Wednesday
They finally tracked down a fuel pump for our new problem—this time on the starboard engine. (Isn’t it funny how it behaved perfectly while the port engine was acting up… and the moment that one was fixed, boom—starboard demanded its turn 🙄). The good news? They were able to have the pump overnighted. Huge thank-you, fingers crossed 🤞.
Today also happened to be our anniversary. We kicked around the idea of going out to dinner, but honestly, staying in sounded just right. We made some nummy shrimp, popped open a bottle of Prosecco, and toasted 21 years together 🥂. It was a quiet, cozy, and perfectly us kind of evening.
Thursday
Shane, the mechanic, arrived with the new fuel pump and got it installed on the starboard engine. We fired everything up and—at first—all seemed well. But only for a few minutes… then came the black smoke. And not just a little—a lot 😳.
Shane worked through a few possibilities, trying to narrow things down, but since Volvo Penta engines aren’t his specialty, he called in a pro. Enter Tristan, who said he’d be there first thing in the morning. UGH. At this point we were still hopeful it might be a simple fix, but the more realistic thought crept in: what if the fuel injector pump on this side also needed rebuilding? That would mean at least another week—maybe more—before we could leave.
With a Gulf crossing ahead and weather windows being slim lately (the Loopers have not been catching many breaks), we tried our best to put it out of our minds until Tristan could take a look.
Friday
Right on schedule, Tristan and Shane showed up first thing. After digging in, Tristan discovered the culprit: a large air pocket in the fuel injector pump on the starboard engine—apparently not the easiest thing to diagnose on these engines. Once that was cleared, we geared up for a sea trial.
We made it about a mile out and started to bring the engines up when we noticed the port engine temperature climbing much faster than the starboard. Shane checked it out and—yep—you guessed it… coolant leak.
Back to the marina we go. Diagnosis: we needed a new gasket on the water pump inlet. And not just any old gasket, but a very specific one. Shane called Tristan (again), and wouldn’t you know it—he had one! Shane ran to grab it, installed it, and finally… all systems go. Whew 😮💨
We headed back out for another sea trial, and this time everything ran beautifully. After dropping Shane off at the marina, we pointed the bow forward and got moving. It was a gorgeous day to be on the water, so we cruised a little over 20 miles to an anchorage for the night.
Tomorrow should be a decent travel day to Destin, where we’ll tuck into a marina just in time for several days of rain, wind, and some pretty chilly temps. Not ideal—but we’ll be safe, secure, and grateful to finally be moving again 🚤💙
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