Hello it's been awhile part 3

[Garry2Rs]

Last time we spoke, we were ready to leave Mobile Alabama. It was early April, 2017.  We crossed  Mobile Bay and followed the Intercoastal Waterway along the Florida Panhandle for a few days to a town called Carrabelle. 

From there we had to cross the Gulf of Mexico. 

As a single hand sailer, I opted to make the 70 odd mile trip almost due east across the Gulf to Steinhatchee, rather than make the longer but more direct overnight passage of 160 miles to Tarpon Springs.

We had seen dolphins before, but this was the first time we had seen the m in clear water.  They ran beside the boat, however, for me the biggest thrill was seeing flying fish.  What I expected to see was a small fish making a long jump, what I got was frantic flapping fins and, when they caught the breeze, long long swooping glides. 

Steinhatchee Florida is basically a fishing village, with lots of sport fishermen and guides as well as the usual commercial boats.  We stayed for a few days waiting for a weather window.

Since leaving Mobile I had needed to pump out the bilge every few days.  I had inspected all the through hulls and all the engine hoses and found no real leaks...

There was some water seeping from the impeller housing, so I rebuilt that unit by replacing the impeller blade and installing new gaskets.  There was always some water under the transmission, at the back of the engine, so we readjusted the stuffing box, just in case we were getting too much lube water there.

Frankly, even in total these sources didn't seem like they could be passing very much water and at the time the leak seemed to come and go.

I rationalized that the ice box and the shower both drained into the bilge so perhaps there was some water getting trapped in the system, when we were at rest, that then was draining to the bilge when we got moving again...The mystery would soon solve itself.

To get into the next section of the ICW we needed to reach Tarpon Springs.  It was to be a two stage affair.  First we would make a run to Crystal River then another hop to Tarpon Springs.  However about half way into the first leg I realized my cabin floor was awash.  The water in the cabin was quite warm, therefore it was coming from the raw water cooling loop of the engine.  I followed the cooling water / exhaust hose from the engine toward the stern.  About halfway along the exhaust hose runs in and out of a canister, this was in fact the muffler, and when I stared the engine water came spraying out of the welded seam at the top.

I pumped and bailed for twenty minutes, until the boat turned and the seas became too rough, then we restarted the engine and resumed our travels.  I was searching the map for a reef or an island where I could drop anchor and be protected while I got rid of the water.  However the only spot on the map was completely underwater when I reached it.

I was in no danger of sinking...As soon as the engine was shut off I could close a valve and the water stopped.  However I couldn't just sit there... In the end I motored for awhile then pumped for awhile, on and off until dark.  Each time I restarted, the water came back faster.  As darkness closed in we entered a marked channel.  We ran until we found a spot where we could get behind a marker and anchor Ed for the night. 

The next morning I got a tow partway into Crystal River from the Coast Guard then called a tow company, to get into a marina.  The starter had been damaged by saltwater and had to be rebuilt.  I had to extract the muffler and get the broken weld repaired.  With the fair weather window now passed and with all our travel money gone, we were stuck in port for almost two weeks.

To be continued...

 

[porkpie]

Sounds like an adventure!

[Garnet]

Are you fishing along the way.

For sure this last piece you where a little busy.

[Sinker]

Nice to hear from you Garry.  I would love to sit and read this whole adventure in one sitting. It seems like I just get into it, and you end it on me LOL.....keep em coming!! The suspense is killing me. 

 

S. 

[Garry2Rs]

I never really fished once I left Canadian waters.  It was hard to know what state we were in as the rivers twisted back and forth.  In the saltwater, we were told we could get a cheap license, but then as aliens, we might need an extra of some kind.

Fish and seafood were quite cheap locally and we were sometimes given filets.  Fresh fish had to be used quickly and one of the on going challenges was keeping fresh food.  The boat had a large icebox, but in such a hot climate ice didn't last long.  Blocks were  best and I could keep things cool for a couple of days.  But as any camper knows, a cooler really isn't good for much beyond bacon, cold cuts and beer.  When I shopped, sale items were often half frozen in larger packages.  I would ask the meat Manager if he still had any of these family size packs in the freezer?  Frozen chicken is just as cold as a block of ice and did double duty in the icebox.

Eventually, I bought a small fridge.  However, thing only stayed frozen for about two days, without shore power.  This year I have added a 3000 portable generator that will plug into my 30 amp shore power cord.  We will see how long it needs to run to keep things frozen.  If when anchored-out of an evening, I could cook, recharge and keep things frozen, all at the same time, life would be perfect.