Escape Plan Foiled!

I have not posted for a couple of days because life has been extremely uneventful. We did have friends on board two nights ago, enjoying their company and a nice dinner. In anticipation of departure, yesterday I went to the Deltaville Market, where organic food is scarce and the produce department, instead of being an extra wide aisle or a complete side of the store, is a small corner. I also cleaned the deck of Mantra after we put the dinghy in the water. (It usually rests on the foredeck when not in use.) A year's worth of dirt had accumulated under its hull, and the canvas cover was streaked with mildew on the inside. The deck cleaned up easily, but I had to try several soaps and mold and mildew removers which we have on board before I had any success at all with the green grime. 

The plumbing parts that Peter had to order at the local hardware store were scheduled to arrive today, so, after being hauled up the mast by me (with the help of the electric winch) to inspect the sheaves, he left to pick up the faucet. I asked him to get me a Diet Coke--with ice!--at the 7-11, because we do not bother to use our freezer so I never have the luxury of ice in my drinks while on board. He realized as he drove away that he only had 10 minutes to make it to the hardware before noon, when it closes for lunch hour. He also had a couple of other stops which are on the way back to the boat yard, so he bought the Diet Coke right after the hardware stop because the 7-11 was nearby. After running the two other errands, he arrived back here with a diluted Diet Coke in which all the ice had melted. It hadn't occurred to me that he wouldn't think to get the drink last, even if it meant doubling back in this small town. 

We were supposed to be ready to leave after the parts were obtained, but Peter prudently decided to make a quick check for fit and realized that he needed to return to the hardware store to exchange part of the plumbing supplies. The hours slipped by. 

Thinking he had the right parts, we got ready to cast off and move to another marina, the only one in Deltaville that has drinkable water. Regatta Point Yachting Center has installed reverse osmosis equipment. Everywhere else, the people put up with brackish water from wells.

Apparently, about 35 million years ago, a bolide impacted the area that is now the lower Chesapeake Bay, travelling through shallow coastal water and forming an impact crater in the granite continental basement rock about 25 miles wide, 5 miles deep. Over a few hours or days, the sedimentary walls of the crater caved in, creating an even larger crater, about 53 miles in diameter, filled with huge blocks of rock covered with breccia. Continual slumping of rubble helped to shape the lower Chesapeake Bay and the rivers that flow into it. The impact and subsequent crater continue to effect the local area even today, as the local freshwater aquifers, which lie above a layer of brine, are contaminated by salt water. 

So, I was looking forward to getting to Regatta Point to fill up our tanks with fresh water, use their laundry facilities and take a shower and actually come out smelling clean! We had the dinghy and the kayak on deck, fenders tied on and the instruments running, but we realized that, unfortunately, the wind conditions made it untenable to maneuver into a slip there, so we are still on the dock at Norton's. Unable to move, Peter tackled the plumbing job under the bathroom sink and came up frustrated that he STILL does not have the right parts. Perhaps it is just as well that we did not leave here because he can use his car to visit the hardware store once again tomorrow. (We are leaving it here at this boat yard until a friend can drive it to his home this weekend.) 

Before the daylight waned, we lowered the kayak back to the water and set off to explore Broad Creek, which has a few lovely sections which are undeveloped or fronted by nice residential property, but mostly boat yards and marinas obscure the natural shoreline. We were able to observe great blue herons and laughing gulls as well as an osprey couple constructing a nest on top of a channel marker. The water was too choppy to allow good photography with a cell phone, so there are still no photos on the blog from Deltaville. 

Peter is digging around in the supply of parts under the berths to see if we already have the spare plumbing parts we need. So far, he has found one. Meanwhile, I am going to the showers to get relatively clean.