I left Hampton yesterday and rounded Point Comfort headed north for the second time in 2013. As in January, the hopes and possibilities of a new and different future lay ahead.
The stars all seemed aligned. The batteries were pretty drawn down by the stay at anchor and the monitor showed 100% state of charge just as the wind rose enough to begin sailing. It was a pleasant run on the southeast breeze up to the York River and steady enough for the wind vane to manage the very broad reach which it doesn’t always do well. It even kept the boat running wing on wing for a leg.
The wind veered into the southwest and quickly rose to a reefing breeze as I entered the river and I was soon close hauled and overpowered headed for the Yorktown victory monument. It wasn’t worth reefing for just those couple of miles so I lugged the main and rolled a reef into the jib. When I could fall off just enough to barely crack the sheets, the speed went higher than I can do under power. It was a great end to this day.
I sailed along the Yorktown beaches, took a look at the marina, and then ran back to drop the sails at the entrance to Sarah’s Creek where I am now anchored.
I smelled diesel when I went below and found about a quart of fuel oil in the engine drip pan. There was none in the bilge, fortunately. Investigation show weeping at the bleed screw on the engine mounted filter and the fuel was running down the side of the engine. There has been a very slight seep here so I took a turn on the screw and it stripped right out. I’ve packed the threads with Teflon tape but I can only run the engine for the few minutes to get into the marina.
So, I won’t be continuing on today. Oddly enough, that means that I will be here while my future is being decided just a little over a mile away. The other two proposers for the research vessel design project are making their presentations today. I should know in a few days if I will be spending most of the summer here in the bay working on something interesting and rewarding or heading for Nova Scotia as fast as I can go.
It’s nice when both Plan A and Plan B are pretty attractive.
The stars all seemed aligned. The batteries were pretty drawn down by the stay at anchor and the monitor showed 100% state of charge just as the wind rose enough to begin sailing. It was a pleasant run on the southeast breeze up to the York River and steady enough for the wind vane to manage the very broad reach which it doesn’t always do well. It even kept the boat running wing on wing for a leg.
The wind veered into the southwest and quickly rose to a reefing breeze as I entered the river and I was soon close hauled and overpowered headed for the Yorktown victory monument. It wasn’t worth reefing for just those couple of miles so I lugged the main and rolled a reef into the jib. When I could fall off just enough to barely crack the sheets, the speed went higher than I can do under power. It was a great end to this day.
I sailed along the Yorktown beaches, took a look at the marina, and then ran back to drop the sails at the entrance to Sarah’s Creek where I am now anchored.
I smelled diesel when I went below and found about a quart of fuel oil in the engine drip pan. There was none in the bilge, fortunately. Investigation show weeping at the bleed screw on the engine mounted filter and the fuel was running down the side of the engine. There has been a very slight seep here so I took a turn on the screw and it stripped right out. I’ve packed the threads with Teflon tape but I can only run the engine for the few minutes to get into the marina.
So, I won’t be continuing on today. Oddly enough, that means that I will be here while my future is being decided just a little over a mile away. The other two proposers for the research vessel design project are making their presentations today. I should know in a few days if I will be spending most of the summer here in the bay working on something interesting and rewarding or heading for Nova Scotia as fast as I can go.
It’s nice when both Plan A and Plan B are pretty attractive.
