February 15, 2016
12:50-And in a swirl of IRL flotsom, off we go...
Engine: Port 845.8, Starboard 841.8, 12KW 647.5
My boat service tech spent some time this mornng as we were loading the boat
and found a loose connector inthe port engine wiring harness. Eveerything seems to be working fine and we departed Melbourne at 12:50.
.... I spoke too soon. We got to about a mile north of the Wabasso bridge and noticed the port engine RPM meter fluctuating. A little at first, but more and more and more until a familiar alarm started sounding indicating the same engine failure that we thought we had already fixed.
I called my service techs and they recommended reseating the connector on the wiring harness.
Down into the engine room went Mike H and Sherman T to check it out. They found a loose connector in the wiring harness and put it back together.
we got to Vero Beach where we were going to stop for the night and the port engine failed again. We reconnected the harness again while turning into the channel for the Vero Beach Municiple Marina.
About 500 feet off the dock with a south wind, rain, and current pushing us it failed again. We ignored the loss of the port engine and docked the boat at the fuel dock for the night.
February 16, 2016
08:20-Vero Beach to points south...
Engine: Port 851.1, Starboard 846.9, 12KW 652.9
This morning Mike H and Sherman T went below to tie wrap the connector together. However, they found that the retaining ring on the connector was not seated in a proper manner, so they connected the plugs together and off we went.
We got about 100 feet south of the Hwy 60 bridge and the port engine again failed; however, this time no amount of cajoling could get the alarm to silence itself.
We decided to proceed to Ft. Pierce and requested that the service techs meet us there. I shut down the port engine to shutoff the alarm except when I needed the PTO for the thrusters. We proceeded to Ft Pierce City Marina at a leisurly 6 knots on the starboard engine.
We arrived at 11:30, I powered up the port engine and evacuated the Pilot House for the quiet of the Starboard wing station. After docking the boat we waited for a John Deere service tech. He and Mike H went below. As they lifted the wiring harness, they saw the harness' power connection fall apart. They reconnected the power, and we ran the enging through its paces with no failures. I await the morning to put the engine through some additional effort.
February 17, 2016
08:47-Ft. Pierce to West Palm Beach
Engine: Port 852.1, Starboard 849.9, 12KW 655.8
Tested the engine down the ICW to St. Lucie inlet. All seems to be resolved. We exited the ICW for the Atlantic ocean and proceeded to the anchorage south of Peanut Island in West Palm Beach.
February 18, 2016
06:59-West Palm Beach to Ft. Lauderdale
Engine: Port 859.7, Starboard 857.5, 12KW 678.3
No problems running at all.
February 19, 2016
07:16-Ft. Lauderdale to Key Largo
Engine: Port 869.5, Starboard 867.3, 12KW 687.9
No problems.
February 20, 2016
08:23-Key Largo to Marathon
Engine: Port 878.9, Starboard 876.6, 12KW 697.2
No Problems.
February 21, 2016
07:11-Marathon to Key West
Engine: Port 888.0, Starboard 885.8, 12KW 707.1
No Problems.
February 22, 2016
07:41-Key West to Ft. Jefferson, Dry Tortugas
Engine: Port 893.5, Starboard 891.2, 12KW 712.6
No Problems.