All Work and No Play

The past few days have been blustery, rainy and gray…obviously perfect for interior boat projects! We’ve been busy, indeed! Ron changed the oil, filters and impeller on the 12kW genset while I dusted, vacuumed, shined and cleaned every cabin and interior space of the entire boat. (It needed it, truly!) I also did odd cleaning jobs like cleaning out the vent filter for the dryer and the pin trap on the washer, then sorting and rearranging some of the spares and stuff in the open office cabinets. Small things, but productive! 

We also spent a good part of an afternoon with FKG Rigging, working on replacing the davit counterweight valve. Popping in the new valve was easy, but then we also had to get rid of some air in the lines, so that took a bit of time. (Nothing is a five-minute job!!) We will have to use the boom some in the meantime, just to make sure it’s all working properly, as the valve may still need some adjustment. Hopefully not, and we’re somewhat optimistic that we finally have…resolution! Hooray!!

Darryl from FKG is the only other person able
to access the davit oil reservoir besides me! Once you're back there,
you do have room to work...but getting there is the challenge!

Then, we had Jan from Electec aboard, getting the water-maker back in business. Now that Jan is finished installing a new booster pump and replacing the old lead pump, the numbers are spot-on: we are making great water at optimum pressure! Clearly, despite all assurances to the contrary, the unit had never worked properly before...but now, it even sounds different. Happier, maybe? (Please, oh please, oh please let this be the right fix after all this time!!) We are guardedly optimistic once again!

Ron also took care of the new dinghy engine too, seeing as it needed to get its first oil change after its break-in period. He took it over to Island Water world, where he got it hauled out so that the work could be done. We thought about trying to do it aboard the boat in the cradle, but with the winds kicking up, we didn't want to be fighting to secure it. While it was slower having to deal with the haul-out, changing the oil was a piece of cake. All good there!

The final repair was replacing the pigtail hose to our propane tanks, as it sprang a slow leak at the connection near the regulator. (It truly is “always something” -- and usually unexpected -- aboard a boat!) We discovered the problem last night when the stove propane ran out much sooner than expected, and let’s just say Capt/Chef Ron was not happy to have to switch tanks in the midst of making his veal marsala!! When Ron went up to switch the tanks, he found the leak....ugh! At least installing the new pigtail was a fairly straightforward repair, simply a matter of getting a new hose! (FKG to the rescue yet again!)

Ron is now living in dread of the next boat thing going wrong…and has put me in charge of all things mechanical in the meantime. Optimism goes a long way, so I'm hoping I won't get called to duty too soon! Wish me luck!