That should be the motto for every sailor!! Each boat job seems simple on the surface but the reality is usually quite different. And so went some of our jobs over the past few days. FYI all of these jobs had a happy, successful ending but the journey was something else!
Let’s start with the infamous bilge pump switches. We’ve had issues with the switches that turn on our bilge pumps (they empty water out of the bilge – a rather important item on a boat) so one switch needed to be replaced. As well, Mark replaced the high water alarm to a better digital version. All was going well with installing the new switch and alarm until Mark got to the wiring of the alarm. The digital alarm had one more wire than the old one so he needed a third wire which (surprisingly) we didn’t have onboard. So off to the on-site marine store (which is extremely well stocked!). With wire in hand, Mark made the new connection and brought it forward. That sounds simple but to get that one wire from the aft head under the floor, it had to go through the engine room and the little cupboard ahead of the engine room. To get at the spot in the cupboard where the wire entered, the cupboard had to be emptied!! Connecting this new additional wire became a bit of a nightmare because all the wiring for that alarm had to be changed. It was a bit of a struggle but eventually we had two functioning bilge pump switches and a new high water alarm!!
Another job you think would be quick and easy was replacing the batteries in our little flashlights. We remembered to remove the batteries for storage but unfortunately left the batteries in their little holders (3 AAA battery holder). Over our storage period, those holders became corroded. They needed to be cleaned with baking soda or another alkaline substance (which we didn’t have onboard). A quick shout out to our friend John and we were in business. He had baking soda but even better he had an electronics contact cleaner. Mark made a trip over to John’s boat and cleaned away! 2 out of the three flashlights are now as good as new.
Today’s major job also had its challenges. Our forward head (toilet) has not been working well (letting water back into the bowl and not flushing well). Mark has been putting this job off for a good reason – it’s yucky!! Again in order to get access to the hoses, the upper cabinet had to be emptied and the door removed. It’s a very small space so working in there was rough! After lots of dismantling, cleaning a d replacing of parts, Mark discovered that the hose leading to the thru-hull (out to the water) was blocked. Okay so now this job included the main cabin floor to access this hose. The table had to be cleared and put up. The carpet pulled and the floor hatch removed. Now the hose was removed and taken outside on the dock for a good beating (loosening all the built up calcium). Once everything was reconnected, the toilet worked like a charm!!
Lastly, the boat needed a bit of cleaning up after living aboard for almost 2 weeks. That should be an easy job but you know what it wasn’t as easy as it should have been! The navigation table is our junk drawer (both on top and inside) so it accumulates a lot of stuff. Finding homes for all this stuff can drive a person crazy! This boat is big but not big enough for all our stuff. All I can say is that the V-berth is filling up!!
Job challenges aside, life here has been good and we’ve managed to get lots done. We’ve even had time to test our new Starlink mini. The wifi here at the marina isn’t great so we set-up our Starlink in a temporary spot on the rail and have been using it for our wifi needs. It’s working great and will make it so much easier for us to get connected as we travel through all these island countries. We are getting very excited to be leaving the dock!! Saturday and Sunday are looking good for our Culebra/BVIs jump. We’ve planned a dinner out with John on Friday and then we’ll hit the high seas (well hopefully not too high 😁).
Crimson Kathryn and her crew 