Northbound – Day One

Tuesday Morning: We left right on time: 6:50AM.  The full moon was still up; the sun not yet risen.

The boat was running very well; We had a diver clean the bottom, and we picked up a knot of speed.

Unfortunately, the good vibes lasted only two hours.

At 9AM, just off Big Pine Key, the engine alarm went off – it was overheated.

I don’t know yet what happened…maybe we ran over a crab trap and got the rope wrapped around the propeller shaft.  I don’t think that’s what happened, but maybe.

Maybe we blew the impeller in the water pump.

The seawater strainers for the cooling system are clear, and she has plenty of coolant.

A mystery at this point.

At any rate, we are getting towed into Marathon Boat Works, where they can try and diagnose the cause of the problem.

Thank heavens I have unlimited towing insurance.  I reckon this will be a 4-hour tow.

The good news is that Marathon Boat Works can take me and can work on me tomorrow!  They are the best yard around here, and they have a Travel-Lift, so we can check the running gear. Hopefully I’ll lose just one day.

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Update – They put us right on the lift. The running gear is OK…nothing wrapped around the prop.

Turns out we blew a belt – the belt that drives the water pump simply self-destructed.

Hopefully, we get that fixed tomorrow and get back on the road Thursday!