Heading south for the winter

[PT26]

It's that time again... We wanted to leave sooner but Sandy had her way and slowed down our plans.
We plan to leave this coming Friday, first stop is Solomans island.
Luckily we had no damage from the storm on our G26.
I wanted to get more done on the boat before we would leave but that always seems to be the case!
Hopefully this will be a good run to Florida... With the new A4 we hope to be out of the cold Chesapeke Bay in a few long days.
If anyone knows of hurricane debris or shoaled entrances please post them, I am sure there are some nice dead heads floating around too!

[Mo]

Cool....you guys came back part way with Hanley last year didn't you? I can only wish to be spending the winter in Florida. Safe travels.

[PT26]

Hi Mo

Yes we did travel with Hanley part of the way down and part of the way back.
He also helped us out with the repower, putting in the new A4. His help was priceless. If I ever made a good friend it's Hanley for sure!
Thanks for the best wishes in our travels.

All the best

[Mo]

No doubt Hanley is a fine fella. You are lucky to get to do it again. I had a guy I know that left Halifax a couple of weeks ago. His diesel developed problems so he came back, removed it, and is overhauling it. Talked to him yesterday and he figures he'd have been in NYC had he not had problems. He's not as upset about the whole ordeal since seeing the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy. He should be trying again this week if the rings and bearings came in.

Have a great trip.

[ILikeRust]

You gonna stop in Queens Creek on the way down maybe?

[PT26]

Hey

Yes, it is one of our planned stops... Is the channel clear?
It is a great place to anchor up for the night, then we will head for Hampton Roads.

[ILikeRust]

As far as I know, it is clear - I don't have first-hand knowledge, but I haven't heard otherwise and have no reason to believe it's not open.

When will you be in the area? Just wondering.

[hanleyclifford]

Great to hear the PT26 is making another run! Keep us posted. Tell us if you find any new anchorages or other travel info. Fair winds and seas, Hanley

[sastanley]

Paul, if/when you come thru Solomons, please let me know. Hanley has my digits, or you can PM me for them. It would be great to see you all again...especially since you are on the way south to warmer climates this time!!

P.S.> I have not been keeping a close eye myself, but I hear there is another storm brewing for this week..please check reliable sources and stay safe.

[PT26]

Very cool we will be at the Tiki Bar dock on Friday night if all goes well
It looks like the weather is going to be good so we should make it there by then.

@Hanley thanks, will keep you posted my friend.

[sastanley]

Paul...sounds good...send me a PM at your convenience.. I think the Tiki Bar is now closed for the season..it might mean an overnight stay is even cheaper, but I am not sure how picky they are or how much of a stickler they might be about it wrt payment, etc..

The marina next door (Harbor Island) is minimalist, but adequate.

We can chat again as your schedule firms up.

[Marian Claire]

P&T: Will watch your progress south. Hope to cross wakes again. Be safe out there. Dan S/V Marian Claire

[PT26]

Day 1 was uneventful aside from the sloppy seas and leaving late in the morning. Good thing we know where everything is... We made it from Cambridge MD to Solomans Island MD in 8 hours averaging 1.16 gallons per hour. Since it was late I sat down for what I though would be a few minutes and woke up at midnight to a thud against the Tiki Bar Dock (bumper needed)! I wanted to investigate why the extra fuel usage but so much for that!

After a good rest, we were seriously tired from the first day of our trip South, we left before dawn in the dark due to the next hop to Queens Creek and 17 other boats headed to the same place. Hahaha jokes on them all jammed up in Deltaville. We are by ourselves in this "Gem" of an anchorage.

The A4 ran well all day except for a burp and sputter while re-fueling along the way. I had attributed it to being low on fuel and adding the marvels and then the gas. Trina said it was overly Marvelous LOL

To my surprise when we pulled into anchor just as it got dark the A4 seemed to be starving for fuel. Thank Goodness we were exactly where we wanted to be when she shut off!

Then it was time to take a look and see whats up - she wouldn't start back up.

I let it sit for about ten minutes and she started but when given gas she stalled out. I checked the oil, added oil and did the regular check up in order to think about what it might be.

I went back out and started the A4 again and pulled the choke and she would run fine so it was in need of carburetor attention. Trina pulled the side wall out and I adjusted the carb and let some of the fuel out of it while tapping lightly hoping if something was stuck in there it would cut loose.

This seemed to do the trick and it is running fine now but I am not sure why I had to adjust the idle mixture needle valve out two and a half turns instead of the two turns it was set at. Could it be the cold weather or the new motor just needed the adjustment after a long day running (12 hours)?

Today, with the wind and swell in our face all day we burned 14 gallons of fuel - 1.16 Gallons per hour still. We're a little baffled at the consumption, any suggestions there?

We leave here at twilight so we can get into Hampton Roads VA at a good time during the day tomorrow.

[Mo]

Worked on one this summer with some of the same sx. Here's what I did.
-took carb apart and cleaned it up. The mixture screw was so corroded that I thought is was seating in when it wasn't...once cleaned and set up again the boat still had a subtle hesitation.
-Adjusted timing under load...actually retarded it a touch and it ran perfect again.

Did this whole repair in about an hour. The owner said his fuel efficiency improved after that as well.

[ILikeRust]

Do me a favor and take a pic of my boat as you go by. I've never seen what it looks like from out in the creek - because every time I've been out in the creek, I've been on my boat!

[PT26]

Thanks Mo, I may have to give tha a try on the next lay over!

I will try to catch a photo in the morning when I go by yor boat.

For those that want to follow or want to know where we are I just downloaded the ais app for my iPad. Mmsi # 338142627 Just go to this web site and put the number in where it says go to vessel. http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais

[Mo]

Paul,
That might do the trick for you. Might as well give the carb a good cleaning once you take it off. Once that mixture screw fouls or corrodes adjustments are just out of wack. Small combinations of carb problems can cause problems. I find that once I pull a carb I clean the whole thing and have it done with.

You can look for a sheen on the water when you start up and idle....once the choke goes back in, that sheen should go away.

[PT26]

One always looks for the most difficult solution in a situation. Pulling into Hampton roads at the dock this afternoon I decided to pull everything apart and check it all again because we had a little trouble on the way in. So I start by checking filters. The water separator is full of water. Emptied and I'm sure it'll run much better now. I'm sure that at the lower rpms , the water was changing the air to fuel mixture ratio... Start and runs fine at a low rpm. Sometimes its the obvious things. Now I'll probably need to readjust the carb.

[ndutton]

Have you determined the source of the water?

[PT26]

I think it is coming from the gas tank... Not a good thing if it continues, I would have to drain the tank. I am hoping it is condensation from the hot summer to it turning cold and there is not a lot in there... I will check the water separater again tomorrow.
Also I did check for leaks and cracks in the tank and the overflow tube and they are ok.

[lat 64]

Originally Posted by PT26

Thanks Mo, I may have to give tha a try on the next lay over!

I will try to catch a photo in the morning when I go by yor boat.

For those that want to follow or want to know where we are I just downloaded the ais app for my iPad. Mmsi # 338142627 Just go to this web site and put the number in where it says go to vessel. http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais

OK, Now that's cool! Can't find you yet. Does the AIS have to be on for me to get it on my screen?


I'll be sailing with you vicariously from the frozen North.

Cheers, and say " hi" to Shawn and Laura.

Russ

[ndutton]

I think it is coming from the gas tank... Not a good thing if it continues,

I'm sure its from the tank but how did it get in there is the concern. I 'spose condensation is possible or may be a contributor but I'd scrutinize the gas fill plate O-ring just to be sure. We've heard several similar reports wondering, wondering only to ultimately find a damaged O-ring or other water incursion via the fill.

A full water separator is a lot of water. Noticeably absent from your description is the usual ethanol accusation. I'm duly impressed.

[PT26]

Yes it was a lot for sure!


The ais has to be on for us to be seen. We will have it on when we are at anchor, it has a cool anchor alarm.

Tonight we are on the dock in Hampton Roads so I turned it off for the night. Time to charge up all devices etc...

Also you can try http://vesselfinder.com if the other website doesn't work for tracking us. I noticed that sometimes one works better than the other at times

[Mo]

I heard of water entering the tank through the vent when the boat is heeled. Even a piece of electrical tape around that vent nipple when sailing might save you allot of trouble. Of course ethanol is a consideration for the cause but perhaps a more likely one could be pumped right from a gas stn.

[PT26]

Good idea on the vent tube Mo. We were in some super sloppy stuff the first day of sailing. We have plenty of tape on board