It was a sunny day with 6-7 kt winds. I tried motorsailing, but the wind was from behind Distant Horizon. So, the boat speed is roughly subtracted from the windspeed, leaving almost nothing for the sails. The engine was doing all the work. I did have the mainsail up to reduce the boat's rolling in the waves.
While underway, I called Sanibel Marina to reserve a slip for a couple nights. I was told they were booked for the next few weeks. I went through the cruising guide to find an alternative location. First priority was the depth of water at the slips. I need at least 8 feet. I found a place in Ft. Meyers Beach that had one available slip because the boat occupying that slip had just checked-out.
Next I had to find a way to pick up Laurie O'Brien Smith, her sisters, and possibly Karen Mayka Dennis and her husband. It would be a crowded cockpit, but I could manage it.
While I was doing this, I heard the engine have... a hiccup... I looked up, and black smoke was pouring out of the cabin. I quickly turned the engine off, went below and opened the engine hood. When I shut the engine off, I noticed the temp was perfect.The smoke had clearly stopped. Using a flashlight, I investigated as best I could, but could not find anything wrong. So, I decided to get the boat sailing and let the engine cool down. That way I could do a better inspection using my hands to move things around.
I had a special sail made for my other boat; the original Distant Horizon, hailing port Fair Haven, NY. If you have been reading this blog from the beginning, then you will recall both boats share the same name with different hailing ports. This one being Syracuse, NY. This special sail was designed for light wind conditions, which is what I currently had. This sail is called a drifter. Even though that boat was a little smaller, I brought the drifter with me. Now was the time to try it because with the mainsail and the jib, I was doing just 3.2 kts.
It took a few minutes to decide the best way to attach that sail to this boat, but once I did I was amazed. My speed shot up to 4.8 kts and the windspeed was just 6.8 kts!
 |
| The under-sized drifter worked out fabulously; keeping us moving in very light winds. |
After investigating the problem further, I still found nothing obvious. I decided to start the engine and see what I can find. Instantly I saw the problem. The engine was running okay, but the alternator was not spinning. The black smoke must have been the belt burning up due to the friction. Looking back on it now, it was like a scene straight out of the movie "Captain Ron".
As it happened, I had a brand new alternator on the boat. That was good too. We were sailing so well, we were just 2.5 miles from the inlet. I took down the sails and started the motor. Good thing it was high tide, because the inlet was shallow, as was the channel to the marina. When I arrived to the marina, the dock hands were surprised I made it coming from the south and told me it would have been much better if I had come from the north. I would be leaving to the north in a few days. So, that was good to know.
No comments:
Post a Comment