Hi Stan,

My usual problem is one of time, my cruises are often on a fairly ambitious schedule that might dictate that I motor through calms between favorable sailing conditions... I'd still like to be back in NJ by late April at the latest, so I'm gonna need some luck with the breeze to be able to explore too much of the Bahamas this winter... Unfortunately, without a strong engine, a lot of the types of places I like to go in the Bahamas might be off limits to me this year, I won't be doing stuff like the Devil's Backbone passage into Harbour Town, for example, or many of the cuts in the Exumas against a foul current... It will simply require more planning and caution, is all, and more big harbor/open roadstead anchorages than I'd normally like, no problem... I was hoping this year to finally make it to Samana Cay, but that's probably unrealistic now...

I think I've managed to configure a set up where I can run this engine at 16-1800 rpms for periods of about 30 minutes at a time, then shutting down for a few minutes to relieve the crankcase pressure... I'll do one final check out on the water today, then tomorrow sounds like the start of some favorable winds for sailing south, we shall see...

And, although I do appreciate the challenge and skill that cruising without an engine requires, there is no freakin' way I would ever choose to do so intentionally... (grin)

best regards,

Jon