Taking on Water

     We left Solomons Island first thing Friday morning and headed up the Chesapeake Bay. The engines were running a little hot so we were cruising a little slower than anticipated, about 12 knots. We would have just enough time to make it through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, into the Delaware Bay, and find a marina for the night. We made it as far south as Greenwich before we needed to head in before it got dark. Our intent was to make it to Cape May, New Jersey, but that was not going to be.

     The following  morning started out like every other morning on a boat, fill the water, check the fluids, take out the trash, shower, and then, throw off your bow lines. Dan was in the salon, and S and I were at the helm, up on the fly bridge, as an alarm went off. My first thought was the intercom, and Dan was calling up to us, from below. I picked up the receiver and heard nothing. Thinking the engines might be overheating, I backed off on the throttles, as Dan came up. The alarm was still going off, the temperature gauges were reading good, but there was nothing on the fly bridge that would indicate what the alarm was for. We left S alone at the helm to keep Cotytto on course at idle. We are in the Delaware bay, the seas are pretty choppy, six and eight foot swells, and there is quite a bit of boat traffic, but S is comfortable and competent at the helm. Some people are quite content to sit, read, relax and drink while on the boat. They would all do anything you ask of them, help went needed, which is fine, it's vacation, and we all have our rolls. S is like me though, we love the boat. Keeping the daily log book, checking the fluids in the morning, plotting a course, reading charts, slipping the boat takes people on deck to tie off, caring for your lines and keeping a tidy deck, along with driving the boat are just a few things, and S, digs right in. So, she's at the helm, and Dan and I are investigating an alarm. The electrical Panel is new to both of us, and has quite a few breakers, gauges, switches and lights, but soon enough Dan finds the alarm indicator, the "high water" alarm. Well that sounds horrifying on a boat. Of all the alarms that could be going off, this is our least favorite. Finding which alarm is going off is only part of the issue, finding out why it is going off, is the more important task.

     A 56 ft boat is big, and there are a lot of places where water could be coming in. Finding that while at sea, is to say the least, a little nerve racking, even stressful if you are the owner. Dan started in the engine room and I started in the hatches that run down the center of the boat, in the floor. The bilge pump in the V berth was working fine, and no water.

     A little boat lingo: the bow is the front of the boat, the stern is the back, port is the left side, starboard is the right. Forward and aft are both directions, forward is in front of you and aft is behind you, as long as you are facing the bow of course. The V birth is the bedroom or stateroom in the bow of the boat, and a bilge pump, is just a fancy name for a sump pump.

     Dan was in the engine room where there is the second bilge pump, which was not working, and there was a considerable amount of water. Now when I say considerable, I mean 10 or 15 gallons, which doesn't sound like a lot, until your at sea, and don't know where it is coming from. Meanwhile, I checked the aft pump, which was fine, and the transom pump, which, like the one in the engine room, was not working and full of water. With two pumps not working and water coming in from somewhere we cannot identify yet, our only option is to find a slip for the night. Before heading to a marina, we pumped out the water with a hand pump, and I would watch, as we motor, to see if I can find the source of the water. Given the area we were in, and the size of our vessel, there was only one marina nearby, the one we left, three hours earlier. So, we turned around, Dan and S at the helm, and me, checking in the engine room and the transom for water, as we limped back to Greenwich.

     As we motored back in 6 and 8 ft swells, it became apparent where the water was coming from.  As the waves broke over the bow, the water would pour in the two bulkheads (doors) on either side of the boat. The weather stripping was getting old, and in need of replacing. More water would run down the deck on either the side of the boat to the transom and into the transom storage, which would find it's way to the bilge. This is good news, no leaks, just some new weather proofing. Once we were safely in a slip, we went to work pumping water out of the bilge areas, cleaning whatever crap might be clogging the pumps, and weather proofing the doors with rubber and tape, temporary of course. This turned out to be a long day, with no forward progress. We had dinner, and headed to bed, with plans of leaving early in the morning.

     We woke and did the usual, fill the water, check the fluids, write in the log, and shoved off, in hopes of making NYC before dark. The Delaware Bay was as ornery as the day before, but our makeshift weather proofing was doing it's job, and the bilge was dry. We made Cape May, the southernmost tip of Jersey, in reasonable time, and headed into the Cape May Canal and out the other side to the Atlantic and the coast of Jersey. Today was a good day, with following seas to help, we were doing about 20 knots, and making NYC or close to it, was looking good. Cotytto remained dry, the engines were not overheating and we continued pushing 20 knots, as we passed by Atlantic City. Soon after, we could see the city, Sandy Hook was just ahead, the city just beyond that. It was getting late, and making it to NY was not going to happen, but we could see it...

and that was good enough. Once we passed Sandy Hook, we to a hard left, and made way to a marina in Sandy Hook Bay. Now, I am not going to talk about the disastrous slipping of the boat at this marina, other than to say, the boat is fine and the Captain is not yet use to the controls. Enough said.

     The following morning, and the last leg of our trip, hopefully, began as usual. We cast off our lines early, and head towards the city. NYC is something to see from the water. Under the Verrazano Bridge and through the narrows, around the corner, and there she stands, majestically, lady liberty, an awe inspiring sight.

Just beyond the statue of liberty, the NYC skyline.

Unfortunately we are doing a drive by, and heading to home port in Newport, R.I, but not without more drama.

     You do not wanna be on a boat without a head, especially if you are S. Well, sorry S, seems the fresh water pump is not working. To flush the head, you need water, and that comes from the water tanks. Cotytto has three, which do you no good, if the pump is not working, or so we thought. At the time though, all we knew was, we could not use the heads, for the rest of the trip.

     Just like the day before, we made good time with following seas, and Newport was well in our reach before dark. Familiar water, marina and a familiar slip, brings a sigh of relief, after a long 5 days.

Castle Hill Light in Newport

It sounded worse than it was, Cotytto did well. She handled 8 and 10 foot seas like a tank, she made decent time, even with her engine issues, and her fuel consumption was better than expected. and now, with her safely tied up in her slip in Newport, she can now get the attention she deserves. In just a few short weeks, we will be taking Cotytto out for her first August boat trip. A new boat, a new chapter, and yes, a new blog post.