IntraCoastal Waterway
February 25, 2010
I normally don’t blog about work – but this week I had a client with an adventure that is worthy: I have been working with my client to do ground-up business operations creation and about two months ago, they purchased an 87 foot catamaran in plans of providing sightseeing and event services on the Potomac River in the DC metro area. The boat was purchased after providing service in South Carolina, and spent about 8 weeks in Morehead City, NC, out of the water having mechanical, operational, and cosmetic work performed. I agreed to go with the owner and a recently hired captain, Mike, to do some last stages of work and bring the boat up to DC from North Carolina.
Pics: a) A big barn, with a big guy acting like a little kid; b) I wonder how you get that driver's license; b) Splashing the boat
Feb 22-23
A hole in the water
We met early on Monday and drove to North Carolina (about six hours) in the owner’s car. There was some debate with the yard regarding the price of some of the services that had been rendered, and they kept the boat in the yard, on blocks, pending the receipt of payment. After negotiations, the boat was pulled from a garage required for the bottom paint because the temperatures in the area hadn’t been above the required 40 degrees. With the boat in the water, we were on schedule for a Wednesday morning departure.
We did most of the cosmetic work and waited for the final touches on the two main engines and the two generators on the boat. Late on Tuesday it was identified that when the generators were engaged, they were giving over 20% more power to the electrical panel than they should have. We made calls to mechanics to see if they could get to the yard ASAP.
Feb 24
Because the boat is 87 feet and draws about 6 feet, it is one of the larger boats that would use the intracoastal waterway (ICW). There are few spots along the route that can accommodate a vessel of that size, so to tie up there is some planning involved (sleeping on the boat is not an option as the boat has no sleep, shower, or galley options). The Alligator River Bridge has a rule that if the wind is blowing over 25knots, it will not open – further complicating our route planning. To make any landing site, we would have to get out of Morehead City before 10 am, otherwise, we would only have to turn around and come back.
As lack of luck would have it, the mechanic didn’t make it to the boat until after lunch. There were some settings on the generators that had to be modified. It was frustrating because the settings were adjusted by trial and error – something that we could have done.
Feb 25
The owner dropped transport captain, Pete, Mike and I in the morning, and we left the marina at Morehead City at 7am. The first leg of the trip was about 150 miles. We cruised up the ICW averaging 20knots (taking into consideration some areas that are ‘no wake’) with very little boat traffic in the cold weather. While relatively narrow at about fifty yards across, the canal is well dredged with an average of 16 feet of depth in the channel. About fifty miles into the trip, the boat jarred suddenly – the port engine went dead and the boat pulled to the west side of the canal.
Pete and Mike were able to restart the engines, and back the boat into the canal. When the engines were put forward, the boat began vibrating dramatically when we powered up. Pete shrugged and explained that it was likely that the propeller was bent. The boat wasn’t incapacitated; we were still able to make 10knots without vibration. Because we were in the channel, the likely culprit was a submerged log of some sort – but it meant that the boat was going to need work prior to getting back to DC. We made half-speed to our destination marina.
Pics: a) the wake at 20knots; b) Like any other highway - there are mile markers along the route
Coinjack Marina: we were about an hour out of Coinjock after rocking and rolling across the Pamlico Sound when we called them to see if the motel in town had rooms. It did, but it was closed from Feb 15-28th. The nearest other facility was more than an hour drive from the marina, as was the nearest cab. However, the marina had a room over the restaurant that sleeps six... two beds, two air mattresses, and two couches. We tied up, checked in, and had dinner all within ten yards of each other. Good: The restaurant has a prime rib special everynight (if you eat the 32oz portion it is free) and I got one of the beds! Bad: The restaurant has karaoke on Thursday nights, and the floor is not very well insulated.
Pics: a) it is the Coinjock Ritz (that is Pete having some deep fried peanuts); b) If you don't like peanuts, you can have fresh fowl from the cooler.
Feb 26 (A penguin walks into the auto shop)
We got underway at 6:30, when there was good light to get up the ICW. While we didn’t make good speed, we had mostly smooth water because the winds weren’t too bad, and we were protected by the narrow nature of that portion of the ICW. After going for a few hours, I went up to the wheelhouse to let the captain know that there was a smell of smoke coming from the starboard engine room. Because the starboard prop had not been damaged, this was a real mystery – not only was there some smoke, there was water entering the engine compartment from the shaft – as well as water in the starboard mid-compartment. The smoke was attributed to a seal around the shaft that had partially blown. We made Norfolk by 1pm.
I had made arrangements with a diver to meet us at Norfolk – he would pull the port propeller from the shaft and take it to a shop that I had contacted where it would be reconditioned and then hopefully reinstalled so we could make way on Saturday morning. We tied up and put 800 gallons of diesel fuel in the boat, and waited for the diver – who called at 12:50 to tell us that he couldn’t make it. I made arrangements with a third diver (second was unavailable) who sent a team out and removed the prop. He took them to the propeller shop that worked late into the night repairing the damaged propeller.
Pics: I've been over and under bridges, but this is the first time through a) a draw bridge; b) a side swing bridge; c) a middle swing bridge. My first time through a canal -d) the Great Bridge Locks has a sign to read while you wait to go through
Feb 27
The divers arrived at the dock at 7am with the repaired propeller and their equipment. They gave a confident thumbs-up as they boarded and told us that they would have us out of there in an hour – a requirement because the trip to DC was 10 hours at 20knots, we wouldn’t have a chance to make the trip at 10knots.
Estimated time to install port propeller: 1hr
Water temperature: 40 degrees
The divers, wearing dry suits, attached inflated tire tubes to the 150lb propeller so it wouldn’t sink to the bottom and could be installed, and got in the water. They struggled with the cold water, the mild wind rocking the boat, and the weight of the propeller – and failed to get the prop on. At 9am the original diver called to check on the progress. I told him that we were delayed, but asked what his schedule was – at 1pm I called him and asked him to take over the project. He arrived an hour later with two carts: one that provided compressed air to a mask (non-scuba) and a second that sucked in and then heated water, then pumped the water to his regular diving suit. The two sets of divers worked together until 10:30pm when the propeller was properly mounted on the shaft.
Actual time to install a propeller: 16 hours
Reason for delay: Morning divers dropped shaft key and couldn’t retrieve
Pics: a) cheap joke showing 1. gonads, 2. mental accuity; b) Diver with floats on prop; c) Team C divers helping team A get prop on shaft;
Feb 28 (almost there)
We waited until the sun broke the horizon, and got underway just after 6am. The boat operated beautifully and made over 20knots as we cruised through the navy base, the Chesapeake bay, and up the Potomac river. We managed to cruise 180 miles in under 9 hours and tie the boat up at National Harbor, Maryland.
Pics: a) best 'employee parking' ever. b) Home port - near "the awakening" at National Harbor
The characters:
Pete, the delivery captain - About 67, and makes his retirement living by repossessing boats (he likes to say 'stealing') and smokes like a chimney. A few years ago he had “prostrate” cancer so he doesn’t drink anymore. All stories start with “This one time I was running a [insert number from 30-70] foot [insert manufacturer of boat]” or “I used to go out with a girl named [insert stripper name]
Mike is the retired coast guard Captain who served 26 years. He likes to voice his opinions about things with or without solicitation. Major observations: “Winter Olympics isn’t sports – it is crap.” “I hate a weak stirrer. Give me a spoon anyday.”
Nauts:
Knot: a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour
Nautical Mile: a unit of length corresponding approximately to one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian
1 international knot = 1.151 miles per hour (approximately)
Common Name for the ICW: “the ditch”
When portions or ICW were started: 1793
Propeller Dimensions: 36" x 34pitch
34 pitch: Each rotation of the propeller should cover 34” distance
Ideal operating RPM: 1400
ICW marker at start of trip: 200
Norfolk marker: 0
During the Civil War - both the North and South sank vessels in the canal to block traffic
Buoy colors: Red, Right, Return.... and in the ICW, Red, Right South
Drawbridges: 7 (most open on the hour)
Canal locks: 1 (on demand)
