July 19, 2020 Sunday

We pulled anchor at seven in the morning, an early start for us but we wanted to get the favorable tidal current through the C&D Canal. There was a heavy haze on the water indicating it was going to be a hot and humid day. The sun rose as a red orb shining through the moisture.

Everything was going well as Sharon had the helm going through the canal and shortly before we approached Chesapeake City I went below and found the alternator was not working. I jiggled some wires on the back of the alternator to no avail and then opened the access hatch in the aft cabin and jiggled some more wires and noticed I had a transmission leak which was coming from around the dip stick nut. The alternator was now working and I went up to dock the boat in Chesapeake City so we could get a bag of ice.

The current was still running strong in the canal as I approached the dock cutting in front of some jet skiers. I should have approached the dock headed into the current which allows for more control but I wanted the fuel fill on the dock side. A minor mistake that did minor damage to the GPS antenna when the aft rail struck the pile on the dock but we did safely dock after asking the jet skiers meandering by to please get out of the way as I backed up and almost ran them over. (They appeared to have no concept of what a 40' eight-ton boat with a single screw acts like when broadside to a knot of current.)

I was covered in sweat as I opened up the access hatch to the engine which was at it's operating temperature of 185 degrees and radiating heat like an oak filled wood stove. Sharon went to find ice while I searched all my spares boxes and found the little copper washer that serves as a gasket on the dip stick. Nice to have spares. Unfortunately, I dropped the new washer into an inaccessible location while getting on the floor to unbolt the dip stick. Did I tell you it was hot? High nineties and humid.

So, I reused the existing washer and hoped for the best as I checked the transmission oil and tightened down the dip stick. I found the loose wire that was causing the alternator problem. The terminal block for the wires was frozen with corrosion and the screws wouldn't work. I went for the electrical tools and after a could of tries I managed to get the wires crimped together. I could hear the bilge pump kicking on as my sweat ran down and filled the bottom of the boat.

Sharon returned and said the store with the ice didn't open for half and hour so to use the time I put ten gallons of fuel into the engine and walked the empty fuel cans down to the fuel pump and filled them. Then I repeated the process with two empty water cans and filled those. When I was done, I sprayed myself down with the water hose to cool off. As I said it was hot and even with the breeze the sun was cooking bright at ten in the morning.

We finally got underway, left the dock, and continued on the canal with the little current that was left. There were lots of power boaters out enjoying the day by racing up and down the canal like a swarm of unwelcome mosquitoes. The tide turned and soon we were fighting the current out into Delaware Bay where we turned and headed south. Another boat that we had seen pass us the day before anchored off to the right. I was nervous about the wind building up from the south that would build a steep chop against the outgoing current and I figured the captain of the anchored sailboat had decided not to risk it. Smart move as I would find out.

We made good time with the current down past the nuclear power plant but as we passed the light house that stands out in the middle of the bay the chop became too much to motor against causing the boat to pound hard. The wind was dead ahead so we didn't have the option to motor sail against he waves which would have improved things considerably. The shoals in the Delaware Bay discourage any attempts at tacking unless you really know the shallow areas.

We turned around and headed back north and anchored in a slightly sheltered area off of Woodland Beach. The boat was rocking and rolling on the anchor. We continued to drink all the water we could as we suffered in the heat. We skipped dinner and did our best to sleep under our fans.