Images of Rock Hall

   

Still working like crazy 7 days a week to finish up the boat.Blisters are drying out and I have about 1/3 filled. The main salon floor is sanded and ready to varnish and the stairs have been varnished. Cockpit and starboard non-skid is re-gelcoated.. all make for boring photos, so I thought I would post photos of Rock Hall.

Click on any of the photos to enlarge them..

Entrance Rock Hall Harbour

Clammer Memorial

Gratitude Point

Locals

Mary Beth and Ed's house where I'm staying. Lovely!

Hawthorne Ave.

Rock Hall Village 

`New Rock Hall Village stores

Unexpected delay - Ouch

I hate stupid accidents!

OH boy did I have a good one Monday night. I learned, NEVER use a charcoal BBG grill with bare feet. Yep, one coal got loss and I manged to step on it. WOW did it hurt! One big blister right on the the bottom of my foot, anywhere else I could deal with it. Makes walking and standing really difficult.

So work on the boat has slowed down, shame since the weather is so beautiful here now. I cant stand more than 20 minutes at a time before I need to take the weight off my foot.

Have a nice work area set up under my boat now.. still working to get things done.. just at a slower pace. Hoping that in a week I'll be back to 80%.

Subscribing to my Blog.

Some of you are not on Facebook and then unfortunately cannot see when I post a new Blog page. Sometimes it's also inconvenient to keep checking back to my blog to see if I've added anything.

Well now you can subscribe to this Blog, very easy - look at the top right of where the date is and there is a new gadget. "Follow by email" if you type in your email address and then click submit.. you will be sent by email my blog each time I post something.

Trust me - your address does NOT go to anyone other then my blog. You will not get unsolicited emails or junk by submitting your address. Hope you try it.. and my blogs will get a lot more exciting once I start sailing in June.....

Gratitude Marina and the BIG B

Hauled out at Gratitude Marina

Gratitude Marina, Rock Hall, MD been coming here to Rock Hall for over 20 years. It's a great little town and am so glad that I decided to haul out here. Nice change of pace from being in downtown Philadelphia for the past 3 years. Plenty of space, good store, restaurants and bars.

Main building for Gratitude marina

Most boats are in the water, have the area almost to myself.

 

Road to downtown Rock Hall.

The BIG B "Blisters" - for my boater friends

From Boatsafe.com -"Water being absorbed through the gelcoat and fiberglass laminates in the hull causes blisters. Once thought impervious to water, it has been discovered that constant contact with water can cause it to be absorbed through the gelcoat from the outside and through the exposed laminate on the inside of the vessel (from standing bilge water).

 The water absorbed causes changes in the physical makeup of the hull and reacts with the resins, which build up residues and finally raise blisters by increased pressure on voids between the laminate and the gelcoat. This is what you see on the hull. This phenomena usually starts occurring, although it may occur earlier, from the fifth to tenth year after the manufacture of the boat. It occurs when boats are left in the water for long periods of time and happens more frequently in fresh water. It is estimated that one in four fiberglass boats develops hull blisters. Most will never be more than a cosmetic concern, particularly if they're treated rather than ignored." 

These are blisters that I chiseled and the liquid oozed out. 

I have about 100-120 per each side of the boat, not a hard process to fix, but a tedious one. 

Find And Grind ( simplified) 

• Break open each blister.
• Grind away the broken dome of the blister.
• Scrub until squeaky clean with a stiff brush.
• Paint the inside of each cavity with epoxy resin.
• Trowel the filler into the cavity, smooth it, and then fair it.

After 3 days, I believe I've gotten all the blisters ground down, since they are calling for rain, I covered the boat to try and dry them out. I should be able to fill them in 2 -3 weeks. Fun stuff!

Good Bye Philly

Finally left Philadelphia.

Had an interesting motor/sail leaving Philadelphia for Rock Hall Maryland. Left Philadelphia around 6:30 AM in the company of Full Circle with her new owner Tom, motoring down the Delaware River running with the current- doing a steady 7-8 knots even with the wind on our nose.

Some steady freighter traffic glad I had my AIS,  could see if they were moving or anchored. Plus it's fun to see their names and port of calls.

After 5 hours and 32 miles, we made it to the Delaware River entrance of the C&D canal- connecting us to the Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately since we had the current with us all the way down the Delaware river, we  now where running against the current thru the C&D, our speed slowed sometimes to 2 knots. The canal is 14 miles lone.. at 2.5 knots that's a LONG trip.

 There is one stop along the canal- Chesapeake City; which has a couple of marinas and a small but nice anchorage. I decide, since the wind was still strong from the west which is the direction I'm heading, to stop here for the night.

Up bright and early- 5:30, now heading out to the bay. Beautiful sunrise!

This is the classic Chesapeake Bay bridge/City photo. Will be passing this way again on the way north to Maine.  After a grueling motoring, then sailing in 25-35 knot winds, with a 4 hour stop on the Sassafras river to wait for the wind to change direction, finally made it to Swan Creek in time for a happy hour and a sunset.

Sunset Swan Creek

One of my favorite photo that I've taken

This is Haven Harbour on Swan Creek at Rock Hall Maryland, beautiful spot and marina. Always a wonderful sunset to be had and am looking forward to spending a month here.

Planning on installing a new transducer, moving my engine exhaust, gel-coating part of my deck and the new cockpit lockers I built a couple of years ago, and finally sanding and varnishing my interior floors. Hoping for a month of good weather..

Where oh where are you going???

this is the most frequently asked question everyone has asking me, where are you going! Well I have a tentative schedule for the next year and hope it works out.

Leaving Philadelphia May 2 , have a great tide and current to take me to Rock Hall Maryland in the Chesapeake, so I can have the boat taken out of the water to do some routine maintance and improvements. Should only take a month or less and then I will buddy boat  with my friend Ed up to Maine. Where in Maine---

 Hoping to make landfall at Portland light from the Cape Cod canal and then sail as far north as Roque Island. Giving myself 2 months play there, visiting as many islands as I can; and eat tons of lobster.

Have to be in Philadelphia again by September 10 to go on vacation with friends. After coming back October 8 I will start heading south. Spending the fall in the Chesapeake and around mid November head to the Bahamas. Have sailed all over the Caribbean but have never been to those islands. Really looking forward to the secluded cays, beaches and blue water.. that's the plan-- so far!

T-minus 4 weeks!

I figured that this would be a good time to start my blog. After 3 years, here at Pier 3 Marina in Philadelphia it is time to leave. I retired a year ago, not by choice  but was laid off- actually the best thing my old boss ever did for me!

Spent the past year here at the marina, fixing the boat, upgrading, working at the marina and finishing up some projects. Help install the new breakwater, installed railing along both sides and helped work on the bathroom.

I'll be heading to Rock Hall Maryland to get hauled out, the boat will need it after being in the water for the past 3 years. Installing a new thru hull and transducer, painting the deck and varnishing the cabin sole.

I do wish that the weather was more co-operative, yes we had a great winter but now constant rain. But at least I'm able to finish up a lot of my electronics and electrical work. Brought a Garmin 740 and 741xs, one in the cockpit and one at my nav station, also now have a fabulous AIS unit- Digital Yachts AIT2000 CLASS B TRANSPONDER. Great unit! First electronics I installed that was easy and faultless - worked perfectly verses my last until that I never got working.

Stay tuned... lots of photos and adventures to come!!!!