An unfortunate, yet inevitable event in the long range arena finds the guys traveling home early due to a failure in one the main propulsion systems. I always mention in our pre voyage safety orientation that 99.9% of the time we carry something on board in the way of spare parts and equipment to remedy any of the expected, and unexpected gremlins that pester mariners from time to time. In this case that .01%, requiring us to separate the transmission from the main engine and replace an internal component, is too much of an issue to remedy at sea. 

So we head back north fishing along the way relying on the redundant safety features built into all long range vessels. Two of just about everything ensures that in such situations, extremely rare as they are, that we can safely navigate back home albeit quite a bit slower than running with two main engines. 

I mention the rarity of such events that relative to the fleet and hours/days our vessels operate far out to sea are remarkably uncommon. In my thirty one years on Royal Star we have never had to return from a trip early due to a major mechanical system failure. Looks like the bill came due.

For those on the upcoming voyage we do believe that we have the problem identified and parts on the way to perform a complete repair. As of now we are not expecting a change to the schedule beyond the current voyage. I will update the daily narrative as the week continues. Until then our most sincere gratitude is extended to the current group of anglers on board whom have showed incredible grace and understanding in light of the circumstances. Rolling home at trolling speed has produced a few strikes and laughs along the way; highly valuable morale boosters to be sure.