Day 22, Year 1: Living on a Slant
Date: Tuesday, November 8, 2005
Weather: No Time to Notice
Location: Oxford, Maryland, Tred-on-Avon
When I sent yesterday’s log, we were aground and waiting for high tide in order to move into the slip we will call home for the next week or so. The tide rose and we were able to make it as far as the entrance to the slip, but once again found ourselves aground. It was still not high tide, so we thought we might have a chance to move into the slip at the height of the tide, but try as we might, we were unable to move. I was on the phone talking to Claire McKellar back at Shipyard Quarters while we were waiting and she recommended getting as much weight off the boat as we could. We emptied the water tanks, took the dinghy and motor off the boat, off-loaded all extra fuel and water tanks, but nothing we did seemed to help. We decided to call it a night and try again in the morning. At low tide during the night, we found ourselves sitting on the bottom and leaning to one side. Getting out of bed was an interesting experience. Heeling while sailing is one thing, but heeling while sitting still is quite another!
We rose early and once again started the process of trying to get into our destination. The tide was much higher than the night before, and with the help of lots of strategically placed lines, we were finally successful. We then began the process of removing our dodger and bimini and all the walls surrounding the engine room in preparation for removing the engine. We did all of this three years ago when we removed the Perkins 4-108 engine to have it overhauled. The “been there, done that” feeling of doing this a second time was a bit depressing, but Mark kept reminding me to think of how happy we will be when the new engine is installed. The whole process was made even harder by the fact that the old engine looks brand new and has been running great since the v-drive was repaired. If we were going to do coastal sailing or go only as far as the Caribbean, the current engine would be fine, but it is a long trip around the world and a new engine certainly makes sense. It is just a lot of work at a time when we had hoped to be well on our way to Bermuda.
At low tide during the afternoon, we were able to see the boat from land. There she was, heeling to one side with at least a foot of the bottom exposed. At least the top third of the rudder was exposed, but we have now adjusted to the twice daily slanted floor. Living on a slant is not all bad.
Tomorrow we will begin the process of removing the old engine. Hope with us that all goes smoothly.
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| 051108 Day 22 Boston to Norfolk, USA–Living on a Slant |
