Being Stuck Doesn't Have to Suck Mar-Jun 2026

× ‹ › Forty miles out from Lyttelton Harbor the engine died. Mike was on watch, I was below in aft cabin and heard slight clunking sound. We turned off the engine as a precaution. No smoke, no fireworks, just a different sound -- rougher than usual -- and it was done. Pampering her and coaxing her along meant that we were tuned in and also aware that we were on borrowed time. It was late afternoon, we were hours away from the Marina with the realization that we needed to anchor under sail with approaching night. We've not done that before and I'm looking at AIS seeing a ship exiting the harbor... my stomach twists with anxiety. Mike and I ran various scenarios for getting in and getting settled across the harbor from Te Ana Marina. At this point the sea state was a bit rough for putting the dinghy into the water as a tugboat back up. We decided that I would stay at the helm for anchoring and if we needed a Hail Mary from the engine, he would be down there ready to prevent a runaway…