100

Warm white LEDs look just like incandescent lights

After a couple of weeks of procrastination the last of the lights in the galley got changed to an L.E.D. bar today. As far as boat jobs go it was pretty straight-forward; a half hour job that only took two hours. For a moment it did appear a trip into town would be required as the bar came without a switch - a trip that would make it an even more normal boat task.  As it turned out the old switch could be cannibalized off the original light and mounted into the side of a galley cabinet, making for a rather neat installation and saving a road trip.

The switch just where your hand wants to find it

It was job #100 on my "Maintenance Completed" list. True, that list is more than a little arbitrary. For example job #10 "Install screen on anchor locker door" took about 20 minutes. (The anchor locker door is at the foot of the V-berth. Winged six-legged creatures would find their way into the anchor locker, buzz through the louvers on the door, and nibble on my toes during the night.) Item #97, "Replace damaged V-drive / tranny / test run," took about 8 months. There is no good reason to keep such a list going, and it isn't an exhaustive list by any stretch of the imagination, but old airplane mechanic habits die hard.

It was pretty much the first job completed since the V-drive repair was finished. A month ago just the thought of going into the aft cabin to get a tool provoked a sharp pain that hit me right between the eyes. "Kintala" as "project" had just about sucked all the joy out of heading to the lake. When it was done we had two weekends of easy sailing with a couple of raft-ups, and then spent last weekend in the city with new grand son youngest. (A one-month-old and lake temperatures nearing 110 seemed a poor mix.)

Light bar looking from below - that's a lot of LEDs!

We thought about heading out to spend this weekend off the pier but (as you might be aware) there hasn't been a lot of water falling from the sky in these parts lately. The lake is short of summer pool making "shallow" the word of the day. Last night a boat full of the assembled went out for a late sail that turned into a stop.  They were the last ones up, no one answered the phone when they called for aid, so they spent the night coved out without bothering with a cove. They did leave a message however; first thing this morning help was dispatched to pull them back into what passes for deep water around here.  Of course there is more to the story - an engine that failed on the way out preventing them from trying to power out of the mud - a shallow spot were none of the experienced assembled on board had ever grounded before - and enough Captain Morgan influence to make having the whole bunch jump into the dark water near the middle of the lake to push seem like a bad idea.  Wisdom prevailed and they settled in to wait for the dawn.

Deb's bright galley - all these lights for a fraction of the draw of the one old one.

Changing a light seemed a better option to digging furrows in the lake bottom.

Job #100.