Monday, October 21, 2024

Engine Failure in the Remote Yasawa Islands of Fiji

The Alarm

We were less than five minutes out of the anchorage we had been taking refuge in for the past week. It was a calm, peaceful morning when the shrill sound of the engine alarm cut through the quiet. We immediately cut the engine and tried restarting it, hoping it was just a glitch. But no luck—the alarm came right back on.

Given that we were so close to the anchorage, we made the quick decision to turn around and return to safety. Thankfully, we were still in the protected waters of Nanunya Island, a spot we had chosen precisely because it was sheltered from the high winds and rough seas we had been experiencing for days. We glided back into the anchorage, almost making it all the way, before the engine completely gave out. We dropped anchor, thankful for the calm seas and safe surroundings, and began to assess the problem.

Nanuya Island, by the blue dot is where we were located. The nearest mechanics were 50 miles almost due south on Fiji's main island


The Discovery

Opening the engine compartment, we were greeted by a bilge full of oil—never a good sign. After a quick investigation, it was clear that the oil had blown past the seal on the oil filter. We were far up in the Yasawa Islands of Fiji, a place that offers beauty and solitude but little in the way of marine mechanics or spare parts. Without an engine, our immediate future looked uncertain.

The Internet Search

Now anchored and safe, our next move was to research and troubleshoot the problem using the internet. We quickly realized this wasn’t going to be an easy fix. We reached out to the repair shop we had worked with before, and they gave us a list of potential steps to try. One of the first was to get the engine to turn over manually. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the right tools onboard for this. But thanks to the ferry service that ran through the Yasawas, the repair shop was able to send the necessary tools on loan.

The ferry, bringing people and supplies. There is no dock for the ferry here. All the small boats come out to the ferry to collect packages, or to drop off or receive passengers. 

Help Arrives

Even with the tools in hand, we were unable to get the engine running. That’s when we called in for professional help. The next day, the ferry brought us a mechanic, Chetty, who stayed overnight to assess the situation. After a short time, he delivered the news we were dreading: the engine was beyond repair. With over 9,200 hours of operation, it had served us well, but its end came sooner than expected.

A Change of Plans

While we weren’t completely surprised by the engine’s demise, it certainly wasn’t what we had planned for. Our trip further north into the Yasawas was now off the table, and we began making new plans. We would have to sail south to Vanua Levu, approximately 50 miles away, to find a new engine and install it.

Several phone calls and emails over the next three days left us with one reasonable option. We agreed to purchase a new engine through the shop that we had worked with previously. Our old engine was a Yanmar. We looked to replace it with a similar Yanmar, but after some research we opted to purchase a Nanni engine. Nanni engines are robust and marinized Kubota engines (think Kubota tractors) and there was one ready to ship in Sydney and would arrive just as we were able to find good sailing weather to take us back to the boatyard to be hauled out and switch engines. 

The journey ahead would involve waiting for the right weather window and navigating carefully without a working engine. But for now, we were anchored safely, and the next steps in our engine adventure will come as part two of this story.

Beautiful sunsets to take our mind off of engine troubles!



We love to hear your comments.

Anonymous said...

Glad you are able to get it fixed! Not always easy to piece everything together. 😅

Sarah said...

We were very fortunate that the engine picked that spot to go belly up. It could have been way way worse!

Anonymous said...

This is one cruising situation where "fixing your boat in exotic places" presented challenges! However, the help you sourced, makes me feel positive that people still help others. May the weather window be kindly.

Mary Goldstein said...

Adding to your adventures, eh? Glad you're ok and can get the thing replaced. Looking forward to the second installation of this part of the story!!