Proof again not to make plans on a sailboat came this week in Provo, Turks and Caicos. We brought Captain Jeff on board on Wednesday and were ready to go for our passage to Puerto Rico. Provisions were in, boat was clean, we were ready. It wasn’t to be: the engine conked out on our way to the fuel dock and we are stuck outside of Provo, Turks and Caicos.
Engine Problems
We hadn’t even left the island. An hour in, heading to a marina to fill up the water and the fuel for the journey, I smelled burning. I mentioned it and Jeff saw smoke. Brian turned off the engine and we went down below to check out the damage. Based on our history, we tried adding coolant. Then turned the engine on and looked. It looked like we needed a water pump.
After sourcing a pump from the U.S., we think it will be here on Tuesday. Maybe we will get out on Wednesday. But I know better than to make any plans!
Since we can’t run the engine, we had to tow Sava with the dinghy as close to the marina as we could. Now it is less than a 10 minute dinghy ride to shore.
Not enough power
Because we can’t run the engine, we have to rely on solar power. Sava has two solar panels and on cloudless sunny days, they work great. At night, we tend to run the engine for an hour just to keep the batteries charged. Since we haven’t been able to keep the batteries juiced since Wednesday, we have a lot of meat in the freezer that thawed. I am cooking up some good meals so it doesn’t get wasted. I’ll stock up at the good supermarket on island after they fix the engine.
Nice Place to Be Stuck
If you could choose a place to get stuck, Provo, Turks and Caicos would be an excellent choice. The people are lovely, the pace is relaxed, and the scenery is beautiful. Yesterday morning while we were enjoying our coffee above decks, dolphins were jumping in the distance.
Our anchorage is peaceful: dive boats and jetski tours pass by a couple times a day and that is it. We are embracing the down time: me cooking, and Brian and Jeff fixing things on the boat. They say that living on a sailboat is mostly fixing things in exotic places. That describes our life stuck outside of Provo.
While we wait, we are exploring some more of Provo. We visited a hole at the top of a hill, watched fireworks from the boat one night, and saw more of Provo’s famously beautiful beaches. We aren’t complaining being stuck outside of Provo.
Waiting
Now we wait for the part. It’s disappointing because we had a great weather window for the crossing: calm seas and the wind at our back. This time of year that is uncommon so the likelihood is our actual crossing won’t be as good. It may not be good at all. Only time will tell. But the weather, water and company are excellent.
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How’s your store of wine?? ????. Sorry about all of this but at least you weren’t in the middle of no where. ????
????❤ love your way of thinking! We will need to restock the wine soon but fortunately there is a good selection here and it’s better priced than Bahamas too! ????????
Ahhh yes the joys of the cruzing life ! This happened to me once in St Augustine … as I was heading out the inlet on my way to the Bahamas for 2 months . The wind was right so I just put up the sails and the next 3 months I never had an engine … it was a 24ft sloop ( easy to turn about in tight places) so I learned to sail with just wind power …. ahhh what a simple time without a schedule other than the wind and stars to navigate.
Best trip ever
Have never sailed myself, so felt little scared to read about story. But, I love the perspective.. so positive you are despite getting stuck. Never heard of Provo but seems like an offbeat place to explore.
Sorry to hear that even the best made plans left you stranded outside of Provo with engine problems. But great to read that it was a pretty good spot to be stuck. I hope the weather is still good when you finally get on your way.
Well, even the best plans get cancelled. Good to know you were in a very nice location. A positive attitude always helps you in such situation. I’m glad you enjoyed the beautiful beaches.
I could definitely imagine worse places to be stuck! I am not so good with last minute change of plans, but it sounds like you could make the best of it. Hope you eventually made it to beautiful Puerto Rico!
You know, I don’t think I’ve had great luck with boating trips either! There are lots of places I’ve been where we are really looking forward to a trip and it’s cancelled due to weather or wind. Having engine problems would be next level frustrating though! Boating from the TCI to Puerto Rico sounds really interesting though, and I hope you do make it! Providenciales is super pretty though and it sounds like you’re making the most of your unexpected extra time there!