No rest for the weary

I thought things would wind down once the show was over and we started getting some chores done, but no. It’s been very cold, and that affects our sleep; it’s also been very cloudy and that affects our batteries. Normally we run on solar power but with the weather we’re having there aren’t enough sunny hours to keep our battery bank charged. No worries, we have a generator, right? Wrong. We started noticing a few weeks ago that the AC battery charger that runs off the generator isn’t doing its job. We’re so clueless about electricity that it took us this long and a string of sunless days to realize we have a serious problem. We’ll have to use an engine to charge batteries until we can figure out the AC charger but in the meantime we’re doing a daily sun dance for enough rays to keep the fridge and freezer going. I think this is an omen that it’s time to head south.

Yesterday our friend Jim took us to West Marine for a lock for the new outboard, then to Trader Joe’s for a complete restock. Later Jim came over to troubleshoot our non-working starboard bilge pump float switch, then joined us for the patented EV port dinner of quesadillas, guacamole, homemade salsa, and dark and stormies. It’s been so nice to have Jim as a neighbor for a while. He’s a great friend and good company.

Today, with the rain behind us, we finally took our bikes ashore, then rode to West Marine to return the offending bilge pumps. From there we rode another 4-1/2 miles to Bacon’s, a marine consignment shop, where we dug up some reasonably priced cam-cleats to add to our ever-more-sophisticated bike rig. After that we rode back to downtown Annapolis and had a quick lunch before taking advantage of the $1 hot showers at the harbor master’s office. Ah, hot water and lots of it! Finally, we pedaled our freshly scrubbed selves another couple of miles back home again. By the time we got to the dinghy we were rubber-legged from not riding for so long, and who knew Annapolis was so hilly?

Meanwhile, the guy we talked to at the boat show who said he could fix our chart plotter with a new antenna won’t return my calls; West Marine had to order a replacement bilge pump for the two that won’t work requiring a trip back there again tomorrow; and the customer service person Jack called about the battery charger didn’t seem interested in helping trace the problem.

I spent the last few minutes looking at our friends’ Spot tracks and I’m envious that they’re all on the move and frustrated that we’re not. On the other hand, we have some friends and family coming to visit and that should lift our spirits.

I sure wish some of them were skilled in boat electronics and mechanics. Or that we were.