Sunday, January 30, 2011

Engine Failure

Yesterday was a beautiful sailing day, under sail for 13 hours. She sail so smooth on reach. The day ended however very exciting. I usually put the engine on, a while before getting to the destination to charge the batteries (since I don't have any generator, solar, or wind). She is heeling over on starboard side and I turned the engine on. Not a good idea if the tank is low on fuel. The engine can suck in air and shut off. And then you have a vessel under no motor power. The good thing is that Earthling is a sail boat. The challenging part is to sail to your specific destination. Now the wind is also dying so I will for sure be there at night. I'm going to Miami, a busy port that i never been to. It's doable, it's an experience that I need.

This morning I woke up outside the Miami south beach. Luckily the wind is moderate. Moat of the day I was working on bleeding air from the system. Took the dinghy to the beach and picked up my friend Hamid so he could give me a hand. But I could not get the engine to start. I could not be anchored another night in those rolling waters by the beach. Thank god to TowBoatUS membership. I recommend it to all boat owners.
They towed us from the anchorage site to the bay in front of Hamid's residence. Im Fortunate I didn't have to go to a marina and pay $4 a foot per night. Life is always good on Earthling even though things happen. In the next 8 days i will stay in Miami and accomplish 4 big projects that must be done before sailing off shore to Bahamas.

3 comments:

  1. You will be just fine. Help is on the way, "A.L.I. G."
    3ish Saturday afternoon. The US Nassau Cup team said the winds are looking good for this Saturday & Sunday.......beghoo salaam to Hamid and Khalee Merci that he is there to help you.

    Sonie G.

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