Sunday, March 10th
After our emergency stop at Crystal River for a brief respite from the raging Gulf the weather was cooperating again with clear skys and calm winds after the minor tempest we had run from the night before. About 11 pm I decided to catch some zzzs so I could keep Carter company later in the night and take the helm for a while in the early morning so he could sleep and we could forge on straight to the panhandle. It was midnight and I was sleeping soundly but when Carter went below breifly for his hourly engine check he discovered a major fuel leak...as in diesel squirting all over the engine room!
All Hands On Deck! What a rude awakening!
I flew up out of bed to see what's happening. "This looks pretty serious and if the fuel injector has a crack in it, we will not be able to get that part for our ancient engine and this could be the end of the trip to Fort Walton Beach" Carter informed me. "We need to divert to the nearest port."
This happened to be a little drinking village with a fishing problem called Steinhatchie. It took what seemed like forever to get there. Carter was able to rig another fuel catcher again but since it was actually squirting out this time he had to put a rag over the leak and began 15 minutes engine checks sopping up the spilt fuel and trying to keep it from drenching everything. We finally made it in to the harbor and found a suitable site to anchor about 3 am. The problem looked pretty serious and with tired bodies and heavy hearts we went to bed and just planned to deal with it in the morning.
This happened to be a little drinking village with a fishing problem called Steinhatchie. It took what seemed like forever to get there. Carter was able to rig another fuel catcher again but since it was actually squirting out this time he had to put a rag over the leak and began 15 minutes engine checks sopping up the spilt fuel and trying to keep it from drenching everything. We finally made it in to the harbor and found a suitable site to anchor about 3 am. The problem looked pretty serious and with tired bodies and heavy hearts we went to bed and just planned to deal with it in the morning.
The next morning as Carter was removing the dingy from the fantail, we got a visit from a local named Chis who told us the only diesel mechanic in town could be found at the local bar about 1 pm. Carter got the engine manual out and began to study. He determined the possibility of the problem might be a copper crush washer instead of an actual crack in the injector and went back to the engine room. With a breaker bar and a lot of effort he was able to get the fuel injector apart for a closer look. Yes, he felt sure that was the problem. This is a fixable if we can find the part. Perhaps our trip will continue after all.
As we went to shore we ran into Chris again which eventually led us to meeting a livaboard woman named "Just Jane". We were inquiring where to find desiel parts when Just Jane stated that she was on her way to Ace Hardware for paint and we were welcome to ride along. Ace did not have the part we needed and Just Jane was kind enough to drive us all over Hell's half acre until Carter finally found his copper crush washer at the local Kubota dealer in Chiefland 10 or 15 stops later! Back to Steinhatchie and after sharing a fantastic pizza with Just Jane at Hungry Howie's we went back to the boat to see if Carter could fix the problem. After working on it for a couple hours, we started the engine cranked up Big Ben and NO FUEL LEAK! We were too tired to get excited about it at the time and just went to bed for a good night's rest
As we went to shore we ran into Chris again which eventually led us to meeting a livaboard woman named "Just Jane". We were inquiring where to find desiel parts when Just Jane stated that she was on her way to Ace Hardware for paint and we were welcome to ride along. Ace did not have the part we needed and Just Jane was kind enough to drive us all over Hell's half acre until Carter finally found his copper crush washer at the local Kubota dealer in Chiefland 10 or 15 stops later! Back to Steinhatchie and after sharing a fantastic pizza with Just Jane at Hungry Howie's we went back to the boat to see if Carter could fix the problem. After working on it for a couple hours, we started the engine cranked up Big Ben and NO FUEL LEAK! We were too tired to get excited about it at the time and just went to bed for a good night's rest
All right! We'll be back on the road again....just as soon as the foul weather clears up. We took Tuesday off to take a much needed rest, and use the time to get caught up on emails and the blog at the Hungry Howie's again. We plan to leave at 6 am sharp Wednesday for our final leg of open Gulf. This should give just enough time to cross the panhandle and be in Fort Walton Beach by Saturday afternoon, barring any more unforeseen difficulties.
We anchored right beside an old abandoned ferro cement boat.
A happy camper once the engine is repaired and running again! With no internet on the boat and no tv our only entertainment was listening to the weather radio anticipating our departure.
Radar in his favorite spot...soaking up some warm sun.
Here Carter is tightening up the inflatable dingy with a foot pump. Radar is waiting patiently to go to that sandy beach we found. I'm afraid we have spoiled him with too much shore leave lately!
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