Under way!
Trip Start
Dec 01, 2007
1
2
35
Trip End
May 31, 2008
Coinjock,
North Carolina,
United States
Monday, December 3, 2007
We are tied up in Coinjock NC after two days of clean up and prep of the mighty First Forty. Having started up the boat the forth time now, I have come to conclude that a start up is always going be "hell on wheels" ...at least for the first few days. This was no exception. While our great boating friends Chip and Kay ( MV Besso) had 'looked in' on First Forty just two weeks ago...surprises are always in store. We pay the yard a fee to keep our batteries charged, but as soon as I got on the boat every light on the electrical panel was flashing..."danger" battery discharge. No, they (the yard) had not plugged the boat in. Nearly two thousand dollars of batteries were flat. Luckily it appears they were able to take change and seem to be OK.
Then I notice that there seems to have been diesel fuel all over the pads (oil diapers) under the engine. Why? How?? I cant explain. When I as the yard..."gee...I can't imagine". I love a mystery, but not on my boat. I have not been able to duplicate the apparent diesel leak...all systems seem to be OK.
So, yes we had a lot of stress getting out of the Norfolk yard. Endless cleaning, Sue's provisioning and my engine room work and we were finally ready to go. At 1030 Sunday we leave the wharf at Atlantic Yacht Basin in Norfolk for the 1000 mile trip to south Florida. Islands...man....islands...we are underway.
The weather had been unseasonably warm....until we got here. Then is going down to 30 degrees tomorrow night. Sue had been lobbying for months for me to please find a "friend" who would love the chance to travel down the ICW in December. Dennis...no. Dr. Al...you have to be kidding. No takers! So off we go. The first leg was uneventful trip the 37 miles down the "ditch" to Coinjock Marina and restaurant...home of the 36 ounce Prime Rib. Trust me....this was good. Hmmmm.
To be honest, I was a basket case this morning. Not only was I concerned about the mystery of the red diesel stains on the engine oil "diaper" under the big Lugger (engine), but also the fact that my fuel filter packed up (clogged) immediately when I fired up the engine in the shed Sunday and also the engine did not start easily Sunday and also I found oil in the bilge I could not explain. This, does not a relaxed captain make!
Thoughts of pending doom filled my head as I pondered if we were really ready to leave the yard or not. Taking a 25 ton boat through the back woods of NC is not like driving a car. Add to this, gale warnings and a forecast of sub freezing temps and I was going nuts. Of course, a nervous captain never lets the "admiral" get a sense of tension...so it was "lets go". As it turns out, none of these issues turned out to be problems. The boat has run well, fuel issues appear to be OK for the time being and we are happily tied up in Coinjack NC.
The Gale...ok...yes. Its ON for tomorrow. We have to cross a desolate area of NC. The sound is a particularly nasty body of water. Even though it is inland, it has claimed many boats and waves can get to 8 feet. Nasty! We will make a decision in the morning, if we will go or sit it out here for the day...perhaps another gigantic prime rib would not be too bad. Stay tuned.
Comments
Good to hear from you
Hey... Glad to see you are off on another adventure. i look forward to hearing about all the good and bad. Smooth motoring!
Off to Nevis - hope I don't miss you in Charleston
Glad to hear the fuel issues did not manifest - you chould get the tanks polished - there are lot's of mobile services if you do stick it out for a few days laying low from the gale. If not keep an eye on your racors as you'll be doing it yourself - especially as you get toward the bottom of the tank. I am traveling a lot right now off to Nevis tomorrow and back 12/14. Please give Penny & I a shout as you come through Charleston & we'll try and balance that diet with some good seafood!
SEA ya,
Scott
Keeping batteries up
First Fourty:
Next time you layup your boat, buy a 10-20 watt solar panel, the kind with a cord and a cigarette lighter plug on the end. Lay the solar panel on your cabin top, maybe tape it down with duct tape, and run the cable to a cigarrete outlet. The solar panel will keep your batteries charged (assuming that you don't have a parasitic load like a CO2 monitor) and you won't need a controller at this low wattage.
I would never trust a yard to do something like charge up my batteries every month or so.
David
Re: Keeping batteries up