Heading south – insurance, bears and engines – Oh my

We motored and sailed south from Annapolis area without issue.  Well, that’s a lie – one small issue, our starboard motor would not start.  Kris thought it might be the starter, and several light applications of hammer therapy seemed to do the trick, and it started.   After Kris though about it a while, she thought maybe it is just a loose relay – we think.  Kris will look at it more once we stop moving.  The engine starts for her, but not always for Dean.

Motor sailing down the Chesapeake

While we have been heading south, Kris has been emailing and calling about our insurance.  Our insurer we had for a couple of years – Jackline through Markel insurance –  was discontinued.  Markel offered a different plan but would not insure us as our lithium batteries were not made in the USA, and not installed by a ABYC certified installer.   So we found alternate insurance – through Manifest Marine brokerage – called Windsor Mt. Joy.   Had that for a year, then they decided not to cover any boats outside the USA – so no Bahamas.  Then Manifest found a couple options for us, but they were more expensive. 

Our friend recently got insurance in North Carolina through State Farm, so called the same agent located in New Bern.  They said they could not insure us because we did not have a North Carolina residence.  Called State Farm in Idaho – where our home address is, and they said – New Bern is wrong, call an agent where the boat will be physically located.  So called a different agent in New Bern, and gave them a physical address of the marina we will stay a bit in, and all was great until they said they would not insure boats that traveled in the Chesapeake Bay.    

So called a State Farm agent in Maryland.  Yes, they would insure the Chesapeake and Long Island sound, and part of the Bahamas, but only boats valued up to $200,000.  But only $1,200 a year.

Next called a State Farm agent in Virginia.  Great – they just asked if we were live aboard, and we said yes, and they would insure us everywhere, with some limitations of areas in the Bahamas.  Only $1,100 a year.  Woohoo – finally.     Anyway - insurance is sorted for the year.

The weather is slightly chilly, so jackets in order

We found a friend on the boat, when we raised sail.   Not the kind of friend we like, we threw them overboard.     We had seen mud daubers in the yard, but did not know they were building a home under the sail cover on our sail.

Mud dauber nest

We stopped for the night in the Solomons, and then early the next morning further south, stopped for the night in Deltaville.

Nice sunset in Deltaville

Next day, up early again and headed to Portsmouth.   We have been moving fast, as there are two hurricanes offshore making high winds, and we wanted to get somewhere protected before they made it to us.

Got into Portsmouth early enough, we walked down and got Guads Mexican for dinner.  Nice to get off and walk a bit.

Found a nice wall mural in Portsmouth on our walk

Next morning, we headed out of Norfolk, filled up with diesel, and headed into the Dismal Swamp

Sights on our way through Norfolk

Always interesting seeing the ships

Very industrial section of the area

Going through this bridge a bit of nerve racking, as the barge took up a fair portion of the width

Stopped and got pizza and groceries at Deep Creek bridge, and then continued on.   We were the only boat in the entire 20-mile canal.   Lock operators were surprised that there was not much boat traffic at all.

In the Dismal

In the Dismal we saw ducks, herons and turtles.  We stopped at the Dismal Swamp visitor center to wait out the strong winds from the two offshore hurricanes, Humberto and Imelda.  It was blustery, but not bad at the visitor center.   

Charm all alone at the Visitor Center dock

Kris went for a nice walk and saw some pretty bugs, flowers and lots of American Beauty berries ripe and ready to eat.  We did not pick any.  

Don't know what this was, but there was a bit of it, and very pretty

American beauty berries

Kris also fixed the relay issue, so should have no more issues starting the engine – remember that.

Kris is starting to feel like she spends way too much time in the engine areas

Working on loose wire in relay box.

On her walk, she also met another walker, who warned her about a raised spot in the trail.  He had tripped while jogging in his name brand neon green shoes, Nike apparel, cell phone in had and ear buds in.  He was going to complain because the raised spot did not have a warning sign.    Sometimes Kris just wants to move into the woods and avoid all humans for years at a time after encounters like that.

The trail Kris was walking.

The raised bump the guy fell on.

Dean took out our windlass motor and painted it, because as a condition of getting insurance, we had to prove that all items from the last survey had been taken care of.   On item on our last survey was rust on the windlass motor.  We don't worry about it because it will just rust again.   But Dean sanded and painted it so we could show the insurance company it was taken care of.

Rusty windlass motor

Painted up all nice

It got quite chilly moving south, so full sweats, slippers and sweatshirts for Kris.

Going through the south lock, you can see how high we are in the lock

After the lock is drained, you can see how far down we are.

Ran into some duckweed south of the locks, but no issues.

After the Dismal, we stopped for the night in Elizabeth City.  Gusty winds as we came into dock, and Kris did a bad docking job and crunched into a piling while docking.  Just scuffed the rub rail a bit, but she felt horrible, as the boat was so nice looking after the haul out, hate to mar it, even if it will clean up and not be noticeable.

We went to have lunch at Big Boss Burrito, a place we always go to in Elizabeth City, but it has closed.  So second option – but it was closing in 10 minutes.  So third option – OK but not a place we will go to again.  Will have to find a new place we like in Elizabeth City.

Friday we headed south across the Albemarle and down the Alligator River.  Had a nice sail, but we left at 6:30 a.m. as the bridge shuts down from 7 to 9 a.m.  It was cold cold – 59 degrees.  We made good time, averaging around 7 knots, so were able to get in 66 miles of southerly travel.    Part of the travel was the 20 miles of motoring down the Alligator Pungo Canal.  (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281271147_Sawyer_Roy_T_2008_Inland_waterway_canal_comes_to_the_Alligator_River_A_Chronology_Life_on_the_Alligator_River_Tyrrell_Branches_Vol_13_No_1_pp_30-41_Tyrrell_County_Genealogical_and_Historical_Society_C) 

Kris was on watch, and saw a black object in the water ahead, thought it was a crab pot float, but the object moved – she got out the binoculars – and it was a black bear swimming across the canal.   Called Dean up, and he tried for photos, but we were a bit far for really good pictures.

Black bear swimming across the Alligator Pungo canal

After the canal, we went to anchor, and could not get the starboard engine to start.   After 3 or 4 tries, it did, but then died.  After dinner, we changed the fuel filter, and that seemed to do the trick, and it started right up. 

Next morning another long day, but made it all the way to Oriental, and stopped at our friend's place.  Duane and Karen have Sojourn, a Manta 40.  Great catching up with them.

Had a nice evening with Duane and Karen

What If and Sojourn at the dock.  Couple of nice looking Manta's.