My Mother is getting out of the nursing home tomorrow after Whipple surgery last month that had her in and out of the hospital all of August. I spent twenty days down in Florida helping her out.
So the forecast last night was 10-15 with gusts to 20. I blew out of work at 4pm in anticipation of the sail of my very abbreviated season (didn't get the back stay fixed until the end of July). Forgot it was after Labor Day and that the launch I usually take to get to my mooring has stopped running weekdays. Bailed out the dinghy and checked the gas, which I knew was low. The sun had gotten to the cap on the 1 gallon can I usually leave aboard. The cap cracked so I brought it home and bought a new one...which I hadn't brought back. No gas in the outboard. I phoned a friend who did indeed have gas to loan in an open locker in his boat. With gas I made my way out to the boat. I had left my outboard tiller extension in the truck, so I awkwardly operated the outboard from the middle seat weaving my way across the mooring field like a drunken sailor.
Whew! The sun is now only about two hours from setting but I am finally on board. I got the boat ready to go out, planning to sail just using the genoa. The wind is steady at about 10 knots and it is about 65F, but not too chilly. I put the key in the ignition and push the button and the engine turns over but doesn't catch (batteries were fully charged according to the meter). It hadn't been started in weeks, so I figure it is no big deal and try again. When I push the button again a few idiot lights come on but nothing happens. I turn the key off. Figuring that venting the cylinders will help the engine start I go down, open the cowl and rig a line to the vent lever. I hop back up into the cockpit and try again and she fires right up. I peer over the stern to make sure I have water flowing out the exhaust and then dial in a steady 2500 rpm.
At this point the sun is closer to the horizon. I started to get paranoid. The last time I had her out the month before the furling line had hopped the drum and jammed. It took me three tries to pick up the mooring with the jib flapping on a relatively windless night. I had replaced the line, but it was untried. I thought about sailing under just the main, but I hadn't removed the cover yet and now I have a potentially balky engine and potential dinghy ride that could be in the dark if I have any trouble out there.
I decide to try again the next night and let the engine run for fifteen minutes just to make sure that my weed collection on the hull hadn't blocked up the sea strainer leading to an overheating problem. I then stopped it and restarted it easily letting it run at 2800 rpm for five minutes checking it briefly to see if it would still rev up to 3000 rpm, giving me an indication that the exhaust elbow is unblocked. Then I packed it in and headed for the bar.
Par for the course this year...sigh. I really need to make sailing a higher priority next year. I hope I have better luck if I can get out tonight.
So the forecast last night was 10-15 with gusts to 20. I blew out of work at 4pm in anticipation of the sail of my very abbreviated season (didn't get the back stay fixed until the end of July). Forgot it was after Labor Day and that the launch I usually take to get to my mooring has stopped running weekdays. Bailed out the dinghy and checked the gas, which I knew was low. The sun had gotten to the cap on the 1 gallon can I usually leave aboard. The cap cracked so I brought it home and bought a new one...which I hadn't brought back. No gas in the outboard. I phoned a friend who did indeed have gas to loan in an open locker in his boat. With gas I made my way out to the boat. I had left my outboard tiller extension in the truck, so I awkwardly operated the outboard from the middle seat weaving my way across the mooring field like a drunken sailor.
Whew! The sun is now only about two hours from setting but I am finally on board. I got the boat ready to go out, planning to sail just using the genoa. The wind is steady at about 10 knots and it is about 65F, but not too chilly. I put the key in the ignition and push the button and the engine turns over but doesn't catch (batteries were fully charged according to the meter). It hadn't been started in weeks, so I figure it is no big deal and try again. When I push the button again a few idiot lights come on but nothing happens. I turn the key off. Figuring that venting the cylinders will help the engine start I go down, open the cowl and rig a line to the vent lever. I hop back up into the cockpit and try again and she fires right up. I peer over the stern to make sure I have water flowing out the exhaust and then dial in a steady 2500 rpm.
At this point the sun is closer to the horizon. I started to get paranoid. The last time I had her out the month before the furling line had hopped the drum and jammed. It took me three tries to pick up the mooring with the jib flapping on a relatively windless night. I had replaced the line, but it was untried. I thought about sailing under just the main, but I hadn't removed the cover yet and now I have a potentially balky engine and potential dinghy ride that could be in the dark if I have any trouble out there.
I decide to try again the next night and let the engine run for fifteen minutes just to make sure that my weed collection on the hull hadn't blocked up the sea strainer leading to an overheating problem. I then stopped it and restarted it easily letting it run at 2800 rpm for five minutes checking it briefly to see if it would still rev up to 3000 rpm, giving me an indication that the exhaust elbow is unblocked. Then I packed it in and headed for the bar.
Par for the course this year...sigh. I really need to make sailing a higher priority next year. I hope I have better luck if I can get out tonight.
