Archie did very well enjoying the breezes. Our plan was to spend the week in Philly where we could visit with Stephanie a lot and see other friends and family.
We arrived in Philly after five hours and tied up at a dock close to the river as the marina has silted in quite a lot. This spot is far from the bathrooms but we have a great view of the bridge and we’re very close to a big dock space which will be great for entertaining later in the week.
There was a lot of construction on the street in front of the marina but fortunately we found some good places nearby to walk Archie including a couple of pocket dog parks. We’ve started a new 30 day on-line training program with him called Sexier than a Squirrel which is proving to be quite entertaining and effective for all of us!
The marina is in Old City, the most historic part of town. There are some very old and interesting buildings nearby and some cool pubs as as well, one of which is called Khyber Pass. When Jonny told the server that he had been to the real Khyber Pass, she thought he was talking about a rock band! She had no idea it was an actual place in Afghanistan!
Some of the highlights of our week included a leisurely lunch with Ryan and a delicious dinner with Stephanie and Ryan that they prepared for us in their lovely apartment.
We also met our friends Tracy and Jane who moved to Philly from Burlington, VT to be close to Jane’s daughter and grandchildren. They are in the process of building a home in a cool part of town called Northern Liberties just behind their daughter’s house.
It was so hot that week (highs in the high 90’s with a heat index in the low 100’s) that some afternoons we just stayed inside and “chilled” out in the AC.
Later in the week my cousin Taylor Lynn and her two little ones, Evie and Otto, met Stephanie and us in Rittenhouse Square for a late afternoon wine and cheese get together. We didn’t get to see them last year due to Covid. The kids are just adorable and their dad, Stu, joined us when he was done working. Unfortunately they couldn’t meet Ryan because he was out of town for a weekend bachelor’s party.
That evening Stephanie, Jonny and I went out to eat at one of Stephanie’s favorite restaurants called Entree. On the way we ran into Ryan’s twin sister Shannon who we had never met. She lives around the corner from Stephanie. We were glad to finally meet her and she got to thank us in person for the July 4 vacation that she, her boyfriend, Stephanie and Ryan spent at a our condo in Miami. That night, instead of taking an Uber back to Zendo, we had a sleepover at Stephanie’s. It was quite fun for all of us except for Stephanie’s cat Sasha who isn’t happy having Archie around at all!
Sunday, the final day of our visit, was a real highlight. Ten of Stephanie’s friends joined us aboard Zendo for a short cruise on the Delaware River. This has become an annual event when we bring Zendo to Philly. First we had a picnic on the big deck beside our boat and then took off for our cruise on an overcast but thankfully not scorchingly hot day. Everyone had a great time and we stopped for a short while so some of the group could go swimming. However, because we had a bit of trouble getting the engine started, we didn’t turn it off when we stopped for a swim. As we arrived at our dock, the engine gave out! The river has a strong current and we started to careen into the sailboat next to our slip. Through the quick thinking of our captain and four of the female crew including Stephanie and me, we were able to avert a crash and Jonny, with the help of the sailboat’s owner, skillfully maneuvered us into our slip. It was a nerve-racking close call!
The kids ( actually young adults) graciously and quickly cleaned up the boat, thanked us and scampered away. Now we are left with the perplexing task of figuring out why the engine failed. Originally we had planned to continue our cruise and leave the next day but that plan obviously had to change. Jonny’s original thought was that if we advance the idle a little, we could get Zendo started and make it back to Delaware City where we were headed the next day. It may be that due to some of the recent repair work, an adjustment needs to be made.
Unfortunately, the next day we were unable to get the engine to turn over at all! By Tuesday we were finally able to get a mechanic onboard who confirmed that there was still a problem with the recently repaired injection pump. After several phone calls, we determined that the best thing to do was to have the boat towed back to Delaware City where the injection pump would have to be pulled and sent back to the place that had rebuilt it. So on Wednesday morning Sea Tow arrived to tow Jonny and Archie the five hours to Delaware City. I walked to Stephanie and Ryan’s to hang out for the day, make dinner, and borrow Ryan’s car again for our undetermined stay in Delaware City! Ahh, the joys of boat ownership!
Oh, wow! That is such a bummer. Good luck getting a final, effective repair.
ReplyDeleteDuane and Diane
m/v Diva Di
Duane after starting the disassembly of the pump the issue became apparent. When reinstalling the pump to the main engine gearing the main drive shaft nut hadn’t been torqued sufficiently. After torquing it to the correct specs and adjusting the timing the engine is purring again.
ReplyDelete