Salty Cruising MA,RI,CT,NY Sept 28 - Oct 2

Thursday, September 28

The previous day we had taken Aisling for a sea trial to test her new engine. Finally, with the new corrected size engine sea-water thru-hull seacock and strainer, she PASSED with no overheating.

We returned our rental car and started organizing Aisling for cruising to distant ports.

We took our lines off the Niemiec Marine dock and went through the swing bridge opening.  We passed the Hurricane Barrier at 1:30 PM.  We were traveling at 3600 RPM and the engine temperature was 212 -- we were still in the habit of watching the engine temperature very closely.  The sea swells were 5.6 feet every 12 sec from the south, The wind was 15 mph from the north. However, this was not an ordinary day in Buzzards Bay and Block Island Sound where we were travelling. The powerful hurricane Maria was positioned off Norfolk, VA and was churning up huge sea swells that were  coming up from the south. With the counter-clockwise rotation around Maria she was sending 15 knot winds to us from the North. Before we left New Bedford we asked Brad Niemiec's advice concerning safe sea conditions for a boat our size.  He recommended not going out when wave height was 8 feet or higher and period between waves was less than 10 seconds.  We were within the guidelines -- but just barely!

Leaving New Bedford Harbor

Our destination was Newport, RI and as we left the relatively sheltered waters of Buzzards Bay and into Block Island Sound, we were experiencing the full effects of the weather.  According to Windfinder.com we were in 9 foot swells coming from the south with a period of 12 seconds and winds from the north gusting to 20.  This combination was kicking the sea into a rather confused state.

Hurricane Maria was sending us 9 foot ocean swells

Waves were splashing over our bow about every 30 seconds and the spray was landing on our pilothouse windshields. Barbara took some videos and called it "being in a washing machine".  Aisling was taking the waves over the bow and we were were rocking from side to side.  We would climb a swell and then slide down the other side into the waves.

Barbie was thankful for the autopilot that kept the boat heading the right direction even after having the stern get whipped around.  Neither Jeff or Barbie felt unsafe or scared.  We did feel surprised and in awe of the waves as they washed our windshield. Hans and Greta (the 14 year old puppies) did not seemed concerned at all - they just stayed in their beds. Aisling is a very tight and dry little boat.  Nothing inside got wet except in the head (bathroom) because we forgot to close the window!

Underway in 9-ft swells and 20 knot winds

Around 3:00 PM we started to turn north into the Narragansett Bay East Passage toward Newport.  Still riding the giant ocean swells, as we neared the shore we could see giant waves breaking onto the seashore.   As we went further into the harbor at Newport, we were thankful that the waves were gone. The wind, however was still a strong 15 knots from the North.   We called the Newport Harbormaster on the radio and asked for a mooring. They came to Aisling and led us to the mooring around 5:00 PM where we stayed the night. We rocked and rolled and heard the banging noise of the mooring ball or line most of night until the winds subsided towards dawn.

Distance covered underway 41 miles.

Fuel dock in Newport, RI

Friday, September 29

Upon leaving our mooring, we went to the fuel dock and filled up.  Today the seas and winds were not as strong as yesterday.   We were getting some spray onto the windshield, but not as often.  Once we entered Long Island Sound, the sea swells were no more -- we were in the protection of the land of Long Island.  Barbie was even able to knit! We were not sure what harbor we would stay at, so we just kept powering westward while the sea conditions were favorable.  There was a wind shift to a west wind, and the wind strengthened to 12 knots.  We were getting lots of spray over the bow and onto the windshield and had to hold on to our seat so we didn't fall out. We took shelter in the nearest port -- Westbrook, CT.   Brewer's Pilots Point Marina had diesel fuel and we filled up.  Rather than anchor that night, considering the wind and sea state, we chose to get a slip at the marina. Everything about the marina was just perfect -- as it should be since we spent an outrageous slip fee of $4.00 per foot! However, it was a long walk and not much grass for the doggies.

Distance covered underway 67 miles.

Marina in Westbrook, CT

Saturday, September 30

While we were getting ready to leave the dock, a 100-foot power boat left the marina. We left about a half hour  to hour later and found that our course was the same as theirs.  Their AIS reported they were making 12.3 MPH.  Aisling, being on engine break-in schedule, was doing a schedule that Jeff worked out of every 30 minutes running the engine for 15 minutes at 3400 RPM, then 10 minutes at 3600 RPM, then 5 minutes at 3800 RPM.   This put our speeds from 12 mph to 14 mph to 16 mph.  After a few hours, we starting to catch up with the big motor yacht!

We never did get past that motor yacht, but followed them into our next harbor, about a half mile behind.  We filled up with diesel fuel at the marina there. The large yacht docked in a slip.  Barbie took Hans and Greta about 1/4 of a mile before finding grass. We looked for the yellow mooring floats that identify the Port Washington free moorings.  We found one and had a fairly quiet night there in the harbor. By dawn the conditions were very calm.

Distance covered underway 77 miles.

Sunday, October 1

This was the day we would pass through New York City to the Hudson River. As we approached the city, we went through a body of water called Hell Gate.   This is where waters from Long Island Sound, the East River, and the Harlem River come together to form powerful tidal rips.  Barbie had been very concerned about going through Hell Gate. However, after going through "the rapids" at Woods Hole, MA, we doubted that the Hell Gate current would be any worse then that. Also, we KNEW that Aisling's engine was strong! We saw the swirling water but the currents did not  bother Aisling at all, probably because we happened to pass during slack tide.

Hell Gate with Manhattan view

We turned into the Harlem River to pass around the north side of Manhattan Island.  We passed under many bridges.  Some of the bridges were 150 feet high and others were only 25 feet high.  Aisling is only 13 feet high so we had no problems getting under the fixed bridges. 

When we got to the last bridge before the Hudson River, we called the bridge tender for an opening of the 6 foot high railroad bridge. He told us that we would have to "tread water" for about 20 minutes waiting for a couple of trains. After we cleared that bridge, we were in the Hudson River.

Harlem River with view of low RR bridge

Waiting for RR bridge to open

We traveled at a good speed up the Hudson since the winds were light and the seas were calm. This area has mountains on each side of the river.  To the west were the high cliffs of New Jersey called the Palisades. We passed under the Tappan Zee bridge. In the distance it looked like two snow covered mountains, but as we got closer we could see it was the suspension bridge supports.

Approaching Tappan Zee Bridge

We stopped for fuel at Westerly Marina then we docked near by at Half Moon Bay Marina at Croton-On-Hudson, NY.  Half Moon Bay marina was nice and the people there were very friendly.   There were some stupid rules about walking dogs, but the marina manager, Steve, helped us feel welcome and showed us how to get by the dog walking restrictions. There is a great spot for anchoring nearby and next time we would like to try the anchorage. The sunset that evening was beautiful.

Distance covered underway 48 miles.

Half Moon Bay Marina viewed from the city park

Panaramic view of Half Moon Bay

Monday, October 2

This day started clear but after we went past West Point around 9:00 AM, the fog started to get thicker and thicker until we could not see the shores any more.  We navigated by reading the chart. keeping our Aisling between the river banks.   Every minute or two, we would blow our ship's horn, to warn approaching vessels. The traffic was very light, and the fog faded in and out until finally it faded out for good around 10:30.

Navigating in fog on the Hudson River

We were headed to Coeymans Landing Marina -- and we arrived about 3:00 PM.  Our engine had  reached the 56 hour of operation and that is the time Yanmar recommends an oil change.  We had chosen Coeymans because they have a full service repair operation.   They got right on to our job and changed out oil while the oil was still warm. Warm oil is easier to remove from the engine, so that was great for us that they could get right to work.  We could leave the next day without waiting for the oil change.

Coeymans Landing Marina for fuel and oil change

Distance covered underway 97 miles. Almost twice as far as we had originally planned.  This put us in a good position to get through the Erie Canal and 22 locks before it closed on Wednesday, Oct. 11.

From our cruising in the salty ocean waters of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York we had taken a lot of spray over our decks.   This had left salt crystals covering every inch of Aisling.  We took this opportunity to hook up the hose to the fresh water on the dock and sprayed the decks down.  We sprayed the anchor and anchor rode -- solar panels -- inside and outside the bimini top.   We were now in fresh water in the upper Hudson River and the next part of our adventure would be in all fresh water.   Starting the next day we would be entering the Erie Canal!

New Engine Third Sea Trial PASSED! -- Sept 24 - 27

Saturday, September 23

Today we went to the Working Waterman's Festival held at the New Bedford State Pier.  There were tugs and commercial fisheries and food vendors.  The food court was all seafood vendors.  We went to the longest line since we figured that would be good.  We both had fish and chips which are THE BEST fish that we have tasted.  While waiting in line we talked with the people ahead of us.  He had worked  for 28 years on a scallop boat that was open for touring  We notice that on the menu there were clam cakes.  We know what a crab cake is but didn't know about clam cakes.  We asked the wife and she said it was made with quahog or hard clam.  Barbie was interested in this, so ordered a small serving.  It turned out clam cakes are similar to hush puppies but have chopped quahog in the batter.  They were OK but we don't care to order them again, too much flour and not enough clam. 

Barbie touring commercial scallop fishing boat

Enjoying Seafood in New Bedford

Sunday September 24

Even though we know Aisling was going to get the larger seacock on Monday we decided to use the boat and sight see in Buzzard's Bay. Maybe the engine would not overheat.

We asked the bridge tender for the 8:00 AM opening and powered through the bridge and out the Hurricane barrier.  The weather today was beautiful -- clear and calm.  

The engine was operating OK at lower RPM.  We determined that any engine speed of  2740 RPM or less was stable, with the temperature remaining at 214°F or less.   However any RPM over 2740 was not stable, with the temperature continually rising!

So travelling about 10 miles per hour, we continued to Woods Hole - about a 14 mile trip.  Approaching Woods Hole we were passed by a fast ferry boat "SeaStreak".  That in itself was exciting.  However getting into Woods Hole was also exciting since the two channels that intersect there made the aids to navigation a bit confusing.  Where we were to go between the red and green looked like we were going over rapids! And there were rocks that we KNEW we didn't want to run into on either side.  Aisling performed beautifully going through the "rapids".  Jeff was rather familiar with this navigational area since navigation exercises and tests that he took when a Coast Guard Auxiliarist used charts of this area.  After surviving the entrance to Woods Hole we had a very narrow, one lane bridge, "Eel Pond Bridge", that would open at 10:00.  We "treaded water" for about 15 minutes

Aisling passing under Woods Hole Eel Pond Bridge

After clearing the bridge we traveled slowly through the moored boats and tied up at the town dock.  It was nice that the summer busy time was over so there were fewer boats. We walked the town with our dogs and found a small store to buy post cards.  We returned to the boat and hurried to make the 11:00 bridge opening.

In the channel outside Woods Hole, we encountered very swift current.  We were very happy that our engine was running well.

Tidal rips at Woods Hole

Our next port was Cuttyhunk Island, about 13 miles distant.  We entered Cuttyhunk's narrow inlet and it opened up wide into what is called Cuttyhunk Pond.   In the pond, there were boat moorings, but we chose to anchor.  We had not anchored since some time last June -- so we needed practice.

We launched the dinghy and went to the dinghy dock at the "Fish Dock".  There are several small stores there.  However only the famous Raw Bar was open.  Jeff got the last 5 oysters that were there. People after us had to wait until the fisherman came back with more oysters from their oyster farm. 

The Raw Bar farms their own oysters

Back on the boat, we raised anchor and returned to New Bedford, a 14 mile trip. We were back in New Bedford after getting the 5:15 bridge opening.  We had travelled a total of 50.5 miles and operated the engine 7.1 hours.  

Monday September 25

This was the day of the scheduled work, and Brad Niemiec had said he would be at Aisling at 7:30 AM to drive it into the work area to be hauled on land for the work to be performed.    We hurried to make our breakfast and get all of our stuff ready -- we were going to do the laundry while we had the whole day to ourselves.

After doing the laundry, we were at lunch when Brad called with the update on progress.   The update was that the work was nearly done, but they had found that not only was the through-hull undersized, but it was TWO sizes under sized.   To do the job properly, we would need a 1.5 inch seacock instead of the proposed 1.25 inch seacock to replace our 1 inch seacock.

We authorized the work for the larger unit, but because of the extra work and parts needing to be ordered, they would need another day to finish the work.   We could NOT stay on Aisling because she was on land and the work area would be locked. We returned to the boat yard, collected some necessary items like the dog's food and our own things. We stayed at a LaQuinta Inn because they welcome dogs.

Aisling's larger seawater inlet strainer

Tuesday September 26

We visited the Mystic Seaport gift shop and then traveled back to the boatyard, arriving about 11:00 AM.  The workers were still busy installing the equipment.   We saw the new sea-cock which was large, but it fit well into the space for it.   However, we also needed a new sea strainer. This one is ENORMOUS at two sizes larger than the original.   The workers had found a good place to put it in the crowded engine room -- quite difficult, but they made it work well.

Aisling's HUGE sea water strainer

By 3:00 the work was finished and Aisling was being launched back into the water.  Brad did NOT want to have us staying in a motel another night.  Jeff and Brad ran her for about ten minutes and checked for leaks.   All was well.   Aisling would need a long sea trial the next day. 

Launching after seacock install

Wednesday September 27

This morning we woke up to dense FOG -- we could barely see 200 feet.

The fog lifted some so we left the dock and caught the 10:00 AM bridge opening.   Near the bridge was the fuel dock.  We stopped and filled the tank with diesel fuel.

As we left the fuel dock, the fog had thickened.  Suddenly we heard a very loud horn blasting near to us.   We looked around and through the fog we could barely see that there was a barge headed right for us.   We got out of the way, but now we wondered if we could safely navigate in this fog.   We followed a  tug boat who was heading out of the harbor.  We could see his stern if we couldn't see much of anything else!  Once we were safely out the hurricane barrier we found a place out of the channel and anchored at 11:30 AM.

We ate lunch and waited about three hours -- until 2:30 PM.

By now the fog had mostly lifted and we were able to safely navigate.    Jeff wanted to practice using the radar -- supposedly a great navigational aid in limited visibility.   Fortunately, we tried something new to us -- radar displayed as an overlay onto the chart-plotter.    We could see the radar "blobs" at each navigational buoy around us.    Blobs that appeared in places where buoys were not plotted were other boats.   In previous radar units all we saw were confusing blobs.

Now, finally THIS was the moment of our Third Sea Trial.  We increased the throttle to 2740 to compare the former temperature -- it had previously been running at 214°F -- it was now running at 203°F-- 11 degrees cooler than before the new sea-cock!

Previously speeds over 2740 were impossible because of overheating.  Now we could run the engine at speeds above that -- as the engine was designed to do:

• We increased the throttle to 3200 -- it was running at 212 °F.
• We increased the throttle to 3400 and it was running at 214 °F
• We increased the throttle to 3600 and it was running at 217 °F
• We increased the throttle to 3800 Wide Open Throttle (the maximum the engine could possibly go) and it was running 219 °F

Cruising in fog -- the new engine is finally not overheating

Hurray -- Aisling's engine had finally passed her sea trial!

We went to Cuttyhunk,14 miles, and docked for a few minutes to take the dogs for a walk.

Walking the dogs at Cuttyhunk

Marina at Cuttyhunk

From Cuttyhunk we called Brad Niemiec and reported our successful sea trial

Went back another 14 miles -- all was fine.

Back in slip we had operated 4.3 hours today

New Engine Second Sea Trial -- Sept 16 - 22

Saturday, September 16

If our first sea trial with the new engine had been successful, we would be planning to leave New Bedford and start heading west toward New York City and up the Hudson River.   But since the sea trial was NOT successful we are staying in New Bedford and we extended the car rental for three more days.

During Thursday's sea trial our house batteries had a very low charge and we didn't know why.  We kept seeing a "Low Voltage" warning on the chart plotter.  Jeff worked on that problem this morning and  found a blown fuse in the house battery charger.  We drove to a nearby West Marine and got a fuse and some spares.  Of course, when in West Marine you look at other things and so we bought a few other things.

On Friday, Bill, our mechanic, told us about Holiday Bakery in New Bedford, and the Portuguese sweet bread. We went to that bakery and bought the sweet bread and Jeff got a few other pastries.  It was a very busy bakery.

Bakery wall full of Portugese Sweet Breads

Sunday, September 17

Sunday we did a bit of a tourist thing walking around New Bedford. We went to the New Bedford Whaling National Park which covers 13 city blocks and historical buildings. and the Whaling Museum. It was interesting to learn about Fredrick Douglas.  He was born as a slave in Maryland and became a freed man and lived in New Bedford. He was an excellent orator and abolitionist.

There was a display of a whale skeleton at the Whaling Museum.  Oil has been dripping from the skull since 2006.  They expect it to continue dripping until 2025!

New Bedford Whaling Museum

Bill also told us about a local Portuguese restaurant, Antonio's.  We had supper there on Sunday night.  Looking at the menu we really didn't know what we were ordering.  Jeff chose fish with rice and french fries.  Barbie ordered one of the specials: roasted pork tenderloin.  It came with rice (seasoned and with one or two peas and corn kernels and one black olive with the pit still in it) and little potatoes that were covered with a red rub and broccoli as her vegetable choice. The meat was a little spicy but very good and tender. The potatoes were delicious.

Monday, September 18

Before the mechanic could re-assemble our engine, they had to order some gaskets.  Today we waited for their arrival via UPS.   We were still wondering if our engine was completely ruined because of the salt water in the piston chambers.

While we waited, Jeff put a new cleat on the stern rail for holding the dinghy more securely than it had been.   Problem was, we needed a hole in our canvas cockpit screens.  Jeff found a canvas shop fairly close by.   We took the items to them and although they didn't promise such fast repair, we were notified later the same day that it was ready!

About 1:00 PM we contacted Brad at Niemiec about re-assembling the engine.  The gaskets had arrived and he sent the mechanic to work on that.  He moved the pistons by hand and they were moving freely -- that was a good sign that the engine was not ruined.   We then were directed to start the engine .  Once the starter motor started turning, the engine did not start right away.  As it turned over several times, a cloud  of smoke was coming out the exhaust.  This was a very dramatic moment as we waited for it to start.  It FINALLY STARTED!  That was such a relief, Barbie had tears of joy. WE HAVE AN ENGINE!  It was too late in the day to take a trial run, so that will happen tomorrow, if the weather cooperates.

Jose, a hurricane, is coming up the cost and expected to start giving us rain and wind.  However, we are very protected in our slip and north of the bridge.  To really test the engine we will need to go past the bridge and the hurricane barrier.  We're very hopeful of taking that trip tomorrow.   We had repaired the engine from the towing incident of flooding the pistons with sea water -- but we still had not done anything to diagnose or correct the problem of this new engine overheating.

Tuesday, September 19

We were ready to go on a trial by 8:00 a.m. and waited for the mechanics.  At 9:00 Jeff called Brad Niemiec.  Jeff discussed  a possible cause of the overheating that happened last Thursday on our first sea trial.  There is a cabin heater and a galley hot water heater plumbed into the engine coolant line.   Jeff suggested that these lines be capped off at the engine so they could be eliminated as a possibility of leaking coolant or having an air pocket -- either case could lead to our overheating.   Brad agreed that this would be a wise plan  and he sent down two of his mechanics --  Dave (the senior mechanic) and Brian (who had done the new engine install into Aisling).

Engine coolant lines to external heaters are removed

After a lunch break and 45 minutes before the next bridge opening, we left the dock at 12:30 PM. Brad, Dave, Jeff, Barbie, Hans and Greta were aboard for the second sea trial.   First we went to the protected waters north of the bridge with Brad at the helm.   He opened it up to FULL THROTTLE briefly and all was well.   At 1:15 we passed through the bridge opening and proceeded on through the hurricane barrier.  Because of the approaching tropical storm, Jose, Brad had called the Corp of Engineers earlier to be sure the gate would be open.

Underway for sea trial 

Underway, Dave diagnoses the engine

Now the sea trial was really underway.  While Brad steered among the somewhat rough seas being kicked up by Jose, Dave used a digital infrared thermometer to check for open thermostat and any clues to possible overheating.

After about 45 minutes of high-RPM testing, we were back at the New Bedford hurricane barrier and we did a few figure eights just for extra testing.   The Engine had  PASSED this second sea trial without any overheating.    Engine temperatures never exceeded the expected 212 degrees.

Under-sized sea water inlet and hose

Although the overheating issue seemed to be solved, Brad brought up a point that we should be concerned about.  The Ranger factory had installed an under-sized sea cock to provide raw cooling water to the engine.    We discussed  our options and decided to replace that sea cock as soon as the work could be scheduled.   This would involve a haul-out onto land for the work to be done. We are hopeful this work will be done Friday if the weather cooperates. We are expecting 20 - 30 MPH winds with rain and wind gusts of 40+ MPH.  Hopefully, Jose will not stay around to long and we can be hauled on Friday.

Wednesday, September 20 and Thursday, September 21

Because tropical storm Jose is positioned off  the New England cost we have spent the days rocking and rolling in our slip.  We decided we should take the bimini completely off.  One of the seams on the top was looking like it might tear. We took the top to the canvas shop that we had used before. They said they would be able to get it fixed by Friday.

Jose winds buffet Aisling - double dock lines with chafe gear

The winds on Thursday have been steady at 15 - 20 MPH and gusts as high as 42 MPH.  The harbor we are in has waves with white caps.  We are in our slip which is closest to land and we just rock and roll and hear the wind.  I am amazed that I am not experiencing sea sickness.  When we were on our sailboat, Cynosure, 28 years ago I experienced sea sickness often.

Friday, September 22

The wind is still blowing, there are still white caps and Aisling will NOT be hauled out and worked on today.  We will be waiting until Monday for the sea-cock upgrade.

New Engine First Sea Trial - Sept 12 - Sept 15

Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017

On Tuesday morning, September 12 we went to Enterprise Car Rental in Towson and picked up a minivan.  Barbie filled the car full of fuel.   Then she stopped at our son Eric's where he and Tina got the seats to fold down.  We spent the rest of the morning packing things we had taken off Aisling and packing more warm clothes for what we think will be cooler weather.  We were full! We were ready to leave around 1:00.  We wanted to get through the New York City area before 4:00.  We ate lunch in the car and only stopped once.  We made it though the congestion of the New York area by 3:30.  The van was very comfortable.

Mini-van packed with cruising gear

Hans and Greta are comfortable travelers

We had reservations for a motel near Providence, Rhode Island.  Jeff realized it was near an Ale House Pub.  After checking into the motel we went to the pub which was right next to the motel.  We enjoyed a dinner of fish and chips and portabella mushroom sandwich and a chocolate brownie with ice cream that we shared.

Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017

The next morning we had the continental breakfast (one small waffle) and were on our way.  Even with rush hour traffic we arrived at Niemiec Marine center by 9:30.  We finally met Brad Niemiec, and other Niemiec employees, whom we had only talked to by phone or electronic means.  They are very nice.  Brad told us of the work they had done in getting Aisling ready for the new engine.

Niemiec marine where our boat was repaired

We went with Brad on a short 20 min. sea trail and everything went well.  We knew we needed to break-in the engine in and Brad talked to us about how to go about doing that.  We spent the rest of the day unloading the minivan, getting the dinghy blown up and installed on the swim platform on Aisling, trying to find a place for everything and everything in its place.  Jeff was very excited to get going, but Barbie knew we needed to get the minivan unloaded so that it could be returned to Enterprise by 10:00 the next morning.  We were exhausted but got most things done, fed the puppies their evening meal, and went grocery shopping.  We found a Giant (called Stop and Shop up here) and it was nice to have the familiarity of the store.

Unpacking all our gear to stow aboard

 We got back to Aisling, stowed everything and left by 8:00 to go to the Moby Dick Brewing Company.  Jeff said that the beers there were OUTSTANDING.  The food was also OUTSTANDING!  Jeff had a plate of mussels and a bowl of clam chowder (after all this is sea coast country).  Barbie had a haddock sandwhich that was THE BEST fried fish she had ever had.  We finished it off with a peach cobbler that we shared.

The Moby Dick Brewery

We enjoyed sleeping on the boat, with the motion of the boat in water.  We are about 20 feet from a major road that connects the island the marina is on with the mainland.  There is a swing bridge that opens once an hour, but during the night only on demand. Both of us heard it open occasionally but it did not bother our sleeping.

Thursday, Sept 14, 2017

Thursday morning we had a good breakfast, did the dishes and a few other chores.  We then tried to take the minivan back to Enterprise.  The Enterprise office for our return was on the SeaLink ferry peer.  We spent at least a half an hour trying to find them.  We finally went to a different Enterprise a little further away.  The Ferry office is only open during the peak tourist season.  We got a ride back to Aisling and got ready to take our lines off and start our first trip with the new engine.

After passing through the swing bridge

Following a commercial fishing boat toward the Hurricane Barrier

We made the 1:15 bridge opening and were on our way to Cuttyhunk Island.  Barbie found waiting for the bridge to open a bit unnerving as there were two HUGE commercial fishing vessels also waiting near us.  We all made it through the opening.

New Bedford Hurricane Barrier protecting the harbor

We are on our way to the New Bedford Hurricane Barrier. This is like a dam with a gated opening that is designed to protect the city from storm surges.  Since we had  just followed Hurricane Irma in the past few days, we appreciated that barrier.

We followed Brad's instructions as to how many RPMs to run the engine and for how long before changing speed.  We were running the engine at 3000 RPM. The temperature got to 212 °F but that was expected since these engines are designed to run fairly hot.  After a half hour we increased the RPMs to 3200.  However, a few minutes later the engine alarm sounded that our new engine had OVERHEATED!  We SLOWLY reduced throttle, and the temperature decreased.   Jeff called (on the cell phone) TowBoatUS of New Bedford to come and tow us back to the marina.    He also called Niemiec Marine and they said they'd reserve a mechanic to look at Aisling first thing the next morning.

With the engine idling in neutral, we were rocking and rolling in the 1 1/2 foot waves.  The current was about 2 knots or so.  The rolling motion was NOT comfortable.  So we could steer into the ways to be more comfortable,  we used forward gear at idle speed.  The dogs, Hans and Greta, were very comfortable and not alarmed at all through all of this!  Even when the tow boat arrived they didn't show any signs of  concern.

When the towboat arrived we stopped the engine, Jeff went to the bow in the rocking seas and attached the tow bridle to the bow cleats.  It was about a 7 mile tow.  However, back in the harbor we had to wait half an hour for the next bridge opening.  We got to our slip and tied up.  We are glad that we paid for unlimited towing insurance!

Under tow approaching New Bedford

Another boater with a boat on our pier, Chuck, helped us tie up and invited us onto their boat, Sandpiper, for "docktails".  They are from Rock Hall, MD and Sandpiper is a large motor yacht. We enjoyed talking with them, eating snacks and wine that Chuck had made.  It was excellent wine. He not only made the wine he had also planted the grapes, tended them and then finally made the wine! Before we left, they gave us a tour of their beautiful boat - very impressive with three bedrooms with real beds, two heads, and a large refrigerator/freezer.

Aisling's slip at Niemiec Marine

Friday, Sept. 15, 2017

By 8:00 am Dave, the mechanic was on Aisling and looking at the engine. We gave him a rundown of our trip and experience with RPMs etc. He did some tests. The coolant was low and had leaked into the bildge - WHY?   He then had Jeff try to start the engine and there was a CLUNK but the engine did not turn over -- absolutely NOTHING, NADA, ZILCH!  He had Jeff try again and the same thing!  He then went to the office and returned with Brad.  Brad said he feared that the engine was water-locked, that is, there was water in the piston chambers.   This could happen during towing if the captain did not close the sea cock.  Jeff had not known to do that. Brad said that the water can sometimes enter the exhaust and flood the muffler and end up flooding the piston chambers. Closing the engine raw-water sea cock when towing helps to prevent this.

Another Niemiec mechanic, Bill, was assigned to work on our engine, removing the intake air manifold, then pulling the glow plugs.

Opening up the engine

Next he used his hand to move the crankshaft so the pistons would move.  If he could NOT move the pistons our engine would only be good as a boat anchor! HE WAS ABLE TO TURN THE PISTONS! YOO HOO!  WE STILL HAVE AN ENGINE!

As he moved the crankshaft the water spurted out of the glow plug holes.  

Removing the sea water from the piston cylinders

After removing the water, the engine oil was drained and replaced with new oil.  New gaskets for the manifold were ordered which hopefully will arrive on Monday.  Once those get put on the engine the engine will be run, then change the oil, the run again and change the oil.  Then we need to find out WHY it overheated.

Oh, and just to keep our live exciting, we now have the possibility of Jose, a hurricane/tropical storm, approaching New Bedford and giving us rain, high waves and making it so we stay put for a few more days!

So lately as we have been spending a lot of money on the boat, we have a new name for $1,000.  That new name is one boat unit.   It seems lots of boat units have been spent lately.   In talking with Bill, our boat mechanic, he reminded us of the acronym for B. O. A. T -- it stands for:

Break Out Another Thousand 

Engine disaster -- July 7 to Sept. 8

When we last wrote about our adventure, we had returned on June 29 to Tidewater Yacht Service in Baltimore with a very serious engine problem.    We had moved some of our gear back home where we would wait out the repair.    Anyway, once the mechanic begin working on the boat, we could  not be living on the boat since the engine space would need to be accessible.

We were very hopeful that work would start as soon as possible but the 4th of July holiday added to the delay.

On Friday July 7 we got word from Tidewater that they had been researching our problem with the help of the Yanmar distributor and they were planning to test the oil cooler first which is not very difficult or time consuming.   If that tested OK, then they would have to address the possibility of a blown head gasket.   That would involve removing the engine from its mounts and lifting it up and out of the boat to gain access to the components that were involved.   That was a possibility we dreaded to even think about.

On Thursday July 13 the mechanic finally began working to remove our oil heat exchanger and oil filter assembly -- they are mounted together on the engine.   In the shop he built a test apparatus which pressurized the coolant side with soapy water to 35 PSI.   The oil filter had been removed and the oil filter assembly was empty.   However, a fine stream of soapy water was entering the oil filter through some cracks or defects that SHOULD NOT BE.  Replacement parts were ordered and we paid extra to have them delivered by next day.

Testing the oil cooler assembly

On Wednesday, July 19 the new parts were ready to be installed.   This went well and by the end of the day the motor had been run at the dock and the coolant filled including the in-cabin heater and domestic water heater which are extensions of the engine cooling system but are located remotely.   I cleaned the coolant recovery tank and left it completely empty -- the engine coolant is supposed to expand into the recovery tank as it warms.

On Thursday July 20 I was getting ready for a sea trial.  It was oppressively hot and forecast to be around 100.   Barbie joined me for the sea trial.    We had a nice trip, running the engine at high cruising  3000 RPM toward the Key Bridge and then turning toward the inner harbor and running slowly because they have a 6 MPH speed limit in the harbor.

It was a very enjoyable cruise.  However, when we arrived back at the dock we saw some problems:  The coolant overflow tank had overflowed and there was engine oil in the coolant.   Filling the coolant next morning, I added about a quart.  We were very concerned and discussed the situation with Tidewater.

On Wednesday July 26 we took another sea trial with just Jeff and Barbie.   This lasted only 9 minutes operating first five minutes at  2400 RPM and then 4 minutes at 3000 RPM.    Jeff opened the hatch to observe the coolant recovery tank.  It was full and spurting coolant through the tiny vent hole in the cap.

Coolant being forced to overflow reservoir

On Thursday we discussed the situation with TYSC. They said that a leaking head gasket would explain the current situation.    We returned to the boat and unloaded all of the perishables such as beer, coffee, dog food and any food it the refrigerator and the freezer.   Now we are prepared to have the engine worked on with major repair.  They will probably have to remove the engine because there is little room to access it while in the cramped engine room.

Tuesday, August 8, 2017
We received a message from Tidewater and it was bad news.  They had removed the engine and placed it in the shop. They disassembled the engine head and inspected the head gasket and cylinder walls. I arrived at Tidewater the next day to survey the damage.

The head gasket was OK, but the piston cylinder walls had unusual wear.   Most  importantly, there was a 2 inch long thin crack in cylinder 3.   Our mechanic said we would need to find a "long block" which is a new engine block and head assembly.

Tidewater contacted the US East Coast Yanmar distributor, Mack Boring Parts Company, and found that our engine is not made any more and no replacement blocks are available. On my own, I started to check for the parts we would need for repairs. I contacted Mack Boring on my own, plus I contacted engine service companies in Annapolis and New Bedford, MA.    There was a positive response from Niemiec Marine in New Bedford.   Although they were not available in the US, Niemiec could obtain a new engine for us from Canada.   We received a detailed quote for new engine and the labor to install it.  The price was reasonable as far as could be expected, but very expensive none-the-less.  We had few choices: different engine (wouldn't fit the space), no engine (useless boat), sell this boat as-is (who would want it?) -- We decided to go with Niemiec which is an ideal shop for engine replacements since they do this type of work very often.

Friday, August 11, 2017

We went to our credit union and withdrew the deposit money.  This was sent to Niemiec by UPS messenger envelope. This covered the cost of the engine but not the labor to install it.

We researched transportation for getting Aisling to New Bedford. It would require a hydraulic trailer which can load a boat while it is blocked and supported by stands.  We went with a company recommended by Niemiec.  They would be able to pick up the following week and deliver next day.
They would need to transport our old engine as well.  That old engine would be needed for the boat-specific parts to successfully install the new engine.

Saturday, August 12, 2017

We started preparing Aisling for the truck transport.   First we removed the dinghy from the stern and brought it home where we folded it up and stored it.

Ready for transport by truck

I took off the Bimini top and took it home to fold it.   It is back onboard and stored in the v-berth. The bimini frame is folded and taped together to keep it from shifting in transport.  The anchor on bow is lashed firmly on the deck.   Also the anchor on the stern is lashed firmly and the chain lashed into its small basket on the swim platform.

Tidewater started to prepare the old engine on a pallet with the associated parts in boxes or securely shrink-wrapped in plastic bundled with the engine.

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Our transport company picked up Aisling on Wednesday and delivered her to Niemiec the following day.  Meanwhile our new engine was being shipped by truck from the west coast of Canada.  We expected it to arrive by Friday, August 25 but  it was delayed and arrived Thursday August 31.

Friday, September 1, 2017

Niemiec Marine had already removed the transmission from the old engine and refurbished it by removing surface corrosion and with new paint.  They began working on the engine for installation in the boat.

Friday, September 8, 2017

Today we received the news that the work is almost complete with just a few details to work out.   Next week we are preparing to rent a car one-way from Baltimore to New Bedford.  We will take the items we removed from the boat, plus our dogs Hans and Greta.   When we get there we will take Aisling for a Sea Trial.  If that goes well, we will start living on the boat while docked at Niemiec Marine.   After a few days of that, we should be starting out on our journey.

Starting our Journey Second Time -- June 27 - 28

Starting our Journey Second Time -- June 27 - 28

Our first attempt at leaving on our cruise was cut short when the engine overheated and we returned to Tidewater Yacht Service Center (TYSC) on June 12.   We were waiting for service on what we thought would be the engine thermostat. Since the wait involved many days, we returned to our home to wait it out and unloaded the refrigerator and freezer.

The mechanic ordered the first thermostat and we had a week of waiting.  Turned out that one was the wrong one for our engine.  What was really disturbing is that we did not even have a thermostat installed!   We wondered if the previous owner had removed it to hide overheating problems before selling the boat. The second one (another week of waiting) finally arrived.   But it wasn't that simple because it didn't fit either.   Finally it was discovered that this engine model has two possible places where a thermostat could be installed.  The mechanic found the actual thermostat installation in our engine and replaced it. The old one was bad so it was good it was replaced.

Engine thermostat being replaced

Monday June 26, 2017

When Jeff arrived at the marina he was wondering if this week the work might get started.  He was surprised that the mechanic had worked on Saturday and installed the new thermostat.   Today we could take Aisling on a sea trial.  With the mechanic on board, Jeff motored almost to the Key Bridge at 3000 RPM.   That was almost an hour.   Unexpectedly, toward the end of the sea trial, the engine temperature started to rise.   That was a bad omen, but we let it go without addressing it as an issue.

Since the successful sea trial, our departure date is finally upon us.  We jumped into high gear getting stuff ready to depart -- the dogs gear -- the freezer goods -- the refrigerator goods -- clothes -- stuff we have taken off -- sewing projects.

After working all day, we decide to sleep home rather than on the boat.   Sleeping on the boat would enable an early morning takeoff, but we  just couldn't do it.  We hadn't placed our gear on the boat yet, but we could do that in the morning

Tuesday June 27, 2017

We begin our big cruise (for the second time) leaving the dock at Noon.    The weather was great -- light winds from the West.  We were running at a fast cruising RPM of 3000 -- hopefully with no worries of overheating. However,  within one hour we are disappointed that our engine temperature is 225. This is very disappointing since we  know the temperature should be around 200 in this engine.   But having had a successful sea trial the day before, we rationalized "This engine must be a hot running engine -- this is probably normal for us"  Watching the temperature carefully, it came down to 223 -- we were going 8.1 knots. Satisfied, we kept going at fast cruising speed.

Passing under the Key Bridge, outbound

At 5:00 PM we stopped at Bohemia Bay Yacht Harbor for fuel.  It was nice to re-visit where we had been on our first time starting of the journey.  While we were fueling a Ranger Tug R-27 came in for fuel -- "Gratitude" with Paul and Kat.  They and another boater were asking us about our plans and we described our America's Great Loop journey and that we were on Day 1 of the journey. We gave them the 10 second tour of Aisling and talked for about an hour.

At 6:30 PM we departed Bohemia River.  We were somewhat concerned about engine temperature and also  wanting to save on fuel, so we ran the engine at medium cruising 2660 RPM.   Temperature was 224 -- too hot but we had been running hot all day.

At 7:20 PM we were in the C&D Canal and only a few minutes from our planned overnight dockage at Chesapeake City.  Suddenly the Engine Alarm sounded!  That indicates a temperature of 230!    We could no longer rationalize that our engine was OK running at high temperature.   Our engine was definitely in trouble!

Slowing to idle, we kept going while waiting for the temperature to drop, which it did.   By 7:25 we were able to cruise slowly at 1800 RPM and maintain the engine temperature at around 202.

When we docked at the Chesapeake City Town Docks, we met a couple who were in the boat docked next to us.  They were from Cape May which would be our next leg of the journey.  We learned from them that they planned to leave as early as possible in the morning to avoid heading into the afternoon breezes coming from the Atlantic Ocean which blow directly against your course.

We had a nice dinner of steak and rice.  We cooked the steak inside rather than getting our grill into service.

Town dock at Chesapeake City

Wednesday June 28, 2017

At first light, the cruisers around us were departing to go down the Delaware River to Cape May.    We didn't hurry ourselves and had a nice breakfast as usual.  Jeff checked the oil and was surprised that it did not register on the dip stick!  Just two days before, at the sea trial, it had been fine.   One and a third quarts were added to bring the level to the top mark on the dip stick.

Jeff checked the coolant level. First he checked the coolant overflow tank -- all was fine and there was no oil residue there.   Second he checked the engine coolant cap -- everything fine there.   Unexpectedly -- it was low on coolant.  Jeff added about three quarts of coolant to bring it to the required level.

At 9:40 we left the dock.  At first we limited our speed to medium cruising at 2600 RPM.   We watched the temperature carefully and it was steady at 194.

Southbound in the Elk River

At Noon we increased our speed to fast cruising at 3000 RPM and watched the temperature carefully.   It was steady at 199.    Thankfully our engine was running at the temperature it should be running.  We are confident that overheating will not be an issue as long as we have the proper level of coolant in the engine.

We reached our marina by 5:00 PM and tied up at the space we had left two days before.   We are back waiting for service. But since the engine is not overheating, we wonder why we didn't just go on to the Delaware River because by now we would be in Cape May, NJ.   But we didn't know that our engine was going to run so cool today. It had given an alarm the day before. We will have the engine looked at just to be sure.  At that time we did not know that the engine actually did have a major problem as we would discover the next morning.


Thursday June 29, 2017

At 7:00 AM, after the engine had cooled all  night, Jeff checked the oil level.   It was down to midway between the marks.  Having topped it off the day before, we thought it unusual that we had lost some oil.   Jeff then checked the coolant level starting with the coolant overflow tank.   The translucent tank which is normally pink (like the coolant fluid) was appearing BLACK (like engine oil).   A paper towel dipped into the overflow tank, came out coated with black engine oil.

Engine oil is in the coolant recovery tank

So now we are waiting again to repair our engine. This time we are not really worried about overheating -- that seems under control. We are worried that there is a leak of oil into the coolant.    There are three possible explanations for the problem -- leak in the oil cooler assembly -- leak in a head gasket -- crack in the engine somewhere.  We realize that this is going to delay our trip significantly -- probably at least two weeks. July 4th holiday is next week -- the marina will be shut down most of next week since they will not operate at all on Monday as well as Tuesday, July 4, Independence Day.

Waiting for the engine repairs

So we must be patient and wait.   We moved our gear off the boat and started  living back at our home. At least we were not stuck in a far-away port.

Starting our Journey -- June 10-12

Stowing beer in cave under V-Berth

Friday, June 9, 2017

All of the necessary projects and repairs were finally completed on Friday, June 9, which is Jeff's birthday.  Jeff started organizing and deciding on tools that should go with us.  The picture shows Barbie storing 24 bottles of home brew to give as gifts. At 5:00 pm we went to The Nickel Taphouse in Mt. Washington to celebrate Jeff's birthday.  We came home, took items to Aisling, "stuffed" it aboard, working till about Midnight.  We left Aisling and slept at home. 

Saturday, June 10, 2017

The next morning we took Hans and Greta and a few more things to Aisling.   We got underway at 1:20 pm.  We were going 3,000 RPM, 8.5 knots, our preferred speed.  Barbie was at the helm, as Jeff worked on the navigation.  At 2:00 pm we saw the special red white and blue navigation buoy.  This special buoy marks the place where Francis Scott Key, on a British boat during the War of 1812, saw that the US flag was still on the fort.  He then penned the words for our National Anthem.

View of Fort McHenry near the special buoy

Shortly after passing under the Key Bridge Barbie looked at the heat temperature and told Jeff we were at 223°F.  OUR ENGINE WAS OVER HEATING!

Barbie throttled back to 2000 RPM, 6.1 knots and the temperature gradually cooled down to 210°F.

This was very disturbing news.  However, since by going slower the temperature was acceptable, we decided to continue.

The weather and wind of less than 10 knots made for a great sailboat day. However, it was a bit lumpy for a powerboat.

We anchored in Fairlee Creek, which is near Chestertown, MD.  Thirty-seven years ago on our first sailboat, a 25 foot Rainbow, we anchored here for our first anchorage.  We had our children Emily and Eric (ages 8 and 5) with us.  Fairlee Creek became one of our favorite anchorages.  It was a lovely night, a light breeze, warm, but not hot temperatures.  We took the dinghy and puppies ashore several times, and had a nice night of sleeping.

Puppies sleeping in our bed.

Anchorage at Fairlee Creek

Sunday, June 11, 2017

After a breakfast of sausage, egg in a hole (Jeff) oat bran and blueberries (Barbie) we dinghied ashore with Hans and Greta. We continued north to the Bohemia River, about 10 miles from the C&D (Chesapeake and Delaware) Canal.  Jeff had contacted the America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association (AGLCA) Host asking about a marina with a diesel mechanic.  He suggested the Bohemia Bay Yacht Harbor (BBYH) which had a slip available.  We contacted the mechanic who would work on Aisling's overheating problem. The day was extremely hot (in the nineties)!  The dogs were panting and drinking a lot of water.  We used the AC but the inside temperature was still in the low 80's.  The marina grounds are large and spacious.  Hans enjoyed walking.  We enjoyed talking with other boat owners.

Barbie with Aisling at BBYH

Monday, June 12, 2017

We again had a nice breakfast and spent the morning waiting for the mechanic.  He finally came around noon.  After talking with us he and the marina manager convinced us that we should return to Tidewater.  We had waited so long before they were able to work on Aisling the first time (May 10 until June 4) we were hesitant to go back.  However, Jeff called and they agreed that we would be considered "a work in progress" and get to us right away.

We slowly (about 6 knots and 1900 RPM) motored back.  We left at 2:00 pm and arrived at Tidewater just as the sun was setting (9:00 pm).

 Waiting for more engine work

So back at Tidewater Yacht Service, we are waiting for more engine work.   We expect the mechanic to replace the engine thermostat.  Hopefully we will be on our way again soon.