|
|
click
on the camera for photos
SAG HARBOR TO MYSTIC SEAPORT
I was sad to leave Sag
Harbor, such a lovely, civilized, and quiet place. Ziggy was beginning to
feel right at home too. We left the yacht club with the friendly help of one of
the dock girls and as we left, marveled at the sight of huge yachts that now
filled the docks. We noticed more homes on the shores as we left. Many had
lighthouse type perches and beautifully grey weathered shingles with white
painted wood trims. It was all so picturesque. What can possibly compare or
equal this experience? As we headed out of Sag Harbor and around the other side of Shelter Island, which has been put aside mostly as a nature preserve, there are no more stately homes. We head out into Gardiner Bay ladened with lobsters pots. We see ahead the busy entrance of Plum Cut. There are large ferries busily going in and out and a gazillion little fishing boats all hovering at the entrance where the water boils in turmoil. Larry sees a couple of lobster pots with flags on them and makes a sharp turn to avoid them thinking it may be marking a fishing net stretched across from one to another. It is a hectic place and then on top of it there’s always a couple of those stupid fast speed boats that cut and criss cross in front of you like they don’t know you’re there or even care. What are they thinking? Finally, as we enter Fisher Island Sound it’s peaceful again. It’s a constant look out for lobsters pots but at least we can relax again. The skies are white and grey and it makes it hard to see anything small like a lobster pot on the water. There’s a grey mist out. It almost feels like fog is coming. It’s a strange phenomenon as the mist distorts things out on the water. It’s the same scenario as on the desert when a thirsty wanderer thinks he sees and oasis with palm trees and water. My vision is a little different as off in the distance, in Gardiner Bay, I saw something that looked like a huge whale. It was eery and mysterious but turned out to be a rock. Larry saw another image as we got out into the Sound. He was sure we were looking at a submarine but it turned out to be Fisher’s Light. A little later, I saw another rock island that looked like a huge fishing boat with its net out. It was a strange day. As we get closer to the Connecticut shore and our destination, Mystic Seaport, the water’s surface was scattered with lobster pots, small boats, speed boats, and sailing boats. It was just one big obstacle course. We saw a large historic schooner in full sail though there was not much more than 2 knot winds. That’s the wonderful thing about cruising is the changing landscape. Each day and each area is always different.
click
on the camera for photos
THERE’S NOTHING FINER THAN
CRUISER UP MYSTIC RIVER There’s nothing more fun than cruising up the Mystic River. It is about the most picturesque little cruise that you could possibly have. It’s fun too because it’s like a treasure hunt, finding your way up the river past all the different sites. The channel meanders in and out all sorts of wonderful moored boats, quaint marinas, past lovely cottages and houses, and little funky lobstah shacks. There are picturesque granite mounds with quaint little beach shacks mounted on to of them, beautiful marshes, white church steeples, antique railroad bridges and the wonderful bascule bridge of Mystic River. It’s like a Disney ride full of turns. You follow the clearly marked curving channel that wonders like a free spirit through and past all sorts of marinas and moored boats. It’s filled with little mini obstacles, like kayakers, and little fishing boats crossing here and there. We passed wooden docks with people just out for the day sitting on benches watching the boaters go by. We passed old historical ships taking a day cruise and past the Seminole steam ship who blasts his lovely sounding whistle. There is a cluster of wooden skiffs and schooners, more here than we’ve seen anywhere. Everything is very serene and traditional, no fast cigarette boats here. You can see small clusters of villages on the small hills that grace the sides, always topped with the lone white church steeple. There are many wonderful old houses, all painted the traditional white with black shutters.
On schedule, the bridge started opening. A small boat pulled in front and went ahead. I was busy getting fenders and lines ready and Larry called Mystic River Museum on the radio to get instructions for docking. It is quite a site as you come through the bridge because you are immediately struck by the view of the antique village of Mystic Seaport and the old ships that lay at dock in front of you. You are immediately transported back in time as if you were the ancient mariner coming home to your village port. It’s a wonderful experience to come to Mystic Seaport by water. We got our instructions to come around past the tall ship, the small lighthouse and then just past the old whaling ship, we should see our dock. We would be doing a side tie against the bulkhead. As we slowly came around we could hear the faint sound of people singing old sailing songs. We were in luck as we arrived right in the midst of the Music Festival celebrating old sea faring songs!
click
on the camera for photos
MYSTIC SEAPORT What a great place. If you are at all interested in the sea, boats, and it’s history, this is a wonderful place to visit. There’s something so relaxing also about coming in your boat because you have plenty of time to come and go from the boat as it can be exhausting in the heat of the summer. We were at the northern end of the village but by no means away from anything. Right out our door was an exhibition building, and a few yards from that was the Planetarium, Museum of Figureheads, and a special exhibit on Women at Sea and a wonderful collection of Old Sailing Photographs. Then just south of us was the Morgan, the oldest and only surviving whaling ship dating back to 1820’s! Just off to the left was the old village and town square and just beyond the whaling ship was a view of the small light house and the sailing barns. It couldn’t be better. Each night, after the park closed, we’d sit on the back of the boat having a glass of wine and enjoying the view that we alone had to ourselves. This day was extra special though as we walked the grounds. Today was the music festival and we could see and listen to all the musicians and vocalists that came from all parts of the world to participate in this very special event. They were what I might call specialists in their field of historical seafaring music. I must admit, the event did gather a rather strange looking group of people. They were hardcore appreciators of the nautical many looking the part, long old grey beards is how we’d describe it. It was fun and we enjoyed every moment. We were lucky to join the last event of the festival in one of the old boat buildings. There we listened to an emotional rendition of some of the old songs sung by those brave men of the sea. History was brought to life in their songs. One song in particular, an old whaling song, was the last song sung at the festival and all the participants joined and crowded the stage joining arms to sing this great song. The crowd also, feeling the emotion, couldn’t help joining in singing too as they all seemed to know this song. It was like something I’d never heard before and it was definitely moving as you could really imagine those old mariners “hoving to”, all singing together to make their tough jobs more bearable. We spent the couple of hot days
poking our heads in the different exhibits and just plain enjoying the place.
We watched some of their special scheduled demonstrations. One in particular
that was especially fascinating was to see them bend a long board (the old
fashioned way) for the rib of a boat they were restoring. They had steamed
this large piece of oak for more than an hour in a steaming box. When it was
the scheduled time to take it out to bend it, workers came out of nearby work
sheds and barns, all on schedule, stood in unison and like a team, each having
their part, began to bend and clamp this thick piece of oak into shape. It was
amazing to see this thick piece of lumber that formerly was stiff and rigid, now
after steaming, being pliable enough to bend into the shape of a rib. They
worked quickly as the board was hot and they only had so much time to get it
bent and clamped before it would get hard again. The whole process was by hand,
the old fashioned way, with historical tools and methods, just like they did in
the old days. Amazing. We walked through the only surviving wooden whale boat, Charles W. Morgan, 1841, which is the masterpiece of Mystic Seaport. I could imagine Ahab shouting orders from the helm as they pulled the whale alongside. We saw a demonstration of wrapping the sails as ten very frisky people climbed to the top of the boat and all worked in amazing unison to wrap the sails all the while singing an old sea faring song that kept them in time with each other. It was difficult and dangerous here but imagine doing that out at sea as the boat is tilting one direction to the other in wet slippery rain or storms. One morning we walked to the town, a short walk, but on this hot muggy day, it took all our energy. We were rewarded though because we walked across the old Mystic Bridge which is a sight in itself. Old as it is, it’s still a meaningful working bridge, as modern cars use it just the same as the day it was built. Across the bridge we were surprised to find several wonderful shops filled with really great things and friendly shop keepers. One shop in particular had a 15 year old golden retriever mascot who, the moment you enter, does a brisk trot all the way from the back of the store to give you a really friendly greeting like as if you were his best friend. We later saw the shop keeper at the nearby coffee bagel shop where we had stopped for morning coffee. Along side her was her store mascot, that great happy smiling dog, (this dog really did smile). He waited patiently outside the bagel shop without a leash. He had nothing on his mind but waiting for the owner that he loved, never taking an eye off her through the window. As soon as she came out the door she handed him a big bagel and off they went, bagel in mouth. It was the cutest thing we’d seen in a long time. I had to get a photo of this wonderful dog with this bagel in its mouth. I ran after the shop keeper and asked if I could get a picture of her dog with the bagel and she smiled and said “sure but that he won’t stop until he gets to the store where he will then stop and eat the bagel”. So I had to run ahead of them down the street so that I could get ahead of him to get a picture of this great dog coming towards me with this huge bagel in his mouth. There was no stopping him as he was intent on getting to that store front because once there, he could eat his bagel. She said it’s a tradition that they do every morning, never changes. The shopkeeper said he was a great dog and he’s always with her at the shop or wherever she goes. I guess that’s why he’s lived to long, he’s a happy dog who smiles and eats a bagel.
click
on the camera for photos
COME FULL CIRCLE When we came here 9 years ago on our first boat, without much boating experience at all, we met an older couple in their 70’s at the transient dock, traveling on a reconverted fishing boat. Their boat was not glamorous by any means and really still looked much like a working boat. We got to talking to them and were amazed to find out that they had brought the boat around from the Pacific Northwest themselves! I remember wondering how anyone could do something like that let alone someone that age and we’ve always remembered them and what they did. They’ve always been an inspiration for me thinking that was something that was beyond reach. So we gave them a special toast this evening. As we left the next morning, we heard some of the staff from shore say “so long Knotty Dog” and wave, and the girl that ran the launch came out and on the launch to circle by us to wave “goodbye”. We had a great time there. It will always be a special place for us.
click
on the camera for photos
Now for a special story how we got to Newport
THE SMELL will tell the tale The morning we were planning to leave Mystic Seaport for Block Island, Rhode Island, Larry and I got into a serious discussion that changed our plans. Last year I had noticed an odor in the boat that haunted us for months. I actually noticed it soon after we left California last year. We just had the boat commissioned and had no time to really give it a real shake down before we left because we were heading for the East Coast to join the North Atlantic Rally with, at that time, 30 other Nordhavns that had been accepted for the challenge. The smell really became evident when the air conditioning was running. Because of that, we didn’t start to notice it really until we hit the hot weather of Costa Rica where we were running the air conditioning full time. We didn’t know what the heck it was or where it was coming from. I hated it so much that I was spraying Lysol in the master stateroom everytime I went down there just to camoflage the smell. We thought that maybe there was some foul condensation accumulating on the air conditioner. Larry would clean out the A/C tray and add a little deluted chlorine water and for a few days we’d smell like a laundry room that had over dosed on chlorine but it was better than the stinky smell. But it would always come back. We thought there was something in the tropical air, like mold, or too much humidity that was creating the foul odor. Then, we talked to someone in Bocas Del Toro, Panama, and he said his boat always had a smell if the sea strainers were dirty, especially in the tropics. So, we’d clean those things out at every port. We were shocked as you wouldn’t believe what we’d get out of those things. We’d get muck, crabs, and even jelly fish. That didn’t seem to have any effect on the odor. Then we thought it was the yukky water going through the Panama Canal and somehow we picked up something. We were grasping at any possible scenerio. It was very annoying to have such a smell on our brand new boat. We had to have the air conditioning going as the heat and humidity was intolerable and so we had no fresh air, it was just this constant recycling of this odor. The Monster that Lurks By the time we got to the USA, and to Stuart, Florida, in particular, where the Nordhavn commissioning facility located, we began an intensive search for the problem. Immediately, the holding tank was checked and Rick from Nordhavn believed the seal on the tank was not tight. There was obvious evidence of spillage around the seal. It was a dirty job but Rick dove in (not literally) and fixed the seal. We all left the boat during the ordeal as not wanting to be present when the main seal for the holding tank was opened. Well, that seemed simple enough. Imagine cruising on the boat all those months with that problem? The smell seemed improved but I kept imagining that I still smelled the odor. Larry couldn’t and so we kind of assumed it was the jungle river that we were docked in and probably the sea strainers were stinky again from the dark mucky water. We were sure that when we would get out into the clean ocean water things (the smell) would clear out. When all the maintenance was finally done, we left Stuart and meandered our way out the hour long river, rubbing the mug on the bottom a few times until we reached the Stuart Inlet. We weren’t anxious to go back to the yard if there were any problems because we’d been there longer than we wanted and when you were finally free to leave, you had to wait for the tide to rise so we would have enough depth below us to get out the river. This whole process would consum a whole day of traveling to just get in and out of the boat yard location in Stuart. So we came out and spent the night at a marina in Stuart Inlet waiting for the morning to head out to sea on our northern course. So far we really didn’t notice any smell and we were in a mood to celebrate. In the morning we headed out and got caught in a squall coming out of the shallow, shoaly inlet. We were sick of this stuff, we were ready to get out in the ocean and head north. We had enough of this shallow ICW for awhile. We had a good day on the sea but late afternoon, early evening, as we were cruising up the Coast and really for the first time in a long time just enjoying being out on the sea ourselves when we got caught in a terrible squall that scared the hell out of us. It had winds exceeding 50 knots and it tilted the boat a good 20 degrees. It was a rough 3 or 4 hours even after the winds dropped to 25-30 knots. In the morning it had calmed down and we could see the inlet to St. Augustine and we glad to get into port. It was here, I think, that I noticed the odor again but after our aforementioned ordeal, we were in no mood to turn around and travel 24 hours to get back to Stuart again and have the smell checked again. I tried to imagine that it wasn’t there or maybe that the smell hadn’t cleared out yet and it was just a matter of time. Maybe a smell like that hangs around for awhile to dissipate? It was depressing and discouraging. Larry, I think, was in denial about the smell. I on the other hand stressed about it daily. He kept saying he didn’t smell anything and then I began to think I was imagining things. UNWELCOME GUEST THAT WOULDN’T GO HOME We continued on up the ICW with the smell. It was like an unwelcome guest that wouldn’t go home. We met boaters along the way and I would be embarrassed to bring them aboard for cocktails because they always wanted a tour of the boat. I would begin to apologize the minute we’d start the decent below and sometimes would run down ahead of them and spray the Lysol to mask it. Some of the women boaters that I became friends with, as we traveled partway north with, admitted, when I pressed them, that smell a hint of something. I think they were being as polite as they could and probably wouldn’t admit how bad it was. At least it confirmed to me, something was wrong. We still were confused as to what it was and where the source of it was. We were still cleaning those sea strainers and finding them at times full of jelly fish and weird things that surely were responsible for the smell. We spent several months enduring the smell cruising all the way from Santa Barbara, California, up the ICW, the Chesapeake and finally back to the Atlantic Yacht Basin, near Norfolk, Virginia, where we put her for the winter. We never really discussed the problem with anyone else because there was nothing we could do. We didn’t like to think about it, let alone talk about it. So it was this silent annoying thing that followed us where ever we went. We had done everything we could think of to fix it. It was like the silent albatross clinging to our necks, putting a damper on things. During the winter I told Larry that when he went back early in the spring to get the boat ready to start cruising again next summer, he must get the smell fixed. I told him I can’t stand it anymore and it has to be found and dealt with. He still, I think, was in denial about the whole thing. He’s a fix-it type of guy and he finally met his match with this unwelcome guest. SHIP SHAPE In the spring, Larry left early for Atlantic Yacht Basin. He got the boat out of storage and got things running. He was there a few weeks early, before Ziggy and I were to arrive. We were giving him plenty of time to deal with the smell and get rid of it. When Ziggy and I finally arrived after driving across the country from Santa Barbara to the boat yard, Larry said everything was “ship shape” and ready to go. Larry met us in the parking lot and I asked about the smell and he said it was gone. I was delighted! We unloaded the van and walked out to the dock where Knotty Dog was. The boat was polished and spiffy. She looked so beautiful tied to the wooden dock on the picturesque ICW, just waiting to get provisioned and start her new journey north. I stepped inside and the minute I got in the pilot house, I could smell it. It had now progressed from the Master Stateroom up the stairs and was invading our pilot house. The urphorea of the moment was over. I said to Larry, “I can still smell it and it’s worse because now it’s expanding to other areas!” Poor Larry was devastated. I could see it as he slumped in disappointment. I think without admiting it, he was trying to disguise it with odor obsorbers and perfumed closet packs but nothing could disguise this monster. Not only was he still there, but he was growing and becoming more bold, thinking he could enter and take over other areas. It was a tense moment for the both of us and words were said. Larry and I usually don’t fight about anything much but things were getting rough. He was extremely frustration. I could see that. He just didn’t know what or where it was coming from. So instead of leaving on our adventure the next few days, we again, put our trust in the “yard” and said we need help. THE SNIFF TEST We had every kind of expert
come on the boat. Everyone was sniffing and smelling and snooping. They wiped
the holding tank clean with different mixtures or I should concoctions or
potions, hoping that would help. We imagined that we saw drips and seepages and
wiped them, but we thought maybe they were merely shadows or unknown debri that
had nothing to do with anything. Then we’d have to wait each time, after each
treatment, to see if it was gone. Nope, and nope and more nope, it still
lingered. One “expert” in the area of smells, “discovered” what he called a
“pin hole leak” in one of the hoses and said he fixed that. Then we all sniffed
and waited. Nope, it still lingered. Then another “expert” came in to look.
He was in and out several times and finally said that he “went over the entire
holding tank system, checked all the connections and bolts and tightened some
that a little loose, and was convinced that the problem was now solved”. We all
sniffed. It seemed a little better. He also brilliantly suggested swabbing the
whole area with a mixture of Mr. Clean, as “it will destroy all the
growing bacteria. Give it time, the smell will dissapate”. Growing bacteria?
Now I have something growing in there and it’s bacterial? (I can’t stand
it anymore.) We were wiping everything with Mr. Clean, undiluted, full
strength. It was gagging the smell and burned our eyes and lungs. We wiped
everything and anything, including any area or surflace that the air conditioner
might be drawing the air from. Now we couldn’t smell the smell, just Mr.
Clean, full strength. I don’t know what was worse. They told us to give it
time for the bacteria to die out. There was nothing more they could do in other
words is the way I saw it. So with a positive attitude, we left, having delayed
an unplanned week to deal with the problem. THE DEATH OF BACTERIA? We had planned to make a fast tract up through the Chesapeake. We wanted to get up to the NY area quickly so we would have the summer and fall to cruise New England and Nova Scotia, so we needed to get going. We waited a few days for the bacteria to die but how long does it take for bacteria to die? We didn’t have a clue. We gave it several days, which turned into weeks and then two months. As long as we didn’t turn the heater or air conditioner on, we didn’t really smell it. Somehow it all seemed to be connected to the air conditioning unit. The monster set up house there is the way I pictured it. We silently procrastinated not turning the AC on by instead using our little electric plug in heater to keep warm. Just that one thing shows you how we were kidding ourselves. That’s where that morning in Mystic Seaport comes in. Our plans were to head out to Block Island for a week of rest and relaxation but our stay in Mystic Seaport became hot and muggy. The weather had been so cold and wet up to this point and now that we were up the river with no sea breeze the weather just skipped spring and jumped right into typical miserable summer days, hot and humid. We were both afraid to turn the air on but the first night it was so unbearably muggy and hot that I had snuck out of bed in the middle of the night and slept in the pilot house to get some air. The next day we just had to give in and turn the air conditioning on….and…..VIOLA! The smell was still there and this time came back bigger and bolder than I ever remember. This monster was really going to do us in this time. I told Larry I just can’t have this boat smelling like this and Larry and I got into it. It was now making me sick to smell it and I was ready to get on a plane and go home. Trying to be patient with each other, we went through all the painful discussions and supositions and ideas of what it might be again. Was it the air conditioning or the holding tank or what? God dam it! It was a friggin’ nightmare. The phantom was doing a great job of making us crazy. Larry went down (I’m not sure where he goes actually but somewhere down) and gave the air conditioning another chlorine douche that was so strong it would either kill it or clean it. I couldn’t sleep in the master stateroom because of the chlorine fumes and spent a second night in the pilot house. By now I had not much sleep for the last two nights and that was adding to my grouchyness. In the morning I was to the point that I had to tell Larry either we get this fixed or I’ve had it with the boat. We both agreed. Something had to give. We’re not ones to give up on anything, so it was hard for us to even admit this to each other. Larry decided to give it one last shot and that was to head to Newport, RI and have someone else look at the problem. Hopefully a real professional in the area of smell detection if there is such a thing. We either get it resolved or decide what we do with the boat. What is it that we do with the boat? We dare not mention what we would do because I suppose we don’t really know, maybe sell the boat? It was something unmentionable. So, it was decided just that quickly, after all these months. This was going to be it. We’ve had enough. We changed course and headed straight to Newport and a boat yard that Nordhavn recommended. That began our stay in mega yacht land and the salvation of our boat.
click
on the camera for photos
MEGA YACHT LAND We couldn’t get in to Newport Boat Yard today. The Newport Charter Yacht Show was going on and every slip was taken. They said they would be able to clear a slip for us the following morning. They suggested we stay overnight at Goat Island Marina. It was amazing coming into Naragansett Bay. The wind was strong and a beautiful white sailing yacht was criss crossing in front of us. Its sails were full and it was heeling nicely getting a good amount of speed across the water. She was magnificently graceful and had old traditional lines to it. The captain was showing her off for us. He crossed in front of us as I was on the bow with my camera ready to capture that perfect moment. If he could have done a somersault for us he would have. He was racing her across the frisky chop of the Naragansett letting her show everything she had. It was a beautiful sight and just what you’d expect in this part of the country. Here sailing rules. We passed the typical huge mansions on the nearby shore. In the distance was Newport marked by the church spires poking up over the cluster of historical buildings. The bay was loaded with moored boats. We slowly cruised by them, not wanting to make an unwanted wake as we, the power boat were in the minority. We found our destination for the evening. We had an easy side tie and quickly got settled amongst some very big yachts. I hosed the boat down with fresh water to get the salt water off and no sooner had wiped the water spots off when we had the traditional New England afternoon squall. The skies got dark, the winds picked up and then it began to pour all over my sparkling job. Oh well. Since it was wet out we stayed
inside and had a cozy meal on the boat. We got ready for the next day which
would begin the process of pealing the boat open again, looking for the monster
that lurks. In the morning we left the dock at Goat Island Marina and headed just across the way to what would be our permanent dock for whatever amount of time it took to absolve us of this plague. We were told by the dock master we’d have a starboard tie. He gave us the slip number to go to. I was standing on the bow when I spotted him standing on the dock waving us to our slip. I tell Larry it doesn’t look like there’s enough room for us, nor enough room to turn around to get us backed I for a starboard tie. I quickly went to the stern to gab two fenders to put on our port side just in case we have any problems. There were a lot of really expensive huge boats in here and some were rafted double in the channel and others were so big they were sticking their perfectly polished stainless steel bows and anchors precariously out into the channel. It was a boat show after all and you know how they pack them in. Sure enough when we got in there, there was not enough room to turn her around for a starboard tie so Larry had to head the bow in at the very last moment and I had to quickly set up for a port tie when I was already for the starboard tie. He had no choice as the wind was blowing a good clip and we were very crowded in here amongst these expensive yachts. There was no other option but to proceed in and do it. I quickly got some lines on the port side and threw some to the dock hand and then jumped off to get the others tied. To top the whole nerve wracking situation, our head sets died right in the middle of it so Larry and I had no communication. I had to yell at the top of my lungs to give him info on the position of the boat that he wasn’t able to see from his station. Everyone came out of their boats thinking there was a disaster about to happen with all my ridiculous yelling but Larry calmly and magically put her in just fine and I’m sure they are all wondering what kind of nut I was to be yelling at the captain like that. Larry always seems to keep his calm even when I panic. We have found those head sets a life saver for us because Larry has a hearing problem and we just can’t see all sides of the boat from the control stations, so it’s a necessary item for us. Well, maybe not absolutely necessary but wihtout them my stress level triples. NEWPORT BOAT YARD, established 1834 We weren’t even settled before the yacht representative came by. We thought he came by to say hello and talk with us, but really it was just to get our credit card info. He said he was sending an air conditioning expert over to see us but what we really wanted to do was have a plumbing expert come to see about having a holding tank pressure test. By now I had emailed an emotional email to Nordhavn about our problem, asking for help or recommendations. One person got back to us and said we may need to have the holding tank pressure tested. Later in the day we got another email from Jim Leishman suggesting we have the air conditioner checked first. So, we decided to have the air conditioning checked, but really, in our hearts, we didn’t think that was the problem. The air conditioner in our stateroom is located under the master bed. It draws “fresh air” from underneath the bed which had holes leading to the engine room, the bedroom, storage areas under the bed which also had holes leading to the holding tank. Not the most desirable design but when you have funny spaces on a boat, things are done not always the way we think it should be. We even had thoughts of building a channel from the air conditioner directly to the vent grill to the bedroom eliminating any chance of drawing odors from other unmentionable parts of the boat. This might solve the problem of transporting the smell in through the air conditioner to our living space but wouldn’t solve the over all problem of the smell. We wanted to get to the meat of the problem. We were going to go about this with all the proper steps so the first guy would be the air conditioning expert. STEP ONE The air conditioning guy was great. He listened to our problem like we were describing a problem child. He was very patient and understanding, taking all the information in then he proceded to thoroughly examin the AC unit and where it was vented. He personally smelled every area. After a few hours, he said the air conditioner was working fine. He concluded that the problem was that the AC was drawing air from the top of the holding tank and their definitely was a smell from that area. He suggested plugging all holes leading to the holding tank and engine room and sealing off any other areas that we did not want to draw smells from. He definitely felt we had a problem with the holding tank. He suggested that we put a special air refreshener on top of the holding tank and see if the AC draws that smell into the bedroom. If it does then it would confirm that that is where the smell is coming from. He said he would check back with us to see what happens. We put the air freshener in the holding tank compartment and started the AC. He was right, we could smell the air refreshner. Unfortunately, the air refreshner wasn’t strong enough to mask the odor and after 15 to 20 minutes, the odor was back and no more trace of the perfumed scent. It had over powered the air freshner. So now we were to wait for the Water Plumbing experts to come and check the holding tank. STEP TWO The next day went by, the plumber was to be there at 8:00. No show. Then he was supposed to be there right after lunch. No show. Then he would be there first thing in the morning. Being as patient as we could, we just spent the time getting caught up with things on the boat and watching the world go by on the docks. It was pretty interesting actually with the Charter Yacht Show going on. There were so many huge boats here and lots of big money floating around. HE was LURKING…IT’S CONFIRMED Next morning at 8:00, no one showed, then 9:00, no one showed. Larry got on the phone and they promised they’d be there within the hour, apparently they were finishing up a job and didn’t want to leave until completely done. We could understand that. Finally, John Curran showed up from Ocean Link. He seemed like a nice guy and he also listened to the long history of the odor and all the attempts to fix it. It was like, each time, we were talking to our doctor, trying to give him all the symptoms so that he could make a correct diagnosis and then do the operation or prescribe the right medication to fix the problem. He also agreed that the holding tank was where the smell was coming from and he could definitely smell it. To me that was a landmark because I had been complaining and complaining for months and months about it and now we actually have two professional people definitely admitting the smell was there. I think everyone before was too polite to talk about it or really didn’t know how to fix it and Larry didn’t want to deal with it because maybe he didn’t think it was something that could be fixed or didn’t want to go through the ordeal of it. I know he had been dealing with trying to fix it at Atlantic Yacht Basin for two weeks before I got there and that was probably emotionally draining then. I don’t know exactly what he was thinking or feeling. All I know is he was here to fix it once and for all no matter what. Some how just this acknowledgement was so important to me. Sometimes I just thought I was crazy imagining the smell and then I thought it was actually making me sick. We said to John that we thought we needed to have a pressure test done on the tank. John was hesitant about that. He said to do that “it is a pretty big deal and quite an ordeal to go through and even then you many not be able to pin point it”. John said we had a 6’ line that was going up hill to pump out and that was not good because it meant there was standing waste in the line all the time. He said the lines could be saturated and the smell coming from the pipes. We thought we saw the remants of a stain by the pump out area and then I mentioned that the odor seemed to be stronger right after we’d done a pump out. He said it would be “a re-engineering of the layout but in the long run would eliminate any standing waste in the pipes”. He would move the pipe to a higher position to allow the pump and pipe to drain out “down not up”. What could we do? He seemed knowledgable and very sympathetic to our situation. He said he’d take digital pictures and go over it with the owner of the company (who was just going into the hospital for major surgery) and the engineer to see if they concurred with his thoughts (diagnosis to me). He’d be back the next day. In the morning, the owner of Ocean Link called Larry and after an extensive conversation, it was decided, we will re-engineer the system by moving the pump to a higher level and replacing all the pipes with the best grade possible in case they are saturated. Larry and I went down and examined the area again before John got there and we confirmed that the pipes were wet and had the smell. We couldn’t believe that the pipes would fail so quickly as we noticed the smell almost within a month of departure but as we had been in a foreign country and couldn’t deal with it there, we just had to keep going. We didn’t know if we were doing the right thing to go ahead and “re-engineer”, and hadn’t heard back from Norhavn for advice, apparently Jim was traveling in China and wasn’t able to communicate as quick enough to tell us what to do, but what choice did we have? We decided to go ahead. HE WAS LIKE A SURGEON When John arrived he was ready
to start and worked steadily the whole day. He is such a great guy and really
thoughtful and intelligent about the system and how it should work. He was very
neat and considerate of keeping things clean and sterile. He was like a
surgeon, carefully going about his project, thoroughy and precisely. He would
meticulously removed the bad parts, wrapping them carefully and handing them up
to Larry for removal. Larry decided to be involved to help and watch. Larry
would hand him tools and get him things he needed, like a surgeon’s assistant.
They would each discuss every step and think together of the best way to
engineer it. We both really enjoyed and liked John. He also had such a good
sense of humor about his job and would say the funniest things making me laugh
again about the whole situation. We felt we were in good hands and really had
confidence in him. While he was changing out the pipes he discovered a “T”
joint that wasn’t glued and it was lose and came right off when he touched it.
THE REAL TEST We at first were afraid to do the real test which would be to turn the AC on as it would be the ultimate confirmation of success or failure of the work John had done but we turned it on. The first hour or two it smelled. Larry said it was recycling the bad air and would take awhile and then miraculously it dissipated to nothing! No smell, no odor! We literally could not believe that the smell was gone! It was success, but we literally felt like we were walking on egg shells, that something would happen and it would come back. John was determined to complete the job to make it the best it possibily could be so we would have no future problems. He proceeded to change out all other lines that he felt would be a problem with standing waste or pumping. He also fixed an annoying pump that kept pumping every hour or two. No one had been able to sort the problem out with that either and as this pump was continually getting worse, so much so, that it was keeping me awake at night. GOOD PROGNOSIS We are so greatful to John Curran from Ocean Link. He saved the day for us. He literally solved a problem that two previous yards could not. If it wasn’t for him we would not be boating today and we thank you John. Though we still were holding our breath hoping that we got everything, like a surgery, so that it wouldn’t come back. The true test will be once we are out to sea for a few days and after our first pump out. If all is well then, I think we have a clean bill of health!
click
on the camera for photos
Well, we spent a week getting the boat repaired, on the docks at Newport Boat Yard, amidst some of the biggest and fanciest sailing yachts we’d ever seen in one place. Sure, we’ve seen some big yachts in our travels especially at the Miami and Fort Lauderdale Boat Show but this was the biggest collection of huge sailing yachts we’ve ever seen in one place at one time. We’re not knowledgeable enough to begin to describe the manufacturers of them but enough to tell you they are some of the world’s finest. We lived with them for a week. There are no owners present on these boats. These boats are maintained with loving care by live aboard crews. They are mostly young kids but serious in their responsibility and meticulous in their duties. They are kids (twenties to early thirties) from all over the world. We’d sit at the local cantina on the the boat yard and could hear, British, Australian, rastaffian, Afican, Portugese, Spanish, and French. This is a gathering place of world class sailors. The flags on the boats were
huge and many were British, German, and places in the Caribbean where the tax
benefits are better. There also were a lot of fantastic yachts with good
ole’ Newport, RI as their hailing port. The sailing yacht next to us had a
large American flag that seemed bigger than what it proportionally should be.
It was always partly in the water. Larry mentioned something to the crew
and they answered back that that’s the way the owner wants it “just dipping in
the water”. We thought about that and looked at it for a week and decided
there
was something romantic about the idea of that flag just “dipping in the
water” and the more we looked at it the more we thought he was exactly right.
The boat was part of the Wild Horse group and it was as if the flag
resembled a stallion stopping to take a drink from the water.
We’d walk the docks at sunset and admire the yachts and see what new ones came in. The docks would be filled with warn deck shoes sitting by the steps to the yachts as the crew would all be aboard for the evening, shoeless I guess. We’d admire the piles and piles of ropes on each yacht and how artistically and nautically correct they were tied. Every square inch of their yachts were polished and repolished, some beyond belief. If there was a rusty spec or sign of salty corrosion anywhere, that would be a major faux pau. We’d watch these elves do their daily work. We would gasp when we’d see them climb to the top of the masts to check lines. Some must be 200 feet in the air. The boat yard was an amazing place too just because of the size of boats they dealt with. Daily they’d move these mega yachts around the yard. They’d lift them out and prop them up on little sticks and blocks around the asphalt parking lot. Surrounding this field of yachts on sticks were cars, Bentley’s, Porsches, BMWs. We don’t presume this was the mode of travel for the crew but the owners, the crew rode more modest means of transportation as the docks were also lined with bikes and fancy motorized scooters. The most stealth looking yacht was the Visione. It was a racing vessel almost 150 long and stripped of any frills. It was a racing machine and was massive like a sub. When that thing came in to port it was like a monster had surfaced from the deep. Its bow thrusters sounded like a grown from the deep, strong and broad. The crew stood on the deck much like a navy vessel coming into port. This vessel has seen some sea I’m sure and some great races. We did our last walk around at sunset, taking it all in before we left in the morning. Maybe we would see these cruisers again in the winter in the Caribbean. The wind was blowing a good howl, and the yard workers had gone home long ago. The place was absent of people and we walked alone just admiring these vessels. We could see lights from inside the boats and shoes on the docks and knew they were all snuggled in for the night. There was an errie howling, ooooooo, it was the wind whistling through the halliards, and some were slapping the masts. The huge flags were softly waving and sometimes whipping and flapping. The whole place howled in the wind.
click
on the camera for photos
|
It takes less than an hour to
get to the old RR swing bridge. We happened to time it just after the train went
by and watched as the bridge tender slowly turned the track around on the pivot
and then all the waiting boats on each side went through. Once through you come
to a short stretch before you reach the Mystic River Bridge. The
cruising book said it opened at quarter past the hour. Larry hailed her on the
radio and the bridge tender told us that the next scheduled opening is 40 past
the hour. Guess they changed the schedule. So we had 30 minutes to just sit in
the river and wait. It was a pleasant half hour waiting though. I can
remember, 9 years ago when we came up this river to Mystic Seaport in our Grand
Banks, it was a harrowing wait without bow thrusters as the river current was
pulling us in directions we didn’t want to go and the river was crowded with
many other boats. We were all trying to keep from hitting each other and we
finally pulled over to the long wooden dock and tied up until it was time to go
through. Today, we sat fine in the river and if the wind or current pulled us
the bow thrusters easily kept us in place. 
We all believe that this was the main culprit of the problem. It was connected
to the “pump out” line and that’s when I remember noticing the odor more intesily a couple time, after a pump out was just done. It all made sense. But
also, the pipes were smelly and needed to be replaced, we all confirmed that, so
that too was a problem. John moved the pump, changed the pipes, fixed the
joints and so far the boat was clean smelling as it should have been all these
months. 
LIFE
ON THE BIG BOATS