We have ignition

Yes there are motors on the good ship Quijote!  There is a gorgeous diesel engine down below and this little 4 HP kicker motor for use on the dinghy.  In the looking down angle pic above you can see the motor stored on the back of the sailboat with a blue bucket full of water underneath.

Last weekend we could not get this little 4-stroke Yamaha outboard engine to start when were testing it out in Puget Sound.  So dockside yesterday, Rod and I rolled up our sleeves and checked out the two key variables in more detail; fuel and spark.  After taking a look at the spark plug and confirming fuel, we concluded there was nothing wrong with either.  So we tried starting the motor and it came to life.  The good news is that the motor started - quite easily.  But we wish we knew why we had not been able to start it out on a pitching dinghy.