Summer ends for us when my feet first get cold & I am forced to dig out our portable space heater once the nighttime temp hits 50. Time to go!
Summer has gone by much too quickly, as it usually does. This summer has been partially consumed by troubleshooting an air-in-the-diesel line problem which I discovered early March during our trip north. Usually, having 2 of everything helps troubleshoot boat troubles, but in this case both engines had the same problem, even though separate fuel tanks & systems. Hoses & fittings replaced, filters re-built & tested, various bypasses tested, pressure testing, etc., etc. Pretty sure Lori was getting tired of all the test runs, as most took longer to unhook & re-hook than to go the 2 miles.
As our fuel tanks are almost 3′ below our engines & 10′ away, out of desperation, I temporarily installed a fuel pump in the line to an engine as a test, which resulted in no air getting to the filters & engine – yea! I then came across diesel lift pumps which are designed for my exact issue, particularly with remote gensets & reefers (up on refrigerated containers) which need a little fuel “lift”. My “virtual” mechanic in Florida (my lifeline), says they shouldn’t be necessary for our engines, but the very slight positive fuel pressure won’t hurt anything either.
Looks like an added fuel lift pump for each engine will be our answer – so far so good – no more air getting into any of the engine filters or engines. It’s been a long, head-scratching 5 months.
A Deep River morning as the sun begins to burn off the fog. A neighboring boat here on a mooring came up with an appropriate saying, “A different movie every morning & night” – how true!
The Old Lyme Amtrak bridge is finally being replaced after 118 years. Ohhh…could you please make the new bridge a few inches higher as we barely squeak under at high tide?
Between our fuel line issues & our muffler repairs, we unfortunately didn’t get out to do much local cruising, although we did make it out to a few favorites including Mystic, CT along with Greenport & Sag Harbor, NY.
The S & P Oyster House in Mystic has been our go-to restaurant in Mystic for about 28 years, usually arriving by whichever boat we had at the time. Always a great meal with a view! The famous, historical Mystic River Bascule Bridge (just to the left) with its hourly opening “shows” where all of the tourists gawk, point, photograph & video.
Lunch at Claudio’s Restaurant in Greenport has been the spot to people watch (for me) for even longer – over 55 years I figure. However … the boats (now yachts) have gotten a little bigger since coming here as a little kid.
Coecles Harbor (on Shelter Island, Long Island) was my parents’ favorite anchorage for good reason.
Sag Harbor (the Hamptons) is a magnet for the rich & famous. Our favorite restaurant over the years (Dockside) is now a more fancy-like restaurant. While still great food, $24.00 for a cocktail?! Although … local little neck clams garnished with crab meat in bucatini pasta – yum!
Billy Joel’s famous Downeaster ALEXA. She’s a classic lobster/swordfish type of boat he helped design & had built years ago. It is said his song was named after this boat, which in turn was named after his daughter Alexa Ray Joe. Out of his dozen-plus boats over the years, this is said to be his favorite.
Newport may have the most extensive luxury sailboats in the northeast, but Sag Harbor wins out with the most extravagant motor yachts of every description, from classic to modern.
Labor Day weekend brought us driving up north to Burlington, VT to celebrate Benj’s birthday. For one of our dinners – sunset on the Lake Champlain waterfront (of course).
Unlike last year departing CT early September for a haul-out in the Chesapeake, this year we’re good. However … it does begin to get cold at night, a tropical storm could eventually show up & we don’t want to get stuck in the East River (like 2 years ago when the Coast Guard completely closed the East River for an extended time when the UN was in session). So, by mid-September is our target. Finishing projects, final visits with friends & family, along with stocking up is our plan.
Cruising along the East Coast and Bahamas 
I can’t imagine why you would now need that pump and didn’t for 2 years. Something is not right. I’m sure you already know that.
Safe travels.
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Actually, the air leak problem may have been ongoing for years. These fuel injection pumps (I’ve been told), are self-bleeding & will “send” the air to the tanks via the return lines. The engines always started & ran fine – I only discovered the air by accident. While I thought it was odd that the Racor filters were always down 1 1/2″ (after starting full), I never knew the engine fuel filters were half air as well. I would bleed them when replacing but never thought to afterwards – now I know they were always half air (even after only 1/2 hour of running after bleeding). So, you’re right, something is not right, but I still have no idea…
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You will figure it out eventually. Should be interesting.
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