F is for Frustration

This is the before and after picture of our pullman berth while the captain is trouble shooting our water maker Sir Anthony. As you might have guessed the water maker is under the berth forward and beside our 100 gallon water tank. In order to work on the system we have to remove everything from the berth...covers, mattress, mattress cover and that which is stored at the foot of the berth. These things then spend the day in the salon. Things are never easy on a sailboat?!?

Once Sir Anthony was up and running it was time for the captain to turn his attention to Harry the Honda generator. Harry had an operation at the end of last season so we aren't sure why he seems to still be in recovery. We are going to talk to the Honda dealer in Marsh Harbour and see if they can offer any suggestions or better still take a look at him.

While Rob was working on the water maker I took a paddle around the anchorage and area outside of Marsh Harbour. After three days of trouble shooting, hours of frustration and working on Sir Anthony we have had success. The problem seems to have occured as a result of the pickling solution not keeping things clear in the lines. It is like Anthony had atherosclerosis and needed a good arterial cleaning. The captain made a solution of lye and salt water and pumped it through the system and Sir Anthony has never run better. It couldn't have come at a better time as we were scraping the bottom of our one hundred gallons purchased at Abaco Yacht Services. With a little help from Mother Nature just in the nick of time in the form of a rain shower we were able to keep from dipping into our emergency supply. We carry three 6 gallon jugs on board for emergencies; however we managed to get up and running before having to empty our jugs Such are the joys of being your own public utilities. We are happy to say that the wind generator Harold the Happy Hummer is working fabulously and we are pumping out an average of 15 amps in good trade winds which is more than enough to keep our fridge and other electrical systems running. Of course the other great thing about wind power is that it runs over night, unlike solar which can only generate power during the daylight hours. As for our sewerage system we are glad to say that our macerator in the bilge which had been submerged in brine water during the hurricane is still working. This was a great surprise and a tribute to pumps made by Whale. So as of today....Monday January 30th we can report that the hydro, water and sewerage systems are up and running.

The Hopetown lighthouse at sunrise from our anchorage near Marsh Harbour. We are anchored back across at Man O War for this next cold front of 20-25 knot winds from the north and east. The previous three days we spent outside of Marsh Harbour in an anchorage that Peter and Lynn introduced us to. In fact it seemed strange to be there without First Edition. We miss them but we know that they will be enjoying their new retirement home on Chesapeake Bay. While the captain was working on the water maker I went for a little paddle around the area. There are quite the homes built on the peninsula. We prefer to stay away from Marsh Harbour until we have to do specific jobs. The harbour gets particularly busy when there are fronts forecast and people feel the need to be surrounded by protection on several sides. We will go into the harbour if the front is going to clock rapidly; however our preference is to move around the Sea of Abaco finding anchorages that protect us from the prevailing wind. Thus for the most part we are often the only boat around; however even if another boat joins us in the anchorage there is lots of room.

A break from boat jobs and a paddle around Man O War....one home even had a zip line for entertainment. Before the wind piped up yesterday we had a chance to go paddling and take a breather from boat jobs. That didn't last long and today the captain is busy trouble shooting Little Harry, our Honda generator. Harry is not as critical a crew member now that we have Hal, but we do need him as a standby crew member. We are hoping that he will be easier to fix than Sir Anthony. Our plan is to return to Marsh Harbour after this front, do our top up shopping, laundry, internet and be off to Lynyard Cay staging for our ocean passage to Eleuthera on the weekend. As you know this can change daily but one has to have a hopeful plan. Even though the job list has had its frustrations we can now feel ready for the next adventure.