We Leave the Chesapeake Bay and Enter the C&D Canal

Sandy Point Shoal light

Refuge at canal entrance

Our stormy weather had passed causing us to spend an extra day in Annapolis. We were glad we did. Our last day in port there were reports of wind gusts to 30 kts. out in the bay. The forecast was for NW winds at 5-10 kts. the next day, so we decided to move on. We had a long day planned, so we left around 0700 and headed out into the bay. We had gone approximately 6 miles and during that time we lost our GPS signal 3 times. Why this happens we haven't a clue. We passed under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the seas started to get rough. Within the next 15 minutes we were experiencing 3'+ seas. For those of you who think of boating and what we are doing as a leisure activity, you could not possibly be more wrong. A much more apt description of what we usually go through can best be described as crisis management, with some days requiring a much greater management skills than others. That is exactly what we went through on this day. So, we are in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay and being pounded by 3-4' rollers, when the starboard engine starts to overheat. We shut the engine down and start to make way on one engine. About one-half hour later, Capt. Larry hands the helm over to Jane so he can go below and dry and figure out what's going on. He got below and was being knocked all over the engine room, only to find that the starboard raw water strainer was completely empty of water.

Entering Delaware- bridges by our marina

It seemed to be similar to the episode we had right after we left with an air lock in the raw water cooling system. The salon and galley were turned upside down. We felt that our only choice was to ride it out and hope that things would settle down. And that wishful thinking turned out to be true about 40 miles later! It wasn't until we got into the Chesapeake and Delaware (C&D) Canal that we had protected waters. We finally made it to the marina near Bear, DE and got tied up.

The next day we called some recommended mechanics and tried to troubleshoot our problem. One of the mechanics immediately started to lament how long his waiting list was. This was the marina's recommended "go to guy" and they were a little miffed when we called them back and asked for another recommendation. We figured there were some kickbacks involved, and finally got the marina manager who said he would get a Volvo representative involved. In the meantime, Capt. Larry went below to check things out. After going through the raw water strainers, the raw water pump, and the mixing elbow, we couldn't find anything that indicated a problem. We put everything back together and started the engine up. We let it run for over half an hour with no indication of overheating. Once again, a problem that we couldn't reproduce. So, we decided to spend the weekend and try a few other things, before heading out into the Delaware Bay and Cape May, NJ. That evening Jane was telling her friend, Ellena, about our problems and she asked Capt. Larry if there was anything different between the raw water systems on the two engines. After thinking about this, he said that the only difference was that the port engine had a Volvo impeller and the starboard engine had another brand, but that both impellers were new and changed just before we started the trip. Ellena suggested changing the non-Volvo impeller to a spare Volvo impeller to see if that cleared the problem up.

Dining with Cam & Thea

The next day Capt. Larry changed out the impellers. Everything seemed to work fine at the dock, but we wouldn't know for sure until we headed out. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and met a Canadian couple, Cam & Thea, aboard Spring Moon. That evening we went to a nearby restaurant with Cam & Thea and turned in early so we could get an early start for Cape May. As worn out as we were though, neither of us could sleep. We were probably both worried about the boat, the bay, and the long day ahead. The next day we got underway around 0630. We finished up the C&D Canal and entered the Delaware River.

Leaving the C&D Canal

Here the currents were strong on an outgoing tide, and for the next 4 hours we were traveling 10-11 knots with the engines practically at idle speed. About 3 hours from Cape May reality set in and we were fighting an incoming tide and doing 6-7 knots. The boat had been running fine so we decided to put it up on plane and test the overheating problem.

Ship John Shoal light

After 15 minutes we backed her down. The good news is the cooling problem didn't recur. The bad news is we lost pressure in the port trim tab and the boat was listing to starboard. We made it to Utsch's Marina in Cape May and headed out for a hardware store and grocery. Since this was the fourth time that the port trim tab gauge line had sprung a leak, Capt. Larry decided to cap it off.

Miah Maull Shoal light

Jane, Dixie, and Dickie

Larry & Christine

The boat could still be leveled "according to feel," but we wouldn't have a gauge that told us the degrees of trim. This is how one permanently manages a crisis of this nature. That evening we met up with some other loopers and hosted happy hour on Bavarian Cream. We hooked up with Dickie & Dixie aboard Me' Nou, a couple of crazies from Lake Arthur, LA and Larry & Christine, aboard Blue Skies from Charleston, SC. Larry & Christine had started the loop just three days earlier, so it was comforting to note that we were no longer the greenest loopers out there. Well happy hour ran until about 10:00 p.m. and we still had not eaten. We grilled some pork chops and had a salad after everyone left and turned in for the evening.

The next day Capt. Larry fixed the leaking trim tab line, clean the bilge, and "burped" the A/C water pump which ran dry from our rough day in the Chesapeake. We also re-planned our route and decided to run on the outside in the Atlantic Ocean up to Barneget Inlet, anchor overnight, then run on into New York City, arriving there on Thursday. We would spend the weekend there then start heading up the Hudson River early next week. Of course, the best laid plans........