Top of the Alligator River, bottom of the barrel with the engine!

The "new" system didn't work.  We left the anchorage three different times (returning to re-tweak the gas escape system).  We finally got things back the way they were yesterday with the coolant overflowing into the new tank, after having to replace the raw water impeller.  That had been the first thing Dan checked - - - days ago, but sometime this morning it gave out.  We thought all was well and headed into the 27 mile canal between the Pungo River and the Alligator River.

Everything was hunky dory for the first three hours and we enjoyed the scenery, including a deer coming down to the water's edge

...and then the temp suddenly spiked.  We did the drain routine and started up again (we drifted with the jib rolled out and no wind while the engine was shut down).  We didn't get more than 15 minutes when the engine shut down of it's own accord, no temp issues showing and no overflowing coolant.  I "sailed" again while Dan rigged the dinghy to be a push boat.

It's hard to see, but he rigged a very long tiller extension using the boat hook so we could control it from the stern.

It pushed us along nicely at 4 knots or so and we anxiously waited to get out of the canal and get a chance to sail up the very wide Alligator River.  No such luck.  The forecast had been for 5-10 from the SW,  it was all over the place and mostly non-existent.  We finally got enough breeze to fill the sails when we were about 5 miles from the swing bridge at the top of the river, but rolled it in to "dinghy" through.  When we called the bridge tender to ask for an opening, we explained our situation and he opened early and waited patiently for us to come through.  He hailed us as we passed through "That's ingenuity!"  We decided to anchor just past the bridge on the west side of the river as the wind was forecast to be 5-10 from the west.  Well it ain't!  It's blowing hard from the SE and the fetch all the way up the river is giving us quite a bumpy time!

Dan has rigged the outboard engine right on the transom.  A bit more ingenuity.  It wasn't finished until almost dusk, so I'll try to get a good picture of it tomorrow.  ~~_/)~~M&D