Corey, Dr Ashley, and Jennifer of Elizabeth City’s Dental Transformations practice.
On short notice, they took me in, took impressions for a partial denture, then last Thursday they did a root extraction and bone graft. Today, my new partial arrived, and my smile is back in working order!
45 years ago, both of my front teeth got knocked out by a hockey stick. At that time, the teeth were put back into my head! However, they must have gotten brittle over the years.
The right one (#8) broke off about 10 years ago. After six months with a partial like I got today, a dental implant & crown was put in as a more permanent solution.
Six months from now, after this bone graft becomes part of my head, we’ll be doing the same implant trick for the left side.
As the manual says, two things can cause the HHH error code on these common marine A/C units installed in many manufacturer’s vessels.
1. Over pressure of freon (unlikely unless recently serviced (by someone who didn’t know better)).
2. Lack of seawater flow from the seawater pump. Check: Is the A/C seawater pump turned on?!? If yes: Check strainer etc. How is the discharge / flow?
(This was NOT our problem as the flow was great / normal.)
3. NOT in the manual!
A third cause is a failure of this sensor switch, pictured below. It will fail OPEN protecting the compressor and prevent it from coming on. From what I’ve been told, a failed switch will also produce the HHH error on the panel.
This morning, a “neighbor” / dock-mate disconnected one of our two 30Amp shore power cords. It was for pole #1 which powers the A/C Pump (which provides seawater to both A/C units on our MS 390. The pump went off, and the forward A/C unit went off. However, the aft / salon A/C unit kept running until it failed with the famous HHH error code.
The aft A/C unit is on pole #2, which still had power. However, it was not getting any seawater due to the pump being off.
Once negotiating a restoration of shore power to our pole #1 with the dock master and everyone else on our dock, our A/C pump was pumping again and the forward A/C unit was back on.
Unfortunately, HHH persevered on the aft salon A/C unit’s control panel. Waiting 30, 60, 90 minutes did not help. The flows were great out of BOTH forward and aft A/C seawater return lines.
SOLUTION (temporarily): bypass this switch with a test lead, as shown below. IF the switch has failed, this bypass will get your A/C working so the Admiral is happy for a day or three. DO NOT stay operating like this for weeks … as it is unsafe. GET A NEW SWITCH! For example, if the same problem happens again to pole #1 there is nothing to protect the condenser running with this switch bypassed!
Actually, today I decided to combine both poles by using the “Parallel” breaker. So pole #2 is now piggy backing off of pole #1. If the power is disconnected, both the salon A/C unit on #2 and the A/C sea water pump on #1 will go off together sparing any chance of damage from the condenser running without sea water.
Details to follow on model number and source for the part.
Switch bypassed temporarily with a test lead.
THIS WORKED FOR US! To get A/C for a couple days while waiting for a new switch. Marriage saved.
Who’d have thunk that a friendly dock mate disconnecting one of your shore power cords could cause so much consternation and disrepair?!?!
Salon unit in our 2000 MS 390 – forward unit is 12 K btu instead of 16 K btu, as shown above on the salon unit.
How did I find out about “Donny”? (The guy who gave me the advice over the phone, and ultimately got me the part.)
Replacement Switch + local source info. Dave got me in touch with Donny, and delivered the part to me from Donny… saving me a 1-hour drive (each way).
… loaned me his car for the afternoon! I had a minor dental emergency (front tooth breaking off!). I arranged for a local dental practice to see me. He helped with his wheels!
Should have a new partial denture in a week done here locally. Implant to follow elsewhere along our travels.
Another AGLCA harbor host reached out as well! Andrew Rosewall. I’ll be sure to lean on him too for something in the week ahead.
.100% volunteer: this is Capt. Dan’s world!According to the cruising guides, the University cafeteria (all you can eat) is open to visiting cruisers and Loopers. Health Club too I think.
The one odd thing about this town is there are no pump out facilities! So think ahead. Dan is working on it!!! Thank You Dan for all you do.
Addendum, Nov 6, 2023: Without my partial denture in, tonight’s corn-on-the-cob came out looking kinda strange! LOL
Ray eating an ear of corn, prior to getting a new implant!
We have always taken the “normal” ICW route across Albermarle Sound, to the right (east) as shown below
Today we will take the alternative: to get to Elizabeth City NC. From there we’ll take two days to transit the Dismal Swamp. It is a more scenic and historical route … one originally envisioned by George Washington.
Albermarle Sound is over 10 miles across… big open water. So a good weather window is needed.
This sea state forecast app predicted 5.6 mph winds and 0.3 foot waves for our crossing. There are no thunderstorms on the radar. The forecasts are correct. It doesn’t get much better than this.
We’ll be docked in Elizabeth City by 11:00am to attend the demos and meetings planed for today.
We have crossed! We are now heading up the Pasqutank River towards Elizabeth City. No wind at all now!It is very rare to see our wake being the only sign of surface motion.
This AToN Green 59AR at mm 121.8 is where the red and green colors swap!
The Pamlico River follows international standards with red-right-returning. The gold stickers on the AToNs are inverted with triangles on green and squares on red. But here within the Pamlico River-Alligator River Canal at this precise spot the standard flips from International Standards to ICW Standards! Green starts to be on the right for northbound traffic.
A Very cool phenomenon.
This type of change does not happen often in the middle of a waterway!
Below is an example of a green AToN with the triangle gold sticker that we passed earlier in the day on the Pamlico River.
This was our second visit to this marina. Our first was last October, when we felt that we had to meet this well-loved guy named Henry Boyd, who was famous for being one of the greatest marina-hosts along America’s Great Loop.
Well. Rumor had it that this marina has new owners. After making such a big splash about Henry (and this great town) we knew that another stop was in order here to meet and report on these new owners. Plus, we picked the wrong night of the week last time to have dinner at the famed Spoon River. Spoon River is not open every night. (Once you see how hard they work and succeed for the guests, you’ll understand how and why the schedule ensures their sustainable level of high performance. More on that in a separate post.)
New owners of Grand Manor Marina, Larry & Gina Holbrook, with my wife Shelly at the docks.
Larry (53) is a retired USAF fighter pilot and then he “grew” and became a squad commander, with 8800 men and women under his command. ((I think he liked flying more, just sayin’.))
Gina (21 years old as reported) sold her managed home-owners association service business.
At the marina, they have clearly already made their mark; and they have big plans for improvements which they love to talk about. Hearing all those plans, when I asked them about the time-line, like, next spring? “Hell no! That’s what is coming this fall!”
So, after listening to Larry & Gina, I characterized them as “young whipper-snappers”.
They liked both adjectives!
Gina’s father was in the marina business, and for years together, Larry and Gina cruised aboard a Prestige cruiser Miss Gina out of their Daytona Beach HQ/base. That boat was sold with eyes on bigger things. During their final discernment days on upgrading to a brand new Leopard 53 power CAT, they totally changed their investment direction and bought the mansion and marina on this east end of Main Street in Belhaven NC.
Henry Boyd was one of 15 local Belhaven partners / investors who owned the real estate and businesses. When he was looking to retire, the investment group engaged a broker who Larry and Gina were talking to … exploring their alternatives to a Leopard 53 power CAT.
Clearly, this couple is not ready to “sit back” and retire! They bought the real estate and businesses of both the mansion / wedding / corporate events venue AND the marina.
“We love Mike!” (The dockmaster for years) exclaimed Larry and Gina.
I would also add my observations that Mike is a fantastic “manager” building rapport among his small staff with competitive games and things to fill the time between arrivals and departures of customers. Get to know him if you visit here.
Evidently he is also a musician and a Welder and Artist.
Multi-talented Mike Dunn: dock master, artist, welderMAD Metal = Michael Andrew Dunn metal… ask him where this pirate’s peg leg came from…
Diana Lambeth with Ray Sirois on the docks in Belhaven.
Diana Lambeth is a former cruiser with her dad, and then later in life she single handed a Catalina 34 cruising the eastern seaboard. She was chef on a private yacht for a few years and served as executive director of the Belhaven Chamber of Commerce. So today she volunteers as the Port Officer / Cruisers Ambassador for Belhaven NC affiliated with the Ocean Cruising Club.
She puts together a wonderful collection of brochures and maps and things given to folks visiting this town.
I guess she’s like an AGLCA Harbor Host; she wants to hear from cruisers passing through Belhaven and she wants to help you out. “I’m your “Fuber” or “free Uber” driver or whatever you need.
(The reverse side of Diana’s card.)
PS:
Incidentally, Diana reports that our bad experience with Instacart.com & Belhaven’s Food Lion yesterday is NOT the norm in her experience. So we might give them a second chance next time through. Better yet, Diana says, “Just call me! I’ll bring ya and get some of my own shopping done!”
It really is more than a place to go for dinner (or brunch). It is a total dining experience that you’ll remember for a long time. Teresa (and her staff) works hard to make sure everyone’s dining visit to this place is remembered as “the best”. It is remarkable what they have accomplished. I can only imagine how hard her husband, Mark, and his staff behind the line are kicking butt too.
As one of our dock mates said this morning, “They’d be famous in any city or town anywhere for what they deliver at Spoon River here in Belhaven NC.
Belhaven + Oriental NC for at least 3 days each would make for fantastic 1-week vacation destination IMO.
Mark & Teresa Staalduinen owner / operators of River Spoon, Belhaven NC.
This RIB (rigid inflatable boat) has an aluminum floor, weighs only 80 pounds, (9 pounds more than our older 8’ Walker Bay), and its aluminum transom is welded to the floor. This is small, but is all we need and Highfield is the best of the best. Zero shipping, no assembly, it’s exactly what we needed.
Our Davit was designed for 8 foot hanging points, and this dinghy’s hanging points are 6 feet apart. So a minor structural cross member change/addition is planned. Temporarily, this red strapping will be used to hang the bow from the welded aluminum towing point to the davit. (Strapping will cause less chafing than a rope would until the structural modification is made to the davit.). The intended hanging point for this dinghy is a welded eye in the forward-most part of the inside of the boat, about 6 feet from the transom’s welded hanging points.
Why the change? Shelly and I needed a more stable dingy, and this will certainly accomplish that! “We want to go out exploring together and more often!” Shelly exclaims. I could not agree more. This one will more comfortably [and safely] handle both of us in the boat at the same time.
So, how could we afford it? Well, I’ve been researching the market for months, and I figured we’d have to settle for a cheaper brand, and maybe one without the solid aluminum floor and without the aluminum transom, which is more common in the smaller RIBs by other manufacturers.
Very close to our Slip #7 at Oriental Harbor Marina was this display of in-stock, fully assembled RIB’s. So I got inquisitive. Then, I came back later in the day to meet with Ben Chaplin. I explained my needs, and he helped me pick the best match out from his stock. Then he gave me a great price offer that Shelly and I could not say “No” to!
We are thrilled with our new upgrade, and we’ll keep you all informed once we put our E-propulsion electric outboard on it and start to use it more!
Incidentally, Inland Waterways Provision Company was highlighted back in April 2022, over a year ago, when we first visited this cool village called Oriental NC. Here is a link to that [long but] informative blog post: https://shellerina.com/2022/04/06/grace-harbor-marina-at-river-dunes/
Well, today, this local business in Oriental NC is where Ben Chaplin and I “talked turkey” and I was impressed at the deal we came to agree upon. I strongly encourage you to make a stop to meet Ben if you have a dinghy “itch” to scratch. Most importantly, he’s got in-stock, diverse inventory. Where other vendors I have talked with simply whine, “We can’t get them in a timely manner!”
Everybody in this town is friendly and accommodating at all the businesses. The tiki bar here at the marina and inn has lots of locals who will welcome and befriend you in a minute. In 24 hours we’ve exchanged contact info with many other couples both locals from here or visiting. One example of many: a woman, Mary Lou, who introduced herself to us (while I was fiddling with old and new dinghies) had all kinds of questions for us about “Looping” … but after 15 minutes she had to cut the discussion off because her local realtor was calling her for their next showing!
This town is a must-stop for all Great Loopers or cruisers. I’d even go so far to say this: If Shelly and I ever decided to get a “dirt-home” again, Oriental will certainly be on our short list under consideration.
The swimming pool, tiki bar, and shore power to fight off the heat, made this spot better than an anchorage for tonight. Shellerina in slip 7… closest to the swimming pool. ICW mm 182. Shellerina as seen from pool deck as the sun sets. Oriental as seen from Hodges Street bridge at sunset.
We returned to one of our favorite anchorages neat Beaufort NC. They have great holding and great protection from all directions. There is a dinghy dock in the NW corner with a Super Walmart within safe / easy walking distance. Then Uber to nearby West Marine, I asked a fellow customer for a ride back to my dinghy last time we stayed here.
..One of our meals this past weekend while waiting for Monday’s visit to Greg Poole’s CAT Marine Power 13 miles from here.
The marina in Spooner’s Creek fixed us up with ice and topped off our fresh water tanks (and a honey pot stop). Normal hours are 8:00am to 4:00pm, but they’ve been experimenting with staying open to 7:00pm this summer on Fridays and Saturdays. I did not ask for their fuel price as we were still nearly full from our Wacca Wache stop.
We have stayed here many nights and have never been harassed in any way, or been made to feel unwelcome by the locals. Lots more residences have been constructed since the aerial photo shown above.
Here we tied up along the western side of the floating docks, about halfway between LuLu’s and Greg Norman’s Australian Grill. This way we had a “little” privacy from the outdoor diners at these fine establishments.
We ran the generator for a time as we needed to cool the boat down. We were far enough away to not bother anyone in either place.
This is the second or third time we stopped here and stayed the night. If it isn’t allowed none of the boats we were with were bothered by anyone asking us all to leave. In fact we enjoyed chit chatting with a lot of the passers by. They liked the stories. So, we were their free entertainment!
A good section of this landing has slips. One of the other posts say they fit a 13 foot beam, and I think they are correct. However there are 1 or 2 spots where there is no piling between the fingers as shown above. When we first arrived today on a busy afternoon, taking a slip was our only option. Fortunately, the wider one shown above was open.
There is no dock master; everything is first come first serve.
The eastern end looked over run with trees and weeds, and was blocked off for safety reasons. But, in general everything else is in good, safe condition.
No water, no shore power. “Wadda Ya want for nothin’ … your money back?!”
ICW mm 354 – south side, opposite Barefoot Marina on the north side.
Just as we were leaving I did see this sign the first evidence (other than second hand) that overnighting is not the idea.
This is the eastern most end. I have no idea what is under construction in the background, but you can clearly see this end is cordoned off… unlike the other 95%.
On our passage early Thursday morning, Shell took the helm for the whole 4-hour passage to Wacca Wache Marina. Today she wanted to do the same! The free dock across from Barefoot mm 354, is the perfect place for practicing some touch ‘n’ go dock landings. So if it is clear, we’ll have something me fun with getting Shelly comfortable with straight dock landings!
4 hours Thursday + 4.5 hours today with LOTS of weekend ICW traffic, lots of bridges, one swing bridge opening to coordinate, she is gaining more and more confidence behind the wheel in a variety of challenging situations. C
Conditions were not right today for some touch-‘n’-go docking practice.
We started with a cool Strawberry Soup, followed by a fresh garden salad, and Lamb Shank… easy prep even on a boat according to our hosts. Sauce comes with it from New Zealand (NOT frozen). Available at Costco! Eat like kings aboard!!! Served over Long Rice!
I should have taken a pic of the plate(s) before we devoured it. This will have to suffice.
I kept up well all along, but towards the end, I let Jeff win at cribbage tonight.
AKA the South Island Ferry, this is a floating swing bridge. That’s right, the bridge tender has to swing the barge 90 degrees to cross the ICW in order get vehicles on and off the island which is home to the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center. The bridge is normally open for boat traffic and only spans the ICW on rare occasions.
I have not purchased diesel for that price since November 2021. There in Tarpon Springs, a fellow would drive his oil truck up to a dock each day and pump diesel fuel for all the boats that needed it. It was a relative bargain then, as it is today.
Then TH: the famous Wacca Watchee Marina (mm 383) with diesel at $3.29 per gallon, incl tax. This is the spot where we meet up with Jeff and Denise, plus this weekend my sister Jeanne from NH is going to be visiting them!!’
We traversed 48 miles today through some of the shallowest spots on the whole ICW. The US Army Corps of Engineers USACE pays for mapping and dredging of this “lifeline” waterway. Here are a few of their color-coded contours maps of the bottom.
The only strategy that works is to time your passage thru areas like this when the tide is in your favor.
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In contrast, here is a more “normal” stretch of the ICW.
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The other challenge was that we had ZERO breeze and +90°F temps. You’d think that jumping in the ocean for some relief would work. But NO! 82 and 83 °F seawater doesn’t cool you off at all! Brutal.
The boat has A/C but it does not compete very well in the middle of a hot afternoon. We have wait for the sun to go dow, start the [noisy] generator, and try to cool the boat down.
