We are stuck without a working engine for the Vaka Hop’e. We just launched our boat, and found that the engine we believed was fixed is now completely dead. I believed I had discovered the culprit to our problems in a broken CDI unit, but our mechanic doubted that. Either we wait for the mechanic to come and diagnose our engine in a week, or we move in faith, believing that the CDI unit is the problem. We choose the latter.
I am so thankful for having good support from people around us. One of our biggest supporters is a man from the USA named Peter. He has sailed around full-time with his family for 3 years and has tons of experience. I asked him for advice a lot when it came to the engine. In the end, his advice and financial support enabled me to order the part we needed in faith that it would be the right one. And once we decided to move in faith, I ordered another one from Manila, hoping it would arrive faster. Ordering things from China is a bit of a hit-and-miss.
Time is of the essence. We need to get going soon, otherwise, we may lose our weather window for our sail to the Solomon Islands. Bolstered by faith and good winds, we decide to move across the bay towards Davao from the island of Samal. We have many things to get done before leaving. Despite the lack of a working engine and a crew that has never sailed the Vaka Hop’e, I feel confident we can do it. We anchor at the southern tip of Samal Island for the night, and everything goes smoothly. The next day we tack across towards Davao but are unable to get as far north as I have planned. Instead, we anchor off the city of Toril which proves to be a perfect place for us. From there we can easily go to the city of Davao to get provisions and make final preparations.
We get the final items we need for the voyage. We ordered collapsible chairs to be able to sit comfortably on deck (so happy we did that), and we have a tarpaulin place in the city to make us a new and better sunshade/rain cover for the deck of the Vaka Hop’e. We had the original one, but it was leaking and was not big enough. We provision as much as we feel it is sensible to do. We’re planning to stop along the way, so don’t need to go crazy, but on the other hand, we don’t know what we can expect to find along the way, so we may as well get a little extra of the good things we can find in the Philippines.
The CDI unit from Manila arrived in the mail on a Saturday, and we get our friend Justin from the YWAM base to bring it over to us. With trembling hands, I get the new CDI unit installed. Will it work? Am I right in believing this to be our problem and moving in faith? Should we have waited for the mechanic to have a look at it first? All these questions go through my mind as I get all the different colored wires connected. Finally, the moment has arrived when all my questions will be answered. Will it work?
I try to crank the engine to life, but it does not start. A pang of doubt hits me, but we’re not done trying yet. I get Paul to pump the fuel line and I try to start it again. Suddenly the engine comes to life! And it is running so smoothly! Paul is confused by how smooth it runs and of how quiet it is and asks if it is running. It is! Once the realization hits we all start dancing around on deck, celebrating our achievement. It was all hinging on this moment; if we could go at all. And now, we start to believe that we will indeed go on our voyage. Sammy says it best, in the middle of the celebrations: “WE ARE GOING TO INDONESIA!”