Nothing lasts forever...
So it's been a bit rainy lately. Actually, that doesn't do the precipitation justice - we've had more than half our normal cold November rain already, and we're only five days into the month. It's been cold, breezy and above all, damp. There's been a few adjustments needed: windows need to be mopped down hourly, the bilge needs regular pumping (though that's mostly due to a clogged drain hose that I simply haven't been able to get out and clear yet), and the outside plants need their overflow pans dumped every four or five hours. Plus, the webcam got a little over-precipitated on, so it's unplugged and inside for now to dry out (it was working fine yesterday, but today apparently put things over the top!) We may need to find some alternate accomidations for it during the winter.
On top of all of this, the forecast calls for quite a bit more rain through at least mid-week. It looks like winter weather has arrived with a vengeance. There's already lots of snow in the mountains (and the ski resorts are open for their earliest season in 28 years!) and we're at least ten degrees below normal temperatures. This is more like what we should be seeing in January, not early November. At least we now know we can handle the cold temperatures with a space heater and a nice warm comforter!
On the more annoying side of things, I quested to find a dehumidifier today, since right now our windows are doing all the work and creating a bit of a nuisance where they drip and create inviting corners for mildew to take hold. Apparently no one in this city sells them, however, because I went to five stores and found a grand total of one (which wasn't suitable as it was designed to deal with a very large, warm basement.) I've been forced to order one online, which leaves me somewhat disastisfied since it lacks the instant gratification and easy return policy of getting something at an actual store.
In case that wasn't enough, the old battery charger has finally given up the ghost. We knew it was near its end when the boat was delivered, as it killed one battery the day before the boat got dropped in the water, and it always overcharges (as demonstrated by the batteries venting and losing water) if left on too long. While an annoyance, it was easy enough to leave the charger off until the batteries were noticably low and then turning it on for a day to charge them back up. Now it's given up charging them at all, which means that either the batteries are dead (quite possible, given the roller-coaster life they've had with this charger) or the charger has finally given up the ghost. Luckily it is still giving enough power to the DC machinery we have on board (primarily the fridge control panel and the toilet), so we're functioning. I picked up a new charger, but as with everything that requires me going outside, installation is postponed until the rain lets up. I'll make sure to have some nice comparison pictures when I do get a chance to swap them out, since the new one is about a quarter the size of the old one and the exact same strength.
Oh right, and the toilet. As we say at the marina, everything comes back to poop. It seems our good friends at Sani-Tug, who are supposed to pump out our holding tank every two weeks, have been a bit lax in their obligations to us... again. Kristin's called them several times and left messages at various phone numbers, and we have yet to hear back from them which leaves us guessing as to the status of things. Luckily there's another company (SS Head) that does pump-outs, so assuming that every other Sani-Tug customer hasn't already switched to them, we're going to sign up for their services ASAP.
These are the things they forgot to mention in the brochure when they showed us how glamorous this was!
Comments
I know the feeling after going through two boats,the happiest two days in a mans life is when he buys a boat and when he sells it.but you will get all the bugs worked out.the last boat i bought we towed it home two miles, and the wheels fell off in the drive way,a month later the water pump went on the outboard, we named the boat "LAST ONE". Barry
Posted by: Barry | November 6, 2005 4:22 AM