#3 Marine engine troubles in Labrador lead to hands-on training as a marine mechanic

Engine troubles on a boat in a remote location can be especially intimidating if we have no or very limited knowledge and no experience. One engine problem after another came with my third sailboat SV Kuan Yin - a 36-foot steel-hulled Tahitiana. After an especially stressful summer in sub-Arctic Labrador, on the north-east coast of Canada, I decided that I had either to give up with boats or learn. So I put myself through technical college and trained as a marine mechanic - paying for tuition by painting houses in the holidays!

After that I was blessed by two very experienced marine engineers – one with more than 50-years experience! - who were very generous in sharing their knowledge about marine diesel engines and systems. And they were determined that got things right!

As a writer, it was a small step from the practical day-to-day working on other people's boats to wanting to write down everything I was seeing and learning. That eventually got translated into creating 100s of simple drawings and the Marine Diesel Basics project was born.

I'm now working on Marine Diesel Basics 2 - How Things Work, Installations Guidelines that will have 2000 drawings, 500 pages. with 600 more drawings to create, I'm still determined to publish in summer 2023. Funny the path that life can take!

What's been your experience with the diesel in your own boat? Share your stories and help other sailors become more knowledgeable and more comfortable with the "iron genny" on their boat.

Books published:

Marine Diesel Basics 1 – VISUAL guide to maintenance, winterizing and recommissioning
Maintenance Logbooks – value-added logbook for single and twin engine Installations (multiple languages)

A Walk Along the Ganges – 3000 kms across India
Amazon – big rivers, small canoe
Savages, The Life and Killing of the Yanomami – documents their fight to survive the illegal invasion of their lands in the late 1980s

Canadian Retreat Guide – 140 places for personal quiet and spiritual reflection

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B...

Music: "Summer Skies" by Jules et George
https://soundcloud.com/search/sounds?...