So there I was, yesterday evening, watching a huge tanker pass ahead of me (roughly 1nm away). Id noticed the tanker on AIS about an hour ago, and had been watching closely because we were on crossing pathscalculated to come within three hundred feet of each other at our closest point of approach. But Resolute was slowing as the wind died down, so there was no problem.
Thats not the mystery.
With the wind dying, I rechecked the forecastvery little wind for the next 12 hours. This is a great time for motoring. Im not racing, so no restrictions there. And I have oodles of diesel fuel for this purpose. So I decided to motor over night until noon today (or whenever the wind picked up). Start the engine. No problem.put her in gear. Hmmmno acceleration. Rev her up: nothing. Reverse gear: nothing.
Thats the mystery: whats wrong? (I still havent figured it out. Ill post what Ive done and what my go-forward plan is tomorrow. First question for me is whether or not to detour to Bermuda.) Anyway, whoever correctly diagnoses the issue gets…er…bragging rights? Ruth will be watching the comments if anyone has a sensible test for me to undertake.
In the meantime, Im sailing away. Winds are good but not great and Im fighting a 1.8kt adverse current.
First hot meal of the trip this afternoon: Spicy Thai Curry.
Check the transmission cable connection at the engine. See if you can put it in gear manually there. Might be the cable needs adjustment.
Hi, it’s possible it’s as simple as the prop fell off! Happened to Alessandro in Nantucket Sound with no warning. Put a Go-Pro pole in the water and see if it’s still there? Or throw up massive sail area, heel her over 40 degrees and hang over the side like Greenie enjoys. Good luck! Piper
Sure you have a prop? My first guess.
Have to assume most mechanisms are 4.0 given you motored fine out of Camden on the delivery to BH. And getting out of the Harbor.
Assume it was in Fwd And Rev several times?
As above, check that the selector arm on the gearbox is operating properly and that you haven’t lost fluid.
You’ve got a saildrive, right?
I think that unit has a prop hub bushing…maybe that has given out.
Good luck and enjoy your dinner!
Spunds like he has gears. Check the throttle cable I guess. It is always something simple right?
You have a prop? Can you see any prop wash when it’s in gear? (Maybe your sail drive is too far forward, and deep.)
I lost a prop once, as did Matt Cousins. Miraculously we both found ours. You’d have a harder chance.
I agree with Jonathon Green. See if you can manually get the transmission to engage. Seems likely there is problem with cables if so equipped or with the hydraulic pressure from the shift valve. Maybe Ruth can advise how to access your tracker. Haven’t figured it out yet.
Good luck!
Is the shift cable still attached on the gear?
I once lost the aft bit of the prop shaft on Mollyockett (shaft cracked and the threaded end fell off with the nut on it). I suspect the prop nut had been over-torqued. At any rate, the taper in the prop hub was forced tightly enough onto the taper on the shaft that the prop continued to function just fine until we hauled out in the fall and discovered the problem. Makes me doubt that you’ve lost your prop, especially since it worked fine the last time you motored. I’d check the shift cable adjustment. It’s probably not pushing the lever on the transmission far enough to engage your gear. Also check oil level in transmission. Good luck! Hope you can correct it.
Shift cable or no prop
Scott, My guess would be that you picked up a bit of pot warp/net/plastic bag on your prop, perhaps while exiting Jericho Bay. You could anchor off the Town Cut- Five Fathom Hole comes to mind, dive on it there, and continue onwards without the bother of clearing in. Hope you enjoyed the curry! Regards, Peter
Hi Scott. Can you see if the shaft is turning when you engage the transmission? if you have lost the prop that is one thing. If the shaft has come loose from the transmission then there is a risk of loosing the shaft out through the stuffing box hence a hole where you don’t need one. I have no idea what kind of access you may have to the transmission and shaft area but you can check these as a start. Good luck!
Hi Ruth:
The issue Scott is having sounds like the control (Morse) cables that connect the engine to both the transmission and throttle are disfunctional we have also had this issue twice.
What he might try, is to crawl below and manually shift the transmission to forward, and also manually move the engine throttle a bit to rev it up. If the folding prop is functional.
My guess is the cables or the clamps holding them in place are the problem.
Good Luck Rick
Re Peter McC’s guess: yup, ? maybe something keeping the prop from opening but light enough not to thump on the bottom (which I’ve felt) or slow or stop the engine (which I’ve had happen). If that’s it, think it might spin off? Awaiting the denouement.
I go with the no prop group. You should be able to see that the shaft is turning and nothing happens. The home bay is notorious for funky currents that can erode a cotter pin and allow the retention nut to spin off. That is a Cardiologist’s opinion from Blue Hill so it should be suspect.
Just spoke with Scott and read off as many posts as I could. He has done most of the things you have all suggested to no avail, except that he left his go-pro behind. The winds have picked up nicely, so he’s making forward progress. Still hasn’t decided whether he will stop in Bermuda or sail on to Antigua. He’ll post tomorrow with an update. Thanks, Ruth
Not much more Scott can do and I bet he sails into the harbor and gets a push to the mooring. I remember the years teaching sailing in Florida and tacking a Soiling out through a 15 foot channel. They learn fast. I bet that when he gets to the harbor he will ask for the mooring number and location and, it the winds are favorable, approach the mooring under sail.
Scott,
I am not sure if you got my email earlier. After our conversation I talked to the mechanics and where you are able to operate the gear shift manually and there is no grinding noises or the engine dies they think it’s either line around the prop or it’s gone. Also can you check the oil on the dipstick. It will be a good indercation to the condition of the inside of the drive. Although props fall off the likely hood is its line where you were into it in Maine. To confirm you are going to have to look at the drive, easier said than done. We have also been in contact with our people in Antigua about service if needed. Good luck.