Chesapeake Chase: The 3 P’s
Planning, Preparing, Provisioning for the Chesapeake Bay Voyage 2022
Planning, preparing and provisioning for two months on the water in Betty Lou is an adventure all on its own. We met and spoke with numerous other couples who had been to the Chesapeake in their boats, all giving us the thumbs up for a beautiful boating experience. They all named their favorite side excursions, places to anchor, sights to see, and restaurants we must try. Captain Fred also made great use of various boating guides.
Planning included inviting others who might want to physically share the adventure with us, joining us at various points along the way. This required determining convenient places to fly (drive/ride) in and out of close to the coast for those who took us up on the offer. It was a complicated process pinpointing time and place. Boating needs a more flexible schedule than driving or flying. You need to allow for weather events, currents, tides, and mechanical inconveniences.
Another major piece of planning and preparation was necessary pre-trip maintenance. This year that included having the boat bottom painted. Betty Lou sits in salt river water year-round. There is a housing shortage under water just as there is on shore. Unfortunately, the squatters (barnacles and seagrass mostly) add weight to Betty Lou’s bottom and slow her down when we go out for an excursion. The solution is to pay for a diver to periodically remove the squatters by scraping the bottom. Unavoidably some paint comes off with the squatters.
Bottom painting is no small feat for a boat the size of Betty Lou. We must boat to a yard with a lift and sling large enough to haul her out of the water. Fortunately for us Marsh Harbor is close to Port Royal. Note the included photos. While Betty Lou was at Marsh Harbor, the crew there also replaced the zincs. These are placed in the boat at various points to protect the important metals from corrosion. The zincs are sacrificial and corrode first. Having her out of the water afforded us the opportunity to have the hull waxed up to the water line.
Betty Lou was now her beautiful self again, but that was all outside. Now for inside. She needed an oil change, new fuel filters, transmission fluid, and of course, the strainers needed to be cleaned. The other items needing maintenance were the generator (sure do like that AC on a hot summer day when we are underway) and the dinghy motor.
Provisioning was next (not last). We always seem to have a shopping list of items need for each trip. Spare boat parts were at the top of the list! You never know when something might break while you are underway and far from any marine supply store.
The following list does not include groceries. Rather than list items, I will tell the stories that go with the items.
We have never boated this far north so we needed charts (maps). Captain Fred ordered new electronic charts and paper charts as well. The paper charts are necessary as a back up in case something happens (and it can) to the electronic charts.
Last year we took our bikes with us. They were too big to fit inside or in the cockpit, so we tied them to the railing on the flybridge. On long boat trips it is practical to have some mode of transportation to get to stores, not within walking distance from the marina. We used the bikes once and not for shopping. It was difficult to get them on and off the flybridge because they were quite heavy. By the time we got back to Port Royal, the bikes were badly rusted and the spokes on one had completely rusted through. Good intentions became a lesson learned about what not to do. So, the questions this year were do we get new bikes that won’t rust, or do we walk (in the heat), rent a car, hope the marina has a loner car, hitchhike, etc.? We have seen other boaters with bikes, many with folding bikes. We investigated them and sure enough, some are made with boaters in mind. They are lighter weight, smaller wheels, made from aluminum, and you can store them in bags to protect them from the elements. They fit in the trunk of Fred’s car (very convenient) and no bike carrier on the back of the car or finding a friend with a truck to bring them to the boat for us. The bonus points were, they fit in the lazarette!! (Compartment under the cockpit.)
Provisioning also included stocking up on extra medications and the supplies that would be harder to put in a pannier bag when you ride your bike to the store. These items included extra paper towels, TP, toiletries, detergents, and other cleaning supplies to name a few.
While Captain Fred planned the routes, distances each day, fuel stops, anchorages, and marina stops, Admiral Sue decided on the menu and grocery needs. We do love to eat! Remember always seeking for the best ice cream last year? Even so we are particular about eating well and healthy with only a few meals out at restaurants. We can cook on board, but this year we added a crockpot to our provisions. This makes preparing and cooking delicious meals easier and more efficient. I tried several recipes at home just to make sure.
When all was complete, we had a great trip planned, three different legs of the journey with guests to join us, and all the provisions needed except for the groceries. We delayed this shopping trip and the Port Royal Farmer’s Market until the day before departing. Whew!!!
And then everything had to be stowed…
We hope that you will enjoy the voyage with us for the next two months!!!
Captain Fred and Admiral Sue
Captain’s Prologue:
Departure Day.
Seems like we’ve been working on checklists getting ready for months.
After checking my lists, I see we’ve been working on getting ready for months!
The list started back in February with annual maintenance chores:
- Change engine, transmission, and generator lube oil and filters
- Change diesel fuel filters
- Replace the engine zincs and aftercooler drain check valve (it failed it’s test)
- Replace the engine seawater pump impeller
- Clean the engine air filter
- Clean and grease the windlass (and I replaced the anchor swivel with a Mantus—doesn’t bind up on the anchor and comes through the anchor roller easier)
- Clean and repaint anchor chain markings
- Replace inflatable personal flotation device (PFD) bobbins
- Replace all the miscellaneous dry cell batteries on the boat (I have a list!)
- Check the fire and CO detectors
- Check the navigation lights
- Clean all seawater strainers
- Clean HVAC filters
- Restock expired items in first aid kit
- Change the dinghy oil, filter and lower unit lube
- Update Garmin software
And so forth.
The biggest item was having Betty Lou hauled to have her bottom painted, hull waxed and hull anodes replaced. The paint around the water line had worn down and her beard was getting a bit shaggy; otherwise, the paint was holding up OK.
We also had the yard repair some gelcoat cracks. Two seemed to be stress cracks, one was a previous repair and one was my fault (a disagreement between the swim platform and the underside of a dock).
She looked much better going back in the water.
Since exposure to the salt spray had made the bicycles we took along last year unusable, we decided to invest in folding bikes that we could stow in the lazarette. We settled on Dahon Mariner bikes—smaller wheels than we wanted, but they just fit in the lazarette with ¼” to spare.
As we got closer to departure, the list got more immediate. Friday, we got groceries (and rum). Yesterday, we went to the Farmer’s Market, washed the boat, and our crew arrived (Matthew serving as Land Transportation Coordinator). Miriam, Assistant Navigator (and in training as Cruise Director to replace her mother), Naomi, Engineering Apprentice, and Phoebe, Communications Technician. As always, everyone gets qualified as a deckhand.
This morning we were down to pumping out the holding tank (was slower than normal, don’t know why) and topping off the water. We pulled Betty Lou around to the fuel dock and topped off the diesel tanks and took on 10 gallons of dinghy fuel.
And with that, and a with a long blast on the horn, we were off on the Chesapeake Chase.