Ahaaaa - we found the culprit!

We have a working engine again! Yippeeeee!

Here is the culprit to our engine troubles - a fuel filter chock-a-block full of algae!

John Parsons, the mechanic that helped Pete when we first arrived in Eden a week ago, pulled the fuel filter apart:

Nasty! Apparently algae lives anywhere there is a chance of water contact with diesel - and there is darkness. So this happened in Gradiva's fuel tanks. When they are getting low, condensation can occur higher up in the tank and the algae just starts to grow and grow. Also the fuel distributors can have it in their tanks even though they assure you they don't. You cannot prevent it from occuring - only kill it when it does...

So we have some stuff that kills it but once you start putting that in, it will pull ALL the algae away from the edges of the tanks and continue to block the filters so we have plenty of spare filters but won't start the algae killing process until we get home...

But we were still waiting on the starter motor. There are no brand new ones available so we are waiting for one to be manufactured. Ayla and I decided to book a bus home. We miss Nelson and Bobby (dog and cat!) and could do some much needed washing too. And then we'll just catch the bus back up when the starter motor arrives and sail back home with Pete.

But the auto electrician guy in Bega said he will fix our starter motor just so it will get us home so we don't have to wait...hmmmm...now we're in a predicament. Do we just go home on the bus anyway? A storm is coming...could we make it home on the boat in time?

We decided to cancel the bus and stick it out with Pete! So Pete got picked up by his mate Bill Tuckwell early Wednesday morning 13th January and borrowed his car to drive into Bega and pick up the repaired starter motor early because we had a window of opportunity to beat the southerly if we left by about 10am. But Bill was running a little late and by the time Pete brought it back to Gradiva and I helped him to re-install it, our window was gone.

With the pressure off to leave quickly, and the repaired starter motor in place, I tried turning the key and...nothing! Jeepus! Pete had a closer look and one of the wires had slipped out of its casing so Pete found a new casing and repaired the fitting and re-installed and I turned the key again and...bingo! I never thought the running of an engine would sound so good!!

So we kept it running for a bit. Then turned it off and then turned it on again just to be sure and yay - it started every time. Just like a bought one!! So Pete rang the guy to come and refuel and we farewelled Eden Harbour at about 4pm and motored across to the other side of Twofold Bay to Fisheries Beach near Edrom Lodge because by this time the southerly was already coming up and we needed to duck out of the wind for the night.

There were already three other boats here with the same idea...we had a lovely dive in and swim around the boat, before tucking in for the night.

The southerly hit through the night and even tucked up here, protected in the south of the bay, we were tossed and turned by swell and wind all night. By the time we woke in the morning there were another 8 boats anchored around us!

And then the rain came. Thursday was pretty much an indoor day. Lots of rain and gusty winds. We had a chance for another sort through and clean out of the cupboards.

And here we wait...it's Friday 15th January today. Happy Birthday to my Mum!! We are checking the wind direction and speed and the swell and deciding on when to head home...loving the boat but looking forward to being back on the island and taking Nelson for a run and a swim!