Captain's Blog: 8-5-16

Well it isn't saying much - but today was definitely an improvement over yesterday.....  :)

Suspect of a fuel issue, and having no replacement fuel filters or fuel pumps aboard I figured it best to get a mechanic on board - knowing they could honestly troubleshoot and find any problem in likely half the time it would take for me to simply identify the fuel pump.... lol.  Unfortunately, both the mechanics shops on premises at Maximo were booked solid and couldn't spare a guy to even step foot on the boat.  Lucky for me, they were a fountain of knowledge as we troubleshot the issue!!!  Also got telephone assistance from my regular mechanic and telephone assistance from a local mobile marine mechanic I was referred too - both were unfortunately booked up and couldn't come over....

So MASSIVE thanks to:
  *The guys at Maximo Marina
  *Jeff and his crew at Latitude 27 Marine Services
  *CJ at Coastal Wave
  *Raul at Hard Wave Boats

Jonathan and I started with pulling the fuel filter to test for water - unfortunately we didn't have a strap wrench on board and everything we attempted to improvise failed miserably.  To our good fortune, the guys here at the marina didn't mind us borrowing one - success!  Unfortunately, no water....!!  Still thinking this to be a fuel issue and not electrical....????

We pop the cap to the schrader valve to see if we have fuel pressure.... dribble...  yup, definitely fuel issue, no pressure....  To validate, we check psi on the port engine, to find that, yes we have psi, but that the pump sounds CONSIDERABLY stronger.....  hmmmmm....!!  This ultimately led us to discovering that the high PSI pump, conveniently tucked up under neath the engine wasn't running.

LUCKILY Jonathan found that one of the wires had come disconnected at the butt crimp.  As a quick check, he held the wire into place while I moved the stbd engine to ACC and the pump kicked on - HUZZAH!!!  He made quick work of the repair and with a brief stop for a top off on gas, we were off at about 1330.  1-2' seas in the gulf is the report - ok, let's see how this goes.....!  Well, in short, it didn't go.  The run west and out was fine.  But as soon as we turned south, the beating commenced!!  We had to bring her off plane and were trudging along at 12mph @ 24gph, and still taking a beating.....ugh!

With that we were ICW bound by Anna Maria Island - a far superior choice I must say....!!

The run down the ICW wasn't fast by any means....  but it was quite pleasurable.  Not too many slow zones, and of the ones that were in place, only 1 or 2 were extraordinarily long IMHO.  Trip down from St Petersburg took us about 6.5 hours port to port.  At 2015 we pulled into Sanibel Island Marina at the tip of Sanibel Island.  Only 25 miles off of our target of Naples.  And given the....let's say, experiences....this trip has racked up, I can't complain.  Time to order us up some pizza....!!!