Rough Winter on the Chesapeake Bay

    "Whatever It Takes" had a rough winter on the Chesapeake at Bohemia Bay Marina. We were fortunate to secure a covered dock for the winter and the boat was entirely protected from the snow and ice that was so prevalent this year, well, almost entirely. My 12 foot dinghy, which hangs off the stern, didn't quite fit under the canopy, and was directly under the eave of the roof line. During one of the cold snaps, a large slab of ice and snow slid off the roof making a direct hit on the poor dinghy. The impact drove one of the aluminum davits through the 2 inch mahogany stern planking. Fortunately the davit was not in line with a structural support and the hole was located well above the water line.

I foamed the hole shut from inside the storage locker and taped the exterior with 6 inch vinyl white tape for the voyage home. Sort of like one of those 55 MPH paint jobs I had on my cars during my teenage years.

 Jeff Smith (friend, ships mechanic, first mate, galley rat) and I departed Bohemia Bay at 5:30 am this morning, with perfect conditions on the Delaware Bay we arrived in Cape May, NJ at 1:00. It sure feels good being back on the water. Looks like we will be holed up here in Cape May until Friday or Saturday, (I plan pass the time watching reruns of the Honeymooner's). NOAA is calling for rough seas on the ocean and the next 150 miles has us travelling up the Atlantic coast to New York City. I had set aside 4 or 5 days for bad weather so this should not effect our original schedule. I will post again when we get underway later this week.



Back on board

We were lucky the impact wasn't in line with a structural post.

A little foam, a little tape, perfect.

Jeff and Rick.

Morning on the C&D canal.

Rick starring in a "Honeymooner's" rerun.