And the adventure begins!

[Will]

I posted a few weeks back that I was "Back in the Club" and I was asked for pics. Well tonight is the 24 hour anniversary of being on the boat, and all is going well. I will get a few pics in the morning after the old owner and I go through the boat one more time, for a familiarization. So far part of the adventure has been arriving at he boat at midnight, and getting the key cards to the marina from the prearranged hiding place. Getting aboard dog tired, and trying to fire up the heater to no avail, as the breaker was tripped on the unit and I had no idea where to look. Finally about 0200 actually getting to bed....fully clothed and under any and every blanket I could find.....it was 30 deg last night, and boy did it feel like it! This morning taking off to my storage unit to pick up my tools and a stop at Wally World, for soft goods outfitting, and lugging all that material down the pier and stowing aboard.

As for the continuation, Sunday will be the day Worst Marine remembers my name, and gives me a commemorative Plank, hit safe way for provisions, and take one more look at the WX for the Chesapeake, and if the stars align, pull the hammer back take the safety off and be ready for a Monday morning launch south bound!

I have some experience on the Chesapeake down to Norfolk, but after that it will be new territory.........all the way to Jacksonville........I will be single handing, and my schedule will be dictated by weather not distance or the calendar, I have three weeks before I have to go back to work so I am hoping to get far enough south so I will be out of the freeze danger......

So stay tuned for the adventure, drama, and hopefully no trauma maiden voyage.......Kent Narrows to Jacksonville! Hope to see you all out there!

 

[N4712]

I posted a few weeks back that I was "Back in the Club" and I was asked for pics. Well tonight is the 24 hour anniversary of being on the boat, and all is going well. I will get a few pics in the morning after the old owner and I go through the boat one more time, for a familiarization. So far part of the adventure has been arriving at he boat at midnight, and getting the key cards to the marina from the prearranged hiding place. Getting aboard dog tired, and trying to fire up the heater to no avail, as the breaker was tripped on the unit and I had no idea where to look. Finally about 0200 actually getting to bed....fully clothed and under any and every blanket I could find.....it was 30 deg last night, and boy did it feel like it! This morning taking off to my storage unit to pick up my tools and a stop at Wally World, for soft goods outfitting, and lugging all that material down the pier and stowing aboard. As for the continuation, Sunday will be the day Worst Marine remembers my name, and gives me a commemorative Plank, hit safe way for provisions, and take one more look at the WX for the Chesapeake, and if the stars aline, pull the hammer back take the safety off and be ready for a Monday morning launch south bound! I have some experience on the Chesapeake down to Norfolk, but after that it will be new territory.........all the way to Jacksonville........I will be single handing, and my schedule will be dictated by weather not distance or the calendar, I have three weeks before I have to go back to work so I am hopping to get far enough south so I will be out of the freeze danger...... So stay tuned for the adventure, drama, and hopefully no trauma maiden voyage.......Kent Narrows to Jacksonville! Hope to see you all out there!

Congratulations!!! Hope you have a nice uneventful ( in a good way) trip Wish you the bests of luck. One thing I would do is get to know the boats systems very well, that will mean the world when you get stuck or something breaks in the ocean and you know your boats systems opposing to not knowing them. Fair winds and following seas

 

[Will]

So here is the pic from this morning..........

 

[motion30]

I have done trip from the upper Chesapeake to south Florida 4 round's trips . The average in my single engine trawler is 190 hrs. Take you time and enjoy the ride. By the way. You spend more time when you overnite in marinas then anchoring out .

 

[healhustler]

Thanks for letting us in on the adventure. Got your learning cap on?

 

[SCOTTEDAVIS]

Ready for the adventure, let the games began.

Looking forward to daily updates.

 

[jwnall]

Sounds like a fun trip. Lots of good information has been posted on the Forum fairly recently on that route, so if you have not already done so you might want to read some of the postings with regard to suggested marinas, suggested anchorages, things to watch out for, etc., etc.

 

[GFC]

Good job on getting things ready and then taking the big first trip. I hope you take pics along the way and post them for us.

 

[N4061]

So stay tuned for the adventure, drama, and hopefully no trauma maiden voyage.......Kent Narrows to Jacksonville! Hope to see you all out there![/QUOTE]

Congratulations on your purchase and what sounds like a return to the water. As you reported during your first night aboard there may be a few items you need to become familiar with prior to making the trip south. For what it is worth we are going through a similar process of taking ownership of new (used) boat and taking it a little slower. Our first trip was around the bay to confirm that a cooling system clean-out job was properly done and the recently serviced stuffing box was running at normal temperatures (it was not) prior to venturing very far. Next trip will be the same and include anchoring out for a few hours to check out the system and run the generator.

I remember heading to Mexico within a week of taking delivery of a new boat a few years back and having to turn around due to weather and just not being comfortable with the boat. In this case the boat was fine but it was me who was nervous about not being comfortable with the boat and worried about the "what if" happened in rough weather. We delayed the trip a few days, became a little more comfortable with the boat and its systems then made an uneventful trip south in perfect weather.

Curious why the rush south and alone on a new boat?
Best of luck and stay safe!

 

[Will]

Sunday 12/1/13.

As predicted Worst Marine was very happy to see me, hard goods outfitting done, victualing done, NOAA WX, checked. Tanks dipped, pre flight check list practiced...I think my slip mates are tired of hearing my whistle......emergency anchoring drill done.....emergency equipment checked and restowed...charts corrected for the first 200 miles, LNTM downloaded and reviewed, major machinery checked twice.. vessel secured for sea......set condition "Zebra"....stowaway search conducted results negative......hoist "Papa" and stand by fore and aft to single up.

Unless I wake up in the AM and find the forecast has changed significantly tomarow I will set off on the first leg, of my single handed trip south. I appreciate every ones input, and any sticky spots you hear about, please give me a shout out, you buoys and gulls are a great resource coupled with active captain I think I will have a decent idea of what is in store for me further down the track line.

Itinerary for tomarow is, last line 0815, bunker 0830, along with topping off potable, and black water discharge to shore side facility, then South to Solomon's Island for a little servicing from a few providers I know and trust down there, dinner and sunset on the hook, and shift pier side Tuesday or Wednesday morning for minor VR "Voyage Repair". I promise to take and post pics.

Any other ideas or input please forward!

 

[Will]

N4061, as for the rush South, I don't see it as being a rush. The boat is here I am here, I am in home waters with a good weather window, and lots of good service if needed, and on a relatively protected body of water as long as one watches the weather. The boat is fully serviced, spares are aboard, I have planed bail out ports and if needed survival equipment. So this is the shake down trip from Kent Narrows to NORVA. I do appreciate the reality check, and I may not have the HVAC system fully figured out, but I do have the engines, transmissions, steering, dewatering, fire fighting, navigation, comms, signaling, and anchoring system, fully figured out with several upgrades where I felt it was warranted in the past 48 hours.

I freely admit that no one ever thinks of every thing so please keep asking questions.

 

[Earl34Mainship]

Will... I can't think of anything to add re your preparations for this trip - I can only say that many of us would like to be signing on as deck hands, but at least we look forward to your posts and pictures. I assume you have a cold beer for after lines are secure each night...

Safe travels,

 

[harleythunder]

Best of luck Will...
I'm looking forward to trip updates and learning from your experiences.
~Mike

 

[Bilgewater]

Best of luck on your trip south. Looking forward to pictures. Love the Navy jargon. I slip into it from time to time aboard our boat. The questioning look from the First Mate brings me back to reality. Don't forget to secure the sea and anchor detail, and set the normal cruising watch, on deck, section two. By the way, the last time I called for "Sweepers" I was handed the broom!

 

[Will]

So far so good.....

 

[jwnall]

So far so good, huh? Well, let us hope that it is an uneventful trip, which tends to be the best kind. Not like some people who have interesting things happen.

 

[Rivahrat]

Have a safe trip Will. I know it will be a good one. You will be coming by the river where we are located, The Rappahannock River. We are in a marina up around Urbanna Va.
Have a safe one....

Frank

 

[Will]

RR thanks for the good wishes. I used to serve on a ship named the USNS Rappahannock, T-AO 201,she was a great ship and from the charts that river looks great! I'll sound 1 prolonged when I slide by there!

 

[Will]

The things that can only truly be appreciated from the water!

 

[N4712]

The things that can only truly be appreciated from the water!

Amen to that! Your livin' the life!!!!

 

[Rivahrat]

Will, be aware of the bridge openings going through Norfolk. If you don't time them right it will really slow you down.....

Frank

 

[Will]

Thanks for the info on the bridges! I see where the great bridge lock is now back in operation! So that should be better thanh the dismal swamp with my draft.

12/2/13
Monday

Ah what a day. Went north coming out of Kent Narrows due to bridge maintenance, skirted around the dredge working the channel, and made it out into the Bay. Shot the East span and kept chewing South. Only one barge and one coast sized box boat, other than 12 fisherman, a very enjoyable day! Schedule did not survive first contact, but fought through it and made the getaway! Of all the things to have forgotten off the pre sail check list, underwear was the hold up! K-mart opened at 0800.....,hey I don't need to many comforts in life, but clean underwear is not something I will do without unless the zombies are getting restless.

Posted a few pics of the ride down, but the silly I-Pad camera does not do it justice! Anchored up in Solomon's just off my old pier, and enjoying the accomplishment, and getting back into the swing of things.

Plan forward: anchor aweigh 0845, shift pier side for contractors at 1030, then another trip to Worst Marine, for the ever important Grill mounting arm.....the Worst up in Kent Island did not have one on the floor.....1700 shift back out to anchorage, then I think Vincinso for dinner, they tend to fluctuate in quality, but I will give then a try again.....Wednesday morning check WX and if all systems go......Deltaville, VA!

Hope to see you out there!

 

[IntervaleII]

Looks like you are living the dream

Sent from my iPad using Trawler

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. Will. Safe travels and "Semper ubi sub ubi".

 

[Will]

Gratis tibia ago!

 

[magicbus]

I would have offered to meet you in Deltavillle and travel with you, but we just postponed our launch until next Friday due to too much to get done before we leave Deltavillle for Florida.

Have fun!
Dave

 

[cardude01]

Good writing Will! Keep the posts coming...

 

[Forkliftt]

Ditto here

Will, tell us more about your vessel. I love the Portugese bridge. Don't remember seeing one on a Sundeck before.

 

[Forkliftt]

Oops! My bad. I see you have a pilothouse.

 

[Will]

Dave,

If you are in D-ville around mid week PM me and I am always open to dinner or drinks......do you have any local knowledge about the entrance, or any preference on which arm to anchor in? I went strait in and anchored last time so I have not been to the right when entering....


As for the boat, heck I love talking about it, as we all do......she is a 1981, Lien Hwa, (AKA Marine Trader) but with a diffident lay out on the lower deck, that was originally delivered for Blue Seas in Holland, the original owner plyed the Med and Europe. She was the bought and brought domestic. At some point she fell into disrepair. In 2003 she was given a three year yard period, literally striped to the frames and rebuilt, having done the rough estimate from the documents in the files, it would have been more economical to have ordered new, but hey where is the fun in that.....new 3208 NA's, 2 new Northern Lights 12Kw units, re-wired and updated, wesmar stabilizers, new fake and bake teak decks, new vacu flushes, new fuel and water tanks and the list goes on......then the owner I bought her from, continued, very nicely maintained exterior, painted a few years ago, and yard maint....so this old girl has been in the Med through Northern Europe, the Islands several times and all over the Chesapeak Bay. Now it is my turn to be a good steward, and enjoy her on the St John, and possibly some day back to the islands. She needs a few tweeks here and there but the foundation is solid, and boy is she a looker!