Tillamook to Grays Harbor

We knew it would be a long 12-13 hour day so we were up early and on the water by 7am. We left Tillamook Bay Thursday 5/29 and the weather was gray, but not raining. Seas remained very good with swells at 5 feet every 11 seconds and winds from the northwest at 5-8 knots. We had experienced what we thought was some slippage in the synchronizer. Since we have two engines running at one time, the synchronizer allows us to use one lever and the synchronizer makes sure both engines are turning the same RPMs. Good for the engines, convenient for us and of course, improved fuel use. So we had the same experience again and of course it had to happen as we were moving across the channel of the Columbia River Bar. Now we were 3 miles out, but that volume of water coming out and at ebb tide really created some rough seas. Swells at 10- 12 feet and close together, so we pointed our bow west and we were running 9 to 10 knots on the outgoing river flow and ebb tide. Another lesson and increased respect for managing the Columbia Bar crossing, which we will not be doing. Once we were about 6.5 miles west of the bar, the sea returned to smooth 5 foot swells. We headed north and went about three more miles and the port engine died. So, we turned our nose into the swells and Alexus had a look down in the engine room. Not the most opportune time to be in the engine room. It is hot, and with the engines on, plenty of moving parts. So I could see her, I had her open the engine hatch in the salon. That way I could be at the helm and see she was ok. We did not find the cause at that time. Alexus came up from the engine room and said, boy twin engines are looking really good right now. We had looked at a number of boats at Trawler fest and many were single engine. I think we have changed our mind about the need for twins, it does exist!!! Anyway after I got over my panic about the Columbia Bar and losing the port engine. Alexus got the engine re-started and we "babied" the port engine all the way into Grays Harbor. The port engine issue was most likely the fuel filters, there are many filters because diesel is not the cleanest fuel and we did stir up our tanks when we went around Point Reyes and as we passed the Columbia Bar. We could have the filter and any needed engine work done in Grays Harbor. We got in at 7:45pm tied up, found a restaurant, had dinner, walked back and hit the sack.
Just a note. We do have multiple back up systems, chart plotters, gps and radar, two helms, paper charts, three VHF radios, and often our cells phones work too. We can read electronic and paper charts and have learned to read the radar very well to be able to detect small fishing boats and bouys.