So What Happened With The Engine?? (June 2021)

We are still planning for KEELDRAGGERPALOOZA at White Cove, Catalina Island on June 26-27! Stop by and give us a shout! ---- In this episode, we attempt to diagnose why our engine stalled last weekend while coming back from Catalina. The engine stalled at the entrance of LA harbor. We did an immediate jibe to avoid an incoming container ship and outgoing tugboat. After getting some sea room, we attempted to restart the engine to no avail. Winds were consistently 20-25kts and we decided the safest and most prudent course of action was to get a tow from Vessel Assist. After checking the diesel tank gauge and cross-checking engine hours from the log book, I did not suspect running out of fuel. Seas were a bit lumpy short period wind waves. While the primary fuel filter had a little bit of sentiment (it was changed fairly recently), the vacuum gauge did not not indicate an issue with the primary. I suspected the secondary fuel filter could be clogged. I decided to swap to the alternate primary fuel filter, replace the secondary fuel filter, and add 10 gal diesel to 100% eliminate any concerns with not having enough diesel in the tank. You'll see some swearing as well a lot of complexity in the fuel system--lots of valves and added components which, in my opinion, are more of a liability when trying to quickly resolve a fuel delivery issue at sea. Follow the Keeldragger Sailing Blog and Tracker: https://bit.ly/3CxpYlk