Triangle Loop – Week 4 (A Hole In The Boat!)

May 18th to May 24th

Day 21 – Sunday, May 18th, 2025 – In: Hampton, VA

On Sunday, we stayed pretty close to the boat to make sure that the bilge pumps continued to keep up with the incoming water. In the afternoon, we went for a walk around the waterfront and did a few Geocaches, then back to the boat to check on it. In the evening, we walked up a block from the marina to Marker 20 for dinner, then back to the boat for another fitful night getting up every couple of hours to check on the pumps.

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Day 22 – Monday, May 19th, 2025 – In: Hampton, VA

Monday morning, we called Bluewater Boat Yard in Hampton to see if they could arrange to haul us out and see where the water was coming from. When I talked with them, they said they had had a boat show over the weekend and would be unable to haul us out until late afternoon. We spent the day hanging around the boat, waiting for the call to take the boat out of the water.

The boat yard does not allow you to stay on your boat when it is out of the water. We prefer not to anyway, as we can’t run the air conditioning or use the sinks or toilets when the boat is on the hard. We checked around and there were only two hotels within easy bike riding distance from the boat yard. One was an old motel that looked run down, and the Hilton hotel was right behind the boat. We looked online and got a reasonable rate, so we booked the Hilton. At 1:00, we packed up our clothes and abandoned ship to check in at the hotel.

When 3:30 rolled around and we had not heard anything from the boat yard, we called and were told that they were still moving boats from the show and would not be able to haul us until the next day at 10:00. I added another backup pump to the bilge just in case, as we wouldn’t be sleeping on the boat, and adjusted our remote cameras so that I could see the indicator lights for the bilge pumps to make sure that they were still working.

We walked back to the restaurant area at 5:30 and went to Brown Chicken, Brown Cow, a local favorite known for its burgers. The burgers were excellent and so large that neither Brenda nor I could eat more than half of ours! We did save room for their dessert, a freshly baked cinnamon roll cut in half and filled with ice cream—sort of a super ice cream sandwich. It was fantastic!!

After dinner, we returned to the boat for a final check before heading up to our room for the night. At about 2:30, I woke up and checked the pumps through the video camera and saw that one was on constantly and not cycling, indicating that we were taking on more water. I dressed and walked to the boat (only about 200 ft from the hotel) to check on it. The boat was fine. One of the filters had become clogged with debris, preventing the pump from moving enough water. I cleaned the filter and went back to the hotel and bed.

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Day 23 – Tuesday, May 20th, 2025 – In: Hampton, VA

Tuesday morning, we were up early and did a check on the boat. Our haul-out appointment wasn’t until 10:00, so we walked into town and had breakfast to kill time. At 9:30, we started the engines and dropped our lines to head for the boat yard. The yard was less than a mile away, and we just idled along. When we arrived, a boat was in the lift well, so we tied up to the fuel dock to wait. While there, we took our bikes off the boat to have something to get around on. By road, the hotel is about 2 miles from the boat yard.

The boat moved, and we were about to go into the haulout bay, when another boat came around the corner and went into the lift! I called our service coordinator, and he said the lift was empty and they were waiting for us. There are two sections of the boat yard, so we assumed we were supposed to be at the other end. We dropped the lines and started toward the other lift. However, there was a boat in that one too! I called the service guy again, and he said that we were supposed to be at the first lift, and it was empty. He said he was not located at the boat yard, so he couldn’t see what was happening. Great!

We turned around and headed back to the first lift. As we completed our u-turn, the bilge alarm started going off again, meaning the pumps were not keeping up with the water. I thought it was probably due to sloshing when we turned, and I just concentrated on getting to the lift. One of the lift operators was standing on the dock and directed us in. They had moved the boat that cut in front of us, and we pulled into the staging dock. While waiting, I turned on the spare pump as more water was coming in. When they saw the amount of water in the boat, they hustled a bit and got the lift over to haul us out.

We got into the slings just as the bilge alarm went off again. The boat came out of the water, and we all looked under it. Aside from the water coming out of the pumps, we saw nothing running. We went over the hull from front to back, checking all of the through-hull fittings and looking for scuff marks in the paint, and there was nothing.

So we let the pumps thoroughly drain the boat, then put it back in the water to see where it came from. We checked all around the engines and shafts, but there was nothing. Then we heard the bilge pump in the back of the boat come on. We pulled up the floor in the lazarette, and it was clear where the water was coming in. It was the starboard rudder post. This is the same leak we had 3 years ago when we almost sank. The fiberglass around the rudder support had failed. This is the same issue.

Now that we knew where to look, we pulled the boat back out of the water and tilted it a bit. Water poured out from around the rudder. Chris, the service manager, grabbed the rudder and was able to shake it back and forth. We missed it the first time because the exit ports for the bilge pumps come out right above the rudder, so the water pouring out was masked. They are directly above the starboard rudder, and we concentrated on the hull’s central part.

We think the rudder hit a submerged log on the Dismal Swamp, breaking the fiberglass, which wasn’t repaired correctly last time. The good news is that we know how to fix it, and unlike last time, the parts are new, so we don’t need to order replacements from France. When we did our u-turn, the rudder moved, and that was what let in more water. It was all starting to make sense!

Once the boat was blocked in a parking spot, we cleaned up things aboard. One of the smaller repairs I planned on having done while we were on our trip and in the Chesapeake (which has many boat yards) was to have the batteries replaced on the boat. We got new ones when we bought the boat, but those are now 9 years old and don’t hold a charge very well. There are 10 of them, and each weighs 78 lbs, so it’s not a job I want to do alone. Since we are going to be here for at least a week, I asked them to give me a quote, and the yard electrician stopped by to check out the job.

They said it would be at least a day before they could look at the rudder to see what needed to be done, so we rode our bikes back to town, stopping off for a snack, before going to the hotel. We asked about a place to park the bikes, and the front desk clerk said that most people take them up to their rooms. Okay, they will be safe there!

In the evening, we just relaxed since we didn’t have to worry about a sinking boat. We went back to the Bull Island Brewery, which is at the marina and right next door to the hotel, for dinner. It was Taco Tuesday! Then we went back to the room and had the first really good night’s sleep since we got here.

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Day 24 – Wednesday, May 21st, 2025 – In: Hampton, VA

Overnight, we had some heavy rain and wind, so we were glad to be in a hotel room, not on a rocking boat. We are just waiting for the boat yard to give us an estimate on time and cost, so today is a waiting game. Given the weather, I don’t expect that they will have a chance to look at the boat today.

The rain and wind continued throughout the morning, so there wasn’t much to do. Since there isn’t a really comfortable place to work on a computer in the room, we went down to the business center in the lobby for the morning. Brenda caught up on postcards, and I worked on the blog.

With the rain, the temperatures dropped into the 60s. We didn’t take any long pants from the boat, so when the rain let up at 1:00, I made a dash for the boat on the bike to get some long pants and jackets.

We spent the rest of the day in the lobby, then at dinner time, we went next door to Bull Island Brewery for a pizza.

Day 25 – Thursday, May 22nd, 2025 – In: Hampton, VA

Thursday morning, we took an Uber to the shopping district of town. I needed some follow-up blood tests, so we started at a test center, then walked through the outdoor mall district. Our end goal was West Marine, about 1.5 miles away. The shopping area is a number of small malls with pedestrian walkways around them. Sort of an outdoor mall. We wandered around, stopping into a few shops to look around. We then walked across a bridge to the other side of the highway and stopped into West Marine for some parts.

When we left, it was cool, so we wore long pants. By noon, the sun had come out, and it warmed up, especially with walking. After we finished at West Marine, we went across the street to Longhorn Steakhouse for something to drink and a salad. When we finished, we went back to the hotel and waited for a phone call from the marina.

At 4:00, I called Service Advisor Jimmy, who had arranged our haul out. He had no recollection of who we were or why we were calling, which is not a good sign. He said he’d “look into who would be assigned and get back to us.” We didn’t hear anything back before the end of the day.

For dinner, we went back to Brown Chicken, Brown Cow. It’s our second favorite place so far after the Bull Island Brewery. On the way, we saw an old Marine Trader (I think) at the marina next door with a very cool door knocker. I’m going to keep my eye open for one to put on our front door at home!

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Day 26 – Friday, May 23rd, 2025 – In: Hampton, VA

Today was our 44th Wedding Anniversary. I’ll never know how Brenda has put up with me for that long, especially on those “rough” days out on the water. Brenda remembered to bring her cards when we abandoned ship, but I forgot, so I had to run down to the boat and get mine.😳 While I was there, I saw the service manager, and he said that he hoped to get someone to look at the boat today.

Brenda found a listing for a large Craft Fair, the “Bodacious Bazaar,” at the Hampton Convention Center on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We decided to go on Friday to beat the crowds and ensure we had first dibs on the good stuff. Because many of the items are handmade and in limited quantities, sometimes they sell out quickly.

We had breakfast and then took an Uber to the Convention center. It was only about 3 miles, but there were no sidewalks for most of the way, and traffic around Hampton was heavy, so we didn’t dare ride the bikes.

The show was very good—over 200 vendors! There were the usual show regulars, like Cutco knives, Gutter Guards, Bamboo Mattresses, and the like. But most vendors were small businesses with a nice mix of crafts and foods.

After wandering around for an hour or so trying free samples and admiring the handmade crafts, we went back around to make our purchases. One of the things that Brenda has been looking for is a good-quality stadium seat to use on the flybridge. We have cushions, but she switches sides frequently, and we don’t want to haul seven cushions up and down every day. The seats we’ve seen at Walmart are cheap and don’t look like they would hold up. There was a family company that made a heavy-duty seat in Florida with all USA-made materials. It was a bit pricey, but I’m sure it will hold up, and it was very comfortable. We also picked up a birthday gift for our daughter (she reads the blog, so no spoiler). Because it was our Anniversary, we got her a box of truffles, and we picked up some freshly-baked Austrian Apple Strudel.

After collecting our purchases, we took a Lyft back to the hotel. (A quick note: I always check both Uber and Lyft pricing when looking for a ride. I frequently find we can save quite a bit or get picked up a lot quicker by choosing one over the other.)

We spent the afternoon in the lobby area again, as the seating is more comfortable than sitting on the soft edge of the bed. I worked on the blog, and Brenda watched cat videos. 😏

I finally got some communication from the boatyard! They sent me a work authorization to take apart the rudder. It probably won’t happen until Tuesday, as the boatyard is closed on the weekends and Monday is a holiday. Looks like we will be here in Hampton for another week.

In the afternoon, we went down to the docks and met two Loopers who had come in for a few days, Doda 2 and Wicked Good, then went to the Bull Island Brewery for a snack. Their Hampton IPA is really tasty and is probably my current favorite. In the evening, we went to The Deep for our anniversary dinner, where we ran into Jan and Mike from Doda 2 who were having dinner there as well.

The hotel was quite crowded as one of the local high schools was having its prom in the conference center. Our room overlooks the parking garage, and it sounded like they were having road races. Fortunately, by about 10:00, everything had quieted down, and we got a good night’s sleep.

Day 27 – Saturday, May 24th, 2025 – In: Hampton, VA

Saturday morning, we walked up to the bakery for breakfast, then went back to the room so that Brenda could have her conference call meeting with the Activity Committee. When she finished her call, we took an Uber through the tunnel to Norfolk and went to the Chrysler Museum of Art. We had visited the museum on our first Loop trip and enjoyed it very much. They have an excellent glass collection and a good collection of mostly classical art. We spent a couple of hours admiring the exhibits, then returned to the hotel.

On the weekends, they turn their pool area into a nightclub of sorts, with a DJ. When we checked in, the front desk clerk warned us about the noise, putting us as far away as possible. We learned why! You could hear the music throughout the hotel. With the door closed in our room, it was barely audible, so it was not a big issue.

Just before 9:00, the fire alarm went off in the hotel. There was an announcement to please evacuate, which was cut off about midway through. We waited a few minutes, then called the front desk. They said it was “probably a false alarm, but we could leave if we wanted to.” Okay…. We are on the 7th floor, so we didn’t want to walk down in our PJs. A single fire truck pulled up, and the firemen didn’t seem to be in a big hurry. We watched, and they left after a few minutes.

Recap of the week

Aside from the mile to the boatyard on Tuesday, we didn’t move at all this week, keeping our total at 827 miles so far. We’ve been killing time in Hampton, VA. Depending on what we hear next week, we might rent a car for a day or two and do some sightseeing.

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Thanks For Visiting! – Tom & Brenda