4 The likely explanation for our broken engine was a hydrolock - water had got into the cylinders of the engine block. With limited resources on the island, we set out to try and fix it ourselves.
Summer 2022
4 
We had arrived after a boisterous sail from mainland Portugal to the island of Porto Santo. However, on approach to the island, the engine had failed to start. We'd managed to sail into the anchorage outside the harbour, where further tests indicated we definitely had a broken engine. What follows are our attempts to diagnose the problem and find a fix
A Sailboat With a Broken Engine
4 Here is the full passage report of our sail to Porto Santo from mainland Portugal.
On a sunny Saturday morning, we raised the main, and turned away from mainland Portugal. Our destination: Porto Santo, part of the Madeira archipelago, 435nm away. We initially had stronger wind than expected with a lively sea, but by day 2 this began to settle and enjoy the passage.
Sail to Porto Santo: Our Full Passage Report
this is a post sent via the SSB. 24 hour mileage run, 139nm, making a total so far of 300nm. We have 135nm to go All is ok onboard. Day two (Sunday) was much better than day 1, with the wind settling back to 15 to 20kts as we expected. […]
Portugal to Porto Santo: Position Report Day 2
2 this is a post sent via the SSB. All is ok onboard. Our 24 hour milage was 148nm. The wind was more than expected during Saturday afternoon and evening, leading to a bouncy night as the seas built. Sunday morning the winds eased and are now as forecast, from the […]