Volume 19 Number 3 Fall 2014

FORTNER, Wally & Mary Sue (#1341) 1988 • DeFever 44 • BEULAH BELLE Chicago, IL

Cruising in the Exumas, BahamasBEULAH BELL, a 1988 DeFever

44 and crew, Captain Mary and Engineer Wally, took the beginning of their second year of cruising to the Bahamas in December, 2013. Several years of learning and coaching from experienced cruising friends gave us the confidence to venture out into the Atlantic to see the beautiful waters and people of the Bahamas, and we were not disappointed. Many, if not most of you have already made this crossing, first to Nassau, then to the Exumas, with a goal to spend the majority of the winter in George Town. Our plan was to get to George Town, but spend most of our time getting there by way of the Exumas, and then getting back to the USA by way of the outer islands and the Abacos.

I’d like to share our first Bahamas experience with you, and describe our plans to return. We cruised overnight

from Fort Lauderdale to Nassau in 26 hours non-stop, arriving at the Nassau Yacht Club at 11:00 AM, and arranged with the desk at the marina for the Customs and Immigration personnel to meet us at the marina office. It was a quick and painless process to give the officials our documentation, pay our $300, and be on our way to shop for last minute provisioning. Our shopping trips in Nassau included the purchase of a new Yamaha 15 HP two-stroke outboard engine for the dinghy, and a Samsung smart phone with a Batelco SIM card and about $300 worth of data and “air-time” (voice and text) phone cards

The photo shows our boat sign that we left on Boo Boo Hill on Warderick Wells Cay. A walk up Boo Boo Hill to see the mooring field

at Warderick Wells Cay is unforgettably beautiful.

This is a photo of BEULAH BELLE tied up to mooring ball #13 in the Warderick Wells Cay mooring field inside the Bahamas Land and Sea Park.

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to provide a communication source while in the Bahamas. The winter weather of 2013-14 was different from most as we learned from fellow cruisers, and we knew in advance that we would need to have good weather forecasting capability. The winter fronts just kept on coming, and we spent more than half of our four months in a “hidey-hole” type of anchorage. We depended on our Nassau-purchased Samsung smart phone and the Batelco cell towers, or restaurant or laundromat provided Wi-Fi connections for our weather forecasts. No, we didn’t have SSB or a connection with Chris Parker, but we did have access to the GRIB wind and wave files from passageweather.com and we stayed abreast of the weather changes, and the need to avoid the nasty winds that would come from the west then the north. We anchored out every night except one during our four months away from Nassau, and only one time in four months did the GRIB files forecasts miss the severity of a west wind event while we were anchored off Black Point.

Our first stop after a 50 mile cruise from Nassau was inside the Bahamas Land and Sea Park at Shroud Cay. After two days of northerly winds and wakes from the passing mega-yachts, we decided to forego exploring the unique Shroud Cay tidal pools with our dinghy and move on south some 20 miles to Warderick Wells Cay, the center of the Land and Sea Park. What a wonderful, beautiful, and unique experience it is to tie to a mooring ball at Warderick Wells, explore the island on the miles of trails, leave your boat sign at Boo Boo Hill, share your experience at the daily happy-hour on the beach, and

When you’re confined to a hidey hole - Between The Majors - in the Exumas, it’s still a great place to take the dinghy to behind Compass Cay,

and explore the beaches and corals.

Any first timer to the Exumas will have a visit to “swimming pig beach” on their bucket list. It is near Staniel Cay, actually off of

Big Majors Island which is the preferred anchorage in the area. So, ok, take your table scraps and camera over to the beach, and feed the

pigs. It’s a hoot.

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enjoy the beauty of this place on your own sundeck! Better yet, invite a fellow boater that helped you tie up to a mooring ball and share a New Year’s Eve dinner on your sundeck and compare plans for the winter cruising season. Warderick Wells Cay is not to be missed in your cruising lifetime!

After a week at Warderick Wells Cay BEULAH BELLE and crew continued our 2013-14 journey south in the Exumas chain with a stop at Big Majors Cay, and several happy-hour gatherings at Pirate’s Beach which is near the infamous Swimming Pig Beach.

The NFL playoffs were in progress, and we were invited onto a beautiful yacht with folks from Texas to watch the Denver Broncos vs. San Diego Chargers playoff game. The Broncos won this game, but more important, this was the beginning of our understanding of how wonderful the cruising community is caring for each other. After 15 months of cruising, post-retirement, it became a fact that when you reach out to fellow cruisers with a friendly hello, and “where ya goin’”, that we would be welcomed into an undefined, but remarkable community of fellow cruisers that give, share and enjoy being in each other’s company! How else to explain an invitation to join a fellow DeFever owner to cruise to Little Farmers Cay, about 10 miles south of Staniel Cay, to take class photos for the All Ages School there? Vic Copelan (#1411, DF44 SALTY TURTLE) has taken class photos for the past six years at most of the Exumas All Ages Schools. Captain Mary and Engineer Wally went along for the experience and came away with a love for the kids, an appreciation of the need for help, and a desire to come again. Following our first visit to Little Farmers Cay in January we enjoyed multiple visits to Staniel Cay, Black Point, Pipe Creek, ‘Tween the Majors and a return trip to Little Farmers for their First Friday in February Family Festival - the “5F’s”.

Our underwater Bahamas highlights included seeing a “conch-walk” while snorkeling off the second of the mice islands in Pipe Creek. A conch-walk is when immature conchs come up out of the sea floor sandy bottom, pile up in a big heap

Pipe Creek is one of the best “hidey-hole” spots in all of the Exumas. Getting in is best done after having someone with local knowledge give

you directions, and having them mark up your chart. Once inside you will be well protected, and have access to dozens of snorkeling and fishing

spots. With luck you might be able to watch a conch-walk!

Attending one of the Family Regattas should be on everyone’s must see, bucket list. This photo was taken from Beulah Belle near one of the course markers for the Little Farmers Cay 5F’s Festival - “First Friday in February Family Festival”. When you go, put the dinghy down and follow the racing boats around the course - now that is

a real hoot, and one that will draw you back many times.

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of several hundred conchs, and they start their walk in columns about four conch wide in various directions toward the deep water of the ocean. Surely a sight to be remembered, and a sight that told us we need to bring an underwater camera back next year. Another snorkeling memory, and an Exumas must see, is the James Bond Grotto near Staniel Cay. This small island / cave has low tide access from opposite sides, and lets you enter on one side and leave from the other while swimming with schools of big, colorful reef fish, and maybe a nurse / sand shark. Do take along an underwater camera!

Our above the water Bahamas highlights included being inside the course for the Little Farmers Family Regatta – 5F’s Festival. Ten C class sailboats raced around BEULAH BELLE while we were anchored off Hawk’s Nest Point. While

watching the races from your boat is a great experience we recommend you or a friend (think Vic Copelan) take your dinghy down and watch the LeMans start, and follow the racers around the course. Of course you should pick your favorite, and shout out your encouragement and “Go Smashie” to the 40 boats. A much larger regatta is held in George Town, but it is later in the cruising year, and BEULAH BELLE and crew were not able to stay until past Easter week this year to be part of their family regatta. Other “don’t miss this” stops that we made during our first Bahamas cruise were to Long Island (to see Stella Maris, Cape Santa Maria, Dean’s Blue Hole, Hamilton Cave and have dinner at Chez Pierre), Cat Island (walk up Como Hill to The Hermitage), and Eleuthera Island (visit the Ocean Hole at Rock Sound and of course rent a golf cart while visiting Spanish Wells). Our decision to not linger at George Town this year was based on the

uncomfortable weather / wind this year. While sitting out another front while anchored in front of Sand Dollar Beach across from George Town, we decided to leave the Exumas, go up the outer islands, forego the Abacos, and get back to Fort Lauderdale to re-provision and head north on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) to do our Great Loop cruise.

As Vic Copelan has taken yearly pictures of the kids at Black Point, Little Farmers, and Staniel Cay for many years, given his time and resources, and never asked for payment “in-kind”, we would like to extend an invitation to

Vic Copelan has given of his time and resources selflessly, and joyfully to help the kids in the Exumas for many years. Here Vic is

taking a class photo for the Little Farmers Cay All Ages School. The school has 10 students - the husband / wife team are from Guyana,

South America.

The 7th thru 9th grade at the Black Point All Ages School attend classes together, There are 52 students in the school with much community support, but the library is in need of more modern computers. We are asking the cruising community to help us modernize the computer system there, and to implement “The Khan Academy” - a

state-of-the-art tutorial in math and science that the entire school is looking forward to receiving in 2015.

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fellow cruisers to join us in a similar opportunity to help the kids at Black Point Cay All Ages School. When you come to the Exumas next winter, please help with a donation to the Black Point All Ages School PTA (Parent Teachers Association) to provide a computer system that will let all the kids there have access to “The Khan Academy”. “The Khan Academy” is a fantastic, no-cost, FREE tutorial experience provided via the Internet that will give all of the kids at Black Point Cay the ability to study their math and science curriculum from first grade through university level. It was created by a genius in teaching, Sal Khan, and sponsored by Bill Gates. The school at Black Point has a good, hard-wire Internet connection provided by Batelco, but the computers in the school are not current enough to take the interactive video teaching lessons offered by The Khan Academy website (check out khanacademy.org). With a modern computer network in their school library the bright, creative kids at Black Point School will have a state-of-the-art tutorial setup to help them prepare for math and science exams at all grade levels, with the possibility that they may not have to leave their island home to continue their education beyond the 9th grade level in Nassau. BEULAH BELLE and crew will be taking a basic four or five computer network to Black Point Cay All Ages School next year, but this will hardly be enough to meet the need of the 52 kids at this K thru 9th grade school. Other Bahamas islands schools have the Khan Academy system up and working, but Black Point is at the disadvantage of having too many students and no private developer to donate the needed computers. Other smaller island schools in the Bahamas are already using The Khan Academy, and some schools have iPads available for every high school student. We are asking the DeFever Cruisers community to help the Black Point All Ages School to provide a modern learning tool for the kids at one of the islands that we all dream of going to when we retire. Donations (cash and / or raffle items) can be made to Mrs. Ida Patton, Treasurer of Black Point All Ages School. Ida can be reached at Rockside Laundry at Blackpoint, or you can join in school fund raising festivities during the Superbowl 2015 weekend at any of the restaurants at Black Point – Lorraines Café, Scorpios, or DeShamons. Or, when you reach Black Point please go to the school and talk to the principal, Mrs. Young, and she will be glad to introduce you to one of the teachers, let you know what classes can use your help to teach in, and simply how to make a donation to help with the school library computer system (10 library computers, one host computer, and two routers would be awesome). Or, you can contact Wally Fortner at wdfortner@gmail.com and he will be glad to talk your arm off about the school, the power of The Khan Academy, and the beauty of cruising in the Bahamas. As Vic closes his messages to us – “fair winds and rum drinks” – we look forward to seeing you at Black Point, Bahamas next year!

Ida Patton is a very special friend, and many, many cruisers to the Exumas know her Black Point, Rockside Laundromat, and hair cuts are the best in all of The Bahamas - no kidding! Ida is The All Ages School treasurer, and can help direct all donations to help with the computers

and / or raffle donations to help the kids at the Black Point. Please stop in and chat with Ida when you arrive Black Point, and offer your

resources to Mrs. Young, Principal of The All Ages School.

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BAIER, Chuck & Susan Landry (#1456) 2012 • MT 34DC • BEACH HOUSE Sarasota, FL

The Great Dismal Swamp Canal and Welcome CenterWhen we tell other boaters that we plan to travel the Great Dismal Swamp Canal in Virginia/North Carolina, many

respond that they would love to do it but are afraid to try. I already know the answer but I still have to ask, why? The answer is always the same. They are afraid that they will hit a log and damage the keel of the boat or their props or rudders. The canal has a reputation for debris floating in the water and, especially, lurking under the surface. The question then becomes, is that reputation and fear justified? The answer isn’t that simple; it’s yes and no. Is that fear and reputation enough to avoid a wonderful experience. It wasn’t for us. After several trips up and down this stretch of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), we vowed that this time we would do the Dismal Swamp, no matter what.

Heading northbound, a small detour to Elizabeth City, NC is required, the perfect place to prepare for the canal transit. As we pulled off the town dock in Elizabeth City, it was necessary to time the trip from the drawbridge to the first lock at South Mills. There are two locks that need to be negotiated, each with their own drawbridge. The normal lock schedules for both locks are at 8:30, 11:00, 1:30 and 3:30 seven days a week. If you’re northbound, the schedule will be about 30 minutes

later at Deep Creek Lock, southbound about 30 minutes later at South Mills. The distance from the bridge at Elizabeth City to the South Mills Lock is about 18 miles. We cleared the bridge at 8:30 AM and adjusted our speed to make our arrival just before the 11:00 AM lock through. Taking the trip along the Pasquotank River in the early morning reminded us of the Waccamaw River in South Carolina, one of our favorites. This isn’t an area you want to hurry through; rather it should be enjoyed at a slow pace. If you’re in a hurry, take the standard Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal route.

Arriving at the South Mills lock about ten minutes ahead of schedule, there were two other boats already waiting. One was a trawler we had met at the town docks in Elizabeth City. The lock opened promptly at 11:00, and we slowly pulled into the lock as the Lockmaster picked up a bow and stern line from each boat so we could tie to the wall. Northbound boats are raised about eight feet, depending on water levels on the river and in the canal. The controlling depth for the canal is six feet, but can vary depending on rainfall, or lack of rainfall, and other environmental factors. We found the shallowest water to be 6.8 feet and the average depths to be eight feet. There have been some years in droughts when the canal was closed and years when storms have closed the canal. The lock transit went smoothly and took about 20 minutes. As the gates opened for us to exit the lock, the Lockmaster had to drive quickly up to the drawbridge to open it for the boats. There is

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a free tie up at the seawall just before the drawbridge at South Mills if you want to stop for groceries or a bite to eat.

The entire canal is a no-wake zone with a maximum speed limit of six miles per hour. Traveling along the canal is almost a surreal experience. The channel is very narrow, with overhanging trees and water the color of a good cup of coffee, minus the cream. There is the possibility of hitting flotsam in the canal, but keeping a sharp eye forward, staying in the center of the channel and going slowly minimizes that possibility. Staying in the center of the canal also keeps the boat away from stumps, logs and fallen trees along the banks. Be watchful for critters swimming across the canal. We found several places where trees had fallen into the canal and blocked sections out to the center. These were all easy to see and avoid. Boat wakes often increase the problem by dislodging logs and branches that would normally be secure along the banks. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does an excellent job of clearing debris from the canal. They encourage boaters to report any problems to the Corps, the Lockmasters or the folks at the Welcome Center. Be sure and give exact locations with your report as they relate to the mile marker posts along the canal. They will promptly send a small boat to try and correct the problem immediately and if the job is too large, a barge is sent down the canal with equipment to handle just about anything.

The Great Dismal Swamp Welcome Center is at about mile 28. If coming from the south, the first thing you see is a pedestrian bridge across the canal that seems to be blocking your path. This bridge was built to get folks from the highway, across the canal, to the state park on the other side. The Park Rangers are always watchful for boats approaching and almost always have the bridge open well before you arrive. If they happen to be busy and don’t see you coming, a short toot of the horn will get their attention and the bridge will quickly open. Immediately north of the pedestrian bridge on the east side of the canal is the Welcome Center and a free face dock long enough to tie up four or five boats, depending on size. Depths alongside the docks when we were there were 5.5 feet with a soft mud bottom. When docking, be sure and keep the space between your boat and the next as close as possible to make room for others. During the busy transit season, you will be expected to raft up with others. The dock can be busy and crowded in season. When we visited in July, we were one of two boats at the dock.

The Visitor and Welcome Center is both a rest stop for the busy highway and for the canal. The staff at the Welcome

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Center has earned a reputation for being friendly and extremely helpful to boaters over the years. The Welcome Center provides 24 hour restrooms, free Wi-Fi, free loaner bikes to ride the bike trails and if boats are delayed in transit for whatever reason, they have provided transportation to South Mills for groceries if needed. There is also a water bibb at the north end of the dock. The State of North Carolina has put a sign on the faucet that says “non-potable water,” but this is the same water that is piped into the restrooms and water fountains at the center. We put it in our tanks and found no problem. It is the same water provided to the residents of South Mills. There is also a lounge in the air-conditioned Welcome Center with a TV, book exchange, and a desktop computer connected to a printer if needed. Internet access is available at the lounge computer for those that don’t use one on their boat. On the park-like grounds there are many shaded areas with picnic tables and outdoor grills. The staff at the Welcome Center can often provide charcoal.

Across the pedestrian bridge is the State Park, where you will find extensive hiking trails, bike rentals, and canoe and kayak rentals to paddle the canal. If you explore the hiking trails, be sure and use a good insecticide. During certain times of the year, the biting yellow flies can be brutal (June/July), and of course, there is the always present mosquito. Another concern for hikers is ticks, and precautions need to be taken. It’s best to wear light, long sleeve shirts, hats and long pants. Check often for the little critters while on the trails. This is a wildlife sanctuary and the state does not allow for pesticide spraying at any time. When you cross the pedestrian bridge, be sure and register with the Park Ranger before going on the trails in case you get lost or have a problem, they will know to come and look for you. The State Park has its own Welcome Center where bikes can be rented, and they have a fabulous exhibit on the history of the area and

the canal. There is also a nice display of animals native to the swamp, mounted by a good taxidermist. You feel like you’re eye ball to eye ball with the real animals.

There is no set limit on your stay but there is no long-term docking. Once you have enjoyed all the Welcome Center has to offer, it will be time to continue on. We headed north and one stop often overlooked is the tie up and dinghy ride over to Lake Drummond. Lake Drummond is the largest lake in Virginia and has a major effect on the water levels in the Dismal Swamp Canal. About seven miles north of the Welcome Center there is a small dock where you can tie your large boat. To the west is Drummond Feeder Ditch Canal that will take you to a spot where you will find a small trolley to put your dinghy on and haul it a short distance over land to Lake Drummond. The lake is large and flat and the shoreline all looks the same. It is best to take a handheld GPS with you to find you way back to your starting point when your day of exploration is over. It might also be helpful to tie a bright ribbon to a high tree branch near where you enter the lake. If the wind is up, the lake can be uncomfortable, so be aware of the weather. It can be very calm in the canal and very windy on the lake.

Continuing northbound, you will come to the drawbridge at the Deep Creek Lock. You will need to call the Lockmaster and wait for him to drive down from the lock. If he is locking boats southbound, you will have to wait a bit longer. (There

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is also a seawall there on the east side before the bridge where you can tie up directly across from a grocery store.) Once the bridge is open and then closed again, the Lockmaster will then have to drive back to the Lock and open the gates for you to enter. There is a free dock on the west side between the drawbridge and the lock called Elizabeth’s Dock. It has about eight feet of water alongside and is about a half-mile walk to the town of Deep Creek. In Deep Creek you will find groceries, marine and auto parts, a hardware store and a few restaurants. If you’re proceeding into the lock, have large fenders out for the lock walls and long lines at the bow and stern to pass up to the Lockmaster.

Robert Peek is the Lockmaster and he will keep you thoroughly entertained through the entire locking process. Robert can tell you anything you want to know about the history of the canal and the current conditions. If you don’t ask, he’s going to tell you anyway. Don’t be surprised to have Robert offer a fresh cup of coffee to anyone on board. If you have been to the Bahamas, Robert is always looking for replacement conch shells for his conch blowing lessons. You will get a lesson and demonstration whether you want it or not, and why wouldn’t you want it? We found Robert to be a pleasant surprise and he makes transiting a lock a truly enjoyable experience. The locking process can take 20 to 30 minutes, but sometimes Robert gets really involved, so be prepared to take a little longer. It will be worth it. The Deep Creek Lock dropped us down eight feet, and as the gates opened for us to exit, we got a big, “see you next time” from Robert.

The Dismal Swamp route connects to the ICW route just south of Norfolk. If you turn left at the intersection, you can proceed to the Norfolk/Portsmouth, VA area. But for us, we weren’t quite finished with locks for the day. We had plans to visit with friends in the Great Bridge, VA area, so we turned right instead. We needed to transit the Steel Bridge, which only opens on the hour, so we topped off our fuel at Top Rack Marina. They usually have the best diesel prices on the waterway. Once topped off with fuel and through Steel Bridge, we proceeded through the Great Bridge Lock to the free tie up on the wall between the lock and the bridge. But that’s a story for another time.

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BLACKMAN, Bob & Deidre (#1397) 1988 • DeFever 49 Pilothouse • TIDE HIKER Green Cove Springs, FL

Canada Canals and Rivers – Late Summer 2013 The problem with dirt dwellers is that they organize events in their lives with complete disregard to the cruising season.

Deidre and I had been planning a voyage up New York’s Hudson River to Canada and back south via Newfoundland for the summer, but now our daughter decided to have a May baby in Charleston, and a good friend’s daughter was getting married in Chicago in June. I suggested a card and a check on both counts, but the Admiral quickly shot that down - so much for an early start north.

The baby was born and the friend’s daughter was wed and we arrived at Sandy Hook, New Jersey on July 5th, at least a month or more later than we would have preferred. To make matters a bit more complicated, we had recently learned that flooding had damaged locks in the Erie Canal and it was closed “until further notice”. So we decided to head up the East River and wait in Port Washington on Long Island, New York. Port Washington is one of our all-time favorite ports and we knew we would be happy there, but it was fast becoming obvious that our plan to complete the “Down East Loop” and return via Newfoundland had run out of time. I did not want to be crossing the Bay of Fundy in October.

The information coming from the canal Authority was “scanty” (non-existent may be more accurate) and so I spent many hours on the Internet looking for alternative canal updates. Eventually found fred@tug44 who had access to “a friend of a friend” and seemed to have the inside scoop. He was predicting the reopening for July 21.

The Hudson River Eventually the news came that the Erie would be open

on July 18. We estimated we would need at least three days to make it to Waterford, where the canal meets the river. The first step was to get back into the Hudson.

We were in a bit of a hurry, so took only three days to make it to Waterford. We anchored at Haverstraw the first night and took a slip in Catskill the second night, where we had our little mast lowered in anticipation of the 20′ bridge clearances ahead of us. The marina manager was a really good guy, but the town is a bit “sad”. The third day was a short 35 miles to Waterford.

As for the river – it was scenic, I enjoyed the trains running along both sides of the river and there was quite a lot of commercial traffic (including real ships that go all the way up to Albany), and there was never an issue with depth. We found it virtually impossible to “time the tides”

so a good part of each day we were pushing a one to two knot current. We would have enjoyed a visit to West Point, but it was hard to arrange (I understand that since 9/11 the dock has been closed to day visitors) and the place seemed closed for the summer anyway. We took some photos and left it at that.

The bridge at the Troy lock on the Hudson, just before Waterford, was the first 20′ bridge, and we were happy our little mast was down resulting in air draft of about 19′6″. In fact there was at least two feet of clearance at this bridge, and that was our general experience on the entire Erie/Oswego system.

Hudson River lighthouse

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Waterford is a great boat town! The floating docks will accommodate maybe 10 big boats with water and power for $5 a day! (Sadly, the pump-out was under repair.) When we arrived on the afternoon of July 16 all the dock space was taken and so we tied to the adjacent wall. The next morning several boats cleared out and we moved to a space on the dock. Downtown is close, a good supermarket is an easy walk and there is a hardware store about a mile away. The best news is the local café where an egg breakfast is only $2.00! We ate there three days in a row. We walked up to the first Erie lock to buy our lock and mooring passes. If we do the trip again, I think I would give the mooring pass a miss. There are several canal towns with free docks that I would use instead, and you can pay $10 a day for a spot on the wall in Oswego.The Erie & Oswego Canals

We would have stayed at Waterford longer, but time was not on our side. In the first couple of miles we needed to navigate a flight of five locks. Each lock provided about 30′ to 35′ of lift, which does not sound like much, but it seems like a lot when you enter the lock and look up. For each lift, the Admiral took a line at the bow, secured it loosely then sprinted to the stern. Once she had a line at the stern I left the wheel and picked up the line at the bow. It was hard and dirty work - our boat weighs 65,000 lbs and the lines were all covered in goop - and by the fifth lock, Deidre was very tired and her back was hurting. It did not help that the weather was very hot and humid.

We decided that we needed bigger fenders so we stopped at Albany Marine Service and purchased two 18″ teardrops and a pump. They told us there was “plenty of water” at their little dock but we ran aground in very soft mud as we were leaving and as a result plugged both strainers and overheated both engines. Just to add to the excitement, shortly thereafter the Furuno chart plotter “ran out of map”. I had called C-Maps a month previously and was assured that I had the right chip, but obviously I did not. I immediately called them again, and was advised by a different person that the chip we had only covered New York “east of Syracuse” and Canada “east of Montreal”. So we ordered a new chip for the rest of the trip to be express mailed to Oswego. The next day we took it easy – only 25 NM and five locks. We made it to Canajoharie by about 2 PM and the volunteer dock master was there to take lines. Such a great deal – a floating dock with water and power for no charge, plus the dock master took the Admiral to the supermarket while I tidied up the boat.

We were finding the locks on the canal hard going. I can say I was tired and Deidre almost exhausted. The next day we passed through seven locks. It’s hard work keeping a 49′ boat parallel to a wall with an almost vertical rope. The good news is that we did not scratch TIDE HIKER.

We stopped and took on 260 gallons of fuel at St. Johnsville so we would arrive in Canada with full tanks. The river/canal was amazingly clear of debris, but sometime that afternoon, in 12′ plus water, we hit something hard. It was probably a tree trunk but we will never know. I was concerned that it may have bent a prop as we seem to have a new vibration, but I have a very active imagination. All seemed to be okay.

Waterford visitors center

Shipping in Syracuse

The next day we reached Lake Oneida. There are free places to comfortably stay the night on both sides of the lake but the weather was calm when we arrived at the eastern shore town of Sylvan Beach, so we made the crossing and tied up to the free floating dock in Brewerton. We ate at a good restaurant just across the road – a great spot and a nice little town.

The trip from Brewerton to Oswego took less than a full day. We did not stop in Phoenix, but next time we would – it looked fun and we have heard good reports.

In between the last and second-to-last locks in Oswego there is almost a mile of

canal wall to tie to, basically located in downtown Oswego. There is no power

or water, but it is secure and convenient. The wall is adjacent to a park and there are plenty of services in biking or walking distance – we picked up our mail at the USPS (including the new C-Maps chip), went to the movies, I had a haircut and we did the shopping. To Canada

The next step was to cross Lake Ontario to Kingston, and it looked like an easy 50 NM day. Planning our arrival, I called the marina in Kingston to make a reservation. The unexpected response was “we need two days’ notice for reservations” followed by “click”. A bit taken aback, we called a marina in Collins Bay “Sorry, your boat is too big”. Several calls later (and starting

to feel a bit concerned) we contacted the Loyalist Cove Marina in Bath, about 40 miles to the west, and discovered that is was “our lucky day” as their T head was vacant.

It seems that in this part of Canada the “Loyalist” idea is still alive and well. The American Revolutionary war is referred to as the “First American Civil War” and the war of 1812 is considered to be a British/Canadian victory! Nevertheless, we were welcomed and felt very comfortable. We completed the Customs arrival procedures from the phone in the office – and since it was a Friday afternoon it was quite painless. (We had “loaned” all our wine and liquor to some old folks at the retirement building located adjacent to the canal in Oswego on the basis that they could try what they liked. We picked it up a month later on the way back! Apparently the booze cabinet can be a complication!)

Free dock Brewerton

Oswego

Booze we left behind

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The next day we headed east for Kingston and hoped to tie up on the free wall. We had read everything we could about the location of this free wall, but its exact location was still a bit of a mystery, and in fact it took some finding. For the record it is in the northwest corner of Confederation Basin. After you enter the basin, keep to the west, pass around the west end of the floating “day docks” and there is about 500’ of high wall. The fairway is a bit narrow, there are no services, but totally worth the effort as it gives you unfettered access to downtown.

Kingston is a very nice place – we stayed four nights, and we loved every minute. Visiting neat little towns is what cruising is all about to me, and Kingston was a treat. My first task was to organize Canadian phone and data service for our unlocked devices. But try as we did (we went to four phone stores) it was just not possible without a Canadian address and credit card. Deidre and I do a bit of international travel and we have never had this problem before. Eventually we called back to the USA and added a “minimal but not cheap” Canada deal to our AT&T phone and Verizon MiFi. One of the highlights of Kingston was attending a red-coat “tattoo” at Fort Henry.

On July 30 we headed into the Rideau. A mile or so north and the chart plotter with the new chip “white paged” again! Fortunately I had purchased an $80 chart book of the Rideau in Kingston, so we quickly needed to recall how to navigate using paper charts and a compass. There was not much open water and the channels were well marked so it was annoying, but no big deal. However I did use up some of our valuable phone minutes calling C-Maps back in the USA!

We purchased our one way lock pass (49′ @ $4.65 for a one way total of $227) and mooring pass (49′ @ $9.80

for a total of $480) at the first lock, and learned another Canadian-ism: that the lock operators do not use VHF! Their “system” is for them to “see you” and open the lock when appropriate. In the mean time you can “hover” or tie up at the “blue dock” that precedes each lock. Well, I hate “hovering”, and with just two 60+ year olds on board, docking TIDE HIKER with no help from the shore is not an easy process. Plus, typically there is only room at the “blue dock” for a couple of boats.

There are 45 locks between Kingston and Ottawa! Several of them are arranged in “tiers” of multiple locks, the grand-daddy of them all being the eight locks arranged in one tier down to the Ottawa River. We were led to understand that they are structurally unaltered since the day they were built

Sharing the marina in Kingston

Waiting at the blue line

Stepped locks

13

in 1832. Almost without exception they are beautifully maintained in a park-like environment. In general there was a lockmaster and a couple of students on summer vacation to work each lock - they were a nice bunch of people.

The max draft the locks can handle is 4′11″. As mentioned previously we draw about 4′9″ and so in each lock the operators “filled them up to the brim” to make sure we did not ground on the sill. This was fine except that as a consequence there was no wall left for our fenders to hold us off the granite. We were required to shut down our engines when in the lock and so all we could use to hold off our 65,000 lbs was the bow thruster and boat hooks!

The first night we anchored in 15′ to 20′ of water in Morton Bay and learned another new lesson. The water in the Rideau is clean and so lots of sun light penetrates the water. The result is a lot of weed growing as deep as 25′. When we tried to retrieve the anchor next morning we blew the breaker on the windlass because of the weight of the wet weed on it!

There is little doubt that the 202 km of rivers, lakes and man-made canal that makes up the Rideau waterway is rather wonderful. Our advice is: do not have a time table. We overnighted on the wall in Smiths Falls and Newboro and could have stayed longer.

Back to practical matters. Canada (and the Great Lakes in general) are a no-discharge zone. We have the ElectroScan system on board, but even that is a no-no in this part of Canada, so we were on a constant hunt for pump-outs. We tried our first in Smiths Falls. I had biked over the previous evening to check it out and make an appointment. It was located next to a wall, with a steel fence decorated with

Christmas lights, and was a very tight fit for TIDE HIKER. In the morning we made it safely to the wall and only crunched a few lights in the process. The man fired up the pump out and pointed at the hose – that was maybe 10’ long! Even when we moved TIDE HIKER so the pump-out fitting was exactly aligned with the unit, the hose did not reach. Pump-out hose must be very expensive in Canada as this was not the only place we had the same problem.Ottawa

It was only a half day cruise into downtown Ottawa, and a very interesting ride it was. The man-made sections of the canal were never wide, but in this section we felt that we were in a small back lane in the city. We could see over fences into people’s backyards and into shopping centers and we went through a park with

Manual locks

Weed on anchor

It gets narrow

14

joggers on both sides. We took it quite slowly so that we could enjoy the atmosphere – and ward off overhanging trees. It was great fun, but spooky.

The canal basically dead ends (at a giant flight of locks) right in downtown Ottawa. It’s a bit like being in Times Square in New York or State Street in Chicago, but on a boat. There is about 1,000′ of floating dock on one side, but that was full when we arrived. So I needed to

make a U-turn! Yikes. There were boats on one side, a concrete wall on the other and it was maybe 60′ wide? When I made the turn our anchor projected over the wall. We retraced our path 1/2 mile or so, did another 180 degree turn and tied to the wall with no facilities, but right on a major thoroughfare and over the road from a big mall. Spectacular.

That night we walked into town and checked out the sights. Ottawa is really set up for visitors and is really a beautiful city. Every day there seemed to be some sort of event downtown that involved red coated marching bands. I really feel the Canadians are trying to “out pomp” the English. It was fun.

We stumbled over a boat that was leaving first thing in the morning, so we made a deal to be “Johnnie on the spot” when they vacated, which worked well. Now we had water and 30 amp power for $10 a day. We stayed three nights and had a wonderful experience. Our biggest stress was finding decent public toilets – this was a common theme at the docks!

Ottawa River We were first in line to enter the flight

of eight locks down to the Ottawa River on August 10. The ride down took two-plus hours. It was quite spectacular but a lot of work for the boat and the crew. (I was glad I had big starting batteries as I had to start and stop the engines eight times with only idle speed in between.) Once in the Ottawa River we headed for a pump-out and I am sure the boat heaved a big sigh of relief when we hooked up. It took quite a while because even though the hose was (just) long enough it was powered by what must have been a lawnmower engine and kept running out of vacuum.

We took four days on the Ottawa River, anchoring the first night in the South Nation

Ottawa wall

Red coats

Ottawa final 8 locks

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River and tying to walls in Hawksberry and St. Anne De Bellview. On August 11 we stopped for lunch at Chateau Montebello, the world’s largest log hotel. The lock at St. Anne De Belleview was huge.

The weather continued to be benign. We continued to eat well.

We decided to take a marina in Lachine instead of messing with the locks and strong currents in the Montreal section of the St. Lawrence. We hired a car and visited Montreal and Quebec City by car. While in Quebec City we attended a free outdoors performance of Cirque de Soleil – it was brilliant. The St. Lawrence

Running west against the current was slow and not much fun. The lock and bridge people used VHF but did not tell you much. I hate to sound like the spoiled American but it was so pleasant to approach the first American lock - the lockmaster responded promptly to my hail. He talked to me! He told me when he would open, and what side to tie to! And then it happened. Amazing!

We stayed a night at Gallop and attempted a pump out, but it was no good - the hose was too short!

Our first stop in New York’s Thousand Islands area was a pretty and protected anchorage behind Pilon Island. There was about a two knot current, and as the result of some bad communication between bridge and deck we lost the entire anchor and chain over the bow! (The bitter end was securely tied in the anchor locker with two pieces

of half-inch manila, but they exploded in a puff of dust). We successfully anchored using a backup anchor and then contemplated the recovery process. Fortunately the water was reasonably clear and we have scuba gear on board and after a day of searching we found and recovered the whole lot. Once it was back on board we started to laugh about the experience – but only then!

Our next anchorage was “inside” a group of tiny islands at Summerland and this was just as exciting because as we recovered our anchor the next morning up came a three inch diameter cable! Holy smokes, no wonder the anchor seemed to set so well. It was well away from the “cable crossing” shown on the chart. We released the cable with some effort using a boat hook and some strong arms and breathed a giant sigh!

Huge lock at Anne de Bellevue

St. Lawrence traffic

We found the anchor

16

The Thousand Islands area is very scenic with spectacular houses (and some “castles”) perched on tiny tree covered rocky islands. We did not stop at Heard Castle - it looked too touristy to us. We had not really used our Canadian parks pass and so we searched for an island with space for us. We eventually squeezed onto a fixed dock at Camelot Island with about six inches of space fore and aft, and about the same under our keel! The Canadian park docks are very popular and designed for smaller boats than TIDE HIKER.

The next morning we made it to Clayton on the U.S. side and after some “bluster” we cleared Customs using the video phone. Clayton harbor looks like a decent anchorage and there are several marinas. We opted for a marina and spent a good part of the day at the wooden boat museum. The next day we crossed the rest of Lake Ontario and tied up to the same wall. The old guys were waiting for us and handed back 90% of our booze. That was a win-win. It was good to be “home”.

Boatshed 1000 islands

KOCH, Steven & Diane (#74) 1989 • DeFever 49 Pilothouse • AURORA Palm City, FL

Big Boat AdventuresAs some of you may know, Diane and I have been working as captains aboard a 100′ motor yacht since January of

this year. How this happened I am not really sure, but we were working for the owner on his previous vessel which was a 73′ Outer Reef. When he decided to put it up for sale (WHY??) and get a larger vessel he asked if we would go along with him. We told him we would entertain the idea and in the meanwhile were hired by the new owners of the Outer Reef to instruct them in the operation of the vessel and travel with them to the Bahamas. The new owners were from Australia and they loved the water and really enjoyed the beauty of the Bahamas. They loved to anchor out and would stay in the water for hours on end. They also tried to get most of the family here and spend time aboard while the vessel was still in the U.S.

In December they made a deal with Dockwise Transport and we prepared the vessel to travel to New Zealand. The Aussies really wanted to have a hard dinghy as well as the RIB so a week before leaving he purchased a 15′ Boston Whaler and we prepared to stow it aboard as well. When I asked about mounted chocks he informed me that “down under” they just place bean bag chairs on the deck and lower the tenders onto them. With a few tie downs in place it was ready to go. We learn something new every day.

On December 23, Diane and I brought the Outer Reef to Port Everglades and motored it aboard Super Servant 4 for its journey half-way around the world. We were sad to be finished with a great vessel but at the same time the previous owner was in touch and said that he had purchased a 100′ Hargrave and was having it shipped from California back to Florida. We would have preferred to see it ourselves before the purchase but, unfortunately, our commitment and his timing did Brochure photo 100′ Hargrave

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not allow for that to happen.As it turned out, on January 3, 2014,

the two vessels crossed paths in the Panama Canal and V5 as it was known, was on the way. The owner, broker, Diane and I, and Mike from Hargrave all met the yacht in Palm Beach as it was offloaded from the deck of the ship and lowered into the water. I knew nothing about the operation/history of this vessel, and on top of that most of the batteries were discharged. Mike was some help and we figured out that we could jump start the engines and get away from the ship. So within 15 minutes, we were on our way to Fort Lauderdale.

As the weather was pretty lousy we decided to stay in the Intracoastal Waterway and deal with the 27 bridges that we would need opened rather than run offshore with

an unfamiliar vessel. So for the next eight hours we worked on figuring out the systems and how things worked. The best part was yet to come and as darkness fell we arrived in Lauderdale and then headed up the New River in the rain. We were lucky that we were able to follow the Jungle Queen up the river and he arranged for most of the bridge openings as we worked our way around the turns and through the narrow bridge openings. To put it bluntly, I was scared to death!! We finally arrived at Billfish Marina at 2100 and then had to back into a slip there. Well we made it and finally tied up and shut down. We sure enjoyed that drink.

The next three months were spent in Fort Lauderdale getting items repaired or replaced and trying to bring V5 back to shipshape. As it turned out, the previous owner had passed away about four years ago and the family then took over the care of the vessel. It quickly became obvious that there was little or no care given to the boat. All the maintenance records stopped around 2008 and after that I could not tell what had been done since.

We basically started from scratch and replaced all the fluids (70 GALLONS of oil for the main engines and generators), all new batteries (14 8D AGM), cleaned all filters, etc. V5 is powered by a pair of Caterpillar V12 motors putting out 1400 HP each. It also has a pair of 35KW generators that run alternately while the vessel is underway. We were also getting lots of paint work done and getting quotes to replace most of the teak decking. The exhaust system had rusted through in some areas and had parts that needed to be fabricated and replaced. The center windshield in the pilot house was leaking and had ruined the dash in the pilothouse. While removing the leaking window, the company doing the work broke the glass. It was almost two months before another company would come in with a properly fitted glass replacement. During that time we had a severe rainstorm and quickly learned that first company had not resealed the window and we ended up with water in the staterooms two levels below. There were two other windows that were cracked and needed replacement but we waited on that for a while.

The first few days were pretty hectic as it seemed every vendor at the yard knew we were coming and needed lots of work. We had not had a chance to even review or think about what should be done first as the swarms descended upon us looking for a chance to get the jobs. Billfish Marina has three companies that work in their yard and if you do any work with them, your dockage is free during that time. We tried that route but found them to be twice as expensive as other vendors that we had worked with in the past. About two months after being at their docks, we were told by the marina that we should leave as we were not giving them enough work. We were the only vessel there at the time and we were paying a good amount for dockage anyway.

We found another yard nearby and moved over. During the next month, we had lots of paint repairs done, had a firm bid to replace the teak, removed the other two windows, and were getting bids on the exhaust system as well. We also purchased a new 17’ AB tender with a 115 Yamaha and had to get new chocks fabricated and mounted. During that time we had some issues with the davit and had that repaired twice. The last time we still had a hydraulic leak that was deemed not repairable without replacing the entire unit. I think we will live with a slight drip at this time.

During this time we found time to take a quick trip to Bimini, Bahamas with the owner and some guests aboard. We

Delivery of V5

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headed back down the New River again and out in the ocean for the crossing, where we found out that we needed to do some upgrades to the electronics. We made plans to install a pair of Garmin 7215 units, AIS, depth sounder and some cameras so I could see down the sides of the vessel while docking. Most of the systems worked okay, and except for the old microwave catching fire, the trip was fairly uneventful. On our return we had to go back up the New River and back to our yard to finish the projects that were started there.

After three months in Fort Lauderdale we decided to take the boat to Stuart, FL and have it hauled at Hinckley for some bottom work and more repairs. The day after our arrival the Teak Deck Company showed up to begin removing the teak from the decks that were being replaced. There must have been 3000 screws and all the teak had been glued to the decks as well - what a project!! We were also having the aft cockpit hatches removed and made smaller at this time. After a few days it was evident that the yard workers and the teak deck guys could not work together and we had lots of problems trying to get that project completed. We were finally hauled out and blocked up and we removed the stabilizer fins and resealed them. The yard prepped and painted the bottom and removed the props for tuning and adjustments. We also removed the couch, chairs and cushions from the salon for reupholstering.

One of the bigger projects was the removal of the entire exhaust system from the engine room. As it was installed, the exhausts were made in one piece and mounted on the engines before the decks went on. Now there was no way to remove them except to cut them into two pieces and even then they barely make it out the engine room door. So, off to Fort Lauderdale they went for repair. Two weeks later they were returned, now in three pieces, and reinstalled on the engines.

The back hatches were finally reinstalled and most of the teak decks were now in place. We replaced 320 halogen bulbs with LED units which took almost two months to get straightened out. I almost forgot, we had to replace 600’ of half-inch anchor chain from the boat that was rusted in a chunk. Since I can only run the windlasses when the engines are running (they are hydraulic) and the anchors weigh 300lbs each, we had to use a forklift from the yard and lower the anchors on to a platform, then pull the chain out with the help of a tractor. When the new chain arrived, we laid it on plastic and painted red, white and blue marks every 30’. After we went back in the water we rigged up a PVC elbow on land and we were able to bring the chain aboard using the windlass, still needed help with the anchors but it was much easier.

By that time we had been in yards for five months and had enough, so we decided that we wanted to spend Memorial Day in Brunswick, GA with other members of DeFever Cruisers. We informed the yard that was our deadline and that we would be leaving to meet the owner (which was not quite the truth). Just about everything got finished except for the teak decking but one of the workers said he would come to GA to finish the job.

On Friday May 23 0700 we finally departed Stuart and cruised offshore to arrive at Brunswick around 0900 the next day. We had a great weekend with fellow DeFever Cruisers SOLEMAR (#1392, Steve & Benita Sprint, DF53 POC), WILD GOOSE (#238, Jim & Ann O’Malley, DF43) and ELIXIR (#1509, Ron & Marie Beckstrom, DF40) and relaxed a bit after spending so much time in repair yards.

After fueling up in Brunswick we headed out again and our next stop would be Wrightsville Beach, NC. We were having a pretty good run up the coast but at about 0200 (of course) on one of our engine room checks we found that the exhaust temperature on some of the new parts was 340 degrees F and was starting to burn the exhaust hose attached to the new diffuser. We brought the RPMs back and the temperature came down some. We proceeded to Wrightsville Beach, tied up and contacted the exhaust company. After some discussion we decided our best recourse was to remove the diffuser

Disassembly of Exhausts

19

and ship it back to them for modification. (I should have mentioned earlier that we now travel with a mate to help us out, as this vessel is too big for Di and I to deal with ourselves. He is an ex Marine who spent time in Afghanistan and is a great help in every way.) The mate and I removed the parts and boxed them up to return to Lauderdale.

We managed to have a great time in Wrightsville Beach, catching up with our friends Bob and Connie Price (#1211), who just sold DF48 MAGIC BUS and the previous owners of DF44 MAYA, Roger and Kathy Tatum.

Four days later our parts came back and we reinstalled them and headed out at noon that day. We were to go offshore of Cape Hatteras, NC and follow the coast to Cape Henry, VA where we planned to spend the weekend at Hampton, VA. All went well but we still felt that the temperature of the exhaust was still above ABYC standards and too hot. We had a nice weekend in Hampton and Norfolk, VA and headed for Baltimore, MD where we met the owner and some guests. We had some great crabs in the C&D Canal and made a quick stop in Atlantic City, NJ before arriving in Jersey City, NJ to spend a week at the Liberty Landing Marina. We were fortunate to be able to get in to New York City and see a Broadway show as well as spend a day at the 9/11 Memorial Museum which was very moving and well done. Things were going pretty well and our new Garmin system was working great, the teak decks looked fantastic, the exhaust still needs some tweaking but we were looking and running pretty good… THEN LOOK OUT!

Friday June 20, we had a dinner party arranged with the owner and 20 guests. We left Jersey City after bringing food and servers aboard to help out. We pulled up to Pier 25 in Manhattan to board everyone. After putting out our ramp and bringing the guests aboard we started backing away from the pier. We heard a noise that was not normal, like a slight vibration while backing in reverse. I had to get off the pier so we slowly backed up and then went in forward and everything sounded normal. We took a slow cruise to the Statue of Liberty and up the East River and then we turned towards the tip of Manhattan. Derek (our mate) thought he smelled something so he ran to the engine room to check, and he found that the port shaft was smoking where it went through the shaft seal and the cutlass bearing. We shut down the engine and he hosed down the bearings and stayed in the engine room to monitor the situation. We proceeded back to Pier 25 and approached and docked on one engine. No one, except the owner, knew anything was wrong and we just let them finish their party at the dock.

Well it seemed that the shaft seal housing had lost its cooling and fused itself to the shaft. We could not let that shaft turn or it would tear out the bellows hose which would let lots of water enter the boat. We tried our best to lock down the shaft with a large pipe wrench and a pry bar screwdriver and decided to limp our way back to Jersey City. Of course by now it was 2200 but there was still a lot of traffic on the Hudson River. About half-way across we had to shift into neutral (on the only engine) and reposition the pry bar holding the shaft. As the current got hold of us and we were being set down on a buoy, I told Di to tell Derek that I had to get going. With a minute to spare we were able to get back in gear and away from the marker, finally docking at 2300.

So now we had to figure out what to do and where to do it. We made some calls and checked the Internet and could not find a yard that could haul us for almost 30 miles. As it turned out, some of my old Brooklyn friends came over on Saturday night for a visit and we discussed what was going on. One of them knew of a commercial yard in Staten Island, NY and he called the owner on Sunday who agreed that they would haul us for repairs. We worked on making a metal brace that would lock the shaft from turning, as we still had about 15 miles to travel. We also ordered a new set of dripless shaft seals for both engines to be delivered the next day. So, early the next week we traveled to Staten Island and tied up at the only marina that could take us to spend the night. Early the next morning we pulled over to the yard and prepared to be hauled out. The huge 220 ton lift had no problem with our 125 tons but the straps were filthy Inventive AC

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Size Length Grommet to Grom-met *

Mailed Within USA

Mailed Out-side USA

Standard 18-½” 11” $25 $28 Large 25-½” 15-½” $35 $38

The new shipment of DeFever Cruisers burgees has arrived and we are ready to start sending them out to all those members who need a new one. DeFever Cruisers Burgees are available through the

kind efforts of Charma Owens. To order, please send a check payable to “DeFever Cruisers” and indicate the size you want (the Standard Size is perfect for a DeFever 44). Send your order to:

Charma Owens1010 Sago Palm WayApollo Beach, FL 33572813-645-1994 email: ronandco@verizon.net

Fly your new DFC burgee and let everyone know about our cruising group!

DFC Burgees

and so was most of the yard. The owner (75 years old) was a nice guy but he made it perfectly clear that he did not deal with “plastic boats” and wanted us out as soon as possible. We were the only pleasure boat there and everything else was big, steel and commercial. I am sure that the only reason we were there was because my buddy had called him. His workers started right away and after a few minutes we found that the cutlass bearing was also destroyed and had to be changed. So they blocked us up and started pulling out the shafts, removing the props, cutlass bearings and shaft seal assemblies. We hooked up to some power and were able to stay on the boat on the hard. While walking around the first night I found a room air conditioner that someone had left in the yard. I plugged it in and it worked!! So, we cleaned it up and made up a temporary mount and it cooled down the galley pretty well. In just three days we were back together and ready to be splashed. We made a few adjustments and all was in working order.

Right now we plan to spend a couple of weeks here and then head further east making it as far as Nantucket before starting to head back south. So, if you happen to see a 100’ Hargrave motor yacht named Sanctuary (renamed from V5) inside beats the hearts of a pair of DFCers. Give us a shout out as we’re probably just sitting on the couch eating bon bons anyway.

ABYC standards NOT

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ALLARD, Greg & Barbara & Barbara (#131) 1989 • Tollycraft 61 • MEANDER Palmetto, FL

Practical Non-Panic Boat DockingDocking a boat is like skydiving: whether you are stepping out the door of the plane or approaching the dock, you

think: “I hope this all works out OK.” Docking is one of the more challenging aspects of boat handling, and it can be stressful - even more so if there are a half-dozen spectators watching. In this article we’ll look at some practical techniques that everyone can use to eliminate a great deal of anxiety.

The DeFever Cruisers Club has a number of very experienced members who are outstanding boat handlers. We won’t have anything new to teach them here, but every year there’s a group of new members, some of whom have only owned much smaller boats, or have never owned a boat at all.

This article is a practical Primer – Docking 101 – for less experienced members who want to learn more. It will also serve as a good checklist for the rest us (me included) who may occasionally decide to take a docking shortcut or two. Many of our members will have different or even more effective techniques for docking that they have developed over years of cruising. What is most important is to decide what works for you. LEARN HOW YOUR BOAT HANDLES BEFORE YOU DOCK IT

If you cannot handle your boat well, you will never learn to dock it well. It’s not the purpose of this article to give instruction in boat handling, but if you are not completely comfortable, look for some good help. Either hire someone, or at least have a person with strong experience give you some detailed hands-on training. Let that person take you and your spouse out together, then separately. (A couple of east coast professional teaching-captains are listed below.)

A teaching captain will help you practice turning, steering, throttle control, backing, spinning/walking the boat, and close quarter maneuvers (perhaps using a temporarily anchored fender or buoy as a reference point). Your practice will take into account whether your boat has a single engine or twins, or even a bow or stern thruster. Ideally you should first try entering and leaving a slip during calm conditions, and then move on to situations with difficult winds and currents; all of those experiences will help you understand how your boat responds and handles in different situations.

You should practice approaching and leaving a dock with the assumption that no one will ever be there to help you. If you and your crew know how to do it alone, when you pull into a dock at 8:00 PM and there is no one to “catch a line”, you will still be able to dock with confidence. HAVE THE CORRECT EQUIPMENT ABOARD

Lines: You have plenty of lines, but are they the right ones? Are they old, stiff, and virtually impossible to tie around a cleat because they are rigid with salt, dirt and age? Those old lines also weigh a whole lot more when they are wet.

With every boat we buy, we relegate the existing used lines which came with the boat to the “storm line” bin, and then buy all new docking lines for daily use while cruising. In my view there is only one kind to purchase: West Marine’s Pre-Spliced Mega Braid Dock lines - (made by New England Ropes). Yes, they are expensive, but they are incredibly easy to handle. They remain soft and supple, coil easily and their more open weave allows water to drain quickly, so they remain lighter. The person who works the deck, handling those lines, will thank you every time you dock.

Fenders: Lugging and positioning heavy fenders around a boat can be tough. Conventional heavy-walled inflatable fenders are good and strong and they belong on your boat, but they can be hard to handle. For docking purposes, invest in a couple of the good quality lightweight inflatable fenders like those made by Aere, Megafend and North Atlantic Inflatables.

Communications: While docking, we always use wireless headsets which allow us to speak with each other from any place on the boat. We tried many different models and finally settled on Eartecs. Their model 24G’s are excellent, expensive and worth the cost, since they allow you to talk to each other simultaneously – just like real conversation. Wireless headsets allow us to follow the rule: “No yelling while docking.” They bring civilization to the process.

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*Tip for the person working the deck: To avoid the headset wires from being caught, use a fanny pack to hold the actual unit, and run the wires to the headset inside your shirt.PRE-CRUISE PREPARATION

The preparation for docking starts with research, well before you ever reach the marina or dock. If you’ve never been to the marina before, review your charts, cruising guides, Internet websites and any other resources to obtain as much information as possible about the area to which you are traveling, the marina and its docks.

There are two websites that contain a significant amount of valuable, current, detailed information about marinas: The Salty Southeast Cruisers Net (primarily southern East Coast) – cruisersnet.net and Active Captain – activecaptain.com. Both are excellent and are highly recommended.

If you are visiting a marina for the first time, here’s what you need to know:1) Just where is the marina on the chart?2) Are there any hazards in the channels on the way into or inside the marina? Rocks? Shoal areas? Submerged

jetties/wrecks, etc.? 3) What are the approach, entry and slip depths? If those depths are close to your draft, will there be any extreme

tides on the days you plan to be there?4) Do they have slips for your specific length and beam? 5) Does the marina have floating or fixed docks? Are they fendered in any fashion? (This is important when you

decide what, if any fenders you will deploy.)6) Is there any current through the slips? What is the timing of those currents in relation to the tidal stage?7) Call the marina, speak with the dock master, and ask these questions.8) If your boat is configured in such a way that you absolutely must have a starboard-tie (where the starboard side

of the boat is facing the dock) or if you must enter the slip bow-in for boarding or electrical connection reasons, make that clear to the marina when you make your reservation or radio for a slip.

9) Use Google Earth or Google Maps to look at high-resolution satellite photos of the marina and its approaches, which will show you how the docks are laid out.

10) The marina website may contain a diagram showing slip locations and numbers. In some of the larger marinas, it may be helpful to have a copy of that page, since you probably won’t know your slip assignment ahead of time. When you arrive at the marina and call them on the VHF radio, the dockhand may respond and assign you to “Slip A-47”. When you ask him where that is and he tries to describe it to you (“turn at the big white boat…..”) you may learn that he thinks “draft” is something to do with beer, and you will then be happy to have the marina layout in front of you.

*Tip: We’ve seen situations where marinas will try to shoehorn your boat into a slip that is too narrow. In one incident we witnessed, the captain called the marina on the VHF, was assigned a slip, and received confirmation from the dockhand that the slip was “plenty wide” for his 16’ beam. When the boat was halfway back into the slip and the pilings amidships were starting to splay apart and scrape on the boat, the captain was understandably upset. It turned out that they were assigned the only slip left in the marina, and perhaps the dock master had hoped he could squeeze them in…. We have also seen a marina advertise their approach and slip depths to be deeper than they actually were. Verify.

The vast majority of marina operators are very good, and many are excellent; they do not want your experience to be an unpleasant one so you will most often find them helpful and anxious for your stay to be a good one. But as with any area of life there are a handful of incompetent people. UPON YOUR ARRIVAL AT THE MARINA

The most significant mistake made by boat operators is to approach the dock before the boat is ready. Not just that the captain is ready, but that your deck hands are fully ready, understand their tasks, and have ample time to complete their preparations.

This is what needs to be accomplished while the boat is at neutral-idle, standing safely at a good distance away from the dock, before the final approach:

• Contact the marina on the VHF radio or cell phone.

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• Inform them you have arrived, give your location, and ask for your slip assignment and directions to the slip. • Also, during that call, try to obtain the following information (if you don’t already have it):• If you need a starboard or port tie, or need to be bow or stern in, request that.• If your power cord connections are on only one end of the boat, you may need to discuss where the nearest power

post is located in relation to the slip, and consider whether that will affect whether you go bow or stern into the slip. • Confirm that the slip has sufficient draft and width for your boat.• Ask about any hazards in the approach to the slip.• If you can’t see the slip, ask if it is a floating or fixed dock. • Ask about any currents through the slip area• Ask if there will be someone there to take a line. (If not, this may change your plan of approach.) Yes, this is a long list, and sometimes it can be difficult to obtain much information on a VHF call - but at least make

the effort to learn as much as you can. *Tip: Many dockhands use hand-held VHF radios which have very limited range. Do not try to call them on the VHF

when you are several miles out. They may hear you, but you won’t hear them.Observe Wind and Current

Look at its speed and direction in relation to the slip you will be entering. Your approach to the slip will depend upon your understanding of those conditions. Some boats, at times, react more to current than to wind, and you should have learned that about your boat during your boat handling practice.

To determine wind direction, look at flags on shore, or trees, or if there are any sailboats in the marina look at their wind vanes. Look around the base of pilings to determine if there is current, and to see the speed and direction it is flowing.Crew Preparations on Deck

Immediately after the call to the marina, it is the captain’s obligation to clearly inform the persons on deck about the docking plan. This would include telling them:

- Which is THE “critical line” that should be secured to the dock first (where and how), and the order of subsequent lines. Generally, the first line to be deployed is the line that will give the greatest initial control over the boat. A good rule is that no line should be made fast (tied off to the dock) until all headway is lost – that is – until the boat has stopped moving.

- Which fenders (if any) should be deployed.- Whether the boat will be on a “T”, or face dock, or in a slip; whether the boat will be docked stern or bow in, with

the starboard or port side facing the dock.Again - during all of these preparations - the boat should still be standing off the docks, and not making any approach.We see dozens of boats being docked every year, where the crew starts to remove the lines from the storage lockers

just as the boat touches the dock. It’s fun to watch, but sometimes dangerous, and there’s always much shouting.Give your deck crew as much time as they need to do the following:

PREPARE LINES: At the minimum, depending upon the dock set-up and size of the boat, the crew should set up at least six (and maybe eight) lines: two lines each at the bow and stern and two spring lines on the docking side.

Some people fasten the loop end of the line on the boat side, others want to have the loop end go to the dock’s cleat. Others keep the line loose, and do not tie it off at the boat until the dockhand has it fastened to the correct cleat or piling. There are good reasons for all of these different approaches. We’ve found it best to secure the loop end to the boat’s cleats – at least during the actual docking. This is especially important if there is no one on the dock to assist you.

When preparing the lines, the deck person needs to make sure that the lines are routed correctly – first from the cleat, then

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through the hawser hole or chock, and then back up (over the outside of any handrail or lifelines), and then onto the deck. They should be coiled neatly, ready to throw. (A mistake here would be to tie the line to the boat’s cleat, and then have it pass over the top of the handrail from the inside of the boat, the result being that the pull will be on the handrail and not the cleat.

Coil the line and lay it on the deck. When you pick it up to throw it to a dockhand, divide the coil cleanly into two separate coils, one in your left hand, and one in your right - with the coil which has the end of the line. (Reverse this for lefties!). When there is someone on the dock ready to receive the line, throw the right hand coil first and a fraction of a second later release the left coil. Do the dockhand a favor, and aim the first coil slightly to the left or right of where he is.

PREPARE FENDERS: Generally, if coming into a slip with a floating dock, fenders can be deployed ahead of time. Unless it is a very tall floating dock, the fenders should be suspended so that the bottoms of the fenders are a couple of inches off the water. We don’t deploy fenders while coming into a fixed dock. It’s too easy for those fenders to get caught on pilings, which can throw the boat out of control. This can also damage the handrails they may be tied to. In these situations, have a loose fender ready on deck to fend-off if necessary – this is where the very light inflatable fenders earn their cost. After you are settled at a fixed dock, you can then deploy either long fenders horizontally, or use a fender board to keep your boat off the pilings.

When the deck crew has completed their preparations, they should inform the captain who only now should start the approach.

SOME COMMON DOCKING EXAMPLES

1) You are assigned to the end of a T dock or a face dock Let’s assume that the wind is blowing 15 knots parallel to the dock, and the current is negligible. Of course you will

want to dock the boat into the wind which will give you the best control. The need to approach the dock into the wind (or current) may well dictate which side of your boat will be facing the dock.

In this example, there is one critical line, and that is the line that will keep the boat from blowing backwards (or being moved backwards by the current) once you are alongside the dock. Generally, depending upon the setup of your boat and the location of your boat’s cleats, when the boat’s movement finally stops at its place on the dock, that line will run from a cleat amidships on your boat (or somewhat aft of that) in a forward direction to a piling or cleat on the dock. Once this line is in place, careful use of the rudder and throttle will allow the captain to keep the boat against the dock.

After that first line is secured, the second and third lines should be bow and stern lines to the dock, and finally, a spring line opposite to the one which was holding the boat, to prevent the boat from moving the other way when the wind or current changes.

At this point, there will be other lines that you will secure to the dock.2) Same dock, but the wind is blowing you away from the dock

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This is a tougher situation, and there are a couple of potential solutions. Some people prefer that the first line ashore will be a line from the boat’s amidships, running aft to the dock. The boat is brought in to the dock at an angle, and when it is “in position”, at the last second, it is straightened out parallel to the dock. Simultaneously– during the last part of the approach, the line is passed to the dockhand, and once he secures that line to the cleat or piling on the dock, the operator can power forward against that spring, and use the rudder and some judicious throttle to keep the boat positioned against the dock. This takes some practice.

The alternative and perhaps preferable solution (depending upon how many deck hands you have, or whether there is help on the dock), involves bringing the boat to the dock at an angle (into the wind), again straightening out the boat at the last second, applying enough throttle to keep the boat in position. Here’s where the deck and dock hands have to act quickly: secure the bow line first, at which point the operator kicks the stern in, and the stern line is attached to the dock; the boat is now secured (temporarily) from blowing off the dock. Then add the remaining necessary lines. If you have a bow thruster the task is easier.

Caution: It is too easy for the dockhand in this situation to tie the bow off too tight, at which point the captain will have lost most control.

Note: Often, it is the amidships spring line, running aft to the dock, which is the first line deployed. After it is secured to the dock, the captain applies some rudder (as if trying to move the bow slightly away from the dock) and powers gently forward. This will pull the boat into the dock, and allow the deck crew to deal with the rest of the lines. If you are lucky enough to have no wind and no current, the procedure immediately below works well.

Alternative approach: A number of experienced recreational and commercial captains find that the most important first line in many docking situations is a line attached to an amidships cleat, and fastened to a piling or cleat on the dock directly opposite to the boat’s cleat (sometimes called a “breast line”). This can be an effective technique since it will act as a spring of sorts in either direction, and it also serves to keep the boat from blowing off the dock.

To deploy this line, the deckhand should be in the approximate middle of the boat, on the docking side. One end of the line is secured to the boat, and as the boat nears the appropriate cleat on the dock, the deck hand gives the end of the line to the dockhand, who makes it fast to the closest dock cleat or piling. If there is no help on the dock, the deck hand holds a big loop of line between two hands, and drops the loop over/around the cleat. The loose end of the line is now pulled up snug to the same cleat on the boat, being careful not to allow the line to jump over the horns of the dock cleat. (If a piling is more accessible, the loop of line is put over the top of the piling adjacent to the boat’s cleat.) This of course is just a temporary line, which gives the deck hand time to secure the remaining lines. If this line is attached to a fixed dock, it will eventually have to be removed since it will not have enough “scope” or angle to allow for tidal changes.

This technique is also a good option for single-handed docking.3) Same T dock, wind blowing your boat towards the dock

While this condition will make docking easier, if the winds are strong once you are at the dock you will have your hands full in keeping your boat from being damaged before you can deploy fenders. In this situation, let the wind push the boat into the dock while the captain controls the boat’s sideways speed with the techniques learned during your boat handling practice. The order of fastening lines in this scenario is not all that important, and this may be the ideal situation for the first line to be run from the amidships cleat to the closest point on

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the dock.4): Conventional slip, either between pilings with or without floating or fixed docks alongside

As you enter this type of slip, you will need to use the information you gathered earlier about wind and current to position your boat correctly. Once inside the slip, secure the important first line, whether that is a spring line to keep the boat from being blown further backwards into the slip, or a spring line in the opposite direction, to keep the boat from being blown out. Then go on to the second and third lines, which should have already been decided.

If the wind is blowing your boat off of (away from) any alongside dock, once again a single line (as mentioned above) from a center cleat on the boat running directly to an adjacent cleat on the dock (or a piling) may be the first choice, even before any of the spring lines. Quickly follow up with bow and stern line to the dock.

If backing into a slip between two outer pilings, there should be two lines ready at the bow which may be necessary to attach to the pilings to keep the bow centered in the slip). Depending upon the length of the slip, under certain circumstances one or both of those lines might need to be attached to the pilings as the boat backs past them. This is tricky however, since you do not want to secure them too tightly before the boat is fully into the slip. These lines may not be needed depending on the length of the slip, and whether there is an alongside dock. In a strong sideways wind, you might want to attach a line loosely to the upwind piling as you go past it. All of this is easier with more than one deckhand aboard. In many cases those forward piling lines can be added later, after docking.

*Tip: During any kind of docking, if the captain does not have a full view of the aft end of the boat, one of the most important functions of the deck crew is to relay distances from the boat to the various portions of the dock, as the boat backs into the slip. For instance: “We are two feet off the starboard piling” or “The swim platform is five feet from the dock” or “Stern needs to come two feet to port”.

Sometimes it is just not worth trying to back into a slip in very windy conditions, especially if your boat is a single screw, with no thrusters. It may be a wiser choice to go bow-in, provided there are no other considerations (ease of boarding or electrical connections.) If conditions are really bad, ask for another slip, or delay your docking until they improve.Guidelines for situations where there is no one on the dock to assist with lines

Can the deck hand, from the deck of the boat, successfully get a line/lines around a cleat or piling on the dock? (See discussion above.) Will the deck hand need to get off of the boat, onto the dock? The ease of doing this will depend on your boat. Does your boat have low side decks (as did our DeFever 48) which make it easier to get onto the dock? Or are the decks higher (such as on a DeFever 44 – with her higher aft deck)? In the latter case, the only safe way to get the person onto the dock may be from the swim platform (if the dock is low), or from the forward deck (if the dock is higher).

Where you can get a person on to the dock, if there is not a third person on the boat, it is important that the lines have been set up so that person can reach them from the dock, which means that the end of each line needs to be safely draped over the side – in such position that when grabbed, it will properly run to the boat’s cleat.

No one should ever “leap” or “jump” from a boat to a dock - it’s a really good way to get hurt. If the deck hand is unable to easily step off the boat, in a controlled fashion – like a civilized person - he/she should not try it.Guidelines for when there is someone to help you on the dock

If you don’t know the person on the dock, assume they know nothing about line handling. Some of the biggest disasters in docking occur when an inexperienced dockhand takes a line, ties it off tight without being told to do so, and completely deprives the captain of control of the boat.

Give clear, unequivocal directions of what you want the dockhand to do. On our boat that job always falls to the person on deck who is best positioned to see what is happening. You may have to be quite forceful in telling a dockhand (or a helpful volunteer) just what you want them to do, or not to do.

As an example, as you are giving them the line you could say: “Only when I tell you, please tie the line off to the cleat (or piling) on the dock that I am pointing to. But please don’t do it until I tell you….” LEAVING A DOCK:

We always spend several minutes before departure, reviewing the sequence of what we will do. This is what should be discussed: Which lines can we take off right now (before we even start the boat)? Often – especially in calm conditions - there are some lines that are not “working” at the moment, such as one or two of the spring lines. We then agree that once we are ready to leave the dock, which lines will next be removed, in what sequence. And, of course, which is the final line

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to come off, which of course is the critical one?Unless we know that there will be help on the dock, we set up the lines so that they can be released from the boat.

Untie the lines (one at a time) from the cleats or pilings on the dock, and loop them cleanly around the cleat or piling running 180 degrees back to the boat). Both ends of the lines are now tied to the boat. In this way, the deck hand can release one end of the line from the boat and pull it in, without being on the dock. Be careful that the line you untie to set up this way is not the one doing all the work of holding the boat. If so, put a second line temporarily in place so you will be able to set the first one up for quick release.

SOME ADDITIONAL TIPS1) Speed: An old timer once said that “you should never approach a dock faster than the speed you are willing to hit it.”

That’s good advice. Slow is always good. Watch any good boat handler or professional captain and they will all dock their boats at a very slow speed. With most straightforward dockings (no wind or current) you should be out of gear and “coasting” for the last half boat length or so, and go back into gear only if necessary to make corrections. (Of course there are times where you may need a short burst of throttle: for instance with a single engine boat, to kick the stern or bow in one direction, or if you are caught in a current.)

2) Lines and props never mix well: if at any time during docking one of the lines falls into the water, the deck crew must do two things: 1) immediately tell the captain that there is a line in the water and specify where it is, 2) work feverishly to get that line out of the water.

3) If you are the captain, do not shut the engine(s) off or leave the helm until the deck crew tells you that the boat is secured. This is a very common mistake. We watched one captain enter a slip bow first (there was a 2-3 knot sideways current). When his 49’ Hinckley was half way into the slip and while it was still moving forward, he shut the engine off – all of this before any lines were secured. He sat at the helm (in his Shetland sweater with leather elbow patches) and then watched several people on the dock try to control his boat.

4) A knife should always be handy, preferably on your person. We keep a back-up one right next to the lower helm. If a line becomes jammed in a cleat or around a piling and can’t be quickly released in an emergency, it’s better to sacrifice the line by cutting it free than to lose control of the boat.

5) It is eminently preferable to damage the boat and not the people. Be sure that you specifically inform your deck hands not to put their body parts between the boat and the dock. This is especially true if you have guests aboard who are anxious to help, but have no experience. Fiberglass is easier to fix than bone.

Several years ago a woman was on an anchored trawler when a nearby sailboat dragged its anchor and drifted down on them. She went to the side deck to try to fend off the dragging boat, and was crushed to death when the bowsprit of that boat came across her boat’s side deck and pinned her to the cabin.

Sometimes it is just easier and safer to ask inexperienced people on your boat to sit down somewhere until the docking is completed.

6) Do-Overs are OK! There comes a time when approaching a dock when it just is not going well. Perhaps the boat is at the wrong angle, or the wind is having a greater impact than you thought, or the boat is just not positioned correctly. Trust your gut. If it feels bad, it probably is. Pull away and try again.

Summary: Yes, this article is complex because docking is complicated. But think of the good side of docking this way: If you are docking, it means that you have actually been out cruising in your boat, and THAT is a really good thing. Docking your boat successfully and safely is a satisfying achievement. Think it through, go slow, and you will be fine.

Recommended Teaching Captains1) Bernie Francis: bfrancismarine@yahoo.comHe is extremely competent, patient and thorough and he has extensive cruising experience.2) Chris and Elyse Caldwell: www.captainchrisyachtservices.comThis husband and wife team (both captains) come highly recommended by a number of people who have used them.

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WOLFE, Jim & Belinda (#1310) 1988 • DeFever 44 • RICKSHAW Germantown, TN

Tips for Repacking Stuffing BoxHere’s a tip about a technique I used to make the job of

replacing packing gland flax a whole lot easier.After unbolting the gland follower from the stuffing box,

then trying (unsuccessfully) to wrap a slippery piece of flax around the shaft, trying to keep it in place under a constant stream of water while pushing it into the stuffing box with the gland follower (with one hand due to its position under my water heater), I changed my technique, borrowing from a technique commonly used when replacing raw water impellers.

After removing the old flax, I simply moved the follower back up to just rear of the prop shaft flange, where I could easily work with both hands, positioned the pre-cut flax around the shaft behind the follower, wrapped a zip tie around the flax to keep it in place, then slid the follower down the shaft, pushing the flax into the stuffing box, and PRESTO, the zip tie slides off of the flax and stays around the follower sleeve. For the next strip of flax, slide the follower back up to the flange, and slide the zip tie over the next strip of flax. Repeat this for every flax strip used to repack the stuffing box.

ROBERTS, Jim & Robin (#331) 1988 • DeFever 49 Pilothouse • ADVENTURES Big Pine Key, FL

Great Galley Tool – George Foreman GrillI want to pass along a tip about one of our favorite tools

in the galley – the George Foreman grill. We received a small one as a Christmas gift a number of years ago, and the last thing I thought we needed was one more “thing” to clutter the galley. I was getting ready to donate it to Goodwill when my Mom said to give it a try first – that it’s very handy for making Paninis and things. Fast forward many years and we would never part with it.

Our favorite thing to use it for is to make a toasted sandwich – a Panini. We like sandwiches for lunches, but sometimes the thought of cold lunch meat just doesn’t seem appealing, especially when the weather is cool or crummy. The George Foreman grill turns a boring cold sandwich into something snazzy, and it makes a nice grilled cheese. We often make our own bread and toasting it with the little grill really brings out the flavor. It substitutes as a toaster (one less appliance to stow), and we even remember to use it as a grill when the weather is too ugly to use the outdoor grill, or when we’re in a marina where grilling isn’t permitted.

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BECKSTROM, Ron & Marie (#1509) 1977 • DF40 Passagemaker • ELIXIR Albany, GA

The GambleAbout 15 years ago, Marie and I went to a boat show in Jacksonville, Florida with some friends. We were instantly

bitten by the cruising bug and decided then and there that we wanted to sail off into the sunset. The problem was, we barely had the money to support our family and my infant law practice, much less pay a quarter of a million dollars for a boat.

For a while, we attended boat shows whenever possible to determine what we would want in a boat “if we could afford one.” We decided that for our lifestyle, a trawler was the way to go. We weren’t in a hurry to get anywhere; we just wanted to be able to go anywhere and stay there as long as we liked, with as much room as possible.

But there was still that money problem. Through the years my income increased, but like most people, so did my expenses. We were never able to save up the money for a boat, but the dream persisted and we frequently talked about the day we would go cruising!

Whenever I would think about it, I would search the Internet for trawlers for sale. But to trick my mind into thinking it could someday be a reality, I would limit my searches to $25,000 or less, a ridiculously low price for a trawler. This somehow made me think it would be possible. I would almost always find boats in that price range, but they were old... I mean really old, and usually in really bad shape. I would laugh and show Marie the latest “great deal” I had found. She would just look at me like I was crazy, but she never told me I was wasting my time, so I kept looking.

Then one day in May of 2013, I found a listing for a trawler located in Savannah, Georgia. This was only hours from where we lived and it actually looked pretty good in the pictures. It was a 1977 39 foot Hudson Coaster, a DeFever designed trawler, and best of all, it had just been reduced to $9,000.

We were days away from a vacation to New Mexico to visit Marie’s mother and I was concerned that if it was a good deal, it would not be there when we got back. Marie suggested we go to Atlanta to catch our flight, via Savannah. Okay – a quick look at a map showed that it was not exactly on the way from our home in Albany, but we were dreaming. I contacted the broker (Jeff Johnston is an honest, knowledgeable, and outstanding broker and I recommend him to anyone in the Savannah area) and set up a visit for the day before our flight departed.

We arrived at the boat, named ELIXIR and spent several hours checking her out. Jeff told us that her previous owner passed away in December and his wife wanted to get out of the slip fees and insurance payments. Because of the poorly maintained condition, they had originally listed her at $25,000 for a quick sale, but when the first potential buyer came to check her out, they could not get the engine to turn over. A mechanic looked over the engine and declared it to be seized! When they sent divers over the side to clean the bottom, they were unable to turn the propeller, thus confirming the seized engine. With a seized engine, ELIXIR was reduced to $9,000 for a “Fire” sale!

After checking out the boat from top to bottom, we pointed out all the cleaning that would have to be done, the broken windows and leaks that would have to be repaired and the water damaged walls that would have to be replaced. We offered $4,000 without the requirement of a survey. We hoped that we could un-seize the engine, or at the worst, rebuild it for less than

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$10,000. This would make our investment at $14,000 - very cheap for a boat. Our thought was that even if the engine could not be repaired, another engine could be installed for around $20,000, bringing the total investment to $24,000, which is still cheap for this type of trawler. Marie and I built two houses from the ground up and renovated many more so we were confident that we could fix whatever else was wrong with the boat (I would soon discover that my confidence was somewhat misplaced as a boat is not a house, but luckily I found the DeFever Forum which has been a great help). In a worst case scenario, we figured the fiberglass hull and equipment on board would be worth at least the $4,000, so we didn’t see how we could lose!

We flew off to New Mexico and waited. Days passed without word and we began to get discouraged. Then I received the email that the seller had accepted our offer! On June 1, 2013, we became the proud new owners of ELIXIR!

We flew back to Atlanta and drove straight to Savannah to close the deal. We intended to stay the night onboard but the roaches were so bad that we set off roach bombs and went to a hotel.

After two weekends of throwing away all the junk that had been stored on the boat, I finally called a mechanic to come out to look at the engine. The first one I called ended up being the one that had declared it seized. He refused to come out and told me to buy a new engine. A second mechanic came to the boat, but after an hour of working on the engine, also declared it seized.

It was then that I finally piped up. It had been nagging me that both the prop and the engine would not turn. So I asked the mechanic to make sure the transmission was in neutral. When he checked it, he discovered he could not change the gear. He pulled the transmission off of the engine and tried to turn the transmission but couldn’t, so he suggested we try the engine again. I practically held my breath while he put the wrench on the crankshaft and pulled… but it didn’t turn. I was disappointed.

The mechanic had noticed some rust build-up around the flywheel and so he pulled the flywheel off. At first it would not budge, but finally it broke free and he pulled it off. Without the flywheel, he again placed the wrench on the crankshaft, but this time the engine spun freely! The engine was not seized!

We went ahead and sent off the fuel injectors for cleaning and I cleaned the rust off the flywheel. After several weeks, the injectors came back and we re-installed them as well as the flywheel. We then turned the key, pressed the start button and she fired right up! The sound of the engine running was music to my ears!

I will have to replace the transmission before we can get underway, which will cost around $1,500. So for a little over $5,500, Marie and I now own the trawler we wanted for so long. Our gamble paid off and our dream became a reality!

Our hope is to have ELIXIR ready to attend the rendezvous in February 2014. (She was there, looking quite fine! – Ed.) In the meantime if you would like to follow our progress, you can check us out at www.MVElixir.blogspot.com.

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ROBERTS, Jim & Robin (#331) 1988 • DeFever 49 Pilothouse • ADVENTURES Big Pine Key, FL

Meeting another DeFever in an Unusual PlaceWe always like to say that when at least two DeFever Cruisers members get together it’s a Rendezvous, and sometimes

those little Mini-Rendezvous can occur in the most interesting places! After many years cruising on the U.S. east coast we moved to the Pacific Northwest about a year and a half ago,

and we’re cruising in Southeast Alaska for the next few years. We had long-time DeFever friends Joel and Marian Busse (#6, DF49 RPH RESURGENT) aboard with us for a visit and we took them to the Pack Creek bear viewing area to see brown (grizzly) bears. Pack Creek is a remote spot run by the U.S. Forest Service and Alaska Fish and Game, accessible by float plane from Juneau or a long day’s travel by private boat. A permit is required to visit Pack Creek, and they only allow a maximum of 24 people per day to visit. This place is definitely out of the way!

We arrived and were mesmerized watching a brown bear sow (mother) and first year cub walking down the beach towards us, and then we moved to an area next to the creek to watch bears feeding on humpy salmon. A small group of people were already at the creek, but I was too busy watching and photographing the bears. Jim, Joel, and Marian were talking with a few of the other people, and lo and behold they found out that one gentleman is a member of DeFever Cruisers - Larry Talley (#1239, DF42 CARINA). Not only is he a member, but he owns a 1964 DeFever 42 that once was Arthur DeFever’s (#1) personal boat (the former DUL-SEA II). CARINA was anchored just off the landing beach at Pack Creek, but our thoughts were so full of bears that we just didn’t notice.

Since our first chance meeting, we have met Larry and his lovely wife Alison during a recent trip to Juneau. That same week, while walking down the dock in Juneau we saw a DeFever 49 RPH with no name on it, and we met one of the owners, Brooke. She and

her fiancée Brad are the new owners of this 1979 DeFever named PRUDENCE, and they are now new DFC members (#1634). It is a small world, even up here in The Last Frontier.

DF42 CARINA