A Summary of the Engine Woes ~

     November 2024 ~ Over the past three years we have had a number of incidents where the fuse behind the engine, (which we never knew was there until 5 years ago!), would blow. Since then, Pete has been able to check it periodically and replaced it as necessary. Over the past two years it’s probably been replaced about six times. After spending the summer in Daytona, the time had come for us to head to our winter “home” in Ft Pierce. What was supposed to be a gentle relaxing 4-day trip was not. Unfortunately, we had to replace the switch four times in the first two days. Once in Titusville, we decided to skip Eau Gallie and head directly to Fort Pierce. We knew it was going to be a long day, but if we stopped the engine, she probably wouldn’t start again and we had no more spare switches. We did fine until we got to the Wabasso area. Once under the bridge, the engine just quit; no coughing, no sputtering, just there one minute gone the next. We arranged for Towboat US to tow us the remaining 21 miles to Fort Pierce.
     Over the next couple of days, Pedro and his crew went through the engine. They found the short which caused the circuit breaker to blow, that mysterious red circuit breaker behind the engine. It was easily fixed, but it did not solve the issue. The engine still would not start. After full evaluation, it turns out that the cylinders are shot. Due to the wrong air filter, (the dirty environment rather than the marine environment,) we had all sorts of aluminum flakes scattered throughout the engine. They scraped and destroyed the cylinders, removing the possibility for compression.
     Over the next few months, Pete did a lot of research. He explored rebuilding this engine, purchasing a rebuilt engine and purchasing a new one. He discussed with Pedro “rebuilt” versus “new” and we feel comfortable that it is best to go the rebuilt way.
     Unfortunately, most of the rebuilders in Florida only want to deal with the huge engines because that’s where the money and the tips are. As a result, they were giving us ridiculously high prices. Pedro has two people that usually rebuild engines, but both are currently out on medical. The earliest they could get to it would be July. That’s not good for us. So, after more internet searches and more research, as well as talking to a lot of people, (especially our knowledgeable friends on the dock) Pete bought a 20 hp outboard engine with all that was needed to mount it to the sugar spoon. Of course, that had it numerous challenges: Varied multiple installation configurations. Problems with the remote gear shifter (poor info from manufacture of the engine, inaccurate info from the Mercury service people, Multiple trips to purchase adapters for the shifter, which all were wrong!) as well as the fuel tanks adapters. Pete finally secured a broom stick attached to the shifter on the engine as well as an extender for the throttle. Don’t knock it! It works!

New batteries
 in Fernandina Beach

    That’s how we made the trip home - underpowered, slow, with very limited and non-predictable back-up capabilities. Docking was always interesting, but Pete always made those stressful times look easy. We had a cockpit full of jerry cans and traveled at 5 miles per hour or less. We were challenged by strong currents, sometimes strong “noserlies” (winds on our nose) and maneuverability in the inlets. Frequently we made 1.5 to 2 miles an hour against the currents. This made for very long days. Through much of the trip there are no marinas, which would make the trip shorter. So… Pete did two, solo, outside jumps: one from Daytona, having to backtrack to Ponce Inlet and up to Fernandina for a 22-hour run. Once there,  he again had to call a mechanic only to find out that the batteries needed replacement. (That involved a car rental and two trips to Jacksonville to purchase the last 2 specialized batteries required and return the old ones. Once installed he was able to make the jump to Charleston, which was 32 hours. It was long, but it went well. Conditions were perfect for doing the jump. Our one son leaves for work around 3:30 am while the other son leaves around 5:30. They kept Pete company while they headed to their jobs. Tillie and I stayed with friends in Myrtle Beach and joined him once he made it to Georgetown.

    Lots of planning was required for our northbound cruise. We needed to plan for currents, wind, distance and locations of available marinas.  We proceeded to do our slow jog up the ICW. Our notes were constantly revised and modified. What normally would be an 8-hour day now turned into a 10- or 11-hour day. What would’ve been 11-hour day turned into a 15-hour day, so it was a long tiring trip. Along the way we had many strange looks and questions regarding the outboard on a boat this size as well as a cockpit full of gas cans. 

Castle Harbor Marina 
Ominous Clouds ~ just Mother nature's
warning or hints of problems to come?
~ 

     We finally pulled into Castle Harbor, which is our summer home on Tuesday, 5/22/25! The completion of a unique, memorable and hopefully, never repeated, cruise!

     During June, Pete called various mechanics. The first one he spoke to was our favorite. He is known for doing the best diesel work on Eastern shore. He said currently, he was busy, but call back in three weeks so he’ll get us on his list. Three weeks later, Pete called, he texted, he called again, texted again, sent an email, called again, texted again and, after two weeks, still nothing.

     Time to move on the second person on the list. “Oh yeah, sure. I’ll have the mechanic get back to you,” which he did in 20 minutes. “Yeah, yeah, we can do that. We can put a new engine in about a week, etc. etc.” He quoted us estimated prices. Pete then asked if he would send an email with the quotes. A week went by no email. Pete called and left a message. Not return. Repeated four more times. The fifth time, receptionist was extremely rude and saying she’ll give him the message, then promptly hung up. We crossed him off our list.
     Then there was a mechanic’s van up in the parking lot. Pete found and spoke with him. He’s a new guy who started the business about a year ago and a graduate of the Naval Academy. He sounded fantastic. “Yeah, yeah. Sure.” he said. “Here’s my number. Call and leave all the information and I’ll get back to you.” Pete called that afternoon and there was a bot. “Name, contact number, location, nature of the issue, make & model, history, etc., etc.” Pete left the info on Friday and, after a week, we never heard back from him either. A week later, we finally decided the boat must move to get a repair.
     It is now the 3rd week in July when Pete called Deltaville Yachting Center in Virginia. We know four people who swear by their work. Laura picked up on the first ring and said let me get my service manager to call you back. He called back within 20 minutes! He said he could not do it for three weeks, but we’ll put you on the list. By 5 o’clock that night, we had a contract to sign and returned it. Laura acknowledged first thing the next morning! “You are set to go be here 18th of August.” HURRAY! We hope.
     Last February, Pete found a place in VA that sells rebuilt engines. We could pick it up with the trailer for installation and return old present engine. Unfortunately, when the time came to finalize the purchase, the engine was still listed on the website. However, there was an apparent issue with the website. The engine was sold. It happened again as we tried in July! Grrrrrr!!!
     Pete searched and found Countrywide Sales in Ohio, which is the Kabota engine national service center. They do not rebuild to sell engines, but they will rebuild our engine. Pete had planned to put it on the trailer and drive it out to Ohio and retrieve it when complete, but they arrange for shipping, which is reasonable and quick, and usually takes about 36 hours (Much easier on Pete!) We also asked if there was any way to expedite it. He said he didn’t know, but he would try. They are used to dealing with the big engines off of big machinery. They might be able to get the smaller engine done sooner than the scheduled 3 weeks. We sure hope so!

     Friday, 10/15/25 ~ It took 2-12+ hour days to get to Deltaville. It is usually only 9-10 hours from Kent Island to Solomons, MD and from Solomons to Deltaville, VA,  We wanted to introduce ourselves and assure them that the boat would be ready to go on Monday. Instead, we did it by phone, They gave us directions how to get through the marinas and into the DYC haul out area as we were to arrive after hours and it was the weekend. We needed a couple of days to prep the boat, pack for the stay with the kids and make sure the mechanics have full access for working. 

    

Leaving Castle Harbor at sunrise

 

Interesting clouds with storms surrounding us
Storms cleared with a beautiful sunset over Solomons

 
Smith Light and a private home's light show in Deltaville

• Week 1- Pete wanted to see how things looked non the bottom once she was pulled. We were out of the water by 10 am. The bottom looks great for not being painted in 3 years. By Friday morning, the engine was stripped, prepped, strapped down to the pallet, and ready to be shipped. 4 workdays!!!

 

• Week 2 & 3 - Due to miscommunications, it wasn’t picked up for another 3 days. Our engine was received at the service center on Friday of week 2. Since it was Labor Day weekend, it wouldn’t be unpacked until the following Thursday. Apparently, they don’t work on Fridays.

• Week 4 - Analyzing damage, estimating repairs, and beginning work

• Week 5 & 6 - Work completed and returned to Deltaville on Wednesday, 10/1/25 (but not without another hiccup). We drove 5 hours down to get the spare heat riser out from under everything piled on top of the forward bunk. It was better to drive the total 10 hours to retrieve our spare than pay $500 for a new one! Just before leaving to return back to NJ, we received a strange call. Our engine was delivered, but there is no “Bruzik” or “PEKABU” at the marina. When Pete told her that PEKABU is just outside of the office, they both realized that the engine was delivered to Deltaville Marine, not Deltaville Yachting Center. (Only 2 miles away!) Our service manager was able to pick it up. It took about a week for the engine to be reassembled all the extra parts that they had that they were instructed to take off prior to shipping. Reinstallation was delayed by a day. Our engine returned, painted gold during the rebuild, not Kabota blue, which was the usual. Gold paint needed to be bought.  Pete left a message that it was ok to have a two-tone engine rather than delay things, but the message was never received. The rest of the work went well.

     Wednesday, 10/8/25 ~ PEKABU is finally back in the water!

     We were able to stay with Greg and Jenn for what we thought was to be maybe 3 1/2 weeks. Nope! It was full 6 1/2 weeks. We love our children dearly and they are wonderful, but we all were ready to get back to our normal routines. We were so looking forward to get under way.

     Thursday, 10/9/25 ~ We said our thanks and goodbyes to Jenn and Greg before heading out early on Thursday. 

Shiny, looking like new
and installed on board!

     Sea trials were scheduled for 2 pm. We made it in time, but the trial was abbreviated. There is a Nor’easter developing off Georgia & South Carolina. There are 2 major lows converging before the weekend. King Tides will combine with heavy rains and winds driven high tides are making dangerous conditions. Today’s sea trial was brief due to the building conditions. They went well, but the engine temperature was only slightly higher than normal. It is probably due to the reassembly, a bubble in the line or set point adjusted.

     Once the trials were over, I had to begin cleaning because everything was covered in engine grit and grease plus assorted fingerprints on stuff. Space was cleared for dinner, then we needed to clear the bed for sleeping. The mechanic came aboard a couple of times before the weekend, which means shuttling stuff out if the aft cabin and back, plus spot cleaning.

     Pete has a conference on Tuesday for which he must be stationary. So . . . Wednesday will be the start of our 2025-2026 Cruise!

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~  K & P

2024-2025 Cruise ~ May and our Journey North

Thursday, 5/1/25 ~ Myrtle Beach to  Southport, NC.

Today:        35.7 miles              7.00 hours        S/M  309.3

Total:        612.2 miles          121.70 hours

 
    We were up, Tillie walked, and away from the dock by 7:15 AM. As we approached the inlet, the current became neutral and on the other side, we started to get a push. Yay! Catching the current flow this early means we should have it for a while. Shallots Inlet and Folly Landing Inlet, thankfully, were fairly similar with the additional current shifts.
     It was a beautiful day. Temps in the mid 70’s and light breezes from the SSW. It was an enjoyable 7-hour ride.

Homes, views, boats and helos ~ views from the ICW on our way to Southport

  

 

 

  

 

  

 

   In the few years since the hurricane and the tornado it spawned destroyed Morningside Marina in Southport, they have done a wonderful job in remodeling it. Floating docks, trees and shrubs planted with benches for viewing, visiting, and enjoying the sights while under shade makes for very inviting spaces. When I walked Tillie before bed, the alley under the trees was lit and the music carried over from the restaurants just around the inlet.

 
Friday, 5/2/25 ~ Southport to Carolina Beach, NC.
Today:        14.2 miles        3.5 hours        S/M 295.5

Total:        626.4 miles     125.2 hours

Winds today

     To make sure we had the incoming current, we didn’t leave until 9:30 this morning. Thankfully, the boat in front of us had left about 15 minutes earlier, which allowed Pete to back us away from our T-head dock and around into the marina’s basin. Of course, we were fighting the wind and a little bit of the current, but my captain did a great job! We delayed entering the Cape Fear River to allow a container ship to head up first. They travel a wee bit faster than we do! It was much safer taking that 5-minute delay.

  
Morning traffic

 

 The strong incoming current

     Winds were out of the southeast about 10 mph but increasing. Current heading up the Cape Fear River is about a mile per hour. At this point, it increased as we continued further up the river. We were cruising at 7.1 - 8.1 mph with 2-3 mph push! That translates into 2 hours instead of 3 or more! We began our turn to Snows Cut shortly after 11 am and exited the Cut and tied up for the night shortly after noon. 

      The Carolina Beach Yacht Club and Marina is at the eastern end of the Cut. It is convenient, but the amenities are old and limited. There is no internet, the marina doesn’t always answer the phone or give out the code for the bathrooms. They do, however, have the brand new cocktail bar called The Barge CB. It is inside of the main dock. It just opened and drew quite a crowd, both by boat and car. It is open from about 4 - 9 PM, which enables us a good night’s sleeep.

 

 

 
Snows Cut, the mostly submerged, rocky cliff and the erosion exposing tree roots

 

Shaggy Tillie with limited vision before her bath and trim              and now she can see.

Rocks dispersing the current at high tide in the marina

Saturday, 5/3/25 ~ Carolina Beach to Mile Hammock, Camp Lejeune, NC
Today:        51 miles        9.5 hours        S/M  244.5

Total:      718.9 mile     134.7 hours

     We pulled away from the dock at 6:45 AM. About a ½ mile north, Pete had to steer a “crazy Ivan” following Bob423’s tracks due to the shoaling.

 
Sunrise this morning from the dock

 

 
. . . and once under way

  
     As usual, we were passed by lots of boats, many were way too close. The 2 sailboats, who passed us about 30 minutes into our travels, ran aground by red marker 222. Following Bob’s tracks, Pete hugged the west side of the channel, close to the boast up on lifts. We went to the green right next to boats. No problem. We didn’t have enough power to offer assistance. Both boats were able to free themselves rather quickly. Bigger engines with more horses can do that!

Wrightsville Inlet

Known by us CCYCers as "BRUNELLE's Island"
Our friends, Dan & Martha lost their rudder going aground on the submerged sand bar about 10 years ago. That was before it built up even more and others erected the flag pole and palm tree! 

 
The thinnest home on the ICW and a festival in Surf City 

 

The ICW is used not only by us cruisers, but also by rowers and fishermen. Unfortunately, every cruise we see at least one fishing boat which ran aground and has been abandoned. 

Of course the dredgers are needed to keep it deep enough.

     The former crazy, pink, island house near Surf City is now updated and painted a respectable beige. Currents gave us pushes at times and pulls at others. We came in at 4 PM, an hour prior to our ETA. This means we had more pushes than pulls!
     We anchored in Mile Hammock, Camp Lejeune along with 10 other boats. It was tricky lowering the dinghy. This was also, Tillie’s first experience with the dinghy. She was a bit leery. Sat in the bow as soon as she boarded. She doesn’t like to step into the water. Pete found the launch ramp very slippery and dangerous carrying Tillie into the dinghy.

Just north of Mile Hammock, we could see lots of small pleasure craft beached on the bank.  This is where the ocean broke through to the ICW during the last hurricane that came through here.  Over the past 6 or 7 years, it has filled in with sand.  Marking it a great party spot!

     We are rigged for storms overnight. We will decide early tomorrow if we travel or stay due to those storms. Our next stop will be Beaufort NC, another long day.
     Our son, Chris, called on his way home from work. The storms that are up and down the east coast, shut down his project in Baltimore. He and Pete talked for quite a while, discussing the charging of our batteries, which is still a bit of a mystery. He suggested a meter that we’re going to order. It will allow Pete to check the batteries as they’re charging. In the meantime, the small battery charger from Walmart and the portable Honda 2000 are working out great. Apparently, we are not using that much battery power underway and this little battery charger seems more than happy to recharge the batteries. Yay! As Pete said, “this is truly an adventure!”
     Rain arrived around 8 PM as predicted. Pete took Tillie earlier to avoid it. She was too interested in smells to do anything. Pete took an extra long time, walking her and still no success.
     We use the Christmas lights inside the cabin to light up after dark, which worked out very well. We left the lights on all night long because it was so dark here with no ambient light. We’d checked the weather carefully before bed and will again when the alarm goes off in the morning. The decision will be made then whether or not to go. The strongest storms are supposed to be here between 6 and 8 AM.

Sunday, 5/4/25 ~ Mile Hammock to Beaufort, NC.

Today:        41.5 miles        9.25 hours        S/M 203

Total:        760.4 mile       143.95 hours

     The alarm went off at six and first thing we did was check the weather. Storms are coming, tried to get the dog to shore and back before they came. Unfortunately, the showers came while they were still walking. When he tried to start the engine on the dinghy, it was extremely stubborn and wouldn’t start. Thankfully, there was another couple walking their 2 doodles. They were able to take them over to our dinghy. Pete and Tillie transferred, then were towed out to me. Boaters are such good people! The rain came. The wind came. The thunder and lightning came, and we still had to raise and secure the dinghy without damaging the outboard. The davits center the dinghy right over the outboard engine as it rises up to the davits. Needless to say, it was very challenging. Once mounted and secured, we finally ate our breakfast.

Onslow Bridge: open, the old swing bridge and the new bascule bridge

One of the many boats
 that passed us

     By 8 o’clock, we were underway. Onslow Bridge opens ‘on the hour’ and we’re trying to make the 9 o’clock opening. The worst of the showers appears to be behind us, but there’s no promise for the rest of the day. We are heading up to Homer Smith Marina in Beaufort. We figure the 41 miles will take us a better part of nine hours. We were lucky. Due to the slight delayed departure, we had the current for a good deal of the day. As usual, we were passed by a lot of boats early in the day, between showers.
     It is a bit longer to get to this marina rather than Morehead City Yacht Basin. However, the currents in the Morehead City marina are very strong, and the slips are designed for the big fishing tournament boats. Homer Smith Marina reportedly, has NO current! They assigned us to the inside of the gas /pump out T-head. It was an easy docking, plus we had two other boaters there to help. 

     Once again, we had a strange glow that surrounded the boat.  When I stuck my head up to check, The clouds were spectacularly lit. I couldn't resist the photo op!

  

Tonight's amazing sunset with the tall storm clouds off shore

     Needless to say, it was an early night after another 9+ hour day.

Monday, 5/5/25 ~ Homer Smith Marina, Beaufort, NC ~ Day 2

     As planned, we stayed at an extra day at the marina. Pete worked all day on a priority project. I took advantage of their free laundry and free loaner car. Pete and I had a few errands to run late in the day. While reading in the cockpit, I helped boats securing to the gas dock if the dock hands were not there yet.
     I was thankful that we were a few minutes early for the 4 PM slot I had signed up for earlier this morning as I did the laundry. Another couple didn’t realize that the signup sheet was not in chronological order, and thought they had the 4-6 slot. When they realized the oversight, they were OK to wait until we returned at 6 PM. Thankfully, all 3 stores were in the same area. Walmart, for a couple of food items; Lowes, for a new hose and the meter Pete needed; West Marine for the light bulb for the starboard navigation light, and then gas for the car. We were back at 2-hour mark.
     This is a beautiful marina, with great amenities (free laundry with 3 industrial washers and driers, free loaner car, beautiful captain’s lounge with recliners and big screen TV, and NO CURRENT. We will definitely to come here on future cruises.

Tuesday, 5/6/25 ~ Beaufort to Oriental, NC.
Today:        28 miles        6.25 hours        S/M 175

Total:       788.4 miles    150.2 hours

     After checking currents, we left around 11:15 hoping to ride the current up Adams Creek. Once again, “the best made plans. . . .” We rode the 12 miles mostly at 3.1 mph against the current! Currents are a science, but their predictions of the actual current change is more of an educated guess with a bit more lea way.
     As we entered the creek, we were passed by 4 southbound USCG, grey & black inflatables, with 4 crew apiece. We suspect they are special forces for the Coast Guard. We were passed by 7 north-bound boats. As we entered the Neuss River, the 4 USCG inflatables once again passed us, only this time, north bound.

The oyster beds at low tide in Black Sound and the USCG special forces

     Due to the late departure and the adverse current, we arrived after closing at River Dunes Marina. Scott is still harbor master and let us tie up at the fuel dock.

 

As we were entering into River Dunes, we both commentated that the original buildings we saw back in 2010 all shared the old grand Southern charm. There has been very little building in the ensuing years. However, most of the homes built since then no longer follow that design. We still can not figure out why one would want to live this far away from the necessities of living (medical care, food shopping, pharmacy, etc.)

 
     For dinner, I tried a new recipe using the frozen shrimp and scallops Elisha gave me when they left Ft. Pierce. It used cherry tomatoes, spinach, pasta olive oil, a tab of butter and a few spices. This one is definitely a keeper!
     Pete had to put in a few hours of work after dinner. He broke for a few minutes to address ‘HPF’ message, which also stopped the AC. With some investigation, he found it was due to complete blockage in water intake. It was fortunate that the foot pump had enough pressure to clear it.
     It was a beautiful night. As Tillie and I went for her final walk, I took advantage of the lit buildings to take some photos. While walking, we could hear rapid gunfire and ”humphs” of night training at a military facility somewhat in the area, along with almost silent helicopters passing overhead. It was rather disconcerting.

 

 

River Dunes at night

Wednesday, 5/7/25 ~ Oriental to, Belhaven, NC.

Today:        44 miles        8.0 hours        S/M 131.8

Total:       832.4 miles  158.20 hours 

 

     We pulled away from the dock at 7:10 AM. It was a calm morning with temps once again in the low 70’s with partly cloudy skies. We did a steady 5.4 mph to Hobucken. The last time we passed north through here there, there were various small fires on each side. Now, there are very few charred barks of the trees to be seen. Mother Nature has been busy with new growth to cover the former damage.

Old style and new style homes at River Dunes

 

Some of the fire damaged areas of Hobucken & the fleet is in.

The boats that were new 3 years ago now show lots of rust courtesy of salt water.

     For about 3 hours the engine was giving slight hitches in speed. The closer we got to Belhaven, the more choking the engine did. New mystery: Dirty fuel filter with approximately 200 hours on it? Blocked fuel line? Problem with the fuel line pick-up? Deranged ghost wreaking havoc?
     We pulled up to the fuel dock at Dowry Creek Marina. We were all set to fill up our fuel tanks, but the gas pump refused to work. Pete expressed our concerns over our current gas levels. We need more gas to make the 12-hour trip to Coinjock. We had chosen this marina over Belhaven Marina, because it cuts about 90 minutes off our trip to Coinjock. Belhaven does have fueling right in the slip, free laundry, a loaner golf cart to get to Food Lion and in town with multiple eateries.
     Once in our slip, she arranged for portable gas tanks and their truck so Pete could get gas so we could top off our tanks and the part. Pete examined the engine, but was unable to access the fuel filter; the engine is still too hot. It has over 200 running hours and it might be dirty. The engine wouldn’t restart. At this point, Pete is totally frustrated and has booked another 3 days here. He has ordered 2 new fuel filters, which will be here sometime Saturday. He also has the names of a couple of mechanics. He will attempt to replace the filter. If that doesn’t work, he will call a mechanic. Once again: ”the best made plans. . . .” Tomorrow would have been perfect for making the trip as no wind is predicted.
     Hopefully, the wind gods will look kindly upon us when it is time to leave here, As Pete keeps repeating to himself, “We can’t make this stuff up! We can’t make this stuff up!!!”
     As I walked Tillie, a fox and a deer crossed the road using the same trail. There are also 2 eagles sitting in a tree that we can see from the back of the boat. On our later walk, the sky was beautiful. There is very little ambient light so the moon back lit the puffy clouds and the stars still shone brightly.

Thursday, 5/8/25 ~  Dowry Creek Marina, Belhaven, NC ~ Day 2

     Pete spent the day with George on the phone, working. I did some light house cleaning, and had a long, phone chat with Barbara this morning. After lunch, the sinus headache caused by allergies, encouraged me to lie down with eyes closed listening to my audio book. I promptly fell asleep for 2+ hours. Heather called and I spoke on her way home from work. She will freshen up and head back for a clients’ dinner.
     The internet was down all last night. It didn’t affect our dinner at The Salty Crab, here at the marina. Our nachos were delicious, the cheese burgers were bar food cheese burgers, and the strawberry cheesecake was made with ricotta and blueberries, not my favorite, but we still had a nice time.
     Pete crashed after dinner waiting for the internet to come back. I pulled out my book of Mandela and colored pencils and relaxed. I called it quits around 9:30.

Views around Dowry Creek Marina

Friday, 5/9/25 ~ Dowry Creek Marina, Belhaven, NC ~ Day 3

     Pete was busy with work all morning. After lunch, he worked on tracing the fuel problem to the outboard. He was able to rule out a number of possibilities: Not the pick-up, not air in the can, not the fitting, not the bulb (which was once again switched), not the line or connection to the motor. However, the engine started!. Once the fuel filter arrives tomorrow, it will be installed. Then we need to fill the tanks.
     Reservations are made for Coinjock for Sunday & Monday. Weather is promising. The winds are predicted to be primarily about 10 mph, increasing to 17 later in the day from the SSE. That increase should be once we are out of the Albemarle Sound.

Saturday, 5/10/25 ~ Dowry Creek Marina, Belhaven, NC ~ Day 4

     Pete was able to fill up the Gerry cans at the gas dock, lug them over to the boat, and fill both, big 12-gallon tanks. We now have more than enough fuel to get to Great Salt Pond. We are good for three days’ worth of cruising.
     Now that all the connections from the gas to the motor have been traced, Pete suspects the problem is the anti-siphoning device on the line. He has removed it and rechecked all other fittings. He’s rechecked the hose that actually goes into the tanks. Everything looks clear and fine. He started the engine and it ran no problems for a full hour. We should be good. Fingers crossed!
     The loaner car here at Dowry Creek is not longer available. The dockmaster has been very nice to possibly suggest use of their car, but Pete never heard a confirming answer. Instead, he took the scooter and headed over to Food Lion, which is about 6 miles away. He was able to get everything on the list. Unfortunately, about a half a mile from the Food Lion, the battery ran out. He called. I was able to talk to the dockmaster, and she let me her car. I was able to go and get him.
     After lunch, I returned to working on the blog. I’m writing up April‘s entry. Pete attempted to read, but gave up and I convinced him to go take a nap. It was a very busy morning and intense. After I’ve gotten all of April written, I decided to relax and read for a short while before making dinner.
     We watched some TV, chilled out and decided to head into bed early. The alarm is set for tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed that the weather still cooperates for our long journey up to Coinjock.

Sunday, 5/11/25 ~ Belhaven to Coinjock, NC

Today:        82 miles        15.75 hours        S/M 49

Total:       914.4 miles    173.95 hours

      The alarm went off at 5 AM. We were away from the dock by 5:40. Temps were about 65 degrees, with the winds, negligible. It was a wonderful surprise to find no condensation on windows. That cuts down our predeparture routine. Two boats passed us by 6:15. The most remarkable thing about our trip up the Alligator Pongo Canal was to watch a black bear swim across the canal and run up the bank! No - I did not get photos. I grabbed my phone, but it refused to focus. I still haven’t figured out why. Instead the image is held in Pete and my memory banks. We also saw wind turkeys courting, and a number of eagle pairs in the trees. I did get a shot of a large cruiser plowing the muddy waters of the canal. Too much power for the hull shape.  I can't imagine the fuel consumption pushing against all that water.

What a sunrise! ~

 
 

 

The Alligator Pongo River Canal & The soon to be Alligator River Bridge ~

 

 

 

     &  

     The new Alligator River Bridge construction is under way. The Alligator River marina is no longer open. It houses all the construction equipment and supplies. This is why we have such a l-o-n-g day. There are no other marinas between Dowry Creek and Coinjock and there is no way Pete will put the dinghy back down.
     We could see the rains to the north and south, but somehow they missed us. Partially across the Sound, the winds came up and helped us motor sailing. Another surprise, Joy - Oh, joy!: The jib will not unfurl! Another mystery!

     Sunrises and sunsets with the proper position of clouds and angle of the sun can be a progression of color and wonder. We were blessed twice today! Sunset was another series of masterpieces.

 

 
     Coinjock Marina called to confirm our arrival. When I mentioned that we will be coming in well after closing, TJ went to check on the total space remaining for us to dock. They are full tonight, especially since it is Mother’s Day. We have exactly 40 feet to squeeze in all 38 feet of PEKABU including the dinghy and anchor. TJ was concerned with our limited ability to maneuver. He arranged for a welcoming committee of fellow boaters to help us dock. As we neared the marina, someone shouted, “PEKABU, welcome! We are waiting for you!"  As we approached the dock, there were 8 fellow boaters waiting to catch lines and assist in any way needed. BOATERS ARE THE GREATEST! Pete gently slipped us right up to the dock.
     Once everything was shut down, things put away, and Tillie walked, I counted 29 bug bites on my right leg and 20 on my left! Heavens knows how many Pete has. I am trying really hard not to touch them.
     Shower and bed never felt so good.

Monday, 5/12/25 ~ Coinjock ~ Day 2

     Pete worked while I did some chores, worked on the blog and rested. Surprisingly, they did not move us. Around 3, a 65’ Grand Banks glided sideways into the 68” space in front of us. Heavy rains & winds are forecasted for tomorrow. We will stay the extra day.

The Grand Banks docking behind us.

     Pete activated power for our slip on B-dock in Castle Harbor.
     We headed over to the restaurant, all 25 steps, for dinner. We had their delicious Crab dip with homemade potato chips. I enjoyed the Cream of Crab Bisque while Pete tried their Hatteras Clam Chowder. He still prefers New England or Manhattan Clam Chowder. We both had the 16-ounce Prime Rib, mine with sweet potato and salad; his with fries and fries. We have enough leftovers, sliced and frozen for 2 open face steak sandwich meals. Looking forward to them.

Tuesday, 5/13/25 ~ Coinjock ~ Day 3

     After checking the forecast numerous times yesterday morning, we decided to stay an extra day here in Coinjock. The forecast lived up to the hype. Heavy rain came through in bands, and the wind picked up. Pete had hoped to wash the boat with the power washer, but Mother Nature took care of that for us.
     When Pete checked AIS, there was only one large boat coming across the sound. It turns out it was an 85-foot Ocean Alexander, that squeezed into the space between us and the boat in front of us, with about 5 feet to spare. It’s wonderful to have multiple thrusters on a boat. Pete claims I am the thruster here on PEKABU!

 

In the rain, MY FORTISSIMO, the Ocean Alexander, parallelly docked 5 feet from our bow. 

Pete watched the tug transit the canal.

 

A momentary rainbow then the rains returned

      I worked most of the day on the blog, and by 5:30 April’s entries were posted, but not yet viewable on the blog. Recent photos are all downloaded. I started processing them. I have found that dictating my daily entries into my phone really helps. It speeds up the process probably by a third.
     With it being so raw outside, we opted to have a hardy soup for dinner. It really hit the spot. Once again, no late night. Alarm set for six-thirty in the morning.

Wednesday, 5/14/25 ~ Coinjock, NC to Great Bridge Lock, Chesapeake, VA

Today:        37 miles        8.0 hours        S/M 12

Total:      951.4 miles    181.95 hours

     We were up and away from the dock by 7 o’clock. Using the current and the wind we were able to push the stern away from the dock while holding the bow in place. We then slipped away from the dock in reverse.

     Temperatures were in the low 70s, wind was negligible, and the skies were clear as we rose this morning. By eight, we were under heavy cloud cover. They are predicting showers on and off all day, but not the torrential downpours that hit yesterday.

Blue skies gave way to grey as we were passed on Curricutt Sound by the Norhavan and MY FORTISSIMO, both were docked with us in Coinjock.

  
     The wind came up and we were able to motor sail at 5.8 mph across Currituck Sound. At the north end of the Sound, we saw the military training in 6 black zodiacs. There were also multiple jets as well as 2 smaller planes that flew low and followed the winding ICW, taking off from one of the military bases. One was a WW2 fighter, the other was another military craft, but we didn’t see it true profile. Speaking of flying birds, I also spotted 3 pairs of Bald Eagles in trees near the waterway, and one in flight.

Views of the military ~

 

Views along the ICW banks ~

 

 

Views on and above the ICW ~

 

. . . and my favorite ~ views from the ICW of the wildlife!

 

     Our timing of the bridge was not great, We had to wait 25 minutes for the Bridge at Northbridge. Centerville Bridge was better timed. It opened as we approached. No slowing down.
     There was only 1 boat already docked on the free docks. We decided to point our bow into the wind, which meant we docked at the southern end with our bow facing south. Three other trawlers also joined us on the dock.

 

     
Unique views of the Great Lock Bridge     and Sweetbay Magnolia

     Pete and I had prescriptions to pick up at Walgreens, a half mile west of the lock. We decided to walk. The distance was not bad, but the heat and direct sunlight made it a bit uncomfortable. I never realized that there are so many stores so close to the lock. DQ and Jersey Mike’s are on one side of the road, Chili's, Subway, Wendy’s, etc. are on the other. We took the wagon as we needed water, soda, bread and fruit. Kroger’s, which is like Food Lion was in the same area. Their selection is limited and it really annoys me when stores require use of their App to access the sale price. Whatever happened to having in-store paper copies of sale items and coupons?!
     Storms & lightning arrived shortly before dinner. They continued for about 2 hours with a great temperature drop. It was great for sleeping.

Thursday, 5/15/25 ~ Chesapeake to Hampton, VA

Today:        30 miles        6.5 hours        S/M  - - -

Total:      981.4 mile    188.45 hours 

     We were able to catch the 8 AM opening with 2 of the 3 other boats at Great Bridge dock.

 

 
Waiting for the bridge opening

     I was handing lines to the lock tender when the anchor and navigation lights hit the fenders in the lock. The port side navigation enclosure and lightbulb shattered and fell into the water. While waiting for the water level to fall (all6 inches of it) I enjoyed watching the Canadian geese with their chicks, nibbling the grass around the lock. I was surprised to see a very large swimming crab in front of the boat.

 

Tugs with and on a barge

 

     The Elizabeth River is never boring. Norfolk continues to have lots of water traffic. We are both constantly on watch for surprise traffic suddenly emerging from behind a ship or suddenly out of an off shoot along the river. We needed to wait about 15 minutes for the railroad bridge #5 to lower only to have one of the railroad trucks to cross the river. Then the ferry from Portsmouth to Norfolk entered the river from the free docks right in front of us, even though we had right of way As we passed the Nautilus Center, we saw 3 of their sailboats in front of us. It reminded Pete and I that Rob and Alex, MV LAMANTIN, who moved to Norfolk where Rob taught sailing at this center. Moments later, "PEKABU" was paged on channel 16, then requested to switch “up one.” It was Rob! He is still teaching sailing. It was great speaking with him.

Active shipyards in Norfolk

      This is the first time I have noticed letters and stripes near the bridge of a naval ship.  My friend, Google, explained that these are first place awards within the entire squadron earned by various departments onboard the ship.

     A little further ahead there was a USCG ship heading towards us. The USCG 270, the NORTHLAND, was heading to their base in Hampton Rhodes.

 

More traffic ~ a barge with container cranes for the docks, 

a working dredge barge and new tug heading to next assignment

 

   It was low tide as we entered the approach to Salt Pond. The marina had warned us of the shoals, which we were able to avoid when we made the reservations. When we called for our slip assignment as well as our need to fill with gas before we went to our slip, we were informed that there is no fuel. The pipes have been broken for months. This is a problem! As we eased into our slip, I expressed our concerns to the dock hand. He stated others “drive over to fill cans at gas stations.” Interesting suggestion, but we have no car! It was disappointing to see that the marina has deteriorated considerably since we were here last. The docks are rotting and have holes in the decking. The Internet doesn’t work, and the staff is indifferent.

West shore of the marina

  
     As to the fuel, we could head back to Tidewater Marina. It would be a day wasted. It takes 2.5 hours to get back there and 2.5 hours to return. Pete consolidated all the fuel into one of the large tanks. We have 12 gallons, of which we only need 9 to make it to Deltaville.
     Shortly after dinner, there was a knock on the boat. We were shocked and pleased to find Amy, Dan’s niece on SV ROWEN, stopped by to say “Hi.” Dan (SV BRUNELLE) had forwarded our location to her as she was flying back from Phili. She has been at this marina since Thanksgiving. We all were surprised that the stars aligned and enabled our meeting. It was so good to see her and catch up. Hopefully, with her travels this summer, we might once again meet up.

Friday, 5/16/25 ~ Hampton to Deltaville, VA

Today:        49 miles        7.5 hours        S/M - - - 

Total:      1030.4 miles      195.95 hours

     We shoved off at 7:10 this morning. We had no problem with low tide. The winds were SSW at 5-10, so we were able to get some help motor sailing against the outgoing current.
     Since we stayed to the west of the main channel, we saw very few boats, only a couple in the distance.
     It was an uneventful trip and Pete had no problem making his 1 pm phone conference. However, next week Pete and his partner will be very busy. This means we need to get “home” to Kent Island, MD. After reviewing, weather, winds & current, our plans for getting home on Sunday have changed. Winds are predicted to be 15-20 with gusts up to 35 from the WNW. Not good! Monday winds will be out of the WNW at 10 with gusts to 20. This is much more doable. Add to that, currents should push us up the bay all day! Fingers, toes, etc., crossed!
     Deltaville Marina has changed hands as of 2 years ago. It is now Jackson Creek Marina. Not much has changed except the dockage. It’s up to $3.25 a foot. There were storms in the area after dinner. Through the storm split around us, we experienced some of the strong winds that accompanied those storms. One of the sailboats in the anchorage dragged anchor and had to scurry to reset it further away from the other sailboats. The storms passed, the skies cleared, the winds settled down and the temperature dropped to a comfortable 69 degrees. Great for a good night’s sleep.

Saturday, 5/17/25 ~ Deltaville, VA to Solomons, MD

Today:        55 miles        12.0 hours        S/M - - -

Total:      1085.4 miles   207.95 hours

     The dog walked, the key dropped off, the engine oil checked, and the lines dropped by 6:40 AM. Leaving the marina before sunup, we began to see the storm clouds to the south and west. True to the predictions, they caught up to us between 6 and 9 AM, with heavy rain and wind. The current was against us & winds 20-40 from WSW created 3–4-foot chop. We made way at 1.4 mph with no sail for over an hour! We were lucky as the rain split around us. We fought the current for most of the day, but had a decent assist from the 10 mile an hour breeze out of the SSW.

Sunrise and the incoming squalls

 
     This is the first time on the cruise north that we encountered the dreaded, biting, black flies. At first, Tillie was annoyed with their persistence. However, with her thick coat, she was able to ignore them. We were not so lucky. They were constantly attacking our legs. I wonder, with all of our recent bites from Coinjock, if there is a teeny, tiny, invisible sign somewhere on our legs saying. “Free and tasty food here!”
     Prior to Potomac River, I saw speed between 6-7 mph for about an hour with wind about 10. Winds increased 12-15 and current strengthened once passing the Potomac. Pete reefed the sail. Our speed dropped to 4.6 mph. When we left this morning, Pete had plotted our travels so we could watch our ETA. However, our predicted arrival time kept vacillating between 4:30 and 6 PM depending on our speed at the moment.

 

Wolf Trap and Smith Point Lights

 

F-16 and C-130 landing at Patuxent Naval Air Station 

     We arrived at  Safe Harbor Zahniser’s Marina around 5:45. Since they were acquired by Safe Harbor, the docks were replaced with full-fingered, floating docks, bathrooms were beautifully remodeled, and the laundry has 3, FREE, newish, washers and dryers.
     After a long day of travel, it was great to simply reheat and enjoy the delicious comfort food of Spanish rice, chicken, sausage and beans.

Sunday, 5/18/25 ~ Solomons, MD ~ Day 2

 

                        

This is why we are staying put.  

To the left is the models' forecast and on the right, today's actual

     No alarm was set for this morning. Pete took a long walk with Tillie. They met and impressed a lot of walkers this morning. She has a new friend, who is a grey and white Mini-Bernedoodle.

    After a special breakfast of eggs, home fries, and ham (quite different from our fruit, yogurt and granola bar) Pete needed to prepare work for tomorrow. He and George will have busy week. While he worked, I headed over and did laundry. Once back, I worked on the blog and made a big pot of meatball, sausage and tomato sauce. Great progress on the blog and a delicious dinner to top it off.
     After dinner we enjoyed the new Netflix movie, “Nonnas.” A wonderful story of a man who is opening a new restaurant and has hired 4 “Nonnas” (Italian grandmothers) as the chefs.

Monday, 5/19/25 ~ Solomons, MD ~ Day 3

     Pete and George worked all morning; Tillie, his ever present (morale) assistant at this side. When we eventually move back on land, he will have to find a 2-seated office chair, so that Tillie can be with him.
     It was such a beautiful, but windy day. I walked to the point and back. It was a great 2-mile walk. Temps in the low 70’s with winds out of the WNW at 15 with gusts to 28 mph. It was also a good day to stay put. The Bay would be a challenge. Tomorrow, the winds will be below 10, and the currents should be with us most of the way.

 

 
Home, business and Tiki Bar décor

 

Japonicum, Primrose  and Wild Blackberry

Roses, Curled Dock and Purslanes

Purslanes and Dogwood

 

Grass on an old wooden lock, a "ghost" crab and Tasselflower

 

   The afternoon was once again spent on the blog. If tomorrow is our last day of this cruise, I would really like to have it all posted soon, maybe by this weekend?

Tuesday, 5/20/25 ~ Solomons to “Home”, Castle Harbor, Kent Island, MD

Today:        64.3 miles        12.5 hours        S/M - - -

Total:       1149.7  miles   220.45 hours

     We departed 6:15 AM along with 7 other sailboats and exited Patuxent River at same time to head north. The winds out of the east at 10-15 instead of the predicted NNE and the current incoming. We fought the current heading out of Solomons on the Patuxent River. As we made the turn up to Cove Point, we were right into the wind and due to the underwater shelf, we were still fighting the current. We were doing an astounding, 1.3 MPH! We finally reached the LPG dock at 8:48. It normally takes 1 hour, not 2 ½! Once past Cove Point, we hoisted the sail, but we were too close hauled. The sail had to be taken down.

 
Passed by a Buy Boat and Cormorant guards on R118.

The winds died and the clouds came.

     Pete had three conference calls scheduled for today, so I had more helm time. When we finally caught the current, we did 5.4 mph for while, but that “while” only lasted about an hour. Our speed then dropped to 4.3. The winds were supposed to die down around nine. Once again, the weatherman was wrong. They clocked to the NNE and stayed till noon. So, we were back to fighting the current and the wind, which was once again, on our nose.
     As we approached the Annapolis area, I could hear the Blue Angels doing their practice run for tomorrow’s airshow for the Naval Academy’s Commissioning Week. From a distance, I could see some of the planes performing. I wish we had gotten here sooner to see the entire show, but I’ll take what I got.
     Otherwise, it was a quiet day on The Bay. We were passed by a tug with a barge and 2 ships. This enabled us to take a more direct route up The Bay, which was great. We made it “home” to Castle Harbor at 8:20 PM. We beat darkness and we beat the rain, which came in later.
     Once again after a 12-hour plus day Tillie was great during the trip, She did remind us when it was 5 o’clock, that we forgot something, specifically, her pre-dinner walk, but soon settled down. Of course, as we docked, she was very anxious and excited to get to the grass.

The hint of sunset appeared as we entered the approach to
"home," Castle Harbor Marina, Chester, Maryland

     All in all, it was a good day, an interesting, challenging, and at times frustrating trip, and a very different winter. What the future will be is a mystery.


~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~ K & P