Saturday, April 11, 2015

Crossing Aborted - s/v //Traveler

Outbound from Puerto Vallarta we sailed west encountering some jumbled seas the second day and finding diesel in the bilge. The smell and the motion of the boat combined brought on sea sickness for Connie. The two Scotts examined the diesel tanks and found the source of the leak on top of the starboard tank, next to the filler nipple. The fiberglass encased steel tank had rusted and delaminated . A crack had formed allowing fuel to seep out when the boat motion sloshed the fuel up at the top of the tank. We had about 120 gallons of diesel in the tanks so they were fairly full.

Being relatively near land, with 2761 miles to go to Hawaii we reluctantly decided to turn back. Prudence prevailed. My thought was that the crack could grow larger in a heavy sea, spilling more diesel. We could patch it but would it be wise to embark on a four week crossing with a hastily patched tank? Moreover, the smell was causing nausea in the crew.

We are presently headed north toward the Sea of Cortez, choosing a landfall at La Paz instead of retreating back to Puerto Vallarta. Our location is N 20 degrees 54 minutes, W 107 degrees 48 minutes. Aside from the fuel leak, all is well on board. Connie is getting over her sea sickness and we are starting to feel a little bit more rested.

Our joy will come when Scott Tobiason catches that big tuna as we approach Los Frailes and we can enjoy sushi with a crisp chilled white wine.

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1 comment:

  1. Thinking about you guys. Glad to know all is well, though I am sure you are disappointed. Adventuring, while the right decision, is hard! I am now in Peru, doing my own adventuring, inspired in part by you two. Found my first scorpion in the bedroom yesterday. Yikes. Keep on keepin on!!

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