Summer Camp at Zimmerman Marine

Wednesday, June 3 - Thursday, June 18, 2015

Still  at Zimmerman. We certainly didn’t expect this long delay in our trip, but the boat needs to run well and this seems to be the best place to get things fixed once and for all. After the boat was pulled, shafts and props removed and ready to send off to the shop, there was not much for us to do. The boatyard is in a remote spot, there were no other boaters here and the staff would be gone for the weekend. Who you gonna call?? Our friends Al and Nancy, of course!
We had already rented a car and it was about a three hour drive into rural central Virginia so we went there for a long weekend. It was a great place to be with wonderful friends that we have known since 1976 when we were all stationed at Naval Air Station Beeville, Texas. We lived in the same neighborhood and our young children played together. We all had a good visit and got caught up on our various adventures and the status of our grandchildren.

 

Al, Nancy, Kathy and John with a Virginia panorama in the background

When we got back to the boat the shafts hadn’t been sent to the shop yet and we were resigned to staying there at least another week. I liken it a bit to being at summer camp. We could live on the boat and had power and water so our cabin was comfortable. The Virginia temps were rising and our little temporary A/C unit had a hard time keeping up with the intense sunshine and heat, but…it’s camp – what do you expect?

 

We are near the town of Mathews, just below center

Our boat had been hauled out of the water by a powerful truck with the name Sisyphus on the front. I looked it up and in Greek mythology Sisyphus was a king of Ephyra (now known as Corinth). “He was punished for chronic deceitfulness by being compelled to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, and to repeat this action forever.”

 

Sisyphus pulls boats out of the water and then rolls them back in again

The office and “bathhouse” were just a short stroll across the yard tucked in among the trees. We were thankful for clean facilities and plenty of hot water. Afternoon siestas were the order of the day when the sun got hot.  

We took field trips by car to all of the surrounding towns including Gloucester, Mathews, Deltaville and Kilmarnock (pronounced K’marnic). Someone told us about the “Northern Neck Burger Company” in Kilmarnock and it was one of John's favorite spots – not surprising for those of you who know his love for burgers.

 

All American burgers - voted second best in the state!
(photo from internet)

This down time was a great opportunity to do our camp chores like cleaning the boat and getting the Intracoastal smile off the bow. The tannins in the brown water had really stained the white hull. I've been scrubbing the fenders but some of them are a lost cause after a year of cruising and transiting over a hundred locks.

Wax on, wax off - look at that shine!

 We often drove by the sign for Fort Nonsense on the way to Gloucester. It was built during the civil war to protect Richmond's east flank from invasion forces from the Chesapeake Bay. However, the Union came down by land from the north and west so it was useless. One of the officers said, "This is nonsense." The area has been known by that moniker ever since. 

 

Not much here now but some historical markers and a nature trail

When the temps got up over 98 degrees and the little portable A/C unit we had borrowed for the boat couldn't keep up, we decided to abandon ship and move into the nearest hotel about 15 miles away in Gloucester. We have a room with a fridge and a microwave so we have made ourselves at home and hope to be on our way in about a week. Will keep you posted.

Life is good! We now have a pool where we can cool off.

No Captain’s Log 
 
Serenity hasn't been anywhere!