The winds and waves were light out of the southeast as we boarded our charter boat for a half-day of fishing along the Pacific coast of Panama.  I had studied the weather for the week and Tuesday, January 28th seemed the best day for reasonable seas.  It was a beautiful morning as our party of three headed out with our hired captain and first mate.

We had made an effort to get an english-speaking captain as none of our party could converse in Spanish.  It turned out he was an American, but was also a man of few words.  Our mate, a lively and engaging gentleman from Costa Rica, was more than willing to close the language gap with his words and gestures.

Our fishing started with catching some bait fish on our way out into the Panama Bay.      One of party, I’ll call him Jim, managed to snag four fish on one bottom-jigging cast.  From there we eagerly headed out to deeper seas with the mate busily rigging the rods and lures and releasing the trolling lines.

The efforts were eventually rewarded when after about twenty minutes we had a strike on one of the lines.  Jim expertly handled the capture which yielded a smaller size Dorado, also known as Mahi-Mahi.  This was just a taste, clearly the bigger ones were waiting for us below.

A long hour later, about 15-20 miles out into the Pacific,  the take-home catch count still stood at one.  Several beers were lost in the process, but soon the real fun was about to begin.  The captain had slowed the engines and asked us to move our deck chairs so that the mate could access the two engine compartment hatches beneath the chairs.  When the starboard engine was opened it glistened in the rising sun.  A steady spray of diesel fuel was coming from the front of the engine just under the bulkhead.  How long and how much fuel had leaked was unknown, but the engines were quickly shut off as the mate tried to assess the problem.

It seemed that a bleeder screw in the starboard fuel line had vibrated its way out of its housing and disappeared into the sump.  OK, one engine out of commission leaves one engine left, so the port engine would allow our fishing to continue.  Only it didn’t.  It briefly started, coughed, then died.  The mate was undeterred, and suggested he could fix the problem by taking the bleeder screw from the port engine and installing it into the starboard.  He would just need the tool kit and a few minutes to get us underway.  Only there wasn’t a tool box, but a general purpose Leatherman.

Somehow, our hearty first mate made it work well enough to get the starboard engine running at low speed with minimal leakage.  The captain explained that “due to technical difficulties” we would be returning (actually limping) back to port.  He admitted that work had been done on the fuel system the previous day and in a test run everything ran great.

I wish there was a happy ending to this story, but the only resolution was a partial credit on the cost of our charter, and we did manage a dinner out of the lone Dorado.

I am glad that we were onboard a twin diesel cruiser on a calm day,  as spraying gasoline isn’t as well behaved as diesel oil on a hot engine and being dead in the water without a sea anchor can be uncomfortable.  We had gotten a recommendation from our local rental agent for this captain and company, but still, perhaps we should have been more proactive.   For example, one of our party did notice some slick around our boat during our cruising, well before the captain reported that he smelled something.  I don’t think Dorado or any game fish is attracted to diesel “chum” which could explain our lack of success in our shortened half-day of trolling.

Regarding other procedures,  I don’t think the captain called anyone to report his ship’s condition, and we were well out of cell range to send our own notices. Nor do I think the engine was inspected after the reported “test run” as the leakage usually starts with a few visible drops before it goes into full spray mode.

Daily inspections are a safety must, especially after a major service to a critical system.  I don’t understand the lack of even a basic tool kit with ratchets, wrenches and spare parts.

I don’t have a good answer to how to avoid these dangerous and aggravating situations when putting your trust into another captain and his boat, so please feel free to offer your suggestions.