BOB'S VIEW:

Back on the waters again!

It has been some time since we updated this blog.  Credit the days and days of smooth and entertaining travel and the fact that we were so at peace with the adventure down Long Island Sound from Jamestown, RI, through Hell Gate into New York Harbor and just recently down the lee shore ( it's always a lee shore) of New Jersey.  Our adventure have been less about the mechanical issues of VELOMER, and that's been a huge improvement, and much more about the people we have seen, the amazing time at sea witnessing sea life and all the vital Atlantic had to offer and the somewhat distracting ports we have encountered.  So to return to the blog format:




Course:  Clark's Boatyard, Jamestown to Dobson's Boatyard, Stonington, RI
Distance: 31.9 (N)
Travel Time: 5 hours
Seas: less than 2 feet, choppy off Watch Hill due to opposing currents and wind
Wind: light and variable
Weather: slightly overcast
Mechanical Issues:  smoke alarm (see below)








Departing Clark's Marina Boatyard in Jamestown at 0700 on 8/12 and making for Stonington, CT, VELOMER resisted the urge to visit Block Island this time as it was still high summer and we had heard that the availability of space was very limited in New Harbor. As we have listened to others describe visits to this offshore retreat, it is now our intention to return at a later date after Labor Day or before Memorial Day to avoid the crazies that seem to flock to this party spot all summer long.  We also decided we could forgo the fried dough, cotton candy and fudge that seem to be the stable of the Block Island visiting boater's diet.




Cruising southwest along the Rhode Island shore, passing Beaver Tail Lighthouse and Point Judith, Fisher's Island and Watch Hill was familiar for us as we had been through here twice last season to begin our cruise up the Hudson River into Lake Champlain and then again rushing back to Boston to see the twins for 15 minutes at Logan Airport.  Both PM and I are looking forward to getting south of Sandy Hook, NJ where we will be in unexplored new waters. 


Stonington is as we last left it, very neat, very clean and very anal in choices of colors of plants matching house trim and offering us a sweet marina where we picked up a mooring for two days.  Tony Stapleton, PM's college buddy from Hamilton/Kirkland, had joined us in Jamestown for what we expected to be 2-3 days but left us soon after our arrival in Stonington due to weather issues on the roads back to his home in Wickford, RI.  We had a tasty lunch in Stonington, Tony's treat, at The Yellow House before Jan met him at the local library.  It was a treat to have a guest board although it was too brief a time to thoroughly enjoy his company as we would have liked.  Perhaps Tony can join us again as we travel south for the winter, we hope so.


This day was the first cruising day of what became many when VELOMER had no mechanical issues other than a brief event when the smoke alarm in the engine room went off after I sprayed "Belt Ease" onto the squealing alternator belt.    It was a comfort to know at least that this critical safety tool was working well.  I still make it a daily routine to do engine room checks while underway, looking at the temperature of the stuffing box, the vacuum gauge on the fuel line next to the Racor filters, the temps of various locations on the engine block and the alternator, the level of coolant and the charge indicator for the batteries.  All was well as it has almost always been, but this routine I perform 3-4 times a day is a comfort as we do not want to experience avoidable engine issues.  We run the Perkins 135 HP engine at a cruising speed of 6-7 knots, which is around 1,625 RPMs depending on seas and tide and occasionally run the engine up to 2000-2300 RPMs to clear the injectors and cylinders. 


And as a minor inconvenience, we also lost partial thrust force on the bow thruster (again) and I suspect I will need to dive on the new prop to check for obstructions.  After Tony left, I did just that and discovered that several of the blades on the prop were broken.  I noticed a slight noise as we left Clark's and suspect I had encountered something floating in the water just as I maneuvered away from the mooring pennant.  Fortunately, I had ordered a spare prop from Imtra in Hingham, so it was only necessary to change this.  I was able to access the prop, using snorkel gear and with PM handing me tools and parts from the foredeck 6 feet above in a cleverly designed tool bag.  After tightening the locknut securely, I reattached the zinc/aluminum anode, which was already showing slight deterioration and then tested the thruster.  All worked as intended,  We were good to go again.  As we encounter mechanical or electrical or navigation software issues on this adventure and find solutions, PM and I are gaining confidence that we can make repairs and diagnose issues as they arise, and we expect that will be a sometime need.  Its a boat, and boats have issues.