Solomons - at anchor and we dine at Boomerangs

John Kwak and Julie dine with us at Boomerang's Original Ribs, a great place to eat!

First on the agenda was getting the sea water pump replaced with a spare I had on-board. I had tried doing the job myself but I couldn't get the hoses off for fear of damaging them. After about an hour of that effort, I gave up and waited until Monday morning to bring the boat into Zahniser's for servicing. I had already made an appointment last Friday for just such an occasion. We had no longer arrived when the mechanic come out to the boat with his tools.

When it came to removing the hoses, he had a tool that looked like a screwdriver but with the end rounded and bent at a 90 degree angle. He slid the angled part between the hose and the nipple, worked it around the perimeter and thereby loosened the hose's hold on the water pump. It still didn't come off easily but after a few minutes, it did come off. I'm going to order a set of those tools, they could come in handy.

After removing the pump, he took it back to the shop since the attached gear that drives the pump had to be removed (gear puller) and placed on the new pump. He then carefully bolted the new pump into position, started the engine and all was well, yeah!

The service at Zahniser's Yacht Center was excellent. They did not mind that I had my own pump, some places do, so much so that some will not install anything but items bought through them. After about a total of two hours (not all installing a pump - we had a pump out too), we shoved off and returned to our anchorage for the night.

We ate at Boomerang's Original Ribs restaurant which is within walking distance of the Holiday Inn anchorage. John Kwak and Julie joined us and we all agreed that the Buffalo Wings were excellent as were the ribs. It was a good meal for $50 including beer and appetizer.

Peaceful, protected, what's not to like?

Tuesday is predicted to be a spectacular day for going south on the Chesapeake. We will do a longer than usual leg to take advantage of the weather to reach Fishing Bay Yacht Club. They still offer a free dock for one night to a recognized yacht club - which the Poughkeepsie YC is. Wednesday is somewhat up in the air. The NOAA coastal forecast is great with only 10 kt winds. The other models tell a different story with much stronger winds. I feel like an experiment in weather forecasting. We'll find out who's right. We hope to wind up in Hampton Wednesday night.