Engine Failure while sailing Seven Days from Charleston SC to Marco Island FL - EP19

Engine Blues, Following Seas & Everything in Between – Thanksgiving Voyage 2018
CHARLESTON SC TO MARCO ISLAND FL : Nov 21 – Dec 4, 2018

Our departure was originally scheduled for the day after Thanksgiving. But as the winds often have their way, we had to push our departure UP 2 days, in order to catch the best winds and beat the coming storm down to Florida.

Wednesday Sail: To Port Canaveral – outrunning storms

So, we left Wednesday about 3 PM, and sailed all night and all Thursday, finally reaching our Port Canaveral destination about 11 PM. BTW, Thanksgiving dinner was a Turkey Pot Pie I had prepared before we left. We originally were going to anchor inside the channel, however our late arrival meant we would have had to enter the channel in the dark, not something that is recommended if you are tired and in unfamiliar waters. So, we anchored right outside the channel, and quickly fell asleep.

When all of a sudden, there arose such a clatter, we sprang from our beds to see what was the matter. The 35 knot winds we had been promised, had arrived, and we were afraid our anchor would not hold. So, at 3 am, in the gale and driving rain, we had to pull the anchor and enter the channel to proceed to a protected area. Dawn had the task of pulling the anchor with salt spray coming over the bow and the driving rain in her face. We found what we thought was a fuel dock, put out our fenders, tied our lines up snug and waited out the storm.

Friday Sail: Port Canaveral to Fort Pierce – TUNA!

When we awoke, the sun was shining, and Friday was a very different day. Turns out, we had anchored at a dock for a boat rental company. So, we fueled up, filled our water tanks, and set sail south again for a short run to Fort Pierce just to get a bit further south before more high winds might keep us in port. We anticipated having beam reach all the way down however ended up more of a close reach, so we had to motor sail most of the time.

But, what a bounty in fish ! Two Tuna & one Spanish Mackerel!

About 2 hours away from our anchorage the port engine dashboard suddenly went dark. Stephen checked the engine and it seemed to be still running fine. So, we continued on our way, entered the Fort Pierce channel -again in the dark, and anchored in a great spot by the Harbortown Marina. Dinner and sleep were all that were on our minds.

Read the rest at http://bluedotvoyages.com/thanksgiving-voyage-2018