Trouble en route to Titusville, FL mm878

 

We had a great week in Daytona with my sister, Nancy.  We were very grateful for her taking us to Publix a couple times to provision for our next leg to Stuart.

 

 

 

We also played Hearts.  Historically, JB ALWAYS wins.  This time the girls got lucky.  Nancy and I won 5 games before  we let him win the last game. (He would say, he played more superiorly!)   The three of us also road our bikes 5 miles round trip to the beach.  JB is getting to be quite the bike rider.  He goes for a ride almost every day!

       

   

Loggerhead Club and Marina in Daytona was our first stop on our Loggerhead list.  It was awesome.  We were docked alongside the wharf next to this pool and Caribbean restaurant where they had live music every night.  Needless to say, we got spoiled!

 

Yesterday we almost cruised the 48 miles to Titusville in our usual, leisure style.  There were pelicans and camera shy dolphins all day.  With one bridge and 10 miles to go, I started smelling something that smelled like bad cooking or diesel fuel.  There was a sailboat ahead of us in a very narrow channel in a huge bay that was 2-4 feet deep.  Going downstairs to investigate, the smell was only slightly worse.  JB then went below to check the engines.  His gauges were acting funny, but he didn’t see anything wrong.  I concluded that the sailboat ahead was having trouble and that was what I smelled.

 

Almost right!  As we followed “Odyssy” into the narrow bridge opening, our port engine started acting up.  Then “Odyssey” hailed us on the radio that HIS engine died and he needed help getting out of the throat of the bridge opening!  JB, being the hero that he is, didn’t think twice.  We grabbed his line and towed him to the other side of the bridge as OUR port engine died!

 

 

Releasing “Odyssey” we limped into the Titusville Municipal Marina where “Odyssey” was headed.  Fortunately, this is a huge marina with a mechanic.  He diagnosed our problem as a clogged exhaust riser.  The parts arrive from Ft Lauderdale tomorrow afternoon.  He can install them Friday afternoon.  We count our blessings it isn’t worse. 

 

 

Our new ETA for our home at the Loggerhead Marina in Stuart is Saturday. 90 miles is a long day for us, but we are eager to get there after being en route for almost a month!  We will travel 1076 miles.  And spend lots of money$$$$.  As JB says, break out another boat unit!