After a couple weeks of being off the boat, and having a bunch of work done on the boat, we are back again. This shot is one of the first looks I get at the new bottom paint, and new zincs. A couple of things to point out in this picture. 1) That silver shinny thing (in the center of the picture) is the biggest zinc on the boat. Inside the boat there are lots of wires running back to this zinc, that protects all of our thru-hull metal items. 2) Just below that zinc is the stern thruster, which is just 2 props mounted inside that housing that will cause the boat to move sideways. 3) Notice the props are painted with anti fouling paint...a new thing for HQ. 4) Those big arms (over my head) are the hydralic arms that lift the dinghy
A shot of the great wax job we had done
Another shot of the shine on the boat...at first sight this boat looks awesome
This picture is taken the next morning, as I spot an issue with something they missed when they painted the bottom
Here I am getting on the boat for the first time since getting back. It was about 30 seconds from the time we took this picture that I discovered that the refrigerator had been off for 2 weeks, and we had a major issue
When they put us back in the water, they put us right next to the tiki bar. It was a little hard to hear our TV over the music playing.
Here is an arial view of Inner Harbor (where we are now). Our boat is at the marina on the left. There will be a barge just outside that marina to shoot off the fireworks on the 4th.
Log 145
Day 408
Friday, July 03, 2009
6:10 AM EDT
Location: Anchor Bay East Marina; Baltimore, MD.
Weather: 66 degrees & no wind; forecasted to be 82 and sunny today
I wrote the log below yesterday, but did not get a chance to send it. I was finishing it when Deb got up, and we got so involved in the refrigerator issue, that this log took a back seat, so I’ll send it today (July 4th)
We’re back at the boat, after being gone for about 2 weeks. We actually got back to the boat on Monday evening, but the activity was a little fierce here at the marina, and I have not had time to write a log.
Our trip home...was very enjoyable. We drove the rental car 800 miles from the marina to our home in Chillicothe, Il. At home, we checked out the house; made routine doctor visits; and had a great time with Terry and Jeanie (Deb’s sister and brother in law, as well as our neighbors). From there we drove to South Elgin, IL to spend a couple days with Beccah (our daughter) and her family; as well as see other friends in the area. Then we drove to Ottawa, IL, where most of Deb’s family lives. We stayed at Les and Annie’s home (Deb’s sister and brother in law) and visited with family, and Beccah and the grand kids also spent the weekend with us. After a great weekend, we left Ottawa on Sunday afternoon, and arrived back at the marina on Monday evening.
Back at the marina...it was a tale of good and bad news. The good news was the boat (sitting blocked up on land) looked great. The bottom was painted; the zincs were all replaced; the dinghy lift was painted; and the boat was waxed, and shinning. We drove to a hotel for the night, feeling good about what we would face tomorrow, but it was not to be. Back at the boat the next morning (Tuesday) I saw a spot they missed on the bottom, so we had to have them fix that before they put the boat in the water. And when I climbed on the boat to drive it off the lift, I knew we had a big problem. The entire boat smelled like a meat locker, and I very quickly determined the boat had not had electricity for 2 weeks and everything in the refrigerator was ruined, and the smell would make you gag. It was a mess...and still is. It has been 3 days now, and the smell is still there (although not near as bad). We have done everything we know how to do to get the smell out, and we are just hoping that everything we are doing (and time) will make it better. Deb has finally stopped crying every time she opens the door, but she still has to hold her breath. My “smeller” is not near as good as hers, so it’s not that big of deal to me, but there is no doubt some of the smell is still there. We just hope it gets less each day. I won’t go into detail about all the other things that happened...but in a quick recap. Even though we left several signs around the boat saying “keep the doors closed to keep out the bugs” ...the helm area was filthy, and full of bugs. Someone had tracked dirty shoes, with caulking on them, from the swim platform to the back bedroom. To get in the boat, on of the mechanics broke our lock on the main door, so we can not lock the boat. When they installed the new impellors on the engines, we now have a vibration at low idle we did not have before. And, although it was my mistake, the bill ended up being almost twice what I had figured it would be. Oh well...it’s all part of boating (at least that is what I keep telling Deb)
Today...we will leave this marina, and head back to Inner Harbor Marina, right in the center of downtown Baltimore. We have a slip for 4 nights there, and look forward to a short cruise this morning, as well as watching the fireworks from our slip tomorrow (they say the fireworks barge is right outside the marina). I also want to go by another marina, and check it out, as a possible marina to stay at while we are in this area.
Next week...we will be joined by our friends, Darrell and Donna Thompson, from Ottawa, IL. They arrive on Monday afternoon, and we are really looking forward to showing them the Chesapeake Bay for a week (they have not been in this area before). The long range forecast looks great, so it should be a fantastic week of cruising.
I’ll keep you posted.
Bob
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