We attended
Dan’s 50th SEAL Team Reunion in Virginia Beach, Virginia from
Thursday, July 20, through July 23.
Leaving there on Monday, July 24, we drove in our truck and camper to Olverson’s
Marina in Lottsburg, Virginia, where the Kittiwake awaited us!
On the way
to the reunion, we had dropped off the UHaul trailer we had rented and filled
with all the items we had accumulated over the recent weeks for the
Kittiwake. Our good friends, Dennis
Sprenkle and Pat McCord followed us in Denny’s motor coach. They wanted to (1) see the boat, and (2) help
us move on board. Denny and Pat were a
Godsend! Not only did they help us move
on (in the nearly 100 degree heat), but dug in to help make the Kittiwake our
own. Turns out, if you turn Denny loose
with cleaning supplies, he cleans like a maniac! He detailed the entire fly bridge, leaving it
spotless and gleaming. Pat helped where
he could. He accompanied me on a
shopping expedition to purchase cleaning supplies and other consumables. The night before they left, we had a feast of
locally caught crab, scallops, fresh squash, and corn. For my first meal cooked on board, I was
pretty pleased that I had purchased ALMOST everything I need for the galley. After spending two days with us, Denny and
Pat left for their home in Orlando on Wednesday morning.
Later on
Wednesday, we were met at the boat by Mike Steele. Mike is an expert on boats, on maintenance,
on piloting. He has been so generous
with his time and talents. Between the
time that we were here for the survey and our return, he has been continually
working on the boat. He wanted to fix
things that were brought to our attention on the survey. Also, he noted problems with the exhaust
system….so, he had the owner, Becky, pay for a complete replacement, to the
tune of about $4,000. Other work and
parts amounted to another $1,000. We are
so lucky that the owner, with Mike as her representative, has taken such
responsibility for correcting things with which we would have had to deal.
Mike’s
purpose to come on Wednesday was to help us in getting used to driving the
boat, docking her, maneuvering her, etc.
Unfortunately, when we tried to start the two engines, the port side
engine wouldn’t fire up! Yikes. Mike felt strongly the problem lay with the
starter and that it was caused by water that had gotten in there during the
work on the exhaust system.
Unfortunately, access to the port engine, in particular the starter, is
extremely difficult – The salon floor is made up of multiple hatch covers that provide
engine and other components access. To
get to the outside of the port engine, we have to remove the entire permanently
installed settee that goes around the corner.
When the settee sections and the table and the hatch covers are placed
around, those pieces make the entire salon either open to the engines or
blocked. See the pictures of Mike and
Dan practically standing on their heads to get to the starter! This took the better part of the
afternoon. FINALLY, the starter had
been removed, cleaned out (no water), reinstalled. And, the dramatic moment arrived…..and….NOPE,
the engine still wouldn’t start!! Mike
was undeterred. He had been wrong about
the cause of the problem. It is an
electrical wiring issue, likely caused by the exhaust system workers moving
around down there. Mike jumped the
wires, and the engine started right up.
Now, out of time for maintenance work, Mike said “Let’s go
boating!!” We closed up the floor, put
the furniture back, and went to the helm.
Gena was
first up – with Mike standing at my elbow calmly giving directions, I pulled
the Kittiwake out of our berth, headed out to more open water, turned her
around, and docked her at the end of the dock in front of another boat. I did that twice, and then it was Dan’s
turn. Dan had lots of experience driving
even bigger boats in the Navy, but that was back in the 80’s! Turns out, he hasn’t lost it. With very little guidance from Mike, Dan made
the Kittiwake dance. He docked it in the
same place, then easily backed her into our narrow berth. Next, I pulled her out of the berth, and
backed her back in. Piece of cake! No damage to our boat, any other boat, or the
marina. Success!
Mike had to
leave, having commitments for the rest of our time this trip. He’ll be back when we return in
September. He and Dan have discussed
several projects they want to tackle when they’re both here. We are so incredibly lucky to have this man
on our team and as a new friend. What a
wonderful resource!
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| The Kittiwake, fly bridge from the dock! |
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| Our beautiful boat underway! |
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