Dear all,
31 July. We WERE suppose to depart this morning for Orhaniye but again, fuel problems beseech me. Looked to replace both fuel filters on the engine but ouch! Do not have. Drop the anchor again in Selimiye and make a quick call into my engine person in Marmaris and Zehra will be off tomorrow to get them by the dolmus (shared taxi) van. Again kicking myself for not having on board!!! But, there may be a silver lining in this error. It gives me time to think about what exactly am I experiencing....
1 Aug. Been thinking about this fuel starvation issue and do NOT believe it is a fuel filter clog issue. When I had that problem on the East Med Yacht Rally last year, the engine died like a rock falling thru the air. Quick and sudden. The symptoms I am having is like somebody gasping for breath. But, Zehra is off to Marmaris to get the filters and we decide to push on tomorrow. Meanwhile, I am looking for a vacuum leak, believe I found it (loose fitting on the engine fuel pump suction line), seal it with thread sealer and hopefully tomorrow, all is well. Zehra came back EXHAUSTED, but she has the filters and a new bathing suit bottom. We go out tonight for a quick bite to eat.
2 Aug. Had fuel starvation issues AGAIN on the trip to Orhaniye but this time, I put on the fuel purifier pump and slowly came into the anchorage. It occured some 40 minutes after leaving the anchorage, and this after 20 minutes of just circling the anchorage as a "mini-sea trial." Am bummed out but while anchoring, saw the Nordhavn 55 "Salty Dawg" (David, Lowie, Danforth and new to us, Tatli!) anchored. We last ran into them on 1 May 2012 at Teos Marina (Sagcik, Izmir) while on the East Med Yacht Rally. Socialization though will have to wait.
When I go into the engine room to stop the engine (I start the engine the first time every day from the engine room, and shut it down for the last time every day from the engine room) a fuel drip catches my eye. I hold off stopping the engine and see it drip again. It is coming from a pipe connection after my Separ Fuel/Water filter system and is in the line that is the suction pipe to the main engine fuel pump. Normally this line is under a slight vacuum, but because the fuel purifier pump is on, this line is under pressure. Could this be the problem? So, stop the engine, and leave the purifier pump on, recirculating the fuel thru the Separs while I ponder this new bit of data.
So, by playing with the purifying pump's discharge valve, I am able to see exacting where the fuel is dripping from. Turn off the pump and try to tighten the fitting. Does not move so decide to take it apart. I know the drill here. Once you start taking suction fuel pipe apart, you can chase vacuum leaks for weeks. So, being real careful, I disassemble this coupling, apply thread sealant, and re-assemble. Turn on the pump to pressurize the pipe and the leak remains. Now decide to take the pipe off at both ends and inspect. I do, (after a little struggle as to who is going to win!) and decide to apply thread sealant not only to the threads, but also to the coupler's sealing face. Put it all back together (of course going together is more of a problem than coming apart, but you already know that!) and pressurize the pump. Still one leak. (Had not thought to thread seal the pipe threads that this pipe joins, duhhhhh) so, secure pump, take apart, apply thread sealant, re-assemble, and test. No leak after 15 minutes running the pump.
Decide to saran wrap these joints so with the help of Zehra cutting the plastic wrap, I wrap the offending joints with multiple layers of plastic wrap, thinking that if there is still a small vacuum leak, the wrap MIGHT seal it. I then drain both engine fuel oil / water separator filters (Zehra had brought back from Marmaris new ones, just in case) and refill them with fuel to take out the air. After doing all that, while still at anchor, start the engine and run it for one hour+ at 1600 RPM. (My normal traveling rpm is 1400.) After one hour, stop the engine and think I may have a victory to honor. Too hot and sweating and tired so I plan for a short sea trials tomorrow (but alas, that is NOT to be.)
On a parallel wave front, working to get some Netsel people here tomorrow night for Dinner. Not going as well as I am hoping but... So, after cooling off, and a swim over to Salty Dawg to say Hi!, we have dinner on board and then tender into Ersoy's Restaurant to see if he will have room for pier side tomorrow. He does. He states that a sail boat is leaving at midnight tonight and that I should be here by 1000 tomorrow morning. There goes sea trials. We agree, tender back to LeeZe, and I fall asleep on the salon couch.
3 August. Up early, have coffee, take the tender to Salty Dawg and invite them to Ersoy's for dinner. The two of them agree and that is a good start for the day. (One takes small successes whenever possible!!) Zehra gets up, we have coffee together, and underway at 0955 for Ersoy. Moored stern to at Ersoy's pier at about 1015 this morning. He wanted us early as he was afraid that if the wind picked up, we might damage his dock. No engine problems noted but this was hardly a test. We in using 80 meters of chain, and take on shore power and take a break.
After breakfast, off the the weekly farmer's market some 1000 meters down the road, where we load up on fresh fruit, veggies, onions and potatoes.
After the market, I noted the drinking water seems to be "funny tasting" so performed a soft water measurement test and the water is too hard. So, go down to change the HOH resin and carbon filter and while THAT did not go smoothly, it eventually goes and within a couple of hours, we are agin drinking soft water. I call it quits for the day, relax, take a shower and wait for dinner. As it turns out, no one from Netsel is coming so it wlll just be LeeZe and Salty Dawg.
Dinner is at 2000, the sun is setting, and we are sitting at the table enjoying the dinner and company. While Ersoy has some pretty great looking fish, we end up on the meat and potatoes side of the menu. By 2230, dinner is over, we all are ready to call it a night (Salty Dawg still has to walk their two dogs ashore) and again I fall asleep like a rock
4 Aug: Decided to spend one more day at Ersoy's restaurant. Trying to relax. We took the tender to Kiz Kumu, a beach resort across the bay. Its claim to fame is that it "sits" next to a long sand bar that meanders its way out into the bay. If you did not know it existed, and you pulled into the bay, and your paper charts were not up-to-date, you would see a wide bay with people like Jesus walking on water! I cannot tell you how many pictures I have seen of yachts stuck on the sand bar thinking they could get to the other side. Anyway, we read a story about some maiden who spread the sand trying to get across to escape some pirates that were attacking her father's kingdom some 3000 years ago. We think it makes for a great story, but have reason to doubt its authenticity. After the beach, we came back, relaxed and had another great dinner at Ersoy's. This time I had calamari and Zehra had a mixed fish and meat and veggie dish.
5. Today is test day. I am NOT looking forward to it. I am actually dreading it. We depart Ersoy's Restaurant for Bencik, a long cove North and West of Orhaniye. Underway at ~1030 and we are anchored in the cove by 1230.
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