way, did I mention that we had called off two previous trips because of bad weather? Dawn came in the
form of liquid sunshine and rumbly skies. A row of thunderstorms that had been predicted between five and
ten the previous evening had showed up about 4:30. No matter, the crew of the Rockhopper were mighty
sailing men and women, and we WERE going sailing. The tide had already turned and we needed to ride it
out or we would be stuck until 4:00 that evening.
Frank pulled the last of the lines in while Suzanne gently eased the penguin out of her slip. Suzanne
dropped her into the groove that we have to follow in the creek to successfully pass over all of the muck bars
(like sand bars, only muck-ier). Everything was running smoothly - except for the rain that rolled off Frank as
he pulled in fenders, shifted the dinghy to the stern and did the dozen other tasks involved in getting the boat
ready for sailing. We passed out of the creek and into the James, turning down river toward the Bay. We
figured it was about a two hour run down to Hopewell and the Benjamin Harrison Bridge and shortly after
that, we would be able to put up sails.
Just as we swung under the Varina-Enon Bridge, Suzanne looked back and noticed that the exhaust from the
diesel was blowing out the stern. She asked Frank if that was OK and at first, he said it was, but after a
moment's reflection, he changed his mind. He decided to drop below and check on the main. Just as he
opened the companionway doors, Suzanne noticed wisps of smoke coming out of the engine room vents.
This, however, was nothing compared to the fog that greeted Frank in the main cabin. "Shut the engine
down" he shouted at Suzanne, who had already started to yank the fuel rack control up to kill it. Frank
quickly ran through the boat, opening the hatches he had closed earlier when the rain started. "Oh, my
God," Suzanne thought, "our house is on fire!"
Frank quickly assessed the situation. With the engine shut down, he grabbed a powerful spot light and started
investigating the engine room. The smoke did not have the heavy, oily darkness of soot and was, in fact,
steam.
