March 24, 2016 Daytona Beach

Kite's engine, sans exhaust manifold

Well, it seems that this voyage was doomed before it really got started. A phone call this morning from the mechanic that has been working on Kite confirmed that it will take at least 4 weeks to obtain the exhaust manifold and heat exchanger that Kite needs for repairs to her engine. That means that it will be at least late April before Kite can leave Daytona Beach, and early May before she could start exploring the Keys. The weather starts getting hot in May, even in the evenings, and by June is usually unbearable at night. Also June 1^st is the beginning of hurricane season, and Kite does not want to be in south Florida in hurricane season. So, with the month delay she has run out of time to enjoy the Keys and get back to Jacksonville before hurricane season.

So, what will happen? As it stands now, Peter and Lyn will leave Kite in Daytona Beach for the next month, and rent a car to go home. They may decide to take a little time during the month to travel back to Daytona Beach in order to polish Kite’s topsides, a task that is best done in the cooler spring weather. Also, the mechanic will have a key for access to Kite so that he can perform the repairs after the parts arrive. After Kite’s engine is repaired, she will return north. There is a possibility that Lyn and Peter will try to salvage some of this cruise by continuing north toward Georgia's Cumberland Island, Jekyll Island and St. Simons Island for a few weeks before returning to Jacksonville, but that decision will depend on many factors that are not yet known.

Lyn and Peter are already planning a trip to the Keys and Dry Tortugas in spring 2017.

March 23, 2016 Daytona Beach

Today was another frustrating day of waiting for news about the availability of our replacement engine parts. At the end of the day we called and were told that they were still checking if a part they could have here in 1 day would fit on our engine block. Otherwise, we would have to order a new part from the factory and wait 4 weeks to get it. We were told that they would give us their final answer tomorrow morning.

In order to have something to do, Peter decided to perform a task he had been procrastinating for a long time. To do it, he would have to climb halfway up the mast to the spreader and then attach leather chafing boots at both ends of the spreader. It is best done in calm waters, with little wind. That describes the conditions in Halifax Harbor Marina this afternoon. Attaching the leather chafing boots involves folding the leather piece around the wire stays and the ends of the spreader, and then sewing the leather piece into place at top and bottom. Lyn thought it was so much fun, she took a video of him climbing with the ATN climber, and then several photos of stages of completion of the sewing tasks.

Holding leather around stay and spreader

Sewing top seam into leather

The finished job!

March 22, 2016 Daytona Beach

Lyn and Peter waving goodbye to Ringle

Another frustrating day in Daytona Beach. David the mechanic checked in with is at 08:15 this morning and told us what we expected to hear: our heat exchanger was leaking and also needed replacement. He said he would work with his parts people to see if they could find both heat exchanger and exhaust manifold that would be available in less than four weeks.  He expected to have the answer this afternoon.  At about 09:30 we waved goodbye to Ringle as she headed out of the marina toward Titusville.

David returned around noon, not with news of part availability, but to record some numbers from the engine block.  He said it would help them find parts if he had the specific numbers.  He got the numbers and disappeared. He must have encountered some difficulty because he did not contact us again today. We are fearing the worst, that he cannot improve the 4 week lead time for parts. But it seems we will have to wait another day to have a definitive answer.

AtlasV rocket launch viewed from Daytona Beach

There is an AtlasV launch scheduled tonight at 23:00 - 23:30 from Cape Canaveral. We are a mere 50 miles from the launch site, so we will stay up in hopes of capturing a photo of this rocket as it streaks across the clear night sky. This posting was delayed so that Peter could include the photo.

March 21, 2016 Daytona Beach

Today we found Daytona Marine, a boatyard that offers mechanical services, and by 11:00 David was aboard Kite and discussing the problem with Peter. He agreed that the cause might be in the heat exchanger or possibly the hot water heater, but also added the possibility of the exhaust manifold, which had corroded severely near the fill port. In fact the corrosion had gone to the point of opening a hole in the expansion port, thereby preventing the expansion tank from fulfilling its function. A new one would be required. Peter checked his online source and found that the part was not stocked and would require 4 weeks to be delivered! David suggested that we not order yet, until he had an opportunity to get his parts people to see if they could improve on the delivery time.

Meanwhile, since a new exhaust manifold was not optional, Peter authorized David to remove the existing one, a simple task of disconnecting two hoses and removing 8 nuts and washers that fasten the unit to the engine block. Two hours later, he was still struggling with the 8 nuts and washers, having had to remove the starter motor and the heat exchanger to gain access to them. Finally, at 15:30, David had the exhaust manifold removed, and in the bargain also had the heat exchanger removed. He took these parts back to his shop, where he would leak test the heat exchanger and call us tomorrow morning with the results of the leak test and an update on the delivery of an exhaust manifold.

Meanwhile, Ringle had decided to stay another day in Daytona, due to the strong, gusty winds that we had all day today. Lyn invited the crew of Ringle to a chili dinner aboard Kite this evening, and we updated them on Kite's status. They sympathized with our plight and hoped for the best in getting the parts sooner than 4 weeks. Ringle planned to depart by 09:00 tomorrow morning for Titusville, in line with the forecast for NNE winds at 5 to 10 knots and clear, sunny skies. We wished them well, and hoped to join them in the Keys.

We also called Kevin, our crew in Alaska, and updated him on the status of our engine problems.  We told him that if the part delivery time of 4 weeks could not be improved, then the trip was cancelled for this year, as we would not want to be in the Keys during the hot weather and hurricane season. We promised to update Kevin as soon as we had a definitive answer on the parts delivery, likely tomorrow.

March 20, 2016 Daytona Beach

Kite dropped her mooring line this morning at 07:55 so that she could make it through the Bridge of Lions at the 08:00 opening. Ringle had scheduled a pump out at 09:00 so they slept a little longer. The current was favorable as Kite left St. Augustine, and she motored south at about 6 knots in the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW). Peter was at the helm in the morning and he remarked at how the favorable current continued longer that he had expected it to, as Kite passed through the Matanzas inlet area. In fact, looking back on the entire passage to Daytona Beach from St. Augustine, the current was either favorable or neutral for the whole trip - a first for us!

The weather forecast called for morning showers and gradual clearing with NW winds. It was certainly cloudy for most of the morning, but we encountered no showers. The winds were actually SW most of the day, but occasionally alternated between SE and SW as we neared Daytona. We were motoring all day so the wind direction was only a curiosity, and had no bearing on our trip. Temperatures were in the 70s, but felt colder with SE winds coming from the ocean.

Naturally, we monitored Kite's engine temperature carefully throughout the duration of today's passage, and it was stable at 160º-170ºF. Peter had estimated that today's 50 mile trip to Halifax Harbor Marina would take up to 10 hours to complete. With the favorable currents Kite encountered, she actually completed the trip in under 8 hours, arriving a bit before 16:00! Peter and Lyn actually had time to take their showers before Ringle arrived at 17:30.

After the engine cooled down, Peter checked the coolant level to verify that it was OK, and was disappointed to find that it had gone down quite a lot. Clearly there was a leak somewhere in the cooling system that left no trace of fluid behind. The only two possibilities seemed to be the heat exchanger or the hot water heater. After discussing the situation with Ringle, we decided to find an expert here in Daytona and try to find the leak and fix it before continuing south. Ringle would continue and Kite would keep her apprised of Kite's status. If possible, Kite would continue south after fixing the problem and rejoin Ringle.

March 19, 2016 St. Augustine

Castillo De San Marco, St. Augustine, FL

Yesterday our new thermostat arrived via FedEx at 10:30 and Peter had it installed and the engine warmed up by 10:45.  The engine temperature was holding steady at 160ºF for several minutes, so we cast off our lines and headed out again. This time we didn’t make it one-half mile from the dock before the engine started overheating again. Peter shut down the engine before it got too hot and let it cool for 5 minutes. Meanwhile he turned Kite around and coasted back toward the marina.  By repeating the procedure of running the engine for 30 seconds and then letting it cool for 5 minutes, Kite made it back to the marina and tied off at the head of the nearest dock.

Checking the engine again, Peter discovered that the fresh-water cooling loop had no visible coolant in it, and he added 2 quarts of antifreeze to fill it up. Funny how an engine will overheat if it doesn’t have any cooling fluid in it.  We departed the marina for the last time at 11:40. This time, Kite’s engine heated up to 160º to 170º and stayed at this temperature for the next eight hours as we motored out the river and down the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) to St. Augustine. The good news was that the delayed departure ensured that we had favorable current for most of the trip, and we made it in 8.25 hours.  Our prior best time was 9 hours, so this was a welcome benefit. The bad news was our late departure meant that we arrived after sunset and we had to find our mooring in the dark, which turned out to be rather easy.  We were secure at a mooring in St. Augustine harbor by 20:00.

We checked in with Ringle as we arrived, and agreed a plan to catch the 08:00 opening of the Bridge of Lions to continue our journey southward in the ICW. Kite would actually catch the 07:30 opening of the bridge, in order to get fuel at the city marina, and then wait until 08:00 to join Ringle as she passed through the bridge.

This morning, Lyn awakened early and decided to check the weather forecast. It was not good: severe t-storms with hail and strong wind gusts.  Looking at the radar, it appeared to be heading for most of mid-Florida, and traveling rapidly east. Peter looked at it too, and confirmed that he too did not want to be underway in the ICW in that kind of weather, so we called Ringle before 07:30 and decided jointly to stay another day in St. Augustine.  Kite decided to go ahead and refuel today before the rain started, to get that task out of the way and avoid any further delay tomorrow.

After returning to our mooring, we heard a few raindrops impacting our canvas dodger, and expected a deluge to follow, but it never showed up. Checking the radar at noon, the mass of stormy weather had drifted a little more southerly, so that it would pass a few miles below St. Augustine, but still impact Daytona and points south. We decided to have lunch ashore at a charity tent that was set up on the marina grounds, and we called for the noon launch to pick all of us up at our boats.

View from balcony of A1A Café

The charity event was offering a low country boil of shrimp, sausage, potatoes and corn on the cob. It was very good, although the shrimp was a bit over cooked. Lyn and I both enjoyed that lunch and then all five of us walked around downtown St. Augustine. Eveline wanted to explore an early Greek Orthodox church there, so we all learned about how many oppressed Mediterranean peoples in the 1700s were enticed by Dr. Andrew Turnbull (a Scotsman) to become indentured servants to work on land in New Smyrna, Florida and one day to own a piece of it. The results didn’t turn out as well for the oppressed peoples as they had hoped it would – mistreatment, treachery, etc. - but it is all a part of our diverse history. After that we enjoyed coffees and desserts at a local dining establishment before returning on the 4pm launch to our respective boats.

The stormy weather never actually materialized in St. Augustine, but the radar showed that Daytona (today’s intended destination) got a substantial amount of rain in mid-afternoon, so we felt our decision to wait was a good one. We plan to depart St. Augustine for Daytona tomorrow morning, as the weather clears, and we look forward to several days of clear, cool weather.

Mar 17, 2016 Leaving Jacksonville (almost)

Ready for departure.

Here we are, Kite and Ringle, as the sun is rising on St. Patrick's Day anxiously awaiting our departure time of 09:00. This time was selected so that we would catch the outgoing tide to carry us 15 miles down the St. Johns River to the Intracostal Waterway (ICW), and then south in the ICW for 30 miles to the harbor of Saint Augustine. Both boats are as ready as they can be, having participated in a shakedown cruise two weekends ago, and made the needed upgrades in the intervening time. Lyn and Peter felt better prepared than three years ago, when they started a cruise to the Chesapeake Bay, only to find a leak in Kite's engine water pump, that caused them to stop 5 miles after starting and wait for 3 days for a new pump to arrive before continuing.

Alone for the night.

Kite led a procession of 3 boats through the Ortega River bridge and had just cleared the shoal area at the mouth of the Ortega River, 1 mile from her home berth at the Marina at Ortega Landing, when it happened! Lyn noticed that the engine exhaust was smoky and just at that moment the engine faltered and quit. Peter noticed that the engine temp gauge was at maximum before turning off the key, and Kite slowly coasted to a stop. Lyn threw out the anchor while Peter radioed Ringle to notify them that Kite had engine problems, and would call TowboatUS for a tow back to the marina where she could get professional help. Ringle decided to continue to Saint Augustine and wait for Kite to catch up.

We waited at anchor for 2 hours to get our tow. While waiting Peter checked the engine and verified that it was VERY hot. He also called several mechanics and left messages for them to call back. After talking to 5 mechanics, he finally found one that could come by the marina this afternoon. He also pondered the engine problem and determined that the most likely source of the problem was a sticking thermostat. Of course Kite does not carry spares of this item. By this time, TowboatUS had delivered us to our slip at the marina, where we will spend the night - alone, without Ringle.

Matt, the mechanic, arrived in mid-afternoon and took out the thermostat, which was indeed frozen shut. Before Matt arrived the engine had cooled down to room temperature, and Peter decided to see if it would start again. It did start and he confirmed that the raw water cooling system was working normally, so the problem had to be in the fresh water cooling system, where the thermostat is located. Unfortunately, Matt did not have the correct replacement thermostat, and after calling every diesel engine parts location in the Jacksonville area we could jointly think of, we had no choice but to order a replacement online. By paying for overnight delivery, we should get the part tomorrow morning, and be on our way as soon as Peter can finish the installation.

It seems as though Kite will not leave on a major adventure without some drama at the very beginning of the cruise.