Stats:
Barkley Lake, MM 51.8 to Green Turtle Marina. Several hours but the BEST fuel consumption we've EVER had!!
Ho Hum. It happens. When it rains, it pours. Mechanical problems. UGH! Glad for our Tow Boat US membership though!
So, we had the oil consumption problem, which "we" think we've got figured. Then, as we were anchoring last night, suddenly the engine started to rev, then sputter. I was just about to turn it off and I made it before it actually quit. But something was not right.
We enjoyed our evening safe at anchor, then this morning it wouldn't turn over at all. "We" (well, mostly Jeff, but I did what I could) worked away on it, puzzling out what was wrong. It sounded like we were out of fuel and perhaps the gages were wrong?? but the genny was still running, so we must have fuel?? We puzzled on....
So long story short, Jeff worked on it for a while and eventually we called Boat US and they towed us in. We had an appointment at the marina anyway for both dockage and service.
Bill, from Green Turtle Marina, showed up and we hooked up. The only problem was that there was a storm warning! The radio kept cutting in with those dreaded alerts. Would we make it in time? Bill called around for a safe spot to leave us during the storm so he could boot it back to the marina in his faster boat but there was nothing that worked out. So on we all pressed under darkening skies and ever brisker winds.
Ironically, while underway, Jeff went down to heat up some lunch and the genny sputtered out too. So we definitely have an issue with the fuel. (Jeff will be spitting nails if it turns out we're out of fuel and the gauges are broken).
With one eye on the radar watching the approaching storm and the other on the chart marking our progress, we figured we'd make it just under the wire.
And, miraculously, we did! Just as we were deposited in our slip the sky darkened and the wind revved up to a howl. We quickly closed the windows and beat it inside the boat just in the nick of time.
A HUGE thanks to Bill and the crew at Green Turtle for safely towing us in through not the nicest conditions. We are safely at dock watching an awesome thunder storm.
Best wishes to all of you reading for a safe and happy American Thanksgiving. Jeff and I certainly have MUCH to be thankful for. I don't think a day goes by that we don't look at each other and marvel that we were able to pull off this trip. Yeah, sure, we're having a few mechanical issues right now, but that's to be expected. We're on a boat. We're so grateful that good 'ol Pearl got us to a safe anchorage before she decided to take a rest. It was a little "harry" out there today under tow. We are so grateful that we made it to dock with no damage done and before the storm arrived.
Happy Thanksgiving to those of you taking the time to visit us on the blog. May you never have to look too far for things to be grateful for.
2 comments:
Hello,
So what was the problem with the engine? Fuel?
The problem did end up to be a fuel issue. Not bad fuel but supply problems. Boat US was worth the membership and we now have a little more experience and knowledge that would will benefit us on our boat adventure.
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