Approaching Cabo de Gata ...

SV Eleonora
Michael A. Andronov
Mon 28 Oct 2019 15:22
36:42.670N 002:11.884W
UTC 1457

As I started to type this message, we  are motor sailing and closing on Cabo de Gata… 
We are about  5-6 hours later then it has been planned. 
What is the reason ?  Simple… During the night, the motor decided to take the advantage of the zero visibility,  complete absence of the wind,  the fact that we are about 2 nm from the route of most ships to Cartagena — and, oh, boy, this route is busy at night… — and stopped.  Just stopped… With all signs that the fuel is out…

The irony was —  it happened after I checked the currently working  diesel tank with a stick, and confirmed that we have about 140 litres of fuiel…   Is it possible that the fact that I opened the tank as the motor was taken fuel from it  provoked the motor to stop ?
( I doubt it.  The whole for stick is smaller then the ventilation hose… Sounds like complete absurd to me… But at this point, I would probably be uncertain in everything, and be scared by my own shadow… ;-)). 
Anyway,  a few minutes after I wrote in log book that I have enough fuel, the heard the change in the motor sound,  noticed 0 flow on Floscan…. and before I reached the cockpit to stop the motor — He stopped himself…  ( We agreed at night, that I would address the motor ‘he ‘ from now on… ).

The drill is well known… get access to the motor,  injectors,  bleed the air,  re-start the motor… 
Done. Start the motor.  Started…. But…  :
— a lot of vibration… the noise terrible  — sounds like the motor leg is broken somewhere… 
— does not want to increase RPM ( even with no load … )
— after 2-3 minutes — seems stabilising… but stop working… with the symptoms of no fuel… 

Ok,  have seen that before…  More air ?   Repeated above — with the same results… 

Attempt #4 has been delayed because of the tanker moving to Cartagena… The sailing Gods were kind… We found 0.8 knots of current, and managed TO TURN 40 degrees starboard…   Ah, big ships captains!  Ah, their officers no watch!!!  Our move has been noticed and accepted, the tanker turn to starboard a bit, and we left each other with a bit less then 2 miles clearance!    What a wonderful, magnificent speed — 0.8 knots!!!  Especially, when you can see both green and red lights of approaching tanker! ;-) 

Attempt #4  finished with the same results, as the previous ones!   Running, vibrating,  stabilising a bit, and stopped working again, with the signs — no fuel…  The fact, that each bleeding makes the motor to start nearly instantly — provided a ’teasing hope’…  But I needed a running engine… More ships were passing… Though, in most cases — I saw red light right away,  and knew it will passed by… The question was — how close…

A few more attempts with the same results — brought the idea that it is time to start  to think and to do something different… 

To make the story short, the list of things which were done, with attempt after each:
— the diesel filter, before the high pressure pump;
— the high pressure pump;
— the switching the water separator filter; 
— switching the fuel tank — I had one reserved since Napoli…. 

Did not help… 
Then I noticed, that the 1st injector has no effect if I opened it…  I’ve opened it and was pushing fuels, until at certain moment, some diesel started to go out… The result was — the motor started even with only 1 first cylinder…  using this vibrating / rocking motor, I’ve bleeded the rest of the injectors…. As I was closing… the motor was becoming more stable… 

All done… the motor running…. Then, instead of stopping… I’ve noticed that it rapidly increased consumption… to 3 gph… speed up a bit, and trop the speed to normal… and the consumption too… 

I wish I can say that ‘With the firm arm I moved the motor control  forward and we started to move … ‘. The reality was — with two left hand bleeding  crossed fingers on the wheel,  I put my shaking right hand to the control… and move it a bit… Expecting the motor to stop…. I heard the prop engaged… The boat started to move… 1.4 knots… Better then 0.8…. 

Slowly, waiting a couple of minutes at each step,  I put the boat to 1100 RPM… Got 4.5 knots… 
We are still running… 
It seems the engine is running better then before — less vibration noise… more steady, a bit more power then before… 
I’m afraid to move anything… ;-) 

I’m pretty sure — that the major terrifying me vibration noise was from the fact, that the motor has been running on 3 cylinders… 
Interestingly, taхometer, which was working and not working properly since I’ve left England… is working now…  
Does it mean that I’ve been running with 3 cylinders since then ?  Well….  All those questions for later time…  

We are moving to Almerimar… 

We have just turned around Cabo de Gata…

It is still a lot to find about what happened to the motor, and a lot to learn… 
But at this point, we are moving… 

That is all for now,  
Everything is under control. 
Talk soon, 
M. 

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