Captain’s Log – Sat 5/24/25
We departed the miserable anchorage around 7am after a hot, muggy restless night. We headed North for Ft Myers Beach where we had a dock reservation so we could plug in to get some air conditioning. It was calm and very little wind so were just motoring.
About 3 miles North of Marco, the engine started to overheat, so we immediately shut it down and put the sails up so we weren’t drifting and could at least maintain a knot or two for steering. With the boat on autopilot under sail, I started to diagnose what the problem was. The strainer was clear, so I opened up the raw water pump to see if the impeller was ok. That was fine, the coolant level was fine. Could the brand new water pump already be bad? Seems unlikely. After the temp came down we started it back up and it started cooling OK.
What I finally determined was that the high output alternator, which was cranking out well over 100 amps, was generating so much heat in the enclosed engine compartment that it was overwhelming the cooling system. The water temperature is already at July levels and the air temperature was quickly heading into the upper 90’s and super humid.
With the engine cover off, I put a cabin fan blowing on the engine and it was able to maintain a safe operating temperature for the remainder of the trip to Ft Myers. Once the battery bank was fully charged and the alternator was just idling, I was able to close the engine hatch and the engine temperature remained at a safe operating level. That’s the first time I had this issue. It’s getting super hot out. I’m going to have to install some very aggressive ventilation to prevent this from happening again. For now, we know how to manage it for the remainder of the trip.
Once docked and checked in, we spent the afternoon in the pool while the AC was cooling off the boat.
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