NOT SO FAST...THE NEXT FIX

   Drew poked around the engine examining everything and found a hose clamp had rusted.  A small spray of salt water was wetting several engine parts and rusted them.  He installed a new clamp. 
   AND then, he saw that the foot or bracket for the engine mount has cracked in half!  The arrow in the picture points to a thin line, the crack.

The engine is supported by 3 other feet (at each corner) and mounts.  These mounts are like shock absorbers as we bounce through the water.  They hold the engine in place.

The day was spent researching online and visiting local boat repair stores to find the right part.  A woman from mastry.com
helped to find the part number and how we might get one.  She said it would take a week or so, and she'll get back to us. 

Should I continue to relate these fixes on the blog?  It's hardly pictures of beautiful sandy beaches, snorkeling sites, or clear aqua blue water with fun evenings listening to music and eating at fun restaurants.

Although this is not a report of sailing, much of these boat related repairs we have not encountered before.  Everyone seemed to guess that the engine stop was a fuel line blockage.   The crack in the engine mount bracket means we need to remove it and the bolt is totally rusted in place.  I'll keep you posted IF we ever get out of here.⬳

Back to FortPierce when engine stopped 12 miles out.

 Sunrise as we head east.  Pretty calm Wednesday at first light.

 Mazu at my feet at the helm.

We motored out at 7 am on a beautiful sunny calm day.  The most important thing for crossing 50 miles over to the Bahamas is to go with calm weather, no fronts, no storms, no high waves.  If it isn't calm enough then crossing the Gulf Stream can be a nightmare.



We got 12 miles out when the engine just died, and we had to hail Tow Boat US .  Chris of  Tow Boat US, Fort Pierce came after a couple of hours.  Fortunately we could have a little two hour sail.

I stayed at the helm while Drew tethered us to Tow Boat US (We have a membership that includes free towing.  It is an insurance essential benefit like AAA for your car.) We got back to our slip around two pm.

Could her ears be any flatter?  Not so much for Mazu.


Sad Mazu remained below panting not shaking even though the boat had no engine sounds.


Tom at Whiticar Boat Yard got us a mechanic pronto for the next day. There was too strong a vacuum in the fuel line.  Daryl tested it at 40 when it was supposed to be 1.  Daryl came and found the culprit at an easily accessible spot in the fuel line.   When he opened the fuel line right at the tank the vacuum pressure went down to normal.  He took everything apart and inspected the shut off valve.  There he found it was blocked with a glob of stuff.  Drew cleaned out the glop while Daryl completed the full inspection.  He continued to take things apart to be sure there was good flow.  When he put things back together the vacuum increased again so they opened up the shut off valve again and found it clogged again in the same spot.  Some of the glop was hiding in crevasses.  He took everything apart to clear it all out.  This second time when he put it back, the vacuum stayed normal.  We started up the engine and bingo it kept on running.  Problem solved in one hour.  They did it on time, now works, and price was right.

 This is the little plug of glop that stopped fuel from entering the engine.

 Cleaning the shut off fuel valve

We will leave with the next weather window as predicted by Chris Parker, Passage Weather, Grib files, etc.  Maybe Friday night or Saturday or...

We are once again ready.

MAZU'S ADVENTURES IN THE BAHAMAS - BAHAMA BOUND

Mazu hates sailing.    She likes living in close quarters with us on the boat but not actually when the sailboat is moving.  As soon as the key turns and the engine makes noise, Mazu puts her head facing down the scupper and lies down at my feet at the helm.  After we are under way she retreats to the aft cabin with the engine roar covering the sounds of the mainsail and jib sheets as they move in the wind.  Strange what sounds she hates but that is one of them.  She will jump right into the loud dinghy with the outboard roaring.  Loves it - but not sailing.  She'll stay in the aft cabin panting and shaking much of the trip.  Fortunately this one should only take 24 hours instead of several days which is the case when we head back from here to North Carolina - Moorehead City at the end of the month.  She won't pee the whole way unless she reluctantly goes on the bow if it's gentle enough and we wash it down.  All vets have told us this is not disabling to the dog.  She simply shuts down - drinks and eats little when we head out.

We are heading out at first light this morning!  Really going  this, our fifth year coming south as snowbirds.  I've waited to go. So excited to see that Bahamian blue water.

Finished our taxes -- Sailing to Bahamas - Abacos?

We are getting ready to leave Fort Pierce with a plan to sail to Lake Worth in Palm Beach then go east across the Gulf Stream, 10 hours to West End or 24 hours to Great Sale Cay then 7 hours to our destination: Green Turtle Cay for entering the country! We are trying to do not to sail in the dark!   Everything must be in exclamation points because this, our fifth year, may be the time we finally go there!
Flags if entering Bahama waters - yellow quarantine flag and Bahama Courtesy flag!

  To get ready we leave all must-fixes to the last two days.  Don't ask why.  The dinghy is running after its oil change. Picture is of the outboard motor with the cover off.

We installed a new water pump after ours broke, and I bailed out 4 bins filled with water.  Good exercise for sure - upside down in a bin bailing water into a pail then lifting it to the sink - many, many times.  Check out the difference between the old and new rubber plates from inside the pumps.

water pump

 I asked Drew to walk me through an oil and filter change for Shawnee - man, that is a yucky and long job.  We don't have an electric pump so I hand pumped for half an hour. (Probably will be Drew's (my) birthday gift.-an electric pump.)

Items to use in oil change:  Pump, waste

  Changed the impeller, though it is working fine, it's been a long time.  Should change after 600 hours.   We've gone 638.  The first time we changed an impeller was just south of Cape Cod Canal, where we dramatically dropped the anchor quickly after the engine stopped dead.  The first clue to the problem was that no water was coming out of the stern exhaust.  Fortunately the water temperature was 10 degrees warmer on the south side of the canal.  I dove in with mask on to explore the water intake hole under the boat where water comes in to cool the engine when it's running.  I used a straightened hanger to clean/scrape out muscle shells lodged in the hole.  It was our first emergency.  We worked on it with the manual in my hands and the wrench in Drew's to replace the rubber impeller that came out in pieces.
Today the problem was the impeller was not in pieces so we have to pull it off a gear whole, and it's stuck.  Our friend recommended getting an impeller puller tool - (I don't like one purpose tools, however...) Who knew?  Off to good ole West Marine where they had one in stock on Easter Sunday.
 We wondered about the fins going in opposite directions but it's okay.  They go in
the right direction when the engine is on.

We replaced the impeller.  The plate is scored from use, so Drew filed it down smooth.

We replaced the fuel filter.

We found about a pint of water in the Racon fuel filter. We checked to make sure there wasn't any water in the bottom of the fuel tank (water is heavier than diesel fuel) by putting a clear tube in the bottom of the fuel tank and pumping it up and looking.  The pink is fuel - no water came up.  Hurray!  Can't have water in the fuel tank!

Drew restarted the water maker installing 2 new filters after 2 years of non-use, and it started up.  Hurray!

Drew found out it is best with Home Land Security if we get a Decal and Transponder Online Procurement System - DTOPS decal ($28) with a registration number for re-entering the country by boat.  When we re-enter we need to go to immigration.  He also added to our Boat US Insurance for the Bahamas for $88 that is refunded upon return.

When we enter the Bahamas only the Captain can get off of the boat and go to the immigration office to show the boat documentation, passports, and Bahamian dog health certificate (applied for earlier).

AND NOW . . .  your moment of zen - the Queens Island Fort Pierce Beach.

OUT FOR A SAIL. No blog unless we sail.

Finally took a nice day sail out the Fort Pierce Inlet, sailing about 4 miles east and returned in about 10 k of wind.  Nice gentle sail.

All brownish water and people walking on the Fort Pierce Inlet jetty

There was a line in the water (brown land side and blue ocean side)  I guess from the rains flowing from the Inlet runoff.

On our sail back in from our sail we hugged the north side of the channel in 30 to 40' of water.  Nice depth.  As we motored through the jetties,  BOOM we hit bottom like a wall...a sandy wall fortunately.  Drew twisted and turned the boat and slowly we plowed through the sand and motored off.  Evidently the channel is dug quite steeply from the sandy shore.  Going from 30' to 4'.  Not sure what our newly cleaned and painted bottom looks like now.  I'll have to wait for another day to swim/snorkel under and have a look when we anchor out.

We backed into the slip by 4:30. With no wind in the marina we did a pretty good job.  Usually we need tons of help in and out of these narrow slips, especially if there is a big wind.  We are getting better.

I checked back in our ship's log to see that in 14 months we have been out 5 times.  : (    So what do I love about the boat in Florida?  warm weather and sailing.  What does Drew love about the boat?  living aboard, warm weather , a little sailing and longer sunny days. 

 We watched THE SUPER BOWL on a huge outdoor screen set up by Sunset Marina in Stuart, FL where our good friends, Hayden and Radeen, (see their blog at svislandspirit.com).
 invited us to a Super Bowl party.
   Besides laughing heartily at the well done ads it was quite a show with many amazing first time plays.  40 to 33 the New England Patriots lost to the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Hayden and Radeen are just back in Stuart to have Mack Sails  replace their mast after their Island Packet was hit in the hurricane on Puerto Rico.  Read their blog to see their amazing story.
More when we sail again.  There is a rumor we might go to the Bahamas some day.

We are in Fort Pierce until tonight

We are at Harbor Town Marina, Fort Pierce, FL and will give a picture tour.  However, had to include Mazu who loves the snow in Maine.

We have traveled back and forth to New England for appointments, parties, and events through November and December.

On Shawnee the ladder is completed and fits perfectly.  The worker, Wallabee's Fabrication, Danny, finished it off perfectly.  A precise job and he did it on time, in budget, and it works!  Great welder.

We did get out of the slip and motored to the pump out dock.   Someday we'll go for a sail.

Lights around a boat and around my neck for a potluck dinner event.

 Below deck on Shawnee.

We visited Heathcote Botanical Gardens Light Night.  No Christmas trees or palm trees are lighted or decorated.

(My MAC computer is slowing down significantly so I think it's time for a new one after 5 and a half years.  I lose my CD port to modernity but rarely use it anyway.  The slow down is effecting my creative writing... good excuse.)

Onto the Harbor Town Marina tour.  Why we stay here is for: the price, convenience, and the facilities that we have not found in other places and access to many state beaches.  We learned yesterday that Harbor Town Marina is going to upgrade the place with a new pool, tear down the outside pavilion and increase the rates.  They are full and doing well.  We are on a dock with 4 other Island Packets, some of which are waiting for a weather window to sail to the Bahamas.


This is the horseshoe field that will be replaced with a new swimming pool because the old one is falling into the ocean due to drainage problems.

 

The pool is a great thing to have in "our" backyard.  Doesn't look like it's having any problems.

 The full bike rack

The outdoor pavilion where there are always people doing projects.  Also where they have monthly potluck dinners.  I'd love a ping pong table.

The wonderful covered walkway that leads to the boaters lounge, fitness center, laundry, restrooms, showers, office, boat broker.

The fitness center

New clean laundry. $3 per load.

The boaters' lounge - computer, TV, jigsaw puzzle

 

Nothing fancy.  There are maybe 15% of the boats have live-a boards or seasonal live-a boards.

         

            *                                  *                                      *

I visited the The Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach to hear a speaker on landscape design recently.  There's a 200 person waiting list to join this organization.  Very tony crowd. Excellent events around the four arts, music, plays, dance, art and more.

Here's pictures of their beautiful gardens.

Event pavilion

 Churchill and FDR statue

Now off to the beach with Mazu before packing up for a late flight out of West Palm Beach for Logan.  Next blog only after we actually sail.

Merry Christmas,  Happy New Year!