Of Goblins and Fairies

Intrepid making her way out of the harbor, Port Moresby

Photo courtesy of Mr. Phil Sutton

G'day to all,

It's been a rather frustrating day here for us all, and even more frustrating for Zac who is having to deal with the current engine problem which is actually a fuel problem. I guess a good dose of prayer and supplication is in order.

Zac handled the engine failure of Intrepid very well and managed to get the vessel back into port without too much of an ordeal though perhaps a few premature grey hairs. Currently he is back at the harbor dealing with the latest saga. It might well be mentioned that the problems that Zac has encountered are no reflection on the engine which is a 30hp Yanmar. Both situations were extenuating circumstances that resulted in engine failure or more like the engine was deemed inoperable for preservation (not run to save the engine from damage).

The water in the oil has been written about in detail. The fairies were dealt with and promise that the problem will not happen again. The fuel situation is different, so here is my understanding of the problem and the solution: goblins entered the tank some years ago and have gone undetected until recently. Now that they have been detected, swift action must be taken before they take over the vessel.

Actually, the fuel issue is fairly simple. Something had been clogging Zac's fuel line on and off since the engine change was made. Before Zac left, samples of his fuel were taken and the fuel tank was declared clean by those involved. However, little thought had been given to the fact that the fuel had been changed from gasoline to diesel. The clogging could have been caused by gasoline residue that was lining the tank being partially disolved by the diesel causing gunk to build up in the tank which in turn clogged the line. The gunk could have been caused by other factors as well but we may never know what.

The solution is to evacuate fuel from the tank, clean any remaing residue, vacuum tank, clean fuel line, put filtered fuel back into tank and tallyho away he goes!

I appreciate all your questions and enquiries. Intrepid does have double Racor 500s in line. For those of you that don't know, Racor 500s are not goblins or fairies, they are fuel filters.

Why so much frustration? We have spent a lot of time on the phone trying to engage help from local companies. It has a lot to do with people saying they will do something and then doing another. The following explanation sheds some light: "Mr. Sunderland, have you ever been to Papau New Guinea?" "No, actually, I have not." "Mr. Sunderland, do you know what a third world country is?" "Yes, I do." "Well, Papua New Guinea is like a fifth world country." Doesn't really matter how frustrated you are, the situation is what it is.

Zac has taken upon himself to deal head on with the situation and was up early and on the phone and into town buying the vacuum and other materials to tackle the task. As I write, we are waiting to hear if he was successful or not. Many thanks especially to Phil Sutton and his wife Janelle and all that have been helping Zac through this crunch. I just wish that I could have been there to help. The yacht club has really been a safe haven for Zac and we really appreciate their hospitality.

Zac is eager to get out on the ocean again. Please pray that God's will would be done and that Zac would be able to continue on and have a successful passage through the Torres Strait and on to Darwin.

Cheers,

Laurence