Escape From the Boatyard

Escape From the Boatyard – September 13 to 16

It took two false starts before we finally broke our ties with the boatyard at Schroeder’s Yacht Systems. On our first attempt we made it as far as green marker #1 at the entrance to the dredged channel leading into Broad Creek from the Rappahannock River. The motor stopped running without warning and when Tom opened the lid to the engine compartment a cloud of white smoke and steam billowed out. While I ran for a fire extinguisher and hailed Tow Boat US on the VHF radio Tom determined that there was no fire but the engine was very, very hot! There was also a large pool of antifreeze in the bottom of the engine compartment. After being assured that there was no fire on board and that we were not in any imminent danger, Tow Boat US dispatched a crew to our GPS location to provide assistance. About forty-five minutes later we were on our way back to the dock at Schroeder’s Yacht Systems. Thanks to our unlimited towing insurance with Tow Boat US it didn’t cost a penny.

Fortunately for us the mechanic at SYS was on site working on his own boat and was willing to give up a good part of his Saturday afternoon on his day off to help get the problem fixed. It turned out that some hoses for the hot water system had been connected incorrectly and the plug for the antifreeze had not been tightened quite enough.

 Polar Pacer under tow.

On our second attempt at leaving we made it as far as Reedville, VA. We ignored the warnings about the smell from the menhaden (a small oily fish found in coastal areas of the Mid-Atlantic) processing plant and chose it as our first stop on the way to Washington, DC. It was not far and we had not been there before. We wanted to take a look, and a sniff.

The Lancaster, a menhaden fishing boat, coming in to port with the days catch. The odor that emanated as she passed us was a sample of what we could expect as we got closer to the processing plant up the creek.

One of several fish traps just off the entrance to Cockrell Creek. The birds have it all figured out. Just wait on one of the posts until a fish tries to escape.

We found a nice quite spot to anchor in a tributary off of Cockrell Creek. There was a definite smell of fish in the air but it was not unbearable. Apparently the newly installed air scrubber that we had read about was doing its job. The bigger disappointment came when we lowered the dinghy and saw a film of oil on the water coming from our stern. More specifically the oil was leaking from our drive leg! Further investigation revealed a loose plug where water had been able to enter the drive leg and force the oil out.  We needed to go back to Schroeder’s to be hauled out of the water once again! At least this time we didn’t need to be towed. We were still able to motor for the short distance back out to the bay where the conditions were perfect for a beam reach sail back to the Rappahannock.  Another short bit of motoring and we were back at SYS and lined up to be hauled in the morning.

The drive leg was drained, refilled with clean hypoid 90 gear oil and left to sit overnight to ensure that there were no leaks around the seals. We had also discovered that one of our thru hulls was seized and needed to be replaced. All went well and we were re-launched on Thursday morning. After saying good-bye to our boatyard friends for the third time we were on our way once again and headed for Washington, DC.  

During our second stop at Reedville we were not so lucky with the fish processing plant. The wind was blowing from a different direction and it got quite smelly during the night when the plant was in full production.  We should have learned the first time. 

This historic stack was being refurbished in honor of the industry that has been located in Reedville for many years.

A Hot Water System for Polar Pacer

This was one of the items on the job list for the Boatyard Marathon. It all started from wanting to raise the new helm seat in the cockpit by three inches.  A little research revealed that if the cockpit floor was raised six inches and the existing small locker in the cockpit floor was incorporated, a 6 gallon water heater could be fitted into the new space and there would also be enough room to add two more golf cart batteries if we decided to increase the size of our house bank. 

The fiberglass work commenced and the smallest tank available at a reasonable price was ordered from Defender as well as a hot/cold deck shower fixture and new hot/cold taps for the sinks in the galley and head.  New water hoses were installed for the hot water tank and to both sinks.  

The 6 gallon Seaward hot water tank.

The tank was fitted into the new space at several stages of the construction process.

The tank originally came with a heating element for 120 volt electricity. We replaced that with a 120/12 volt element and a Xantrex C40 charge controller that we ordered from SVhotwire.com. The Xantrex controller is set to divert excess power from our wind generator or the alternator to heat water. 

 Xantrex power diverter

We also ran hoses to the engine so it could also be used as a heat source. That exercise was a bit of a challenge as Yanmar does not use standard threads on their engines where the connections are made. They had to be tapped out in order to fit. Also, since the water heater was located higher than the engine, air pockets could form in the system and we had to install an expansion tank that was higher than the water heater in order to get the bubbles out. 

The expansion tank on the left.

The deck shower is installed in one of the new fiberglass lockers on the back deck.

After motoring or good wind power generation we now have hot water for dishes at the galley sink and can have a shower on the back deck without having to use propane.