Wolf Trap Light

The definition of cruising is working on your boat in exotic locales. Well, I wouldn’t exactly describe Portsmouth, VA as exotic. We are virtually in the middle of the Navy shipyard. Our engine failed coming into the Norfolk channel, about ½ mile north of Hospital Point with lots of boat and ship traffic, currents and wind.

We immediately put out a security call then with the depth gauge showing 45’ I put out 160 feet of chain to keep from drifting into one of the ships or an oyster shoal surrounded by floating “crime ribbon.” I got her running a couple of times after installing new fuel filters but she is now unwilling to pass any fuel through the Racor primary filter housing.

We have about ½ tank of fuel, and looking in with a flashlight, it looks reasonably clear. I was concerned at first that I might have miscalculated the fuel burn and run out. We have never run her really low and don’t know how far to trust the fuel gauge. We do know when she’s full the gauge only reads about ¾. I miss the stick we used on the old boat to check the level. It may be time to bring a piece of dowel aboard.

We are tied up at Ocean Marine Yacht Center, only about a mile from where we had the first indication of trouble. They have an excellent service facility and had a mechanic on the boat by about 0815 this morning. Unfortunately one of the parts kits needed to fix the problem is not available locally. We have ordered them overnight for morning delivery so hopefully, we will be mobile by tomorrow afternoon.

Our plan yesterday had been to anchor at the Severn River off Mobjack Bay but we were making good time with excellent weather and decided to keep going. A lucky decision, if this fuel problem had occurred in that remote location, we would have had a lot more trouble getting qualified help.

Last night, we walked a few blocks to a sports bar on High St. and watched about ½ the Women’s World Cup Finals. Go USA! We saw the first 4 of their 5 goals.

Afternoon thunder storms have become the norm. We came into the dock in a real down pour yesterday, then it quit raining shortly after we were both soaked to the bone. It is raining hard now. I expect to hear our sticky bilge pump kick in and stay on soon. I will have my upper body crammed in a tight spot after the rain to shake it about until the switch comes free.

We have no set time frame to get back to Fairfield Harbour but as soon as we do, we need to get in the truck and get back to Maryland to help with the Darrahs’ move. Time’s a-wastin’ up there as they prepare to head back to California.