Trip to DC Diverted at Fox Trap

We embarked on a boat trip from Wilmington to Washington DC. There was a
report of a hurricane brewing in the Caribbean so we planned to keep a
close watch on it.  We made our way up the ICW anchoring near Belhaven then
on to Coinjock  where we were surprised to find a gourmet restaurant. We
followed the Virginia cut path as we draw 7 feet winding our way through
the Pamlico, Albemarle, and Currituck sounds and several man made canals.
We can make about 60 to 70 miles per day.  It was rainy with 20knot winds
and 2-3 foot waves at most. There are numerous bridges and a lock before
Norfolk but they are efficiently managed and our trip was not impeded in
the least.  Arriving in Norfolk via water one gets a feel for the huge size
of this maritime industrial area. Possibly 2/3 of the infrastructure is due
to the largest naval base in the world.  A guide said that all the large
ships in the world could be moored in Hampton Roads with room to spare.
We heard that the Navy was planning to send all of the active duty ships to
sea on Friday to avoid damage.  We had arrived on a Tuesday and decided to
stay an extra day to see the maritime sights of this city. We figured we
could leave on Thursday and still beat Joaquin to DC.

We got off early in rain and moderate wind.  We were so focused on the

hurricane that we failed to assess the current conditions in the Chesapeake
Bay.  Apparently a ‘NorEaster’ had been blowing for several days.
{Mistake 1:  focusing on the future and disregarding the present}.  After
3 or 4 hours heading North the conditions were steadily deteriorating and
seas went from 2 to 4 to 8 foot waves with relatively short periods.  We
thought  about turning back but figured that we could shelter up a Western
shore river easier than returning to Norfolk.

The first problem was sea sickness--- I had placed a patch behind my

ear but perhaps not early enough. The worst thing about seasickness from a
safety point of view is that is promotes apathy and inaction. This really
has to be resisted.  The second problem was that after the waves crashed on
the deck we heard water cascading into the salon.  Most of it was coming
from a large ( 3’ x 4’) steel  hatch with a hand ring, six dogs and a
‘knife on gasket’ seal.  We had never had a leak before so we assumed it
was water tight. {Mistake #2:  failure to evaluate potential sources of
water egress in rough seas}.  Now we know that a bright flash light outside
at night will reveal problem areas of the seal from  inside.

Normally we tie up docking lines and fenders prior to getting underway.

The heavy seas undid our lashings and the lines and fenders and buckets and
anything else that was loose washed to the scuppers.  {Mistake #3: failure
to put away everything from the deck}.  This acerbated the leak as the deck
was a foot deep in sea water for a few seconds causing more substantial
hatch leaks.  I estimate that we shipped between 100 to several hundred
gallons of water into the salon during the 8 hours traveling North.
Fortunately the bilge pumps worked flawlessly and the high water alarms
never sounded.

 The next problem was a 40 degree roll. We are confident of the

measurement because we have a dial indicator at the helm.  Needless to
say--- the cabins were rearranged. {Mistake #4: failure to secure all
shelved items.}  The worst part of this was the fact that many manuals
were tossed on the floor where they got wet.  At this point we began to
become scared and my mate asked me to retrieve the ocean life preservers
from storage which I gladly did. We called the USCG and advised them  of
our position and what was going on and promised to update them regularly.

Then there was the fire.  We have 6 watertight areas with fire alarms

in the staterooms only. Our first notice of the fire was an acrid smell. I
rushed down to the salon and it was full of smoke.  I could see a small
fire (6” x 10”) but I could not see what was on fire.  I assumed it was an
electrical fire.  I crawled on the sole  to a fire extinguisher  and doused
the flames while  trying to hold my breath.  The first thing to do in an
electrical fire is to cut off the source of electricity.  I could not see
individual breakers and  had some difficulty finding the house battery
switches due to the smoke.  As I turned off the house bank and the
inverters  I wondered (for the first time) if I would be cutting off the
engine.  {Mistake #5: failure to know the intricacies of the electrical
system.}  As it turned out the engine did not turn off immediately. The
ignition voltage comes from the starting battery but the Glendinning
throttle and gear comes from the house bank.  Fortunately the extra
alternator on the engine continued to supply current to the house bank
buss without being connected to the batteries.  The alternator  could be
cut off in the engine room if necessary.  Our good luck was not to last
however because after about 20 minutes the DC loads (bilge pumps, engine
room blower, refrigeration, lighting, etc) was too much for the alternator
and it cut itself off temporarily.  This left us without power, navigation,
radar, or radio.  Though theoretically possible, navigating into a narrow
channel of a sheltered river using  only a corrected compass and chart is
possible: without being able to see more than 100 yards ahead and with no
depth finder  it is doubtful  we would have avoided running aground.
Fortunately by this time the smoke had cleared and the fire was out;  I
was able to turn on the house bank and leave off the inverter (which I saw
was the source of the fire).  The facts of the fire were quickly
determined. We had opened the back to the settee to inspect the battery box
for water. There was none--- the bottom of the box has drain holes.
However we had left the back of the settee up believing that water would
drain to the center of the room and bilge. Drainage patters change
dramatically when boats roll.  Water from the hatch landed on the settee
back  and was directed forcefully to the port wall where we have fuse
boxes, inverters, battery chargers, water maker, and transformers. The
Victron inverter has an adequate drip shield if water were to be directed
from directly above in very small quantities.  I foresee a more robust drip
shield in my future.

 What sea story would be complete without the report of the engine

cutting off due to a clogged filter from tank residue stirred up in rough
seas?  Yes the next event was just that.  The engine cut off. We were able
to restart it--- it ran for a few minutes then cut off again. I checked the
Racor prefilter and sure enough it was reading 25 PSI vacuum. I switched to
the secondary and that solved the problem.  {Mistake #6:  fuel filtration
needs additional evaluation or tanks need cleaning}.  We were well aware of
this issue but were surprised when it arose.  Ninety five percent of the
fuel  was 2 weeks  old. We always use a manufacturer approved fuel
stabilizer.  We regularly use a Gulf Coast Filter polishing system which
takes from the lowest part of the tank and have never discovered more than
a few tablespoons of water or gunk.  I use 10 micron filters and if the
secondary filter had clogged I would need to be very careful  changing it
in rough conditions since it is only 18 inches from a hot turbo.  I would
like a vacuum gauge on the main engine to indicate  its condition since
changing that in rough conditions would be difficult.  I am considering
re-plumbing the polishing system to provide a provision for directing the
polished fuel to the dip tube of the engine uptake.  The polishing system
is high capacity and safer and easier to change.

We limped into a marina South of Deltaville. The next day we traveled

up the Piankatank  River and found a perfect anchorage near Berkley Island
where the waves never exceeded 3” for the next 5 days.  It was a great
place except for not having a phone signal or internet.  We took the time
to debrief and decompress and prepare the boat for the trip home.  We
adjusted the hatch dogs, made an additional foam rubber gasket, and found
that fuel hose made a good O-ring in the gutter of the hatch. We think that
we have solved the hatch  problem.

The trip home was delightfully uneventful.  We encountered 3 foot waves and
few  boarding waves in the Chesapeake.  We are now  in the process of
implementing changes in procedures for heavy sea cruising. We learned much
from this experience.  The first rule is to avoid heavy seas if possible
but be prepared for them.

Edmond Badham

COSMO

Wilmington, NC

Edmond, it was very good of you to detail all these woes to us, how else are many of us to learn what can happen if not from such accounts.

I have only one suggestion and that is to add a remote reading vacuum gauge from at least your primary use Racor filter.  Just insert a tee in the outlet hose from it and get some of that fairly hard nylon hose used for icemakers and the associated compression fittings to connect it up at both ends.  I placed mine where I could see them from the lower helm.

Rich Gano
2005 Mainship 30 Pilot II
Panama City, FL