Days 244-245-Engine troubles…again😬

Saturday & Sunday February 21-22, 2026

SATURDAY

Well… we fired up the engines, finished our prep, and untied from the slip, ready to finally head north. The weather window looked perfect — a beautiful day and most of tomorrow to make good progress through the Keys before the winds decided to return (again 🙄).

We eased out of the slip, started moving forward, and suddenly the port engine began coughing… then died. 😳

Jeff restarted it, but it kept sputtering and shutting down. Not exactly the departure we had envisioned.

With the help of a kind neighbor, we carefully maneuvered the boat back into the slip — which, by the way, is no small feat on one engine… especially in reverse. Let’s just say stress levels were high, but teamwork (and patience) won.

Once safely tied up, we assessed the situation and quickly agreed: time to call a mechanic. Thank goodness this happened at the marina and not out in the Atlantic! It was only about 7:30 a.m., and amazingly a mechanic said he could arrive around 2 p.m. on a Saturday. Lucky break — though unfortunately it meant losing a perfectly good travel day. Ah yes… the best-laid boating plans.

Right at 2 p.m., our mechanic arrived — after driving all the way from Miami! After some investigating, he discovered the engine was pulling fuel out of the filter instead of the fuel tank. Jeff had replaced that very fuel filter the day before… uh oh.

The troubleshooting adventure began.

First, a cracked hose and broken clamp — replaced. Still not right.

Then a kinked hose — fixed. Still issues.

Finally, he discovered a blockage between the tank and the fuel filter. After clearing that stubborn obstruction and plenty more tinkering, the engines were finally running smoothly again.

By 7:30 p.m., everything sounded beautiful.

So… do we leave tomorrow? We had one decent weather day to reach a protected spot — and slips there are nearly impossible to get. After a long, exhausting day, we decided to sleep on it and make the call in the morning.

Boat life: equal parts adventure and patience. 😩

SUNDAY

We woke up early and, without much discussion, both came to the same conclusion — we’re staying put. We’ll now be here until Wednesday.

Today would be hot and calm, perfect for some much-needed pool time before the next weather shift rolls in. By late afternoon, winds were forecast to arrive along with cooler temperatures dropping highs into the 60s. A great excuse to tackle projects, work on the isinglass, and maybe sneak back into Key West again.

We spent the day catching up on odds and ends. I made another isinglass window, and we rewarded ourselves with some quality relaxation at the pool — a pretty nice way to turn an unexpected delay into a good day.

Right around 6 p.m., the wind arrived on schedule and meant business. It began howling through the marina, building steadily into the evening. Forecasts called for sustained winds near 35 mph with gusts pushing into the 40s overnight.

Safe to say… we were very happy to be securely tied up in a marina tonight.