The day started calm & sunny in the anchorage. The kind of morning you dream of as a cruiser. Time to pull the stern anchor I had set to keep Tourist from swinging back and forth. Only one problem. It wouldn't come out. I took the dinghy and pulled my way over to the anchor. Still it wouldn't budge. Next step was to tie the anchor line to the back of the dinghy and fire up the 25 hp Yamaha. A little gas. A little more. Still more! Finally at about 3/4 throttle it popped out. Whew! Back to Tourist to get ready to go.
After securing the dinghy and stowing the anchor it was time to fire up the Cummins diesels. Port side running. Starboard side.....nothing. Hit the crossover switch and away we go. Only one problem. The alternator isn't charging. Crap! Then the engine dies. Double crap!! OK. Let's see. Start the generator and turn on the battery charger. Re-fire the engine and it stays running but the voltage gauge is jumping around like a little kid that has to go the the bathroom. Time to get the anchor up and look for help. Of course the anchor chain is coated with mud every inch of the way. Yuk!
Fortunately we were headed to Oxford so a call to Oxford Boatyard (www.oxfordboatyard.com) secured us a place to stay and someone to take a look at Tourist. Nine miles of instruments and gauges shutting down and turning back on as the charger charged or not. Finally we rounded the corner and with great instructions from the yard we pulled into their dock. In addition to 2 dock hands there to grab our lines the service manager was also waiting to meet us and lay out a game plan. First attack was to check the suspected items for output. The alternator was dead and within minutes it was off. Within an hour a new one was in it's place. Now that's service!
The charger is a bit more complex since after charging the battery it was now acting in a normal manner. I'll keep an eye on it as we move on.
The rest of the day we checked out the new Back Cove boats at the boatyard as well as the other boats both in & out of the water. Oh. Pam also did laundry!
9/12/12 Wednesday The past couple of days have been ideal as far as the weather is concerned and today looks like it will be more of the same.
Graham, the service manager came down to the boat to have another look at the charger. Everything was operating as it should so we paid the bill which was very reasonable. I would have no qualms about recommending Oxford Boatyard for service work or a place to tie up.
Once settled we went about 400 yards and dropped the anchor. Not long after we launched the dinghy and went to stroll through the town.
Oxford was officially founded in 1683 and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. (www.portofoxford.com) Here are a few of the things we saw on our walk.
Still in operation.
We found our way to the Robert Morris Inn for lunch. I had their award winning crab cake sandwich and was rewarded with an award winning bill. Forget the money. It was good! (www.robertmorrisinn.com)
After lunch we stopped at the local grocery which reminded me of the old East Side Grocery in Galena. Small but stocked full. With food stuffs in hand we ventured back to Tourist to drop them off before taking a ride down the rest of Town Creek. Here are a few pictures from the water.
By the time we returned to the boat we had a couple more boats sharing the anchorage that was completely empty last night. Go figure!
9/13/12 Thursday Another Chamber of Commerce day. Coffee and soaking in the morning were first on the agenda. OK. It's 9 o'clock. Time to go!
Out of Town Creek and down the Tred Avon River to the Choptank. Travel a short distance and turn up Broad Creek ( I think there's a Broad Creek every 50 miles on the Chesapeake!) to the lower side of St. Michael's. We found a great anchorage off of the mainstream and set the hook. A short dinghy ride later we were tied up at a small park only a few blocks from downtown. The first order of business was finding the Carpenter Street Saloon for lunch. Try the Mac & Cheese!
We continued on to explore the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. A great display of life, boating, and working on Chesapeake Bay.
We roamed around St. Michael's Thursday and Friday checking out the shops and making one more stop at Carpenters. St. Michael's is more of a touristy town than the previous Chesapeake towns we've visited. A beautiful setting and close proximity to DC and Baltimore help keep it's economy going.
9/15/12 Saturday Time to move on. The wind's blowing 15 to 20 but out of the North so the waves shouldn't be too bad. We pulled the anchor and weaved our way through the other boats anchored nearby and worked our way back to the Choptank River. Of course once we turned to the Northwest the spray was splattering the front isinglass giving Tourist a salt water bath. It wasn't too far and we were entering Knapp's Narrows. A narrow cut of water separating Tilghman Island from the mainland and our destination for the day. With no place to safely anchor we got a spot on the face dock at the Knapp's Narrows Marina but not before getting the one bridge to open for us.
Tilghman Island is home to a large crabbing fleet, many of which unload there catch right across from our marina. Boat after boat pulls up to the dock, unloads and takes on empty baskets for their early start the next day.
Knapp's Narrows Marina where we stayed is like watching a parade. Boat after boat goes by in either direction all day long. It can get tricky when the tide is running fast and the bridge is closed due to the narrowness of the passage. We spent part of the afternoon at the Tiki Bar watching the activity on the water.
Pam needed half & half so we took the loaner bikes and rode across the bridge to the local market.
Back at Tourist we enjoyed the sun setting over the Bay.
Nice pics!
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