The weather forecast called for 5 to 10 knots of wind from the North. We left our mooring at Hartge Yacht Harbor at 8 am and by 8:20 we had the jib out and were motorsailing out of the West River doing 4.8 knots. We cleared the Green Can 1 and headed east to avoid the shoal on the south side of the river entrance extending out one and a half miles (2.5 km) to the north, northeast past Curtis Point. The wind picked up to 12 to 14 knots when we got in the Bay and the two-foot (60 cm) short waves gave Rosalind a rocking but pleasant motion. A little over half an hour later we pointed Rosalind south and headed towards Herring Bay. The apparent wind dropped and we decided to put up some more sail in order to take advantage of the following wind. Cheryl uncovered the mizzen and then took over at the helm and I went to the stern deck to raise the mizzen. I had just finished raising the mizzen when, from the direction of the cockpit, a buzzing sound told me something was amiss. Cheryl called out from the helm, "The Racor Water Alarm just came on!" I got to the cockpit, throttled back Lucy, our trusted Beta 30 diesel engine, and pulled the engine stop lever. We were heading south with a northerly wind and 20 feet (6 m) of water under our keel. Cheryl stayed at the helm and I went down the main cabin, removed the companionway stairs, got a flashlight, and opened the engine room access hatch. The Racor bowl was half full with water. The alarms panel had earned its keep again!
Racor Alarm Lit-up (Red Light in Lower Left)
We had 10 nautical miles (18.5 km) before we had to turn north before entering Herrington Harbour North. First things first: Get the water out and start up Lucy again. In order to drain the Racor fuel water separator, I had to crack the T-handle at the top of the filter enclosure in order to break the vacuum. I drained about a cup of water from the Racor and retightened the T-handle. The alarm light turned off. Just to be sure that all the water was out, I went to aft cabin and got a piece of spare hose, got the five gallon (20 liter) empty diesel gerry can from the starboard lazarette, and using the diesel hand primer bulb (which I installed when we replaced the engine last year), I connected the hose to the bottom of the Racor, and got about a gallon (4 liters) of diesel out of the starboard tank.
It was time to start the engine again. Lucy fired up and after less than a minute, Lucy stalled! What happened? After removing the water, I neglected to refill the Racor with diesel. (Diesel engines do not like air in the fuel. Air locks up the high pressure pump, no fuel can get though, and the engine stalls). Nine miles (16.5 km) to go to the south end of Herring Bay...
We sailed south southwest for an hour and we were in some calmer waters. With the sails still pulling us along, Cheryl stood on the port side of the cockpit and navigated and steered Rosalind. I opened the engine room, got in the main cabin and removed the air from (bled) the engine. I had to do this twice to get all the air out of the Racor, fuel lines, lift pump, fuel filter, and high pressure pump. Lucy started right up and ran smoothly. Ten minutes later, the Racor alarm buzzed again! We shut her down and keep sailing. I went below and looked at the Racor bowl. The red-colored diesel should have been clear but it was not. Its cloudiness was an indication that there was some water still present.
We decided to sail to the south end of Herring Bay, still 6 nautical miles (11 km) away, and then anchor. After a couple of hours, we furled the jib, Cheryl turned Rosalind into the wind, and I dropped anchor. It was clear that it would take some time for the water to separate from the diesel and settle down to the bottom go the Racor. We now had two choices: We could launch our dinghy and with our three horsepower outboard engine push Rosalind for the last five miles (9 km), or get a tow. We have used our dinghy as a push tug in the past and this can work well. The only two limitations are that you have limited maneuverability (because you have limited horsepower) and its best done in calm waters.
The entrance to Herrington Harbour North is at the top of a narrow channel. The four mile (7.5 km) channel is too narrow to tack in and the wind was on the nose. Once you get to the entrance, you must navigate between markers over a sandbar. There is a shoal in the middle of the creek and the marina fairways are very narrow. Additionally, when the weather is fine, the entrance can be very crowded with boats leaving and returning to the marina simultaneously. After a short discussion, we opted for the tow. We made the call. While waiting, I opened the starboard fuel tank deck fill and Voila, the o-ring that was supposed to act as a seal to prevent water from entering the tank had split and there was a clearly visible 1/2 inch (12 mm) gap.
Failed O-Ring from Diesel Filler Cap
Starboard Diesel Filler Station Taped to Prevent Further Water Intrusion.
Captain Mike, running the towboat, called us on the cellphone and we shared our coordinates. He was 1.9 miles (3.5 km) away...
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