After a long seven hour day running on a relatively calm Chesapeake Bay we pulled into the Zimmerman Boatyard and tied up for the night. Bright and early the next morning, Adam Sadag, the manager of Zimmerman Marine, and his Chief Mechanic Bruce arrived to get the process started.
A "short haul" is when the boat is lifted out of the water and left in the lifting slings just long enough for whatever needs to be worked on or inspected. Then, the boat is immediately placed back in the water.
The great news, when Ithaka was lifted out of the water, was that there was no evidence of any damage to any of the hull, propellers, rudders or supports. In fact, touching bottom had not even removed any of the bottom paint from the hull.
The not so great news was that while inspecting all the running gear, it was discovered that the four cutlass bearings on the drive shafts were showing enough signs of wear that it was Zimmerman's opinion that they be replaced. Since our goal is to keep the boat in tip top shape and correct minor problems before they become major problems, we decided to go ahead and have all four cutlass bearings replaced while several smaller minor repair tasks and upgrades were completed at the same time.
Since Ithaka was now going to be placed "on the hard", meaning she would be out of the water and blocked up by support stands while all the work was being done, Sara and I decided to rent a car and relocate to the Hampton Inn in Gloucester, VA., about 40 minutes away. This would allow the work to proceed uninterrupted by us not staying on board (without A/C) and also give us an opportunity to see some of the sights we had intended to see anyway on our trip.
During the nine days Ithatka was on the hard, we had the opportunity to visit the world famous Mariner's Museum in Newport News, VA., where the first ironclad ship in the U.S. Navy, the U.S.S. Monitor is being conserved after being discovered and brought up from the bottom of the ocean in 2002.
Having fought to a draw in the first "battle of the ironclads" at Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862 the U.S.S. Monitor and the Confederate ship CSS Virginia (Northerners refer to her as the Merrimack) changed the course of naval warfare for all time. They proved in their four hour duel that the age of the wooden warship was a thing of the past.
Though the CSS Virginia would be scuttled by her own crew to prevent falling into Union hands, the USS Monitor sank off Cape Hatteras, NC during a storm in December of 1862, with 16 crew on board. It was not until 140 years later that she was discovered and the innovative 120 ton wrought iron turret was brought to the surface, where it is currently undergoing conservation and restoration at the Mariner's Museum.
During the nine days Ithatka was on the hard, we had the opportunity to visit the world famous Mariner's Museum in Newport News, VA., where the first ironclad ship in the U.S. Navy, the U.S.S. Monitor is being conserved after being discovered and brought up from the bottom of the ocean in 2002.
Having fought to a draw in the first "battle of the ironclads" at Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862 the U.S.S. Monitor and the Confederate ship CSS Virginia (Northerners refer to her as the Merrimack) changed the course of naval warfare for all time. They proved in their four hour duel that the age of the wooden warship was a thing of the past.
Though the CSS Virginia would be scuttled by her own crew to prevent falling into Union hands, the USS Monitor sank off Cape Hatteras, NC during a storm in December of 1862, with 16 crew on board. It was not until 140 years later that she was discovered and the innovative 120 ton wrought iron turret was brought to the surface, where it is currently undergoing conservation and restoration at the Mariner's Museum.
One of the fascinating things about this trip is the amount of history we are traveling over and through as we journey North. From the early explorations of Florida, through the beginnings of the original thirteen colonies as we traveled through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia and on into the Civil War period.
Leaving Norfolk and navigating through the now busy Hampton Roads area, it does not take much imagination to recount the battle of the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia in this very place or to see John Smith sailing up the James River to found Jamestown.
Another attraction at the Mariner's Museum is the collection of wood ship models created by the master craftsman August Crabtree. Currently numbering over 2000 pieces, the collection contains models documenting nearly every type of vessel ever constructed. Working alone and sometimes as long as two years to create one model, Mr. Crabtree painstakingly carved, bent, painted and rigged each ship model.
Another side trip we took was to Tangier Island, VA. This island sits in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay approximately 15 miles from the Western Shore of the bay and 18 miles from the Eastern Shore.
Ferry to Tangier Island
Though the island has a small airport, the only other access is by water and the ferry that runs once a day from Reedville, VA. on the west side of the Chesapeake and Crisfield, MD on the east side of the Chesapeake. For almost 400 years this small community of approximately 500 people has existed as exclusively watermen. Harvesting the blue crabs and oysters from the local waters and selling their catches to the mainland. Because of their isolation, many of the islanders still speak with the Elizabethan accent of the earliest English settlers. Sadly, this unique way of life is rapidly coming to a close with the increased government regulations on crabbing and oystering. Tangier Island Watermen are finding it difficult to make a living. Combined with this fact is that the younger generation is choosing to leave the island and pursue careers in other fields. For the first time ever, no person graduating from high school on Tangier Island in 2013 decided to follow in his father's footsteps of becoming Waterman.
Meanwhile, back at the Zimmerman Boat Yard, the removal of the four cutlass bearings and replacement with new ones has taken place. The engines have been realigned to match the new cutlass bearing. Both stuffing boxes have bee repacked and the bottom has been pressure washed. All the running gear, to include the shafts, rudders and propellers have been repainted with bottom paint, all new zincs were placed on the running gear, a gauge for determining the fullness of the holding tank has been installed and numerous small maintenance items were completed.
Though the island has a small airport, the only other access is by water and the ferry that runs once a day from Reedville, VA. on the west side of the Chesapeake and Crisfield, MD on the east side of the Chesapeake. For almost 400 years this small community of approximately 500 people has existed as exclusively watermen. Harvesting the blue crabs and oysters from the local waters and selling their catches to the mainland. Because of their isolation, many of the islanders still speak with the Elizabethan accent of the earliest English settlers. Sadly, this unique way of life is rapidly coming to a close with the increased government regulations on crabbing and oystering. Tangier Island Watermen are finding it difficult to make a living. Combined with this fact is that the younger generation is choosing to leave the island and pursue careers in other fields. For the first time ever, no person graduating from high school on Tangier Island in 2013 decided to follow in his father's footsteps of becoming Waterman.
Meanwhile, back at the Zimmerman Boat Yard, the removal of the four cutlass bearings and replacement with new ones has taken place. The engines have been realigned to match the new cutlass bearing. Both stuffing boxes have bee repacked and the bottom has been pressure washed. All the running gear, to include the shafts, rudders and propellers have been repainted with bottom paint, all new zincs were placed on the running gear, a gauge for determining the fullness of the holding tank has been installed and numerous small maintenance items were completed.
While all of this was being accomplished and the boat was on the hard, it gave me a chance to clean and polish the hull all the way to the waterline. One never realizes how large a 42' boat is until it is out of the water and a clean and wax job is done by hand!!!
After a short sea trial with Bruce, the Chief Mechanic, on board to check all the previous nine days work, we were finally ready to continue our journey. We would depart for Solomon, VA on the new day.
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