We got out earlier this morning - a hazy start to the day...
They can say they're done, but the dredge is still here...
A couple ships in the turning basin...
Once out of the no wake zone, I ran the boat hard to the ship channel - the visibility is OK, but the haze has obscured the island...
We were running fast (relative term for our boat) in the ship channel, when...
Dolphins! We had already passed a couple small groups, but these were coming right towards us - I guess we should stop and enjoy the views...
We let them pass before moving out again. This osprey was keeping an eye on us...
A few white pelicans on the flats - first we've seen them this season.
And, some more dolphins...
Again, coming right at us...
Tail and fin...
This shrimper was heading in...
We thought there might be some bow surfing...
Yep.
A couple more hard runs to see how the engine was handling the speed and varying throttle - all seems good.
And, some more dolphins...
Up close and smiling...
A Coast Guard small boat went by - gave us a slow pass, then sped up. Too fast for the dolphins to bow surf, but they played in the wake...
Checking to see if I got the shot...
One more high speed run, then we turned for home. These dolphins passing by waved good-bye to us...
As we were about to turn into our canal, Customs and Border Protection boat was heading out...
I think that is 1,200 horsepower on the stern.
We had seen a ship entering the ship channel. By the time we were in our canal, you could see it on the other side of our island...
The water temp in our canal is quite warm again...
Coming in at low tide, there was 2.4 feet of depth in the canal. Maybe they should get the dredge in there again? Nahhhhhhh!
The boat performed well through all the testing, high and low speed. There was a moment of hesitation on the engine just before we turned towards the last canal - a 100 RPM bump in speed smoothed it right out.
3 comments:
Jim,
What I don't understand is why as new as your engine is that the cleaner additive made a difference.
How did it dirty that quickly ?
Bill Kelleher
Hi Bill,
We do a lot of low RPM running - in and out of our canals and when around the dolphins. The thought from Mercury to the mechanic was carbon build up. The recommendation, besides the engine cleaner was to run the engine above 4,000 RPM for some time during each outing. The fuel pump replacements definitely made a difference in the stalling. Having run this cleaner through, there is now also a difference in how smooth the engine runs. My guess is build up on the injectors. The boat is coming up on two years old, about 230 hours on it.
Thank You for your answer Jim.
Bill Kelleher
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