As a misty rain begins to pitter-patter on the cockpit windows it just confirms that another squall line is passing through Stuart which will mean less solar energy for us. We had to run the diesel generator this morning due to low solar charging yesterday and making water while we had a little sun. The good news is that our soon to be replaced battery charger started up after only a short session with the electric space heater blowing on it. In Annapolis, while we were buttoned up because of Sandy and just plain cold temperature, we found that blowing warm air on our charger gave us a 50/50 chance of it starting up. So now if it doesn’t work after flipping the breaker, which it rarely does, we blow hot air on it in the hope that it’ll start up.
This reminds me of a cat that we used to have, we’ll call her Margaret. We found something called wacky wall walkers. One throws them, the walkers that is, up against a wall, they stick to it and slowly “walk” down. She found this fascinating. Years later she could be found staring up at the spot where she used to see the “walkers” slowly making their way down the wall. Sometimes it works.
Tenacity, or is it just back to my “Sweet Spot of Life Theory” which states that we spend a large part of our lives in the pursuit of the feeling of that sweet spot zone. In younger days it was hitting that round ball with a cylindrical bat, not the 99% usual contact but that sweet spot contact without vibration and the ball leaps off the bat. Later it’s when she looks up at you and says…yes. Whatever, we tend to repeat the behavior. I may have overthought the charger thing but it can’t go soon enough for me.
There are big changes in store for Escape Velocity which should make for a sweeter life aboard her. We seem to have gotten a definitive answer on why anchoring EV has been such a difficult and dangerous proposition. Wrong chain wheel! We found a dangerous hole hacked into the main support beam which is fixable, and we’re adding AIS to our electronics suite and an amp hour meter for the batteries. Work continues apace with the cockpit cushions. I’m sure I’ve missed something so stay tuned.
The sun has burned through the clouds so I’m out of here.
