999 Miles & Vicki--the human fuel pump guage!

We're relaxing comfortably in Hampton, VA, just across the bay from Norfolk, VA. We needed a break from the continual wind, storms, bridge openings, shallows and gray overcast days. Besides, the Chesapeake Bay (we are here now) is very "lumpy" today and we just don't want to deal with that. We're tired. So, we might just stay here a couple of day.

Since departing Pungo River anchorage, we cruised about 80 miles to Coinjock, NC for the best prime rib this side of Texas. We were watching Nexrad radar on our PC and saw some really bad, dark, stormy clouds approaching from the west. So, we ducked into Alligator River Marina and got permission to tie up until the storms passed. They never came! We had lunch and waited 1.5 hours and literally watched the storms dissipate before getting to us. They must have built up and burst out all their energy before reaching us. So, we resumed our long trek to prime rib, ooooops, I mean Coinjock Marina, NC. This marina is a goldmine. They are known for their prime rib, home made potato chips and great dock hands to help boaters tie up. The marina is always full with some boats rafting off. This means that there is no more dock space so they tie boats up to other boats--sometimes 2 thick, we are told.

The next day was another long day. We cruised 12 hours for a mere 62 miles. That's because we had to time bridge openings and lock availability. This can be quite a chore but necessary. Cruising through Norfolk to Hampton Roads we saw plenty of Navy war ships--aircraft carriers, destroyers, guided missile frigates, supply ships, hospital ships; and, lots of USCG security boats with 50 Cal's on the bow. We are required to keep 500 yards away and that is sometimes not possible considering the width of the channel and other tour boats, fishing boats and other recreational boaters in the harbor. And, the afternoon wind was strong with 3-4 footers in the harbor. And, the chatter on the VHF radio is always exponentially more frequent and louder in industrialized areas--all adding to a confusing, tense, and focus-required period.

We arrived safely at the Sunset Boating Center on Sunset Creek, just off the Hampton River to refuel. We did not exactly need fuel yet but this marina has an especially good price. And, when purchasing 540 gallons, we look for the best deal. This took forever. First of all the pumps were awfully slow; and second................read more.

Here's what happened. We have four 200 gallon tanks. We can turn valves in the engine room to dispense the diesel from whichever tank we want to keep the boat level. If we only ran diesel from one side of the boat, we would have an opposite list (lean). We don't have gauges to tell us how much we have used from each tank. Instead, we do have site tubes where we can see the level in each tank. I use a formula that I developed by measuring the inches of fuel used to determine how much to put into each tank. (I know, this is a yawn-er, right?)

Anyway, we know how much to put into each tank. For example, 171 gallons in the port forward tank, 108 gallons in the port aft tank, etc, etc. Someone has to be at the pump to tell me when we have reached the required amount. The marina folks said they would help. So, I began filling up the port aft tank and waited for the 5-gallon warning. The dock hand did not show up and Vicki, who was on the spot yelled "167 gallons". I stopped when she told me 171 and went on to the next tank. She would tell me when we reached the accumulated amount for each tank. We filled 3 of the 4 tanks this way. While working on the 4th tank, the dock hand came out of the office and said "167 gallons--this is your 5-gallon warning".

What the heck!! We're on our 4th tank. How can this be?

Well, (hold your laughs), Vicki was reading the price, not the gallons. So, we had to return to each tank and put in the difference. A lesson learned??

We have cruised 999 miles up the east coast since arriving in West Palm Beach from the Bahamas. Only 2oo more miles to go to our final northern destination this summer--Bear, (near Wilmington) Delaware.