Monday, 1 October 2018 - I must admit, it would be very easy to get discouraged here lately. Yesterday, I finally purchased a new starting battery and installed it. I charged it well overnight, then attempted to start the engine with it this morning. It barely starts the engine even though it is advertised to be enough to easily start a 250 hp engine and mine is only 92. I'll have to take it back and buy one at about twice the price. Last week my mainsail fell to the top of the bimini for the second time. I haven't gotten that fix yet and this morning one of the pumps on my refrigeration started sounding like it was having a hard time running properly. I had to go to shore to, supposedly, meet the rigger about the halyard for the sail furler, but that didn't happen, either. He was to call me around 3 or 4 pm and meet me at the dock. I went early to save time. He called about 5:30 to say that the part hadn't arrived and we'll have to meet tomorrow. I returned to Island Time and discovered that the refrigeration had tripped the breaker and won't restart. I'll delve into that tomorrow, I suppose. I don't know whether to hope it is the water pump or the compressor pump. I guess the water pump, it surely will be cheaper, and replacing the compressor pump would entail more brazing, evacuating the system with a vacuum pump, and refilling the system with refrigerant.

Tuesday, 2 October - Whew! It wasn't the compressor pump. As I started working on the water pump I noticed a broken wire and thought, "Aha! This is too easy." I replaced the butt connector and a couple of spade connectors, plugged it back in and it started, ran for 30 seconds ...and tripped the breaker again. I was right, it WAS too easy. I removed the pump and took it apart. A blob of silicone sealant had gotten into the system and entered the pump along with some other small pieces of unknown plastic. Not only that, but water had gotten into the motor portion of the pump. I'm surprised it would start and run at all. I cleaned it up and set it in the sun to dry, then I thought, "I ought to check my database to see if there's a spare onboard." Yes! Right there in the vertical locker in the forward stateroom. I pulled it out and installed it ...and it wouldn't run at all. I had assumed that it was good, but, of course, I was wrong. Next I needed to reassemble the old one. I washed my hands to start on that. When I shut off the water, the pump for the fresh water at the sink refused to shut off. Did I mention that it seems like I rarely get to rest between repairs? I turned off the main switch to it and will deal with it later.

Wednesday, 3 October - I reassembled the water pump I just took out and reinstalled it and I'm happy to say it's running great so at least I have refrigeration again...and I didn't have to spend a lot of time defrosting the fridge! - Self defrosting! No telling how long it will last. I ordered a new one as a backup. It should be here by Tuesday of next week. When I get the time, I'll tear the one that I thought was a ready to use spare apart and see if I can get it running, too. After noon, I cleaned the first two water filters on the fresh water in the galley and it seemed to fix the problem...once, but not after the second try. I'll just turn the water pump on at the breaker momentarily as needed.
                    Tomorrow there's a chance to make a trial run with homemade sailboats for the "Blowhard Regatta" to be held on Monday in the community room at the marina. The race is a head to head elimination in two parallel channels six inches wide and ten feet long. Sole means of propulsion is to be the captain's breath through a straw and the boats can only be 6 inches wide and 6 inches long. I found a piece of styrofoam (hull), a plastic ice bag (sail), the lid to a cottage cheese container (keel), and some straws (mast) that had blown to the side of the road the other day while walking back from Home Depot, so I spent a couple of hours crafting my entry for the race later this afternoon.

Thursday, 4 October - Now I needed to deal with the fresh water pump in the galley. Since cleaning the filters didn't solve the problem, I decided the culprit must be the microswitch, so I disassembled that and could find nothing wrong there. I tested the switch with an electrical continuity tester and that checked out Ok, too, so I reassembled it, tested it again with a positive outcome, and reinstalled it. Now it works fine...for the moment. I hate that situation. I want to find the problem and fix it. All I did was disassemble it, find no problem, and get it running again. That's not fixing it. It still has the same problem and it will probably fail again at the worst possible time.
                    About noon, I went to the marina to test out my "Blow Hard Racer". They had the track set up right below a huge overhead fan, so it didn't matter which end I started the boat from, I had a head wind that was about as strong as my lungs were. I could get it to move down the course aways, but when I ran out of breath and inhaled, the boat backed up about as far as I had blown it. I had also assumed that since the course is supposed to be six inches wide and the maximum width of the vessel is six inches, the sides of the track would keep the boat going straight, but no, the lanes are really about nine inches across, so the boat wanders all over the lane and can actually get sideways. I need a longer keel. I'll fix that, but don't think it will do much good. I think it's going to be an exciting...and hilarious, race.

            Until next time.

                        "Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!" - Hunter S. Thompson

                                          Rick