10/22/2009, Hampton Creek
As we have a number of things to take care of with Ruth, we were going to depart saturday, but it seems we are to have thunder storms all saturday, and as we do not have an enclosure over the cockpit & I do not really want to stand/sit in the rain, we will probably leave sunday & stop at the Dismal swamp visitors center, & on Monday head down it. It will be good to be on the ICW at last.
| 4. Chesapeake Bay |
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Comments [5]
Well we made it to Hampton. The engine would not go above 6mph, its usual speed should be 7-8mph & with the tide should have been more like 8-9. Tried checking everything I could but could not find the problem even tho the engine would run rough once in a while. On approching the main chanel into Norfolk/Hampton we spied a good friend of ours!!!!!!! Tow US. we/ they decided the best course was to have them tow us into Hampton creek as the main chanel was no place to find your engine dying on you. Steve (Snoodle Time) was there to meet us at the dock & we safely tied up. Next day I started to tear the engine apart while waiting for the new alternator to arrive by UPS. Our problem ended up by being quite simple, one of the plugs had burnt a hole through the insulation, & I guess the engine was firing on 3 cylinders most of the time although it was hard to notice. Anyway we have replaced the plugs, points, installed the new alternator, & tomorrow will change the oil & then fire her up. Hopefully she will purr like a kitten again. We prented a car & spent the rest of the day shopping around Hampton, & went for steak tonight. We are currently in The Crowne Plaza for the night, yes we have bath tub.................. Tomorrow we will finish working on Ruth , go visit the Space center & then going out for diner with Steve & Anna. We hope that we will be on our way by Friday or Saturday.
| 4. Chesapeake Bay |
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10/19/2009, Jackson Creek
Well this is our last day in Deltaville, what a day, dry sunny & warmish. People stopped all over the place to give us lifts. The folks here have been wonderful. We hit WM again for damp rid which we need badly, our V berth is almost uninhabitable, with all the moisture etc, so we have decided for the time being to turn it into a storage area & use the main cabin for our sleeping area. Tomorrow we decend on Hampton for a few days thanks to Snoodle Time. We are thinking of renting a car for the day to hit all the big stores, for clothes & storage bins for the V berth etc.. Also we will visit the areo space center which is just around the corner from our slip, Just got to try the Raptor Simulator!!!!! Also we discovered there is a beautiful hotel overlooking our slip, so we may splurge on a hotel room for the day/night, bath tub (Jen wants a bubble bath), king size bed & ---------!!!! Also we have to wait for our replacement alternator to arrive which seems to be delayed, but we do have power at the slip so we can plug in our 110v charger. We have had news that there may be a delay getting into the Dismal swamp due to a closure due to the high water levels from all the rain, but as we will be in a slip we can wait, it is going to be crazy with all the boats waiting to go south. Prim continues to run point for us on the ICW giving us daily notes to foillow, as in do not trust your charts/GPS!!!! it will put you in the right hand of a highway!!!! Hopefully ONE DAY we might get to catch up with them. We have a couple of Daxies to spoil/kidnap!!! only kidding Pokey, but then maybe............................
A special thanks to Jan & Hank on 'Octavia' our neighbors who invited us twice for a visit, once for drinks & last night for Itallian. We really hope we keep in touch & see them again, a wonderful couple.
| 4. Chesapeake Bay |
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