Flying Blind, Electric Issue, and Good Samaritans

October 28, Annapolis, MD

Three days into the cruise and so much has happened. Catherine waved goodbye to Stan and me as we left Riverside on Wednesday, 10/25 in dense fog. We were starting a 120-nautical mile run to Atlantic City. The fog was so thick that at times we could not see Wakely’s bow. Cruising down the East River in New York, the buildings were almost entirely blanketed in fog. This is when a boater completely appreciates and depends on radar which allows one to see other approaching vessels. We used radar the entire trip as the whole way was fogged in. The radar worked perfectly.

Eight Hours later we arrived in Atlantic City mentally exhausted and fog blind from the foggy experience.

Atlantic City

We docked at Farley State Marina at the Golden Nugget and grabbed a quick dinner before collapsing into bed and dreaming of a sunny Thursday.

Thursday dawned a beautiful day and we rose early to make our 95-nautical mile cruise from Atlantic City to Delaware City, DE. We prepared to leave and I turned the ignition and NOTHING!! The engine would not make a sound. Stan and I tried everything we could think of to troubleshoot the problem with tremendous cell phone help from Peter Roestenberg, Wakely’s Engine Technician, and Israel Novak of Back Cove Yachts. They tried so hard to help and it is greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, we could not troubleshoot the issue.

At the end of the day, a technician from Atlantic City arrived to look into the problem and when we realized what it was, I was so disappointed. There is a system on Wakely called a Fireboy. It is designed to put out an engine fire automatically. If the system is not engaged, the engine will not start. The AC technician was looking for possible reasons the engine would not start when he accidentally touched a loose Fireboy wire and the engine came to life. For a loose wire, that only needed to be tightened with a screwdriver, the day was lost.

Atlantic City to Delaware City, DE Rock Hall, MD

Friday dawned with bright sun and Stan and my spirits were high as we fired up Wakely’s engine and headed out towards Delaware City. We cruised down the New Jersey coast and into the Cape May canal in relatively calm waters.

In the Cape May canal, we were approached from behind by “Baroness”, a good size 55ft Ocean fishing boat. A boat built for deep sea fishing far off the shore in heavy seas. I slowed down and called her on the radio asking if she would like to pass us on the port side. She replied that she would and thanked us for our courtesy. As she passed, I asked if they had heard any marine forecast for Delaware Bay, a historically rough patch of water. Baroness replied she had not and that the bay would be fine.

A little while later, after Baroness had gotten ahead of us by about a mile and entered the Bay from the canal, she radioed us again and informed us that the Bay was completely snotty (a nautical term for huge waves). And, offered to lead us through the Bay, breaking the waves as we went. This would allow Wakley to maintain a better speed and reduce the banging caused by the huge wave effect. Baroness had to wait, bobbing in the water, approximately 30 minutes before we caught up to her because, without her kindness, we were only managing 7-8 knots. Once we tucked in behind this good/great samaritan, we were able to increase speed to 15 knots. It was still rough, but not as bad as it would have been without Baroness.

With the kindness of this gentleman and his vessel Baroness, we made great time and got through the bay with time to spare. As there was still daylight, we pushed on to Rock Hall, MD. which put us closer to Annapolis which was our goal for today.

This morning we left for a quick 20-mile run across the Chesapeake Bay to Annapolis, MD where I am sitting now. Earlier this afternoon we took a walking tour of the U.S. Naval Academy and I wish that I had had the brains to even consider such a fine school. However, seeing all the cadets gave me a tremendous feeling of pride and hope for our future naval officers.

Tomorrow we cruise 48 miles to Solomons Island and then to Norfolk, VA where we will add a new character to our story. Randy Bourne will join us for our cruise from Norfolk, VA to Savannah, GA and we look forward to the fun and humor he will bring.

Loving every minute and looking forward to more adventures.

Keep Cruising.