DAY 70
NEW ENGLAND & THE CANADIAN MARITIMES
Day 70 • We started having air leak issues again, but this time much worse. The engine won’t run more than a minute or two before shutting down. We removed the recently installed vacuum gauge. That didn’t fix it. So we blamed the priming bulb and replaced it with an electric pump we had on hand. We then went through and applied a sealing product to all the fuel line connections. We figured we better goop the hoses on the fuel tank as well. So we dug that out. During the process, we bumped one of the specialty fittings. Of course it slipped down the gap and rolled under the fuel tank where we couldn’t come even close to reaching it.
Evan said, “There’s no way I can lift this tank; it’s nearly full!” We had no other option but to try. (There was no wind, we were emergency anchored in the inlet, and unable to move without this part installed) We undid all of the braces, and He-Man was able to lift the tank enough for Tiny Hands to grab the very important part. It felt like a miracle! Then He-Man started to question himself. How did he move the tank so easily? How was that even possible? We removed the fuel level sensor from its hole to realize we had NO FUEL. Several hours of work because we ran out of fuel. Obviously, it is the fuel gauge’s fault, but we still feel super dumb.
24 NM
Shelburne to Lockeport, Nova Scotia
