Some Days You Just Get Tired

A few days ago the 50 – 30 amp shore power cord adapter caught fire. Deb happened to be walking down the dock at that moment, saw the smoke, ran to the boat calling for a fire extinguisher. A minute later all was well with the world. Of course there was no AC after a couple of days of being spoiled and sleeping well. It was a hot and humid night's sleep. But that seemed a minor thing to chafe over.

The next morning we bought a new shore power cord, pulled the smart plug off of the old cord, made sure it wasn't damaged, and modified the new cord with the proper end to fit the boat. Our new crew member got a chance to dive into electrical repair. The next generation of mechanics getting its feet wet. 

Since the 1 to 1 adapter was burnt toast we dug up the 2 to 1 adapter that was on the boat and tried to plug it in. It would not lock into the plug at our dock. It locked into the plug at the next dock so...mystery. The marina owner was called in because there was something wonky with something, maybe on his side of the dock, maybe on our side. After a few tries he loaed us an adapter that would lock in and took ours back to his shop for a look over. But before he left we powered up the Air Con side of our AC circuit. Cool air flowed so the marina owner headed off and we closed up the boat due to the incoming rain. All was well with the world...for about 10 minutes. Then the Air Con side of the 110v panel went dead. The shore power breaker was still closed so it seemed likely that the problem lie with the old but newly installed smart plug. Easy troubleshooting was to switch the two power cables on the boat and, sure enough, the boat side of the 110v panel, now powered by the old plug, was dead. Shut off all shore power beakers, then open them up again. ??? Everything working. Power down, swap the plugs, power up. Everything working. ??? There are few things I like less or distrust more than a system that seems to fix itself. More troubleshooting ensued but nothing popped up to explain why the power went away in the first place. With no other option seemingly at hand we powered everything up and let it run. Which it did for hours without a hitch. But puzzlement and caution still ruled.

While Grandson Eldest and I worked on getting electricity to the Air Con system, Deb went to work installing a filter in the holding tank vent line. Every time the head is flushed that wonderful, boat specific odor we all know so well, wafts out of the vent and into boat through nearby ports. (The designer who located a head vent near a port must have failed vent design 101.) It should have been a simple install. But in this particular case none of the fittings that came with the filter fit the hoses that came with the boat. She spent hours searching through our stash of oddball fittings trying to find some combination that would mate everything together. But with the day running out she finally had to call it an impasse, reassemble the vent as it was, and start over with a visit to the hardware store the next morning. Two boat projects that should have been pretty straight forward turned sour. With additional effort they will become a note in the maintenance log, drift into the past, and be mostly forgotten. But, some days, one just gets tired of the relentless broken stuff on a boat.

But such are also days to practice other skills, like shrugging one's shoulders, forcing a rue smile or cracking a crude joke, and then just getting on with the program. We picked this life on the water to be a bit more independent, fend for ourselves, live light on the planet, and make our own way. When things go wrong or someone makes a mistake (like me not taping the cord adapter so it could not wiggle its way loose on the moving dock and start making sparks) just learn (or relearn) something and go on.

The Air Con worked through the night and into the day.  Parts were assembled into a new 1 to 1 50/30 amp connector for the shop power cord that replaced the loner. And, in the process, we might have found the reason for the ??? Air Con failure. The second and open connecter on the loaner 1 to 2 50/30 amp cord was really wet, even though it was wrapped and zip tied into a plastic bag. The system was up and running again and, again, after a few hours, tripped the boat side Air Con AC panel breaker. When we pulled the strainer there were parts of chewed up jellyfish stuck inside. We cobbled up the bits and tools needed to pull the water line off of the strainer, hook up an outside hose, and back flush the thru-hull. A procedure we seem to be doing at least once a day. Jellyfish can make you tired as well.

In the midst of the ongoing Air Con work, a good solution was found for the head tank vent filter. Stink interception is assured and life on board is a bit more pleasant. 

WiFi access on the boat has been another hassle. Deb ordered some kind of magic doo-dad and, after a bit of a language tussle with a company tech who could barely speak english (something that will make anyone tired of the day) internet access is much improved...and life on board is a bit more pleasant. Good outcomes at the end of days that make you tired.

There were three days of running wiring for an external plug to power up our new cooler/freezer that has taken up residence in the aft cockpit. When that job hit a delay for lack of the correct spade connections to fit in the space we had, we traded off on installing some additional bracing for the Dink storage pivots. The original install had included one such brace under where the engine hung, nothing under the other. The wood under the other has started to give way. But working over water while trying to cobble together something that will both do the job and while not looking like a total hack job? Well, that can make one a little tired as well.

All days eventually come to an end. Some make you tired while others? Not so much. All one can do is deal with the day as it is offered and enjoy a sunset at its end. Particularly with life on the water.