Mans plans.. God’s footsteps.

There was great excitement to untie the lines and leave the dock to begin our journey. Hazel was ready for the challenge. Our plan was to exit Lake Pontchartrain and tuck in behind a small chain of islands for one last night before continuing on into the open Gulf of America. That was the plan.

Plans change. Hazel had other ideas. Four hours into the journey, Hazel started spewing water everywhere. We spent about three hours trying to understand and diagnose the issue and make repairs. It became clear that we required parts to be replaced on the exhaust elbow, which we do not have as spares on the boat. This issue, which is part of the cooling system, rendered Hazel’s engine unusable. To make matters a bit more challenging, there was zero wind, and we were unable to move the boat in any direction.

Yes, it is humiliating, but yes, we are being towed back to the marina so we can get the appropriate parts and install them on our exhaust system. One thing is for sure, you can create the best plan, do all the preparation, and the one thing you did not replace or repair or provision for with respect to spares is the thing that breaks.

I have a theory. Marinas are like magnets for your boat. Once your boat sits in a marina, it becomes harder and harder to pull away from that marina. Having Hazel sit around the marina for the last two months did her no favors. The more she is used, the better she performs.

I do not believe there is anything we could have done that would have prepared us for this. So we just have to address it and prepare to relaunch as soon as we can get our hands on some parts.

Now we face another challenge, being under tow in the dark, entering into a confined unfamiliar marina with very narrow canals. It is not simple. Hazel wants to go one way, the tow boat wants to take you another way. There are no brakes, there is no reverse. The best strategy is to go as slow as possible and try to maintain steerage once inside the breaker wall. Shout out to Boat US. They are the company that towed us into the marina, and Captain Dave did an amazing job. I also have to give a shout out to the entire New Orleans community. The harbor master placed us in the most appropriate place to dock, the maintenance team that specializes in diesel engines will come by and do an assessment tomorrow at 10:30, and the sailing community here offered to help us out in any possible way.

I should have been able to predict this would transpire. My shipmate Peter was miffed with me because I would not set aside time for him to go to the grocery store. For those of you who have been following along, you may remember the last time Peter went to a grocery store. After that experience, as the captain, a decision was made to ban him from grocery shopping. When he stepped on Hazel and started sifting through the provisions, he immediately noticed there were no cold cuts. He does not believe it is possible to have a sailing excursion without deli meats available to make a sandwich at any given moment. He also wanted to do several more loads of his laundry. When he returned to Hazel for this trip, he realized his clothing did not have the best overall scent. Now Peter has plenty of time to wash his clothes, go to the store to get his cold cuts, and take as many hot showers as possible until the engine is up and running.

Just remember, the comeback is always greater than the setback.