The latest thing to break on the boat is the steering. Crossing the Chesapeake out of Baltimore, the steering seized up. We disassembled the steering box and found a couple teeth broken off a cog and stuck in the gears. The steering is now a little sloppy, and I'm not sure how long before more teeth break off the cog and the steering is totally kaput. I'm searching the internet for a replacement gear box.
Even with the degraded steering, Amy was an excellent helmsman this morning. And she didn't get seasick. In fact, after a couple hours driving she was giddy. A giddy Amy can be a handful, but I'll take it over a cranky Amy any day.
Stolen from Amy's blog:
I can’t even begin to describe the difference a day makes. We did veg out at our anchorage yesterday. There were terrible storms in the area, and lots of people are still without power in the nearby counties, but Scott found us a very protected spot. It just felt like a regular thunderstorm, and we watched the rain come down while we had dinner. (Salmon patties, recipe coming soon.)
Scott got up early this morning, and by the time I got out of bed at 6am, we were on our way up the Chesapeake Bay. He explained that we need to catch the tide at the right point, so we could move faster. The wind was in the wrong direction, so we motored with the current, but against the wind. This does make for a bumpy ride (and the sound of the boat smacking down on the water after a wave is a little distressing). I did discover one key to avoiding seasickness. If I’m at the helm, my eyes are glued to the horizon. I drove for about half of the morning, and I didn’t get a bit queasy.
A little before noon we made to the public dock in Chesapeake City, MD, where we even got to have lunch on land! (So much excitement for me today.) Tomorrow, we’ll get through the C&D canal, and anchor at the other side, in the Delaware Bay. It is nice to be making progress AND to be feeling good.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Helmsman
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5 comments:
The thunderstorms around here yesterday took out the power for about 24 hours and took down the top of one of our pine trees, which in turn took out our DirecTV antenna and part of a fence. Admiral Amy's car is ok. Admiral Marta was in a bad mood today.
Sailing up the NJ coast with the likely possibility of losing steering is not a good thought. Suggest you make plans to expeditiously repair!!!
Seems like everyone on land had a tougher time with the storms than we did. We were in a tight spot, protected by trees all around, but not close enough that one could fall on us. And of course, we're not connected to any power lines which can get knocked out.
My main concern was dragging anchor. But we held steady with the new delta and an old danforth down.
Scott,
Damn! I changed my steering box last year to the new style and the new cables. There was nothing wrong with the box, and was going to save it. Now I wish we did, could have gave it to you as you sailed by us. I am sure you saw inside the box, it is a sun gear system, with 3 gears riding the input shaft. As long as no more teeth break off and jam, and you are not missing teeth from all the little gears, you should be ok for a while.
You need to send me a private email, or a way to get in touch with you. If you really want a new box, you could have it shipped to my place and we could sail it to you when you get up here. Bad news, that box is not made anymore, you may have to change your cables as well. The new cables attach with a bolt, not a nut like your old cables.
Do you think you will be in the Atlantic City area by Sunday? If you are we could most likely meet up with you two.
Have been enjoying the blogs by both of you. Tell Amy she should not be so camera shy, glad she is starting to enjoy the trip.
When you get up this way, contact us. We know several protected areas to anchor overnight.
Good Luck,
Louie and Meg
Scott,
You can email us through the yahoo gemini group.
Hey Lou, Grampa says to never throw out stuff like that. He saves every bolt that falls off our Sunbeam Alpine convertibles. The owners trade the parts at their yearly get togethers. But I guess that is the difference between owning a classic car and a boat. The car owners are trying to keep the vehicle in as original condition as possible, while the boat owners are always looking to upgrade.
I think Atlantic City by Sunday would be optimistic for us. We're likely to spend at least a day at the beach in Cape May. I'll email you when our schedule firms up.
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