The Intracoastal Waterway with Lieke and Rosa
Norfolk - Belhaven (22nd - 28th November 2010)
The Americans have had the vision and great insight to made a protected inland waterway all along the East Coast: the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). This connects the southernmost tip of Florida to the north-eastern states above New York through a reasonably well protected series of canals, lakes, rivers and estuaries. As some parts of the East Coast are very dangerous and littered with ship-wrecks, this is a very valuable alternative for novices like ourselves. The Chesapeake Bay, where we started our trip, is also part of it. From there the ICW leads down into North Carolina through some very long straight canals, hence the other name for the ICW: The Ditch.
By the time we entered the ditch, Lieke was an experienced member of the crew. Hoisting sails, steering, fixing our leaking tap, nothing could stop her. We picked up Rosa in Great Bridge, but could not go sailing right away as we were stuck with engine troubles for the day. Damn you Atomic 4 and your 1940's technology! (our engine was originally designed for a WWII-Tommy Jeep). From there on however, we had some really good stretches and could do about 100 miles in 2 days. Sailing-newby Rosa learnt that a steering wheel on a boat works just like a steering wheel in a car.
We got over-enthousiastic, wanted to continue going until sunset even though the map showed a low probability of finding an anchorage in the Ditch. As could have been expected, we got stuck in the (not too well dredged) canal. This would not have been such a big deal, if it we hadn't pushed our engine hard to get out of the mud. After half an hour of sailing in the dark, it simply stopped. With no wind either, we were stuck in the canal with nowhere to go (damn you Atomic 4 #2). But in the distance there was a dock, with a single glooming light, beckoning us to come closer. It was cold, and low-flying blankets of mist drifted out of the marshes, accompanied by eerie howls and sounds of silence. Every treestump looked like a creature creeping out of the water. All of a sudden we felt like we were part of "I know what you did last November". The girls begged us not to stop there, as it was clearly a trap set by some kind of psycho. As there was no other option, we had to stay. Luckily the psycho was out for the night, so we woke up safely in a remote and wild swampy area, which in the daytime was actually really beautiful.
The Americans have had the vision and great insight to made a protected inland waterway all along the East Coast: the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). This connects the southernmost tip of Florida to the north-eastern states above New York through a reasonably well protected series of canals, lakes, rivers and estuaries. As some parts of the East Coast are very dangerous and littered with ship-wrecks, this is a very valuable alternative for novices like ourselves. The Chesapeake Bay, where we started our trip, is also part of it. From there the ICW leads down into North Carolina through some very long straight canals, hence the other name for the ICW: The Ditch.
By the time we entered the ditch, Lieke was an experienced member of the crew. Hoisting sails, steering, fixing our leaking tap, nothing could stop her. We picked up Rosa in Great Bridge, but could not go sailing right away as we were stuck with engine troubles for the day. Damn you Atomic 4 and your 1940's technology! (our engine was originally designed for a WWII-Tommy Jeep). From there on however, we had some really good stretches and could do about 100 miles in 2 days. Sailing-newby Rosa learnt that a steering wheel on a boat works just like a steering wheel in a car.
We got over-enthousiastic, wanted to continue going until sunset even though the map showed a low probability of finding an anchorage in the Ditch. As could have been expected, we got stuck in the (not too well dredged) canal. This would not have been such a big deal, if it we hadn't pushed our engine hard to get out of the mud. After half an hour of sailing in the dark, it simply stopped. With no wind either, we were stuck in the canal with nowhere to go (damn you Atomic 4 #2). But in the distance there was a dock, with a single glooming light, beckoning us to come closer. It was cold, and low-flying blankets of mist drifted out of the marshes, accompanied by eerie howls and sounds of silence. Every treestump looked like a creature creeping out of the water. All of a sudden we felt like we were part of "I know what you did last November". The girls begged us not to stop there, as it was clearly a trap set by some kind of psycho. As there was no other option, we had to stay. Luckily the psycho was out for the night, so we woke up safely in a remote and wild swampy area, which in the daytime was actually really beautiful.
Broken down
The problems in the canal turned out to be more severe than we hoped. Despite mechanic Maarten’s perseverance in changing every separate part of the engine that we had spare, nothing seemed to work. There was hardly any wind the next day, so we were all out of luck. As Lieke and Rosa were on a time-constraint to get to Miami in time for their return flight and we were on a time-constraint the whole trip, we decided to try to hitch a ride.
Luckily for us the first boat to pass us was the Bagheera, a powerful motor cruiser owned by two very sympathetic gentlemen. They agreed to tow us 15 miles to Belhaven, which is quite the gesture! As the wind picked up in the course of the day, docking Buena Onda with no engine was a serious new challenge. Two anchored yachts agreed to dispatch their dinghies and captains for the operation. When Bagheera could not tow us any further, one dinghy served as our power (forward and backwards), while the other dinghy bumped our bow to steer us when necessary. It must have been great to watch from ashore, while listening to the chaotic communication on the VHF radio. Almost a military operation, but missing the military command (and command structure!). Fortunately everything worked out fine, thank you very much again crews of Pixies, Ala and Bagheera!
In Belhaven Rosa and Lieke decided to take fate into their own hands, and fixed themselves a ride to Miami. We were left waiting for a mechanic, but surprisingly figured out the cause of the problem ourselves without really understanding it (with a good deal of telephone consults with our Tilghman mechanic Paul). For those of you interested, our engine was equipped with a wrong amperage coil. This caused our points to burn up very quickly, which made the engine stop after a few minutes every time.
Anyway, we were back on the ICW road, after a pleasant and super beautiful cruise through the North Carolina swamps.
Luckily for us the first boat to pass us was the Bagheera, a powerful motor cruiser owned by two very sympathetic gentlemen. They agreed to tow us 15 miles to Belhaven, which is quite the gesture! As the wind picked up in the course of the day, docking Buena Onda with no engine was a serious new challenge. Two anchored yachts agreed to dispatch their dinghies and captains for the operation. When Bagheera could not tow us any further, one dinghy served as our power (forward and backwards), while the other dinghy bumped our bow to steer us when necessary. It must have been great to watch from ashore, while listening to the chaotic communication on the VHF radio. Almost a military operation, but missing the military command (and command structure!). Fortunately everything worked out fine, thank you very much again crews of Pixies, Ala and Bagheera!
In Belhaven Rosa and Lieke decided to take fate into their own hands, and fixed themselves a ride to Miami. We were left waiting for a mechanic, but surprisingly figured out the cause of the problem ourselves without really understanding it (with a good deal of telephone consults with our Tilghman mechanic Paul). For those of you interested, our engine was equipped with a wrong amperage coil. This caused our points to burn up very quickly, which made the engine stop after a few minutes every time.
Anyway, we were back on the ICW road, after a pleasant and super beautiful cruise through the North Carolina swamps.
Aad's toilet duty
I guess the one to cause the problem is the one that has to solve it...ARHOE! En Gnirrep maar lachen, wacht maar jouw beurt komt nog wel!