Overnight Sail to Eleuthra

After an overnight sail to Eleuthra, we anchored in the lee of Russel Island, waiting for a slip at Spanish Wells Yacht Haven in order to make some repairs.  During the night, we had a water leak on the fresh water side, losing about 100 gallons into the bilge.  Worse yet, we discovered a valve failure on the bilge pump.  Not a good combination, so Joe needed to fix them fast!

Here we are nearing the anchorage- 2 tired sailors:

Luckily, Joe’s mechanical prowess with fixing things on the boat is top notch!  He quickly discovered the leak, and used some spare tubing and supplies to make a temporary fix.  Then he turned his attention to the bilge pump.  We have redundant pumps on board, so he pumped out the bilge.  Of course, we didn’t have the spare we needed, so Joe went to every shop and marine store on the island.  No luck.  Having a working main bilge pump is one of those critical things on a boat.

Fellow cruising friend to the rescue! We were having a drinks and appetizers aboard M/Y Felix, a beautiful catamaran owned by Bruce and Marie, who we first met in Great Harbour Cay.  Betsy and Hank, on M/Y My Harley (also from Great Harbour Cay) were also there.   The subject of our bilge pump woes came up.   Hank mentioned they might have the spare part we needed.  Turned out they did-  M/Y My Harley saved our day!   Joe was able to fix the bilge pump in a matter of minutes with the correct part.  Well done, Joe!

Also, a huge thank you to Hank and Betsy aboard My Harley, a gorgeous Nordhavn.  They loaned us the exact part we needed, for that we are forever grateful!