Batteries, belts, bridges, pots, & trucks

There was a one day weather window to get from the Alligator River anchorage, across the Albemarle Sound and up to Elizabeth City⸺gateway to the Dismal Swamp. We got up with the first light of the sun to take advantage of it. The gen-set came on line to freshen up the batteries after carrying the boat for the night. Just as we went to start the engines, an unearthly howl started up from below.

Gen-set off.

It sounded like belt noise but there really wasn't time to troubleshoot the thing. Leave it until the next stop. With that decision made, the port engine was brought to life. Then the Starboard, except...no turn, no fire. Mmm. ..There is a switch in the engine room to be used in just such a circumstance. Never used, not sure exactly what it does. But it worked. Switch switched and the Starboard side rumbled to life. Yay, not stuck in the middle of nowhere. (Not sure what is going on with the start battery yet, but it likely has something to do with operating the convoluted, overlapped, hodge podge charging systems on First Light. It will take getting the gen-set back up to figure that one out.) With both engines rumbling, Grandson Eldest took the helm. He got us onto the anchor the night before. It only seemed fair that he get us off.

The 7 hour trip to Elizabeth City NC went off with no additional mechanical gotcha's. But the run Across the Albemarle Sound was a near constant 5 diamond slalom run through the crab pots. They were strewn around nearly everywhere we looked. And we had to look hard. Apparently no one has mentioned to crabbers that dark blue and dingy black floats are not easy to spot, and white ones look a lot like little wavelets or birds at first. We managed, helped by the still-sharp eyes of Grandson Eldest. The good news was that the weather was as forecast. The ride, for the most part, was easy. Just a bit of rolling in the ditch when we had no choice of headings while working around the pots.

We have heard nothing but good about the free docks in Elizabeth City. Unfortunately, all the best ones where full when we got here. We ended up along one just past the bridge, and I mean just past. It lies about 200 feet off the bow, tires howling over the grating with every passing vehicle. Normally that kind of noise would be irritating. But tonight? This free dock lies at a truck loading facility. In the parking lot not 100 feet from us sits a reefer truck, apparently sitting for the night, with engine rumbling and trailer freezer running at full song. We are not going to notice the bridge.

As soon as we were secured to the dock, I changed into work clothes and jumped down into First Light's engine room to tangle with the gen-set. It isn't the most uncomfortable place I have ever crawled into to work on something, but after a 7 hour summertime run? It ranks right up there. It took a while to get the covers off and clean up. There was a good bit of fuel lying around, which was a bit scary. I sopped it up and traced the likely cause to a couple of hose clamps on the new electric fuel pump that were not as tight as they should have been. Then I checked the cooling system from strainer to impeller. All looked okay. The only other option was to fire it up to see what there was to see. Fire extinguisher close at hand that is exactly what I did, provoking a screaming, screeching noise that sounded as much like a bearing failing as a belt slipping . An immediate shut down was followed by a phone call to Darryl at Foster's Mobile Marine(https://fosters-mobile-marine-service.business.site/)⸺friend and engine guru. He agreed to listen in and, after a few seconds of additional run time, sent me right to the problem. It was a belt noise. The little alternator that also acts as a belt tensioner was locked up solid. Two pulleys turning and one frozen solid will make a lot of noise. The truth is I should have spotted without his help, but I was reluctant to run the thing very long while sticking pieces of my anatomy in places the belt could reach should it self destruct at the wrong moment or (had it been a bearing) risk tossing a rod out the side of the case. (Seen that happen before, don't want to see it happen again.) Guess I'm getting cautious in my old age.

A few minutes later and the offending part was out. Grandson Eldest and I tried to open it up to see what happened. But whatever had happened had fused the thing into a single chunk. One might, with a 3/4 inch breaker bar and a big vice, open it to see what happened. But we don't have those on First Light and it doesn't matter anyway. New parts will be sourced and ordered ASAP. When they get here we will be on our way once again. Until then Elizabeth City and it's noisy free dock are home.