When we last left you (which was actually a few days ago – they all run together, so maybe three days ago?), we had no working engines, little wind, a current going in the “wrong” direction, and my hair was so dirty it pretty much stuck to my head. (If you haven’t figured it out yet, I – Cindy – update our blog.)

Michael and Jason did all of the thinking and I did what they told me to do in our attempts to troubleshoot and hopefully fix the engines. As electricians, they are able to fix just about any electrical problem. The problem wasn’t electrical. They determined that. Neither are mechanics or diesel engine experts, but their work has forced them to use mechanical skills as well. In short, we could hardly have been in better hands. They just kept trying different things to isolate the problem.

The problem with the port engine = still unknown. It is thought to be the fuel/water separator. We tried various things on that engine to no avail (including checking the filter from the diesel tank, bypassing the fuel/water separator and feeding diesel directly to the engine, and trying to prime it manually with MANY hand pumps – about 400 by yours truly).

The problem with the starboard engine was that it was not getting fuel. When we placed the fuel line from the motor directly into a jerry can filled with diesel, it worked. Voila!

But, the issue now was that the fuel that wasn’t being used by the engine was being returned to the fuel tank, the very same tank from which the engine was not getting fuel (yes, we had already checked the filter). So, the next step was to drill a second hole in the jerry can cap and put the return fuel line into the jerry can as well.

So, now we had one functioning engine. We still strongly preferred wind because we wouldn’t have to fuss with replacing the jerry can in the engine compartment if we could sail.

Thankfully, the wind picked up.