Frozen in

When they called for bad snow storms we put the Gliding Gander under the roof at Piney Narrows Yacht Haven.  The people are great and have very nice facilities.  The only problem is they cannot "Garontee" the harbor won't freeze up.  As you will see, due to Piney Narrows wonderful bubbler system, no ice builds up under the covered roofs or on the boats.  However, the bubbler system cannot prevent the canals to the individual slips from freezing up.

Ice in the canal leading to the slip but not in the slip.

Gliding Gander's Chesapeake Styling and low freeboard looks very different from those much larger high freeboard yachts.  Nevertheless, at the end of the day, Gander will travel many more miles, to many more ports, in much shallower water, at a much faster speed, for much less than half of the fuel.  However, think Jed Clampett and the Beverly Hillbillies old truck in comparison.

In the background you can see the thick ice built up in the canal leading to the Gander's slip.  In the foreground you might detect the much thinner ice that still blocks the canal.  While Gliding Gander is able to easily cut the ice, that same ice could damage the hulls of other boats if we were to break out and shove that ice into other boats.

A new phase in the restoration project

Enough is enough!  The never ending excuses and accusation have taken their toll. It has been a long, cold and way too expensive of a winter thus far.  It seems no matter what we paid it is never enough.  While moving the boat to Piney Narrows Yacht Haven where the boat could be out of the weather, we found the new port shaft, new motor mounts and recently faced couplings appear drastically out of alignment.  The original contractors rechecked everything and feel the transmission coupling is bent or not aligned.  After getting a second opinion, it was felt the new shaft is most likely bent.  The only way to know for sure is to pull the boat, remove the shaft and couplings, and return them to a prop and shaft shop.  We cannot pull the boat until the ice in the marina melts.  Can anybody tell just when that will happen?  As is, the process would likely have required only about three more trips for the contractor to drive to Kent Island.  Instead, the contractor asked to take the boat to a marina in Rock Hall where I have been asked to not visit.  Obviously, this is not acceptable.  Therefore, several discussions ensued in which the contractor doesn't want to have to drive to Kent Island anymore.  Additionally, the contractor made the contention the hold up, in him getting his work completed, is now my fault for some new, heretofore, untold reason - even though he has been paid for every minute he requested.  He found out the hard way that no one threatens "removing his stuff from my boat today"!  In reality, that will result in him finding out just how quickly he can indeed remove his stuff from my boat.  So ends the finger pointing and arguing for now.  The second chapter to this story will be told when the boat comes back out of the water and is thoroughly checked out.

Thanks to all of the many qualified contractors and marinas along the Chesapeake Bay we already have numerous options to finish the boat elsewhere as soon as the ice melts.  This new turn in our adventure will prove very satisfying to me because we are beholding to, and will be taken advantage of, by no one.

Not exactly like a winter in the Caribbean

Lea whispering sweet nothings in Scott's ear.  You can see he really hates every minute of it.

Anticipating the onslaught of a record snow storm, we rented a covered slip in a nearby marina.  We now will have electricity to heat the boat without having to run the generator like we did for about two weeks.  We will also have a place for Scott to complete his work.

In preparation for the big storm maintence work had to be done on our backhoe/loader.  Scott Hyland dropped by to figure out a charging problem that Bob Harris, So-Deep's Shop Superintendent couldn't determine over the telephone.  All fellow So-Deeper's may feel free to torment Bob about his inability.

When the storm came this was my view from my helm station, thanks to Scott.  But... the snow kept falling!

So we called upon the heavier machine.

However, on the first attempt, getting the Caterpiller D3 out of the barn while the snow was so high caused a small problem with the barn roof.  Thanks to Mr. Bret Ringold we cleared the snow and carefully squeezed out from under the roof.

As Jackie Gleason use to say..... AAAnd  away we go!

Sunday evening and we we are coming off of a record setting snow storm of well over 20".  I have been plowing all weekend and fixing problems with my loader/backhoe.  After being told the marina had a collapse of one of the shed roofs Lea called to see IF it was on our boat.  Fortunately, the collapse occurred in a shed that had no boats effected.

Tomorrow, if Scott Hyland can get to the boat, he will be checking on a new alignment problem that cropped up while running to Piney Narrows.

In preparation of the projected snow storm this Tuesday evening, Wednesday and Wednesday night, I will be setting off in search of a new alternator and fuel filter for the backhoe.  It looks like more plowing will be on the schedule.

Stay tuned.

Too disgusted to go into details!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We made it all the way to Piney Narrows Yacht Haven, in Kent Narrows, where there is a covered roof and lots of electricity.  Unfortunately, we are not yet completed.  The storm warnings are calling for up to 30" of snow.  This is not our idea of a winter in the Caribbean!  So much for global warming.

We are too disgusted to say any more.

Good Night All

Delay, delay, plus frozen water, and calling for up to 4" of snow...........

Disgusting, to put it mildly.  We are still in Rock Hall at the public landing awaiting final touches.  Last evening, it was discovered the Glendenning Sycncronizers were never ordered.  Now we have to wait to ship them in an overnight rush.  Expecting them Thursday evening and installation Friday.  Once again we are going to call upon Mr. Dick Wilson of Wilson Fabricating.  If you recall, Dick designed and built the V Struts and more recently removed the motors and built new motor mounts.  Dick then aligned the motors to less than .003".  Dick agreed to help Scott Hyland so we can get the entire job completed in one day.  The sycronizers make the both drive engines run at the same RPM which makes for less vibration and increased efficiency.  What I really want them for is to operate only one throttle to run the boat.  On our last trip down the inland coastal waterway I wore myself out keeping the motors sycncronized through two throttles all the result of passing of slower boats, speed zones, no wake zones, bridge closures and other distractions.

Matt set up his carpenters shop on the pier

Ben Hicks sitting on the Throne and is declared "King of the Boat".

Scotty has set up his shop in the salon over the generator.

Lea set up her shop in her bunk to take a nap.