We ended up leaving Atlantic Highlands with some good weather and made it about 30 miles offshore when the engine died. The fuel filter was choking on yuck, and the fuel pump was dead.

Apparently after sitting 7 months through the winter and then 5 additional months over the summer wasn’t good for the fuel and the fuel system.

But we have a sailboat so we decided to keep pushing south to Norfolk VA and to deal with the problem once we were there. The wind was less than kind to us though, often blowing in just the wrong the direction which had us tacking thorough the wind at some pretty aggressive angles.

We ended up coming up with some new rules to make overnights much more pleasant. We take in some super reefs and then fall off the wind to a good angle and set the boat to follow the wind.

It took us a few extra days to make it to Norfolk, and ended up needing a tow into the anchorage in Hampton by the fort. We’d ordered a new fuel pump overnight express sent to the UPS access point in Hampton so Ryan and I hopped on the bikes and did that and to the auto parts store for some extra fuel hose.

We replaced the pump and all seemed well until we moved the next day when we moved to the free dock at the Great Bridge Lock. We did great for the first half of the trip but the second half we stalled out 20-30 times ! It was embarrassing and frightening. The issue was that one of the fuel line fittings had come loose and needed tightened. So after that was fixed we moved again and were hoping to make our way to an anchorage on the North River. And we ended up stalling and the engine was dead just before Coinjock where of course we were in a super narrow part of the channel.

Another call for a tow. And we ended up tied to the dock at Coinjock Marina. And on the wrong side so we couldn’t even end up at the restaurant. We spent a couple of nights on the dock and ended up fixing our drip less shaft seal which was gushing water when we were in gear. And replacing another hose, and blowing air through the intake hose for the diesel (from the tank) to clear out a clog there? And we noticed a leak on the 3rd fuel injector on the engine. I tightened that as much as I could and we headed out again.

We made it to a good anchorage in the North River, the engine did well but I was full of anxiety.

Then we moved south again to a good anchorage in the Alligator River, again the engine did well but I was full of anxiety.

Then another day long passage to Belhaven, NC, and a last one to Oriental NC. Both filled with a whole bunch of anxiety.

But now we are tied to a dock in Oriental for two months. We’re here for Liam to take the Captains License Course and Test. We’re going to have some canvas work done, replace the anemometer (wind sensor) on top of the mast, do some electrical work, call in a mechanic to look at our still leaking (but not as much) 3rd injector, and maybe call in for a fuel polish and fuel tank cleaning/inspection. Plus a whole lot of other projects.

Fuel system woes and of course my bunk is right next to the engine so sleeping with the smell of diesel hasn’t helped.

We’ve got two months to get all this done, and of course November & December so not quite two months.