Every day life

During the summer we have had tarps covering the boat in a vain attempt to keep some of the heat out. A side result of this is that it also kept the rain off. So we couldn't pin point where the leaks in our windows were.
Taking the tarp off for Hurricane Irene and the downpour that came with her fixed that dilemma for us - nearly every window had a leak somewhere! This, after twice trying fix the problem.
We think we have it licked now though. We have caulked all around the outside of each window with 3M 4000 UV, as well as taking out each screw and injecting the 4000 into each screw hole. So far, fingers crossed, no leaks.

                                                                             

                                                                                     

 Taping around the outside of the windows

 Screws replaced after filling holes with black 3M 4000

We woke up one morning to find this handsome spider had spun a web from our car radio antenna to the ground below. I'd reckon 2.5 - 3 inches in length. 

Over-packaging, perhaps? The tiny item in the center of the picture is all that was in this postal delivery.

In another lifetime I think I would like to work with wood. Look at the difference between the sun-bleached, scruffy wooden seat above and another one that has had nothing done but been sanded. Once they get varnished again they will look like new.

We made it :-)

There was a lot of activity in the boatyard in anticipation of Irene. Most of the boats at the  marina next door decided to get hauled out, and the travel lift was kept busy. Over a 2 1/2 day period they hauled about 50 boats!

 The marina looking pretty empty

 Packing them in like sardines

 There was a waiting list of boats wanting to be hauled

 This space looks about full

Having prepared our boat as best we could we decided to leave and indulge in a bit of luxury at a motel. We went about 100 miles northwest, to Fredricksburg, in order to lessen the risk of being without power. There was nothing we could do if we stayed that we hadn't already done.
In Fredricksburg we had airconditioning! That made the whole trip worthwhile. There was a fair bit of rain and a strongish wind and ironically we lost power twice for several hours at a time.

We are located just below and to the left of the "H" by

2 AM Sun(day)

Early Sunday, when we were able to get internet, we checked the road closures and found an open route to get back to the boat. Virginia government has a good site with a map showing road conditions. We got back to the boat with no problems at all, and I was impressed at the number of trees  blocking the road that were already cut and cleared less than 15 hours after Irene had passed.
Our main concern returning to the boat was whether we could manage without any power and whether there had been any damage from other boats.  We needn't have worried, in fact, we could have stayed right where we were!
All the boats in the boat yard were fine. The power never went out and the water didn't rise as much as it has done in some of the nor'easters we have been in while here. For us it was a non-event. And we were exceedingly grateful.

Update: we have not had internet since the beginning of the week, not because of local conditions but because Internet Providers far away are down. I heard today that friends in Richmond, who have been without power all week, are not expecting to have any for yet another week. We have never lost it.

Just in Case

I forgot to mention that we might well be without power and internet for some time after hurricane Irene passes by. The last big hurricane had the power out for 2 weeks. This little spit of land is  not the first priority when massive power outages hit. So if you don't hear from us for a while it is no cause for worry - just a nuisance.

Something I also meant to mention was that for the last 2 weeks we rise to the smell of smoke in the mornings. Sometimes it is so strong during the night that it actually wakes me up, which takes some doing. This is all due to the fires burning over 100 miles to the south, in the Dismal Swamp,  now covering over 4000 acres and predicted possibly to burn until October. The ICW (Intra-Coastal Waterway) has a branch that passes through here and has been closed as a result. Luckily there is an alternate ICW route, so it doesn't affect traffic too much.

Boat are continuing to be hauled out here at the boatyard. They started again today at 7:30 a.m.and haven't stopped. Irene has changed course slightly and is moving a little closer than first anticipated, so more and more people are deciding it's safer on land. We are quite confident we will be fine - just hope the boats around us don't cause any damage.

Is Irene on her way?

Yesterday there was a bit of excitement when we felt some strong tremors as a result of a category 5.8 earthquake with it's epicenter at Mineral, west of Washington. The tremors seemed to go on for quite some time, several seconds, and the boat rocked back and forth on it's keels like water sloshing back and forth in a bath. Local people who had relatives in Washington D.C. were told that they could see the buildings undulating, as though a wave were passing under them. People in tall buildings in Richmond got quite a ride.

As mentioned in the previous post, the leg for our outdrive is on. Chris has combined the better components of the two legs we have and of course some of the holes, etc. are just a few mm. out. Nothing is ever straightforward :-). We are close to testing the engine, but still waiting for a few parts to be delivered in the next day or so before we can do so.

We were at West Marine yesterday ordering a replacement oven for the Force 10 we bought last September. After beginning to use it this summer it transpires that it is faulty and West Marine has undertaken to get us a new one. I'm very impressed with that service as it is nearly a year since we bought it. Fingers crossed!

Most of the talk the last few days is of Hurricane Irene and how close will she come to us? There is a steady stream of boats being hauled out here in the yard and boats left in the water are having their canvas tied down and lines doubled. Hurricane Hanna in 2008 ended up being nothing more than a rainstorm after much preparation by the yard and watches all night through. My theory is the more preparation the less chance she will come any where close - hope I'm right.

The Briefest of Updates

I promised to write about our trip to Asia, but as everyone who has an interest in that has already seen the pictures and heard the stories I decided instead to create a separate blog here (currently under construction with nothing in it!) which I will add to in due course.

On the boat front progress has been slow. As well as being away until mid-April, we have also been away for 6 weeks in June and July. We returned to the boat yard the very beginning of August and are starting back where we left off. Chris has got the outdrive back on, and yesterday did what needed doing with all the through-hulls. We are actually floatable!

Now, we need to test the engine - routine we hope - then get the mast prepped to go up. This involves threading all the various instrument wiring through it, etc., a fiddly and time-consuming exercise.

The weather is VERY hot and humid. We have three large fans constantly running at top speed inside the boat and that makes it bearable - just. Internet is still variable. I don't know if the tornado in April affected it, but it never seems to have been the same since.

Back in Deltaville

We are back in Deltaville after a very welcome break from the cold and from boat work.
My intention was to write regularly while we were away, but that just didn't happen. While wifi was
fairly easy to find, our energy was totally focused on travelling and what we were seeing and by the end of the day there was nothing left to do but collapse.

So while I try and keep up to date with what we are doing now, every once in a while I will  include some pictures and notes about our Asian travels.
Don't forget, you can click on pictures in any of our posts to enlarge them.

We got back here on April 18th, 48 hours after a tornado went through town. The tornado cut across our peninsula from south to north in a very narrow band, but where it touched down the devastation was substantial. The brick Zoar church on the main street was cut in half, leaving a hole between the front and back sections. The steeple was on the ground next to it. The town swimming pool had disappeared, making me rethink the concept of staying low during a storm. Houses were destroyed or rendered unsafe. Power lines were down, but the very next day crews were in town making them safe and replacing and restoring power. A soup kitchen was established. Curfews were set. Amazingly there were no injuries or loss of life - quite miraculous. By the end of the week most of the infrastructure was back, leaving the cleanup and the rebuilding to do.

Help was at hand almost immediately

Repairing downed power lines

Zoar Church - split in half

Trees with the tops ripped off

It is now 6 weeks later. The swimming pool is in the process of being rebuilt, and other buildings made safe or boarded up. Many of the downed trees have been cut up and burned in huge bonfires.
I really didn't understand what a tornado could do - it's not the same in a news bulletin - but having seen this I am keenly aware of the destruction that so many communities have faced recently and my heart goes out to them.

6 weeks later - houses being assessed for repair

Zoar Church - 6 weeks later

Community Center - pool in back right being rebuilt

6 weeks later - still clearing up

6 weeks later

The boatyard changed hands at the beginning of the year and is no longer called Schroeders Yacht Systems but Stingray Point Boat Works. Schroeder's has relocated to the slightly larger community of Urbanna, up the Rappahannock River a way. It has a great location right in the center of the town, stores, supermarket and library a couple of minutes walk away. The location we are at now really does require a vehicle, which is why we are trying to eke out the last few miles from our aging and (not so) trusty van.

We are working to have the boat "floatable" by the end of June. That is a fine distinction from being ready, but we have stopped aiming for that! Our time away from the yard has given us a fresh impetus and a lot of the prep. work we have been doing for the last years is finally coming together and giving us a sense of accomplishment.

Cleaned & painted engine "room", cleaned & painted engine.

Beautiful!

December - Brrrrrr

Happy Holidays!

We got our gift early.
WE ARE OUT OF THE TENT!!

We're coming out! We want the world to know...

It almost feels like we have graduated and moved on to middle school. Now that she is in full day light the paint job on the boat looks even better though that hardly seems possible. She does look lovely.

Being out in the yard means we have slightly less power than we did before. We still need to install our solar panels and wind generator. Until then we are using a 15 amp outlet. Getting more like a boat :-)

We can squeeze in here, if we just move that power outlet a little

Weather wise, it is proving to be a year of extremes. After a hot summer we are also sharing the early cold and snow that seems to be affecting many places.

Starting to snow.....followed by freezing rain

We recently wrote to family:
"Snow most of today, melting stuff the rest of it. Tomorrow does not get above freezing. And high winds. The inside of the boat is dripping all over everywhere. Chris just crawled through a puddle. Whoever says boat life is not fun just does not know what they are talking about."

In hindsight we realized that we really did not accomplish much through the winter season last year. Many of the jobs that needed doing on the boat simply could not be done in such cold temperatures. So we have decided that we will take the opportunity to make some long overdue visits to people we love and who we haven't seen for way to long.

Watch this space!