TripSailor.com® Sailing Blogs

We get out, 88 degrees and sunny, the engine works, I get both sails open and we are moving..

"Wow Daddy, those are really Dark clouds!"...my daughter said.

I look up and half the sky is "black", aka The Perfect Storm. I pull all the sails in, grab the engine…IT STARTS !, off we head right back into the storm, the rain was so strong, could barely see the bow, my contacts were getting knocked out by the force, but we got back, tied off and thanks to Vicky and Joe..we were comfortable and dry, shortly after we hit the deck.

LESSON # 6

Don’t Sail with Dark Clouds in the distance. 

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY.

I have found another engine!

Well with the help of my Lead Security Agent (Tom) and Primarily, thanks to,  My Guy on the Dock (Joe). Briefly, Tom is my Good friend from "Back in the Day" and he introduced me to Joe, "My friend from, the other day" , who has a Dock with space for my Boat and that is why he will be known as My Guy on the Dock, So anyway Joe has this friend, in NJ, we say he has "a Guy", who happened to have an engine that would work for my boat and it was the right price.

So Joe, "My Guy on the Dock", went to see his "Guy" about "the thing" for my boat, and Now I got a relatively new engine that after a quick fuel-line adjustment and a small adaptor change…2 pulls and it started right up!

So, I gotta, get an adjustable bracket, install that, put on the engine, that, Joe, "My Guy on The Dock", got for me and then and Hopefully then, I will be on my First Real Full Day (Not being towed out OR in ) Cruise!!!

Ok, So I did get out, I did get to open both Sails up, I did get a huge smile on my face and actually put about 3 hours under my belt…and then on the way back in tried to slip the motor into neutral and then back into gear…and..AND..AND!!! THAT %$*# GRINDING NOISE AGAIN !!

 I Knew this time that I was hearing the $300 drop right into the great hole in the Bay !!..

So In search of a "new" engine..

all in all, I loved being out there and at ~$100/hr, it was worth it..almost at gas prices!

I get the motor back, I attach said motor, to said boat. I then pulled "pull cord" on said motor and (with the anticipation of xmas morning)...and nothing..NOTHING. SON OF A *@#, MOTHER *&# ( AS TONY SOPRANO WOULD SAY..I AM FROM JERSEY, AFTERALL). How on God’s green earth could I pay somebody to fix something take it home and it not work ???

Well, Now we are really getting somewhere…not on the Boat but back in my car, back to the service center and we’ll start all over again…

This has been fun..yeah fun.

After only 48 hours, $300, and very little, if any aggravation, Anchor Marine in Bayville, New Jersey was able to tuneup, change to shearing pain, and place.  A new prop on my little ole outboard. Starts out with the first pull and seems to be working pretty well. Having taken it for a full ride yet, the plan is to do so as soon as the weather allows.

So with no motor, what are you gonna do?

Well Still with less than 100 yards of sail..off to the Mechanic, let the games begin.

OK, So DAY 2;

I make my way to the boat, start her up…No Problem.

Do my checklist…no problem.

Go to put her in gear, spoke to Tom (guy I bought it from), I wasn’t putting the accelerator in low..so I pop it into low, stalls a couple of times and…NOTHING.

It seems as though I cracked a Pinion Gear and although it is 72 degrees with a 7 mile gentle wind..I lay on my deck, of my "yet to be sailed boat" look up and take a nap…

Total Distance of this Journey: ZERO.     

DAY ONE: With all my excitement, I board my boat, give the engine a pull, start her up, warm her up, untie my lines and enjoy the gentle breeze and current pushing me along, through the lagoon, that I am docked in. As I approach this beautiful, brand new white 38 foot something or other, I "pop" the motor into FORWARD gear and…nothing!..that’s right NOTHING ! The 38 ft something or other is getting closer and that gentle breeze, well now it feels like a cyclone.

I try again and again AND again..NOTHING !! I grab my trusty "line hook", jump up to the bow and use myself, the stick and place a bumper, (just in case) and push off the 38 ft something or other… well now this is where physics comes back to get me…

    "Every action must have an equal and opposite reaction"

So the boat collison is averted, well at least in the front, because with all my "action", my boat began to do " a litttle spin" and now…well let’s just say the "reaction was happening", I ran to the back of my boat and did a "push off" again..not as hard this time. Well as I was trying to toss my anchor, which was stored, I was basically pushing back and forth in this 40 ft lagoon, spinning and bouncing, for what felt like days, (20 minutes). A buddy came by threw me a line and towed me back.

Reality Check DAY ONE:

1. Buy Insurance.
2. Check engine BEFORE throwing your lines.
3. Total distance of first Voyage (not including spins, bouncing and tow)...65 yards !