Day 29- Herrington Harbour, Deale, MD

 Day 29  May 15

Today was another no travel day while waiting for boat parts. There are always tasks or projects to be completed. Today's post shows a few of them.

This is a picture from the marina in Norfolk, during the rendezvous.  The good folks at Waterside mentioned that they could do 'pump outs'.  For those of you unfamiliar with this glamourous activity, it is emptying the 'black water' holding tank on the boat.  We responsible boaters never discharge 'untreated effluent' into your waterways.

Unlike the good old days when everything just magically disappeared into the briny, we now carry it around with us.  This compels us to deal with it as one of the less romantic, but required, activities of the glamorous yachting lifestyle.  Usually, this activity takes place somewhat discretely, like into a special purpose boat that comes alongside, or a secluded part of the marina.  

So, I was somewhat taken aback when the staff trotted down the dock pushing "Brown Betty" in the full view of everybody, including the aspiring wishers and dreamers during the daily "Looper Crawl".  Well, welcome to yachting, folks, where you can get a preview of yesterday's meals on wheels! 

Probably one of the most appreciated upgrades made to the boat over the winter!  A Splendide all-in-one washer/dryer!  Sure, the loads are small and it takes a while, but we are chugging along for many hours in a normal day.  Fire up the generator and arrive at the next location with clean sheets and fresh underwear!

In addition to the aforementioned pump-out activity, one of the more tiresome boat chores is schlepping your skivvies and a pocket full of quarters to laundry facilities, if you can find them.  This thing is a game changer!

The resident seamstress running up a cover for the two electric bicycles.

Paul was an excellent helper, man-handling the large pieces as I did the stitching to make this cover.

Proud of her work, the two velocipedes are now protected from the inevitable salt spray of the New Jersey coast.  The rooftop deck boasts two e-bikes, an eight foot nesting dinghy and a nine foot kayak, all safely covered up.

The new alternator goes in!  In spite of having it 'replaced' in St Augustine this winter, it was not the kind of "No Charge" you want when you need the battery to get a drink.
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