Adventure at Sea Story with A Happy Ending

On Monday morning 6/1/09 we left Port Royal Landing Marina near Beaufort, SC intending to sail the Atlantic either to the Cape Fear Inlet (one night at sea) or the Beaufort, NC inlet (two nights at sea) depending on the weather. The weather forecasts were ideal for light winds and one to two foot seas. At 6 pm the low oil pressure alarm went off and while we were checking that we found there was also a major leak in an oil plug on the bottom of the oil pan. We shut down the engine to avoid fatally damaging our loyal Peugeot Ford Lehman engine. We were 12 to 14 miles offshore.

By cell phone we talked to our diesel mechanic friend, Jim DeMartin, in Beaufort, SC. There was too little wind to sail so we wallowed with only our staysail up while we cleaned up the oil mess (in an environmentally responsible manner) and fashioned a wooden plug for the oil pan. We refilled the oil and then restarted the engine and everything seemed to be ok. So we resumed motoring and were confident enough to pass the inlet to Carleston, SC at 8:30 pm (hesitating to enter a strange inlet in the dark) and continued on our course to the Cape Fear inlet.

In all the confusion Linda cut her arm and burned dinner adding to the "excitement" of the day. AT 12:30 am the electric oil pressure gauge in the cockpit had dropped to only 20 lbs. of oil pressure and there was more oil leading from the oil pan so we again shut down the engine. By 1 am after much discussion of weighing of alternatives we decided to call Tow Boat US in Georgetown, SC for a tow. We were off Cape Romain 37 miles from Georgetown and still no wind to sail.

In spite of the anxiety about our engine we did have moments to enjoy a beautiful night. Linda enjoyed a fiery moonset (Loy was taking a nap) and the stars and planets filled the sky. At one time we mistook a planet for a nearby masthead light on another sailboat. We grateful to have backup equipment that we rarely need, including a spot light, wooden plugs, jack lines, safety harnesses, cleaning supplies, radar, chartplotter and tools.

By 4:30 am the tow boat arrived and located us when we lighted our sail with the spot light. We were towed against the tide so were traveling at only 3.5 and 5 knots and arrived in Georgetown at 10:30 am. We took turns steering and sleeping. Steering was quite challenging with the ocean swell and waves.

We tied up at Hazzard Marina (that's really their name!) in Georgetown and they were very helpful in connecting up with a boat mechanic, Jim Johnson. Jim diagnosed the problem as a faulty sender for the electric gauge. We were so happy that the verdict was not a destroyed that we walked into town and had dinner at the Dockside Tavern. The wine hit us so hard in our sleep deprived state that we walked back to the marina very slowly and fell asleep while the cubs were still tied 5 to 5 in the 12th inning.

On Wednesday morning Jim returned with a new mechanical oil gauge, a plug for the oil pan, and replacement oil supplies. The new mechanical gauge verified that the oil pressure was 50 lbs and the electric gauge responded to the new sender by reading 45 lbs. We believed all the problems were solved and left for Osprey Marina south of Myrtle Beach, SC. Just before our arrival at 4 pm the electric oil gauge indicated that we had only 20 lbs of oil pressure, but the mechanical gauge still was reading 50 lbs. Another hurried phone consultation, this time with Jim Johnson, reassured us that the pressure was right, but the electric gauge may need to be replaced.

Oh well, most of the news today was happy news. And Osprey Marina is still one of the most beautiful we have experienced.