They had predicted very light winds from the southwest which is why we decided to stay at Rudder. Unfortunately the winds were not cooperating with the weather forecast and were stronger than expected. We decided to head back to George Town anyway. It would be a long motor upwind against the waves or a long tack which would not get us there until night. We opted for the former.
We had no issues exiting the cut and were soon heading south. There were swells from the south and east and we bobbed up and down as we traveled through them. Josie did well but the wind and waves really slowed us down.
We had reserved a mooring ball for the 20th long ago when we found out the kids were planning a visit. We were a little worried because all the balls were full and there was a high demand. We messaged Jeff and Deb who let us know that ball 21 was open and waiting for us.
Jeff and Deb also followed our journey and let us know that a freighter was coming out of the harbour about the time we might come in. We could see the boat but it was very nice to be forewarned and have people looking out for us.
We entered the cut and passed the Iguana Spray port to port. At one point they seemed to turn toward us but we were able to make the pass without a problem. It was good to be in the harbour though it was still windy and choppy.
At some point in our journey in, David thought he heard an alarm sound. It was not persistent but sounded like a chirp. Our wheel sometimes squeaks but this sounded different.
We got in and picked up our mooring ball without a problem. Once we got settled, David started checking things and noted water in the bilge. Our first bilge pump had been turned off at the panel by mistake. Our second bilge pump is wired directly to the battery so it cannot be turned off unless the batteries completely fail. Our third bilge pump is a large manual pump. The water was not up to the level of the second pump or the high water alarm.
David set out to trace the water. It was wet in the rear of the boat but once he dried the area there was no leaking. He was very afraid that the leak could be from our rudder post which would have been a serious problem.
We turned on the engine and water started dripping down the inside of the boat in the rear. When we turned off the engine, it stopped. He traced the leak and found a small hole in our exhaust hose where it had been in contact with a bolt that came in from the wind vane steering system mounted on the transom. The hose was not well supported and was vibrating with the motor and the waves against the bolt. it was a good reminder that all hoses and wires need to be supported and inspected for potential chafing.
Luckily, it was a small hole in a thick hose but it needed to be fixed. We have some flex tape on board that we learned about long ago from Fishes. It is made especially to stick to wet areas. I remember walking last year to an auto parts store in Florida to find it. We placed some over the hole. Jeff has some rubber tape that we could put over that tomorrow as a temporary fix. Then, maybe we could run our engine while we try to figure out how to get some new exhaust hose.
We will need to run the engine some over the next few days to charge our batteries as we may not get enough solar with another cold front moving through. Also it would be comforting to have the engine just in case there is a need for us to make a rapid move. We could do that now as the leak is small and we could contain it but we would rather try to stop it.
