Boat ownership, fixing your boat in exotic locations

 On the hard, Boatyard, Key Largo , FL 64, sunny

Well we made it this far. Seems to be a major activity to just get the boat a couple miles. We upped anchor in Marathon a few days ago and took off for the next leg of The Big Float 2021. We were headed for Key Largo but wanted to do it in two easy bites. Usually boaters do it in one 18 - 20 hour day, but John and I have decided that we don't want to do any more overnights or late night arrivals. So we headed for channel 5 bridge, the area behind is supposed to be good holding for our anchor and easily done. So I got out in Hawk Channel and raised sail! OMG!~ Finally the sails came out of the bags and up the mast. Again my sail handling skills are not the best, but this boat makes it stupid easy. I had wind over the starboard rail about 60 degrees off the nose pretty variable at 8 to 16 knots. Not the best point of sail, but pretty good. Have to watch the jib tell tales and adjust frequently, but we were able to turn off the engines and just let the wind take us. Started to show my friend John who is accompanying me on this trip how to do the sails. Or at least what I keep doing. Work the tell tales, tell tales are little 6" strings of yarn, red and green, that are affixed on the trailing edge of the mainsail, if they are all streaming back we are using the sail properly. The jib tell tales are a little different, they are set more in the body of the sail and I have a little plastic window so I can compare the two. Sails are not parachutes you launch into the wind and just let them pull you along. The sails are built to resemble wings when they are properly filled, and work exactly like airplane wings. So because they are made of fabric rather than metal you have to make sure they stay wing shaped to get the best usage. Except when you are running straight down wind, then they are just big sheets capturing the wind. Anyway, I quickly got the hang of working the tall tales, it's a bit fussy to get the high ones and the lower ones to both fly properly on the jib, but just making small adjustments to the jib sheet, the jib sheet is the line that controls the angle to the wind of that big sail, I am able to trim the sail to it's best shape. So that's what we did. We were making 4 to 5 knots in the highest winds. This is why we have this thing. A floating 3 bedroom 2 bath condo, that the wind will blow us around the world on while relaxing in luxury. There has been very little of the luxury part as of yet. 

We get to Channel five bridge and I decide to go under the bridge to check out the supposedly great anchorage behind an island. Instant panic! Neither engine will start! This is a major worry. So leaving the boat just bobbing around in the water I marshal my resources and start troubleshooting. Batteries are charged and in fact are receiving charge, no lines are disconnected. Lots of rushing to and fro, both staterooms are torn up as the engines live under the beds. About 30 minutes later John points out that I have the throttles locked in full reverse. I do this as Volvo Penta says that allows the props to fold in and reduce drag while sailing. So dumbass lesson 300? Put engines in neutral, both fire right up. Under the bridge we go babying Ole Smokey. There are so many crab pots. We get behind an old ruined hotel I think it was, or someone's failed mega mansion, and drop the anchor, get it set in a 4 knot tidal flow. I set my little anchor app and shut off the engines. YAY! End of the first of hopefully many such days. I put out about 175' of anchor chain in 6' of water. Way more than called for, but I'm being cautious. Celebratory beers are drank and we look forward to a mostly restful nights sleep. Around 2AM my anchor alarm goes off, I hate that little beep beep beep. I get up go on deck and the wind has picked up some and we have turned in the tide. And the anchor is dragging. Ok nothing around but the innumerable crab pots, so I just let out all 300' of chain. Reset the alarm and watch. Seems to be doing better. Go back to bed, not much sleep after that little excitement. Up around 6 for a quick coffee and then push on to Key Largo! Got the engines started, T-handles down, throttles in neutral, preheat, bam! Start! Woo!

Head back towards the bridge dodging crab pots. I've got like 300 yards till I'm in the restricted area next to the bridge when disaster strikes. While turning the boat to miss the next upcoming rows I don't allow enough time for the aft end to clear the current row. Boats don't turn like cars do. In the car your front end pivots on the rear wheels. We've all been doing this for so many years we don't even think about it. Boats pivot on the center of their keels, this is an important thing to keep in mind while maneuvering. I hear banging noises from the port side and the port engine dies. I know instantly what has occurred. Go get the dive gear I got in Marathon and over the side I go. It's a mess. I've got three floats and accompanying line firmly wrapped around the propeller and shaft. Trusty knife in hand I start the laborious task of cutting all this away. I rigged a line from the starboard sugar scoop to the port side so I don't get swept away from the boat in the tide and start cutting. What seems like hours of diving later I get most of the mass cleaned off or at least two of three floats chopped away. There is a chunk of line with float firmly wedged between the back of the prop assembly and the fairing for the sail drive that I just can't get out. It's important to note here my lungs are crap. 45 years of smoking has taken it's toll and is making a hard job extremely difficult. I have barely enough wind to blow my snorkel free of water, so I keep swallowing sea water, which makes me puke. Yeah that's a fun thing. During a break to get what little wind I have back John suggests running the engine in reverse to dislodge the line. Seems like a great thing to try. So we do. Remember that line I had strung from port to starboard? Yeah me neither. Fired up the engine and in reverse we go, float pops free and floats away, but the engine dies again. WTH? Over the side I see my rescue line has now taken the place of the float that now headed to sea. Can't yank it out and it is firmly in the same spot. I'm defeated by my own line. Yet another self own. 

I get out of the water and do a quick rinse while trying to rest for the next herculean effort while mentally berating myself for doing another stupid thing. Finally a light bulb appears over my head. I have a TowBoatUS membership I bought in conjunction with my boat insurance. I call them and they say they will send a boat and if a diver is handy will include that. Score! While we wait I made some breakfast burritos and am happily munching on one when the boat appears a while later. Really nice guy, young and competent, reminds me that I am old and not so competent. Tows me over to a little protected beachy area a mile or so away. He wanted to tow me to the nearest resort and then let me handle the issue, because that's what they do, tow. However that resort doesn't take catamarans. So he gets on his to small shorty dive suit, that doesn't fit, and over the side he goes. 30 - 40 minutes later he manages to clear the port engine and goes to start on the starboard engine. That just has a mass of nylon line on it. 5 minutes later we are done, and I've got a mass of junk on my deck. Yay!

Engines started and props flailing away we are off. Manage to clear the deadly crap traps and we are back in Hawk Channel, turn into the wind and raise sail. Wind over the starboard beam about 170 degrees 7 to 8 knots and I try to go wing and wing for a sweet downwind bash to Key Largo. We have found a yard there that has the equipment large enough to straddle Steal Breeze and get her out of the water so I can safely work on the cooling system for Ole Smokey. We have lost about 4 hours so we really need to get going. I figure I'll set the sails and then run the engine to give a bit of speed boost and we might make it. Except the sails absolutely will not hold in this lite wind. Tons of banging, swinging booms, flapping sails, and I just give up. Fire the engines into the wind, drop sails and then take off. About 5:30 we pull in behind Rodriguez Key, a lump of nothing sticking out of the water by the yard. The anchorage which is usually pretty full is almost empty, high winds are predicted in a few days and currently everyone is running for better shelter. Currently the winds are sweeping from land out to sea and there really is no good place to lay protected. Put out every inch of chain again and hope for the best. Not much sleep, we drug another 150' in the night, big wind, tidal flows, just not going to stay. Anyway we made it to the yard the next morning, spent 5 hours getting the boat out of the water, blocked and set. There is a story there as well but I have to get to work. High winds forecast for the next couple days so we are tucked in a nice 50's hotel across from the yard. Thank you Betty for finding this for us. It's nice. I'm not feeling well, not taking care of myself properly. I'm exhausted after 12 hours sleep, stiff and sore and grumbling. But the yard is calling, boat work never stops. 

Later all y'all. Love to Betty and all that are following. Hoping for better news on the stupid engine.