Thar She Blows!

   Hold the presses!  We have news! . . . after 6 months (yes, SIX months) of blood sweat, and tears . . . 6 months of money-guzzling mechanics, parts ordered from England, and ulcer-inducing stress . . . 6 months of "Well, it almost starts . . . " . . . The engine runs!  Yes, you read that right, THE ENGINE ACTUALLY RUNS!!!

   "How?", you might ask . . . What in the world could possibly have cause such problems that it left my nuclear engineer husband, a hand full of the best mechanics in the area, and countless well-meaning friends/acquaintances stumped????

  The problem, the thing that started all of this, was a blockage . . . a blockage in the exhaust elbow (part of the piping that allows fumes to be blown outside of the boat, like the exhaust on your car).  Bill came to the conclusion that there was something going on with the elbow a few months ago but, he couldn't prove it and the mechanics didn't believe him . . . Today, we found that beyond a shadow of a doubt, Bill was right.

   The mechanic, Gary, showed up this morning (after spending several hours yesterday with his head in the engine compartment), to finish bleeding air out of the engine and make it run.  We moved everything out of the way for he and Bill to work (just like we've done every single time a mechanic was supposed to show up), only to find that during their previous efforts to start the engine, they had burned up the starter . . . not exactly the start to the day we were hoping for . . . 45 minutes later, Bill and Gary had our spare starter, now our only working starter, on and running.

    This seemed like progress but, after doing some investigating, they found that, just like before, there was plenty of air being pulled into the engine but, virtually no air going out of the engine.  There simply HAD to be SOMETHING blocking the airway but, . . . what??  They pulled the elbow off and . . .

   You might not believe this but, it's the truth . . . part of the mixing elbow was actually blocking the mixing elbow.  A fitting on the inside had corroded so badly that it actually broke off.  Since it was on the inside, the only place that the piece could go was in the curve of the piping (the elbow).  The piece was big enough to cause a complete blockage. This explained all the burned valves, blown head gasket, even the over heating that we were experiencing back when we were puttering down the ICW last winter.    

  Just to make sure that was the only cause, Gary tried to start the engine without the elbow on and . . . voila!  It started right up, smoothly and quickly. . . We only got to listen to it run for a few seconds because, with the elbow off, all of those fumes were filtering into the boat (whew!).  Good thing I had the main hatch open. . . but, the main thing is IT RAN.

   All we need now is a new elbow. . . and even that should be easy to come by thanks to Bill's new job (more on that in my next post) . . . With Thanksgiving just a few days away, we are especially grateful for this breakthrough . . . we have a lot to be thankful for this year, not the least of which is being able to FINALLY move under our own power.  



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A Year Ago Today . . .

 
  The weather was a little chilly and threatening to rain. Bill's dress uniform had been pressed the night before.  My mother had flown in from Virginia.  Bill's brother, Johnny, was volunteered to take pictures.  The pastor met us out in front of our newly-named boat in the marina.  Our vows had been planned a few weeks in advance and the sand ceremony (a beautiful idea of the pastor's) was the perfect addition to our humble little gathering.  We even set sail the next morning across Galveston Bay for our honeymoon destination.

   A year ago today, Bill and I said, "I do".  There have been so many ups and downs in the last year that I couldn't possibly cover them all in one post.  However, no matter what, whether puttering down the ICW in the middle of winter, sipping drinks with friends in our cockpit at sunset, crying over our stubbornly dead engine, or exploring a new place, we have stuck together and only grown stronger.

   During our travels, we have talked to many couples that wonder how we maintain our unconventional lifestyle; how we sail, work, and live together in such close proximity without being at each other's throats on a constant basis.  So, how do we do it? . . . The answer is that this lifestyle simply works for us, and if you do a little perusing on the internet for other sailing blogs, you'll find that it works for other couples as well.  Does that mean that just anyone can buy a boat, outfit it, read a few books, and set sail for a circumnavigation?  Absolutely not.

   Bill and I have always worked well together, we love each other immensely, and trust each other explicitly.  If this wasn't the case, we could never do what we do.  Bill's sailing and maintenance knowledge is invaluable; he absolutely knows what he's doing.  As for myself,  I do my best to be an excellent first mate.  I am quick to learn, never afraid to get my hands dirty, and because of this, have gained a little bit of sailing saltiness along the way.

   Our way of life is one that would either make or break a couple.  For Bill and I, tying the the knot was a wonderful milestone; exactly two months after the wedding, we threw off the dock lines to begin our journey.  Through all the good and bad (yes, for better or for worse), we have had an incredible time together.

   We still have many years ahead of us and I hope we can spend as many of those years as possible sailing to far-flung destinations and maintaining our dream.  I am truly blessed to not only be married to such a wonderful man but, to be able to continually build our marriage with the time we spend together.  For some, the way we live would never work.  The time together would be forced; the difficult sails and mechanical failures would only serve as a wedge to further break weak bonds.  For us, and other couples like us, time together is a gift.  We savor the good times and learn from the bad.  Through it all, we are stronger, together.  The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

    Bill, I love you more that you can imagine; This is for you, for us.  Happy Anniversary.

 

Please let us know what you think. Feel free to ask questions and leave nice comments. (If no one has commented yet, there will be a "No Comments" link near the bottom of the post. If someone has already commented, there will be a number and the word "comments" beside it. Just click whichever of these is there, click, "add comment" when the window opens, and type away.)