Rat lines, bilges and rain

  This morning I designed a different way to install the steps or ‘ladder rungs’ on the rat lines which suited the wood we had to use.  It will also be much safer.  The first three rungs are now secured and are very successful and I could confidently test them with my own weight.  However, today is a ‘rain day’, not just a few showers but pretty consistent rain with the odd clap of thunder and only one really close lightning bolt.  Power went off but was more the fault of Jim’s computer charger which seems to trip the GFI on the whole dock.  I have five more rungs to measure, cut and secure tomorrow, hopefully the weather will cooperate.  The new ones with edges all rounded to protect the sails look so good against the old ones.

With the rain we then moved to inside jobs and with creative plumbing techniques, I installed a check valve on the deck drain so that we will no longer have to listen to the bilge pump like we did last night.  Last night’s storm had Lynda and I on deck soaking wet as we removed the laundry before it blew away.  I would have done it myself but Lynda doesn’t like anyone touching her personal things.  Lynda took today ‘off’ and visited with friends and planned to go snorkelling.  Boat maintenance is not her thing.  She has missed her bus back tonight so phoned and said I could have the big bunk tonight!

As I cut the rat line steps with a sabre saw, Jim went to see about batteries.  The result was an afternoon visit, in pouring rain, from a New Zelander named Alfie.  As Jim took a call on his cell phone, Alfie and I had a talk about Jim’s electrical system.  When Jim came back, Alfie said as politely as possible “Jim, I have to give you a scolding about your batteries”.  Now I believe that Jim will at least buy a starter battery and keep it separate.  Alfie says we could exist on the four remaining house batteries as long as we do not go too far and as long as we have a separate starter battery.  He will come back in the morning with prices.  Integral to getting new batteries, explained Alfie, would be a relatively cheap battery monitoring system.  The over-heating of the dying batteries which fried the supporting boards beneath them should never happen with a proper monitoring system.

I explained to Jim that at home I often like to do jobs for my friends and they feed me lunch or dinner, that’s all I really need.  But they don’t charge me for the privilege of visiting their home.  Point made and I have negotiated a new deal, I am not paying to be a ‘Mechanic in Paradise’ which makes me feel a whole lot better about what I am doing here.  I really believe that Jim had no idea how badly off his boat was, although I think he should have seen some of the major issues.  He and Alice lived aboard here for two years and did no maintenance.  Some locals have said to Lynda that Jim has “gone tropical” and has lost touch with certain reality.  I think I have brought back some of that reality and he now has lists of things he needs to do when he returns to the States also on April 1.  Number one on that list is to see about a perpetual cough he has.

Alice was leaving as I arrived.  Lynda is trying to work her way around the world from boat to boat and she has already spent a month trying to organize Jim and his stuff and also tried to clean the place up.  This was not what she expected when she agreed to make this boat her next leg.  She will find some other way to move east.  She is quite resourceful.

The photo I hope to attach could best be called “Rum in the Rain”, a photo technique that Sylvia uses.  Two rums actually, with fresh pineapple and ice.  Drinks to celebrate the work accomplished today. 

Thanks all for your good wishes.