One topic I haven't discussed much is our boat engine. Captain Ken had it serviced thoroughly (or so we thought) in Cairns. No sooner had we left Thursday Island, on our way to Saumlaki, that our engine overheat alarm sounded. That was an 'Uh-oh' (to be polite) moment. But...we let the engine cool down and then stayed the course. We did sail as much as possible...which is a actually good thing. There wasn't much we could do at that point anyway. In Indonesia, there are no places to go for diagnosis and repairs but as a group, our rally mates possessed an incredible wealth of mechanical experience and knowledge (after all, they are all boat owners) and they combined that accumulated knowledge to brainstorm and try to resolve our problem. There were some issues they found (like the fan belt which was on the verge of breaking which the Cairns mechanic had missed) but they went as far as they could...and then we were on our own. So...we have spent the past 2 months babying the engine to keep it from overheating. It hasn't been a disaster, and it never really kept us from enjoying our time here, but we always had to be mindful of the situation when planning our day's route. Without the ability to goose up the engine, we had to make sure we could reach each night's anchorage in daylight with some leeway. Our rally mates have been amazing in keeping their eyes on us to ensure we were OK. The pic of the day is of our buddy, Bill, back in August, working on our engine issue.

If there is any saving grace, it is that rarely did a day go by when one or more of the rally mates didn't give a shout out on the VHF for some help, as well. Not that I wished any ill on anyone but It did make me feel a little better that we weren't the only boat with a problem. Sometimes they needed parts; sometimes it was for a mechanical consult. The issues ran the gamut of faulty heads, refrigeration issues, generator problems or...like us, engine ailments. The amazing thing was how many replacement parts could be found on other boats. One boat, Almacantar, a 54 ft Oyster, must have had their own chandlery on board. They seemed to have parts for everyone. Some parts were bought, some were lent until replacement parts could be purchased, and some were bartered.

One of the other rally boats had a really serious engine problem and literally had to have dinghy maneuvering assistance to anchor and towing assist to travel. There is no such thing as 'Boat Indonesia' for towing in emergency situations. Once they got to Labuanbajo, they flew in a recommended mechanic from Bali to assess the situation. After he worked on their boat, he checked out ours, made a preliminary diagnosis that we just need to have our system flushed, and we made the appointment for him to do the work when we get to Bali.

So, what's the moral of the story? There are a few. First of all, we all need to treat our boats like airplanes. Lots of preventive maintenance, precise service record logs regarding every possible part and system, and an understanding of how things work. It isn't really possible for everyone but those who have been 'packing their own chute' over the years, whether for financial reasons or fun, do seem to have a huge advantage over those of us who have been relying on our friendly and expensive boat yard staff. Have replacement parts for everything, if you have the room. Everything will eventually fail, and if you are off the beaten path, you will not find a West Marine, nor will it be easy to have parts shipped. Have all of the relevant owner's manuals for your electronics, mechanical parts and appliances...and have them well organized so you can find them when you need them. Keep a log of recommended service intervals. And, it goes without saying, keep those parts (and all sorts of tools) well organized and inventoried. And then...there's Nigel Calder. Who, pray tell is Nigel Calder? He has written the bible "Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual". I had never heard of it, but almost every boat had a copy. Our buddy, Bill, who did a lot of the preliminary work for us, used it extensively. It is like 'Boat Mechanics for Dummies'....and even I, a mechanical novice could easily follow it. As a coinkydink, I read a book, "sailing to Jessica" about a young couple who were non sailors and non boatowners, who quit their jobs and embarked on a circumnavigation. Every time something went wrong, they, too, took out their 'Nigel'. Needless to say, ordering it is high up on my to-do list when I get home.

And now for the end of the story. It was a roller coaster day, both literally and figuratively. We had 50 miles left to go from Lombok to Denpasar, our engine hospital. Normally, if the boat can average 6 kts, it is easily doable in daylight. Since we could not realistically count on averaging more than 4 kts, (maybe less) we got up at o'dark thirty and left Lombok at first light, accompanied by our buddy boat, Solstice. At first, we had 22-28 kts, beam reach. No engine necessary! Very nice! Our speed over the ground was over 7 kts and our projected ETA was early afternoon. Then, the wind shifted to our nose, with waves breaking over the bow. Engine on, sails down. Even though we could only go 2-3 kts through the water, there was a funky current of 4 kts pushing us, keeping our ground speed well over 5 kts. This is called 'major lucky'. And then...with 20 miles to go....(you know where this is going), the engine overheat alarm sounded. It was a 'you gotta' be kidding me' moment. So close.but so far away. We had travelled 2100 miles with a fragile engine and now...... But, the Captain tweaked the RPMs up and down, and managed to keep the engine running. We got there. YAY. Ken's instructions were to call in to the marina when we were close. He did. The pilot boat came out to meet us and led us to the mooring. They even attached our lines. How nice. So, if you felt a huge gust of wind at 5 AM EST (5 PM here) that was me...breathing a big sigh of relief.