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Ship’s Log 6.29 Mentor - St Clair with some bumps in between

 Today was a bit of a doozy. We wake up in Mentor and are ready to hightail it. There are a lot of bugs and nothing gets you moving like mosquitos. 

Again a strangely calm day on Lake Erie. We are supposed to have some work calls but have apparently entered Canadian waters and have zero reception.

We enter the Detroit River, and all looks well in D-Rock as we pass by. Up we go to Lake St Clair and roll by beautiful Gross Pointe.  William and I are up on the flybridge, enjoying the view. Mason texts a photo of the gas gauges (both side tanks full and main at 1/2, we're in good shape.) Yet another smooth lake crossing till we get about midway. The clouds in the distance quickly darken as we get closer. Just as I am pulling up the radar, a lady comes over the VHF announcing a squall warning. Ruhroh. Oh look, lightning!

We continue crossing the lake (what else are we going to do) and pass a few sailboats, chugging along as fast as they can to get to safe harbor.

Right before we enter the St. Clair River on the other side, Wm announces, "Something just happened." Okay...What are we talking about? He says one of the engines just went out and scurries downstairs. The main tank is on empty. We are wondering how in the world this happened so quickly but really have to focus on how to fix it. The side tanks are full and we can use injectors to pump fuel into the main tank but you're really supposed to do this before main tank is on empty. We click the injector switches. Port works, Starboard doesn't. Having been here before, we know Wm has to go down and crack the fuel line (release pressure to create a vacuum to get the fuel moving). Break out the toolbox, head down into the engine room. And oh yeah, the squall. 

I am driving, since Wm is below, with just the port engine going about 8 knots, trying to find a marina where we can hunker down. Wind is blowing, rain is coming down hard, and lightning crackles here and there. With only one engine, the boat is pulling hard to the right, so we have to keep adjusting our track with the joystick. Wm is still down below trying to release the pressure. When he pops his head up, he does not have good news. There are 6 injection bolts you can loosen to release pressure. One of them is shorn in half. No clue how that even happens, but there you go. We start googling Yanmar dealers, and Wm finds a guy named Steve who can order a new bolt and washer. He says he can get it shipped to him, and then we have to pick it up. Steve is in Flint, MI. We are in St. Clair, an hour's drive away. I start googling rental car places, finding one. It is completely sold out. Everything is sold out within any reasonable distance. Annoyingly, there are bolts and rental cars a stone's throw away in Canada, but we can't go there. We decide it might be better to arrange transportation to Harbor Springs, pick up our prearranged rental car, and then come back, pick up the bolt, and take it to the boat. Mason starts googling options, we have two (keep in mind, it's right around the Fourth of July): 1) a charter bus 2) a limo. He's leaning towards limo, preferably stretch. 

We decide to limp to St. Clair on our one engine and see if we can get the old bolt to work, at least till we get to Harbor Springs. We have probably been going this whole time with it in this state without ever knowing. If that does not work, we'll book the stretch. 

We make it to St. Clair and feel like we made the right call coming here. A blue bascule bridge lifts up to let us in, flowery window baskets on the bridge master's tower. The marina folk are friendly and helpful, and the facilities are nice. We are really looking forward to using the showers after we address this pesky engine.

Wm heads back down while I vacuum and mop, working off some nerves on the floor. I'm also on call to hand down tools and test engines. We send M&M off fishing while we deal. Wm calls up to to start the starboard engine while he pumps fuel. First time, nothing. Second time, we have lift off! I lay down and poke my head in the engine room, "Is that it? Did you do it?" Wm says he thinks so but we really won't know till we try again in the morning. 

We head to the showers to freshen up, then toast William over spaghetti for his potential victory.

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