmy has always had the same dry food (Science Diet) since I was told when I got him that he would only eat that type.  Mr. Man eats plain old Purina Cat Chow.  Well, one time when Bob opened the cabinet to get Mr. Man some food, Bimmy discovered the canister.  After that, it became a game to meow at that cabinet door until Bob opened it for him to get a few pieces of cat chow.  Bob sent a Ziploc bag of cat chow with us to ease his new addiction gently.  Also, while at Bob & Kitty's house, Bimmy acted differently than we are used to on the boat.  He was more aloof, even with Barb or I, than he normally is.  Although, he did spend the nights in our bedroom curled up at our legs, during the day he ran even from us.  Now that we are back on the boat, he is back to the guy we knew.  He snuggles with us all the time, bonks his head on our legs if we don't give him attention, and sleeps the whole time we are underway.  Although, yesterday while we were motoring down the coast, Barb put a few of Bob's "treats" in front of his nose, and he woke up and scarfed them down.

GPS N 38-57.070 W 74-54.345  Miles made good this leg 190. Total miles covered 2505.