Chesapeake Chase Day 15: Goose Creek and the Leak
June 26, 2022
Tonight’s destination was an anchorage in Eastham Creek on Goose Creek Island. The ICW in that area is on Goose Creek which empties into Pamlico River. We would initially follow the Neuse River all the way to the Bay River. The whole trip today would be about 40 miles, so we took time to have showers and do some chores, one being to top off the water tank. I had done some laundry yesterday [in the boat] knowing we would be able to replace the water before leaving today.
The Neuse River is wide and deep enough allowing for sailboats to hoist their sails and enjoy the day. We did not see as many folks out sailing as we anticipated, but there were enough with sails up for us to appreciate the beauty and grace of a sailboat on the water.
By mid to late afternoon, the water was rougher than when we started out. The waves were about one foot, not bad, and nothing like our Wednesday offshore. The problem was occasionally, water would spray over the bow on the starboard side.
Fred had repaired the thruster, but we were never able to find where the water was coming in. The last time he had checked he didn’t find water. The day he replaced the thruster parts, everything was dry but there was a definite residue of salt in the conduit where the water had been dripping from.
He now was concerned. I sat at the helm so he could check. Sure enough, there was water dripping in under the bed from the conduit and into the thruster well. He took immediate action to avoid shorting out the thruster. He also tried again to find the source of the water, but the search ended with no success [more work to do].
We arrived at the anchorage about 7:30 PM. There was one other boat, but lots of space and enough water. Once we had eaten, it was boat yoga time again! Fred is really getting good with all this practice!
He had purchased a can of the stuff you squirt into holes to plug them up. It expands as it hardens filling in the space. It was worth a try. Thruster parts are expensive! Did the solution work? Good question. The drip was still coming. That might mean that the expansion wasn’t yet complete or…. We will probably know Tuesday when we cross Albemarle Sound.
After cleaning up, putting all the tools away, and putting the bed back together, we treated ourselves. Remember the vanilla ice cream? I saved the coffee from yesterday and Fred made Betty Lou Coffee shakes (no blender needed!). They were so good!!!
Captain’s Comments:
New Bern is a nice town, but out of the way. Will have to have a good reason to come back.
We needed showers and the marina had decent water, so we decided to shower and do another load of laundry on the boat after breakfast. Then we topped off the water, stowed the electrical cords and departed the marina shortly after 1100. No tide and no wind made maneuvering in the very tight spaces straightforward. Would be nice if it was always that easy, but Sue said I’d get spoiled.
The journey back down the Neuse River was pleasant, even though when we left it was already over 96 degrees, so we kept the AC running.
As we approached Pamlico Sound, an east wind over the long, shallow fetch of sound made for a brisk chop. Nothing like what we had offshore, but, still, I checked the forward bilge. It was wet. While the Admiral was driving, I also checked under the forward berth (using lots of duct tape to prevent the support from slipping and banging my head again). It was wet, too, and there was a little water around the thruster. Hrmmph. I turned off the forward battery as a precaution and we finished our day’s journey, knowing that we had work to do after we anchored.
We took the canal behind Goose Creek Island which bypassed a long way around Brant Island Shoal. It was a pleasant bypass and allowed us to anchor in Eastham Creek. One other boat was in Eastham Creek when we arrived, and one other joined us later.
We probably annoyed our neighbors by keeping the generator running to run the AC, but with the chores we had after dinner, we needed it.
I again inspected the anchor well and could find no clues to explain the water in the bilge. We disassembled the bed and I found water again leaking around the infamous blue tubing going to the anchor washdown. I took the cover off the thruster well, vacuumed a little water out and cleaned it again, replacing the cover to give me something to sit on.
Now how to avoid having to do this again? Scott had previously suggested putting expanding foam in the top of the conduit to keep spray from getting in from the top. I had purchased some foam (Great Stuff), but hadn’t used it yet. So, I sprayed it in the bottom. And added a little extra to direct leakage to the bilge instead of the thruster. Desperate times require desperate measures.
With that finished, we cleaned everything up (well, almost everything—I left my favorite flashlight behind and spent the night worrying about where I had left it… Good thing I’m not a surgeon, but then, surgeons don’t operate while performing boat yoga.) Only thing left was to vacuum the water from and clean the forward bilge, and put the tools away.
Finished in record time! Practice makes—better.
Now it was cool enough to turn off the generator. By the time we poked outside to hear the silence and see the stars, it was amazingly still. And awesome.