Prior to last Sunday's problems I adjusted the carburetor so that the outboard will actually idle. Previously, whenever the rpms dropped near idle, it would simply die. In fact I am in the habit of not bothering to remove the kill switch clip to stop the engine, just turn the throttle down and it dies. I believe this partly explains what happened Sunday. After motoring to the vicinity of the race, I turned the throttle down, but the engine didn't die. I pulled the kill switch.

On Monday I played with the engine to try to see what was wrong. I found it was very easy to flood the engine while trying to start it. Maybe that happened Sunday? I leaned the mix a bit and the engine ran better and idled way better.

I poured the gas from the external tank into a transparent gallon jug that had held tea in an earlier life. I cut off the neck to open it up and make it easier to pour into and out of. Result: gas was completely clear. No sign of water. I poured it into my truck's tank.  I will now refill it with fresh gas and Sta-Bil.

I have sunglasses with a built-in video camera at the bridge. They are made for hunters, but they work reasonably well for me. While reviewing the video of Sunday's race, I noticed that the kill switch clip was in the cockpit, not on the engine. Then it hit me. I'm not used to thinking about the kill switch. I never put it on the engine after the race! No wonder it wouldn't start!

Well, that's an easier fix than the others I've been considering.