After All, it is a Sailboat
Out of necessity and purely for reasons of ease, I have sailed boats large and small on and off docks on numerous occasions. Monday morning I was mentally preparing myself to do the same. Not because I wanted to, but because our sturdy Perkins diesel shut down in the middle of Puget Sound.
Fortunately, I immediately knew what it was. Tank one was bone dry. While cursing myself for breaking a rule that I usually don’t — running out of fuel — I set sail to put us back on course. As we cleared the shipping lane I dropped down below and switched the fuel feed from tank one to two and opened the companionway steps to start the bleeding process. With the simple twist of a vent screw, air bubbles spilled out with diesel fuel and the blue beast roared to life on Jill’s first twist of the key. When our fenders touched the fuel dock I couldn’t help but be glad that we didn’t need to sail in. There was no wind.
Enjoy this week’s edition.
