Salt Ponds Marina to Zimmerman Marine

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Serenity was pulled out of the water on Wednesday and the mechanic at Atlantic YB saw a problem right away. The prop shaft had somehow slipped forward inside the coupling and the metal line cutters were rubbing on the cutlass bearing housing. He made the necessary adjustments, checked a few other things and declared the boat fixed and it was splashed back down.
 

Things were up in the air for us for a while

While they were working on the boat I found a comfortable spot to sit in
the lounge at the ship's store - who knew they had a magazine called
Garden & Gun?!

We left the next morning to resume our trip and timed it so we would be ready when the nearby drawbridge opened at 7. Right after the bridge we entered the first lock we have seen since we left the Tenn-Tom waterway just north of Mobile early last November. The lock only dropped us about a foot and then we were on our way through the last 12 miles of the ICW.

 

A mermaid welcomes us to Norfolk

A few of the large channel markers had a bell on them that rang
as they swayed - you can just make out the clapper on this side

As seen through our windshield, a Navy ship makes her way into
the harbor from the Chesapeake - we gave her a wide berth

 

Captain’s Log May 28, 2015

Departed: Atlantic Yacht Basin, Great Bridge, VA, 6:45 a.m.

Engine hours: 4.8 hrs. – 721.1 total for trip
Actual hours: 4 hrs.  15 min.
Miles covered 31.95 - Total for trip: 5113
Arrived: Salt Ponds Marina, Hampton, VA, 11 a.m.
Weather: Left AYB early to make the 7 am Great Bridge opening and following lock as well. cruised the last 12 miles of the ICW through Portsmouth and Norfolk harbors. Out past Norfolk Naval Station to arrive at Salt Ponds Resort/Marina.  Prop shafts, although better are still an issue. Suspect the vibration is the cause and we will have to wait for the Zimmerman Yard to get it fixed.

Friday, May 29 - Tuesday, June 2

Salt Ponds Marina and Resort was a great place to stay because it was in Hampton and near lots of historical sites in the Tidewater area. We rented a car for the weekend and drove to Yorktown to see the sights. We took the trolley tour and walked along the historic Main Street. It wasn’t crowded or touristy so it felt like taking a step back in time. We also went to the Maritime Museum in Newport News. It has changed a great deal from the time we went there in the early '70s when we lived in Virginia Beach and my parents came for a visit. The next day we went to Fort Monroe and the museum there. It is the oldest fortress on US soil and Jefferson Davis, President of Confederacy, was imprisoned there after the Civil War.

 

Old Point Comfort light - built in 1802 - oldest standing
structure in Fort Monroe

 

Club room at Fort Monroe - John must be dreaming about a cold
beverage from this lifelike guy!

For my sister Mary - just crazy!

Meanwhile, John felt that things still weren’t quite right with the prop shafts and thought the problem might be a little more complicated, so he called Zimmerman Marine which was a bit north of us. They couldn’t fit us in for a few days so we were glad to be in a place where there was a pool, a small beach nearby and a restaurant on site. We even met new Looper friends on Low Profile and another Mainship named Compass Rose.

We were also near some old friends from who in the Hampton Roads area. They invited us to their lovely home and we enjoyed a good visit and a delicious home cooked Sunday dinner with them. 



Tracy entertains John on their wonderful porch overlooking
the garden

John, Kathy, Wendy and Tracy - friends we knew in Rome, NY
back in 1996-'98

The weather was starting to look like it was going to deteriorate for a few days so we took advantage of a relatively calm morning and made the 28 mile trip to Zimmerman Marine. As it worked out they had a spot for us and we could wait out the rain there.

  

Captain’s Log June 2, 2015

Departed: Departed Salt Ponds Resort and Marina, Hampton, VA 5:40 am
Engine hours: 3.9 hrs. – 725 hrs. total for trip
Actual hours: 3 hrs. 45 min.
Miles covered 27.67 Total for trip: 5141
Arrived: Zimmerman Marine, Mobjack Bay, Cardinal VA at 9:15 a.m.
WX: Partly cloudy, muggy, wind south at 10-15.
Left early in am to take advantage of winds, tide and forecasted T-storms in the PM. Ride was a little rolly initially but after an hour or so winds calmed down. Following seas the whole way. We are tucked into Zimmerman's yard well protected from the weather and now await the repairs.

June 3, 2015

We have just completed an in water evaluation of our vibrations and they will pull our boat out tomorrow. The prop shafts will have to be removed and sent to the machine shop to check to ensure they are straight. Unfortunately the machine shop will take about 5 days then it all has to be put back together. The shop has told us to allow 10 days to 2 weeks to get the whole job done.
Soooo ... we will rent a car, visit some friends and tour the area a bit until the boat is ready. The next blog post will be after we get traveling again.