Thursday, September 20, 2007

I Love the Delaware Bay

Just kidding. The Delaware Bay sucks. This unassuming little body of water has a reputation for being a nasty little beastie, and Christ, now I know why. There was an entire fleet of boats in Cape May Harbor awaiting good weather for the trip from Cape May up to the C&D Canal. Monday the forecast was what we were waiting for, and we all filed out of Cape May like a herd of cattle. Through the Cape May Canal we went, and out into.....shit. Figuratively, not literally, but had it literally been shit it may almost have been more pleasant. The wind was more northerly than had been forecast, and of course it was stronger (&*^% monkey!), and it was blowing against the current. Add that lovely combo together and you get steep, nasty chop. Witness picture at right. That's Cielo punching her bowsprit through the back of said steep chop, sending spray flying through the air. Ummm....fun! Actually, it wasn't that bad, except that this was relatively mild conditions for the Delaware Bay. Given that, I don't want any part of bad conditions. The good news is that after about 2 hours the wind and waves subsided a bit and we had a glorious sail most of the way up the bay. We finished up at Chesapeake City, a cute little town about half way through the C&D Canal.

Put me BACK IN!

Wednesday we arrived in Havre de Grace, MD to have Cielo hauled out for damage assessment and repair to the rudder. I don't think she likes being out of the water. I know I certainly wasn't thrilled about the whole thing. The yard pulled her out on the lift, with her ass end jacked up higher than the front, and the forward sling about a foot and a half BEHIND the little sticker that says "Place Sling Here". Then as they drive the lift around she sways back and forth like a kidergartener on a swing set. At any moment I expected her to slide out of the slings and face plant on the asphalt below. Fortunately my friend Scott, who had arrived just in time to witness all this, waited until afterwards to point out that the radar pole (which holds the radar, the GPS, the outboard motor, and countless other expensive, sensitive items) had just barely cleared the back of the lift. Good thing, since as it was I think I went through at least two changes of pants before they finally had her securely blocked and chocked. Of course, the guys at the yard seem great and they do this all day every day so she was probably never in any danger. Still, I was a nervous wreck.

Less is More

As soon as Cielo was out of the water we were able to get a good look at the damage we did running aground in the Thimble Islands. It's better than I thought, and much better than I had feared it might be. Cielo's a strong little tank! The damage to the keel was purely cosmetic, and the damage we did to the rudder is less significant than the existing delamination we already knew was there. Somehow though, it looks like the estimate to repair it all will still exceed our initial thoughts. The next couple days we'll figure out exactly what will be done and who will do it. The possibility of doing the work ourselves is looming large. I hope not. I really, really hate fiberglass work.

1 Comments:

Blogger kyle said...

Kevin-

No problem... if you can't find somebody to do the fiberglass work I have a friend who has done a ton of fiberglass work. I'm sure she can do it twice as good as you and can do it twice as quick. You remember her from our cab ride.... I believe that she told you and Lizz what boat to buy in the first place. O... what was her name? Ah, yes... Obnoxious Girl!

September 20, 2007 at 4:46 PM  

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