Log 146; Day 409; July 4, 2009; Inner Harbor Marina; Baltimore, MD

Log 146
Day 409
Saturday, July 04, 2009

7:20 AM EDT
Location: Inner Harbor Marina; Baltimore, MD.
Weather: 69 degrees with light wind; forecasted to be 86 and sunny today

Happy Independence Day...

I got up too early, again this morning...4:30. Not exactly sure why. Nothing on my mind, and nothing to get up for. Well, other than the usual excitement of living on a boat. I worked on the computer for an hour or so, and sent off the log I wrote yesterday, then decided to take a walk around the area and find some cool spot for breakfast. I walked for 45 minutes, and asked about 6 folks if they knew where a place for breakfast was, and no one knew of a spot (other then something in one of the hotels, and I’m going there). So...after the walk, I came back to the boat and made a poached egg, with 3 slices of bacon. Now I’m back at the computer, a fresh cup of coffee, and decided to write today’s log.

It’s a picture perfect day here in downtown Baltimore. Not cold. Not hot. Not a cloud in the sky, and very light winds. We’re in the nicest harbor in Baltimore, with the nicest boats. For me...this is heaven.

Yesterday...I got up about 5:30, with all intentions of doing a log, and I did, but just as I was about to finish it, Deb got up. You could tell something was bothering her, and I knew what it was. The smell from inside the refrigerator was driving her crazy. Before she had got up, I had gone online and checked out a place to buy a new refrigerator, and I told her I would call, as soon as they opened up. She got real excited, until we found out that the refrigerator would not fit through our doorway going to the salon. I know, it sounds crazy, but they must have installed the door after they built the salon, and, from what I can see, taking off the door will be a MAJOR project. So...we decided that based on the cost of a new refrigerator, and the difficulty of taking off the door, we would try to make the existing refrigerator work. Neither of us were happy about this, but we had to move on.

We left the dock at Anchor Bay at about 8:45 and headed south, out to the Patapsco River. When we got back to the Patapsco (which is the main ship channel from the Chesapeake to Baltimore Harbor) we decided to take a quick detour of about 4 miles to check out Maryland Yacht Club. We had read, on an email blog, that they were offering $1 per foot dockage (we are paying $2.50 @ foot at Inner Harbor) for members of the Great Loop Assc. so we wanted to see if it was a nice place, and something we should consider while we are in this area. It turns out that it was a nice spot (although very remote) so I’m sure we will spend some time there either before heading to NYC, or on our way back. Back on the Patapsco, we headed West, about 8 miles, to the Inner Harbor. After tying up; checking in; and getting settled, we decided to jump in the dinghy and go get a big cooler (to store food in) and some groceries (Deb feels like some of the groceries are picking up an odor from the refrigerator). We found out that there is a great place to dinghy to, that is only a couple of miles away (an easy dingy ride). They have a dinghy dock, and just across the street is a Safeway grocery store, and 1 block away is a West Marine. It was perfect. We bought a 72 quart cooler, some groceries, and we were back at the boat in a couple of hours. Once we got back, Deb took everything out of the refrigerator, and either put it in our small refrigerator on the back deck, or in our new cooler. Once empty, she, again, wiped everything in the refrigerator down with a bleach solution, and put in the refrigerator, new charcoal; coffee; and baking soda (all supposed to absorb smells). Our plan is to continue to do this until the refrigerator does not smell. If this does not work, I’m not exactly sure what we’ll do.

Today...we have no plans as of yet. I’m sure it will be a busy day around the harbor, with lots of boat (and people) traffic. We are in a perfect spot to watch it all. I’m not exactly sure where they will set off the fireworks, but it will be very close to our boat, and we will have a perfect view of everything going on.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob

Log 145; Day 408; July 3, 2009; Our last day in Anchor Bay Marina

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