30 Sep 14

It was cold and damp last night and cold and cloudy this morning. We loafed around until just before LW slack and then moved the boat up the river a couple of miles to the Badgers Island Marina. After lunch, Terri got her hair done and I nobly waited for her; in the RiRa pub, and watched a couple of football matches. Then we went grocery shopping and finished off the day by doing laundry at the marina. Dinner aboard. 43-04.867’N, 070-45.083’W.

1 Oct 14

We slept in as it was raining steadily at the dawn. After breakfast, we walked into town and took a tour of the Moffatt-Ladd House, built in 1763; definitely worth a visit. It was raining right down as we finished the tour, so we had a quick lunch at a bar downtown and then scampered back to the boat for the rest of the afternoon. By dinnertime, it had stopped raining, so we walked into town and had dinner at RiRa Irish Pub, followed by live music by “Great Bay Sailors”, who played a full 3 hours of Irish and traditional (maritime) songs; we had heard them on Sunday during the Portsmouth Folk Music Festival, but they were even better inside. It was a lively crowd and a fun time. We got back home just before 23:00.  

2 Oct 14  

I was up early to turn on the heat and listen to the marine weather forecast; still sounds rougher out there than the crew would like (6 - 9 ft seas), so we will sit tight for another day or two. At least it is not raining today, although it is still overcast and threatening. After breakfast, we pumped out the starboard holding tank (the hose was not long enough to reach the port tank) and then walked into town and caught the bus to the Mall at Fox Run. I found a metric socket set and some sandpaper and Terri bought a PolarTec at Sears. Then we went to Best Buy, where I finally replaced the DVD/CD drive that the luggage handlers stole in March (on our way to Wilmington, NC). We also took the opportunity to stop in at the cinema and saw Denzel Washington’s latest film: “The Equalizer”; quite entertaining. When we came out, it was clear as a bell, and cooler. We rode the bus back into town and had a very nice dinner at Bridge Street Bistrot & Wine Bar. Back to the boat for showers and bed.

3 Oct 14

Terri was up late talking to Ashley, so we slept in till after 08:00, but it was totally clear when we got up. We eventually got up and went to the Strawberry Banke Museum; it is a bunch of old houses dating back to 1693; quite a lot of history. That occupied the entire afternoon. Then, we had a light dinner and cocktails at Rudi’s; very nice, with a jazz band serenading us through dinner.  

4 Oct 14

The day dawned foggy, drizzly, cool and generally not a good day to move far from the boat. Yesterday, I bit the bullet and ordered a replacement macerator pump for the starboard (forward) head; it has been leaking a bit (not good) and has not actually pumped anything for months, although it makes noise (the trouble with this is I don’t know whether it is a bad pump or a blocked line). At HW slack, we moved the boat around to a slip in Badgers Island Marina to be closer to the pump out station. Then, I tackled the aforementioned macerator pump. It took about an hour to wrestle it out of the cabinet under the sink in the starboard (forward) head. 3 of the 4 brass bolts that hold it together were completely corroded (i.e., only one bolt holding the whole assembly together). I determined that the outlet line (between the pump and the ocean) was not plugged by blowing air through it with the dinghy inflation foot pump. The supply line (from the holding tank to the pump) was another matter. First, we pumped out the holding tank, then filled it up with water, then pumped it out again, so at least the tank was relatively clean. Then I borrowed a snake from the marina dock master and managed to push it up most of the way to the top of the tank, but could not get it to go around the 90 degree fitting at the top of the tank. The hose from the top of the tank seems clear-ish, but not too sure about the vertical stand-pipe inside the tank. At one point in time, I had my arm all the way inside the tank feeling for obstructions and, of course, the snake had to be cleaned off. I decided that was all I could do until the new pump is installed. After I closed everything up, I disinfected and hosed down the entire head, snake, and me. We also took the opportunity to improve the drainage from the sink in the starboard head; this was accomplished by simply shortening the drain line by about 2”, which improved the slope. And then I went up for a long, very thorough shower, leaving no part untouched. Then, we met Chris and Jill for dinner at the RiRa. Walked home through the rain and the last (we hope) of the easterly blow. Tomorrow is still showing good westerlies. We’ll see.