Up at 5:00am to prep for a 6:00 am departure, only to be fogged in. By 6:30, the fog was starting to lift, but an incoming cruise ship in the inlet delayed our departure till 7am. But anchor up and underway with a blue sky and calm seas.
Yeah, there were a few scary things on the horizon, but they were north of us and predicted to stay that way.
Light and variable winds meant we were motoring along at 6.25knots, managing to keep s/v Runaway in our sights. We would periodically pull out our head sails, and then our mizzen sails, only to pull them in again as "light and variable wind" means basically NO wind, and motoring east across the Gulf Stream running north meant a tough time trying to keep the sails happy. Our speed dropped to 5 knots and then to 4 knots as the 4 knot current in the Gulf Stream took control. But this is typical for crossing the Gulf Stream.
Around noon, we checked in with s/v Runaway and learned we were making good time. Another 45 miles and we would be out of the GS and onto the Great Bahamas Banks where we would turn south and pick up wind and speed. About that time, Dan did his usual engine checks. And all good things came to a stop.
"Honey, we are taking on water and the bilge pump isn't working." Never heard those words before, and they indeed strike fear into the soul. We have a low water and a backup high water bilge pump which should take care of any water in the bilge. Plus, we have a deep bilge which means there was probably a foot water down there (outside of the 1000+ feet of water surrounding us!).
Freak out a little bit and then get to work. Dan was able to wire a back up bilge pump which successfully started pumping water (sweetest sound ever!). The water tasted salty so we freaked out some more as we searched every through-hull on the boat where sea water could come in. Nothing. Thru-hulls all good, slight amount of water at the rudder post, but insignificant. Lower bilge pump kicked in and we were under control.
Relax a bit. Then Dan goes below again and notices red fluid under the engine. Just like the transmission fluid we discovered before when the newly rebuilt transmission had a hole in the gasket.
Freak out again. Now we have to turn off the engine b/c we fear the transmission has run dry. Radio calls back and forth to s/v Runaway confirm that the best thing we should do is call TowBoat US and get towed back to Lake Worth. On one hand, it's a good feeling to hear TowBoatUS answer on the radio while 30 miles out at sea (and the fact that we have unlimited tow insurance), but on the other hand, it was devastating to realize that we wouldn't be crossing to Nassau after all and that once the tow boat arrived, it would be a 5-hr tow back to FL.
Sad, bad day on s/v Maja. You try to focus on the positive -- the weather was good, we weren't taking on water, help was on the way. But the sound of the bubble popping of the dream we were so close to realizing ..... well, suffice it to say, it was overpowering.
Crossing the 4knot current of the Gulf Stream under your own power is a rocky ride .... under tow, it was hell. Rough and rocky. Things falling. Christmas ornaments breaking. Try not to cry.
Around 7pm, we were back at the Lake Worth inlet, just in time to pass an outgoing cruise ship in the inlet. Shit ... What a fun day!
By 8pm, we were at dock in the Riviera Beach Marina. Ordering Dominos Pizza for dinner because the wonderful Tiki Bar at the marina has closed due to massive construction. Can we catch a break already????
Friday, December 11
Finding an available mechanic at the start of cruising season, in the heart of mega-yachts, was no easy feat. Dan called every mechanic in the book and finally found someone who would come over today. That was nothing but good news as he found no source on incoming water from the rudder post (which we feared b/c that would require a haul out to repair), and he believed that the water was actually fresh water from all the rain we'd been having (tasting salty just from salt in the bilge). Dan must have missed it during the morning engine check because it was still dark, and the float on the bilge pump was stuck and so the pump did not kick in.
And the transmission fluid was coming from the vent on the transmission, not the unit itself. This was the first time we'd been out in rough water since the installation so the issue of too much fluid in the transmission hadn't been noticed.
Whew! We can handle this. Clean up the mess. Refill the transmission to the proper level. And wait for the next window to cross to the Bahamas on the 15th. Spirits lift again!
Saturday, December 12.
Bam! Spirits hit the floor again as Dan runs the engine after to clean up only to discover that the red fluid he saw in the engine was not transmission fluid but diesel fuel. Same color. Different source. Dan could see a small amount of fuel leaking from the fuel injector pump. Hmmmmm, how big a deal could this be?
No mechanic available on the weekend so we take to the internet for help. Conventional wisdom is that if one gasket in a pump has failed, the rest will fail eventually ... just how much time do you have? And how lucky do you feel?
We don't feel lucky at all.
Monday, December 13.
Gregg, our mechanic, comes on board and tries to convince us that a small diesel leak is no big deal. Just go, he keeps saying. "Just go??? We gasp!" We got a 200 mile journey ahead of us and making repairs in the Bahamas is a crap shoot. We're skeptical, but go ahead an order a replacement gasket with overnight delivery.
Tuesday, December 14
More research. More advice to not rely on a single gasket replacement. Considering that we haven't used the boat since June 2013, it seems logical that a 28-yr old pump would have dried out gaskets.
Everyone says to have the pump rebuilt. Which makes sense, but also means we will miss the Dec 15 window to cross to the Bahamas. I email Chris Parker, the Caribbean weather forecaster we subscribe to, and explain a mother's dilemma of needing to get the Bahamas for Christmas with my kids but wanting an objective opinion to counteract my emotional one. His advice was simple: cross in the 15th or wait until the end of the month (fuck the weather in the Bahamas this year!).
We call our boating friends, Ed and Karin Cogswell, who now live in Delray Beach, FL, just 20 miles from us. They hop in their car and drive over to offer their typically sage advice. About the same time, the mechanic shows up and starts to do a really sloppy job taking apart the pump. Dan cannot take sloppy work on the engine, and Ed and Karin both agree that Gregg needs to be fired. So now we have a fuel injector pump in a partial state of disassembly, we tell James and Alma we won't be coming to the Bahamas, and Dan's blood pressure is starting to rise. Stress is a terrible, terrible thing.
Wednesday, December 16
Rent a car. A much easier way to contact mechanics who never return phone calls. Since there will be no Bahamas crossing for s/v Maja, we are settled on getting the fuel injector pump rebuilt. But how to get the damn thing out? This is way, way out of Dan's comfort range, but with lots of advice from lots of sources, he tackles the project, one methodical step at a time.
Thursday, December 17.
Rinse and repeat the day before. Call and talk to people. Work on disassembling the pump. Call and talk to people. Work some more. Dan starts at 7am and stops some 12 hours later. Nothing to do but keep moving ahead at this point. We are on a waiting list to have a reputable mechanic come to the boat on Dec 23 ... then they close for the holidays and the next list starts on Jan 4.
Dan has found a highly recommended place in Fort Lauderdale that can rebuild the pump in one day, and what a joyful bit of news that is. Riviera Beach Marina is expensive and under major construction so not a very fun place to be. We'd like to get the pump out, rebuilt, and reinstalled on the 23rd. Then we could move out to the anchorage or back to Fort Pierce which is much nicer and half the price. We'll see.
Dan keeps working. And very little swearing. And I'm not sure that is a good thing, or not.
Friday, December 18.
The moment of truth arrives. The pump is disassembled and only needs a few taps with a hammer to slide out.
Yeah. right. That doesn't happen.
Dan hops in the car and drives over to Harbor Freight, where they tell him the tool he needs is a bolt-type wheel puller.
Yeah. right. That doesn't work either.
Not to be deterred at this point, Dan then goes to O'Reilly Auto Parts where they tell him the tool he needs is a Timing Gear Puller. $15 to buy and he can get his money back if he turns it.
Yep, worked like a charm! Happy Dance!
We could return it, but nah ... who knows when someone else will be looking for a tool like this!
By 1pm, we are in the car headed to Fort Lauderdale, leaving the pump in the capable hands of Everglades Diesel Injector Services.
By 3pm, we are settling in for lunch at the Hard Rock Café ... time for a big burger and a bigger beer! The café is located in the middle of a large casino ... and then it hits us ... maybe this is why we've had all this bad luck, just to bring us here where we'll win BIG!
Yeah. Right. That didn't happen either!
But we ended the night with a great dinner at Ed and Karin's new condo, with a view of the ICW on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. They miss boating ... but I dunno ... this looks awfully sweet to me!
No comments:
Post a Comment