Monday, 22 July 2019 - I went ashore this afternoon to try to locate a compression connector for the water maker. The first place I went to actually had one but I wasn't sure it would work for me. The one I have is a straight connector and the only one they have that would fit is a right angle. I asked the gentleman how the seal was supposed to work because mine didn't look like it ever could have. We took it apart and he realized it was missing an o-ring. No wonder it leaked! I came back to the boat and re-installed my old one, but it still jumps a thread and won't tighten. The good news is that the right angle fitting not only will work, but it might raise the tubing up out of the way for when I need to take the cover off the refrigerator pump and compressor. Another good point is that the supplier is only about four blocks away. I must be living right to be so lucky!

Tuesday, 23 July - I went to S.A.L.T., Sea Air Land Technologies to get the angle compression connector today, then to Home Depot to get a replacement for the chain hook I bought at West Marine last week. The stainless steel one from West Marine was $40 and I realized after I bought it than it only holds 2500 lb. I replaced it with one from Home Depot that, although not stainless, has a working load limit of 6500 lb. Much better...and it only cost $8. Much, much better. When I got back to the boat, I realized that the connector I got at S.A.L.T. has one end that is the wrong size. I started to go back over there about 3:30, but decided to call to make sure they had one the right size. The man in the parts department had already gone home. At least I didn't make the trip all the way over there to find that out.

Wednesday, 24 July - I spent almost all day today measuring and downloading information about the diameter and pitch (threads per inch) and trying to tell if I need a 1/4" or 3/8" NPT, NPTF, MPT, FPT, or 14mm X 1.5 TPMM connector. Even charts I downloaded from the suppliers don't specify the measurements that are simple to measure, namely, the diameter of the outside of the threads themselves, and 1/2" X 18 TPI is so close in size to 14mm X 1.5 TPMM that one can barely tell the difference. Very frustrating.
              I had intended to go get gasoline and repair the flat tire on my bicycle that I discovered yesterday, but I didn't get either of those done.
              Later, I did go pick up Jay Klassen in the dinghy to go see "The Perfect Storm" at the library, then join his partner Tami Shelton for dinner and musical entertainment at the Hurricane Bar & Grill.
              We're having another evening of thunder and lightning all around us, but hardly a sprinkle at all.

Thursday, 25 July - Jay Klassen came over to the boat today to help with the water maker. We fired it up and we were both totally amazed and ecstatic to see that not only was it still filtering the water well, but also putting out close to the 20 gallons per hour that it is rated at. That really isn't supposed to happen. The instructions and everyone I've talked to say that pickling of the membrane should last no more than about one year and it's been three years since I got the boat. Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed and my rapture ceased when, shortly after Jay left the boat, I looked through the connector that removed in order to reroute the high pressure line and discovered a small piece of stainless steel spring caught in the passageway indicating that there is trouble with the pump, not just with the membrane. A new membrane would cost upwards of $400 to $500 and it appears that I may avoid paying for that, but a new pump goes for about $4000 now. Maybe I can rebuild this one.

Friday, 26 July - Having ended the day yesterday with the discovery of the broken spring, I took the valve covers off three of the six valves to find which one was damaged. The valves are each enclosed a separate, plastic housing, and one of those was totally destroyed. In fact, the other two had springs that are compressed and don't spring back. I don't know how the pump could have performed as well as it did. I got on the internet to look for suppliers for the valves and accompanying o-rings, and started a search to contact local resources and manufacturer of pump, but didn't find them.
                  Next, the propane alarm went off. I hadn't gotten the tools put away, so getting to the propane locker to turn off the gas took awhile. That done, I needed to figure out why the alarm went off, but first I needed a drink to cool down. That was lucky. When I opened the refrigerator to get something cool to drink, I realized that the refrigerator was off. The batteries had fallen to too low a voltage and it had shut off. The 110v power inverter wouldn't work either. Low batteries. It was too late in day to fool with it, and by chance, Jay called and suggested prime rib at the Marathon Grill, That and a margarita sounded really good, so shut off all power and I joined him and his wife, Tami, for dinner.

Saturday, 27 July - Since I had taken the high pressure hose off the water maker to reroute it, and since the valves were out of the pump, I decided to simply pour the picketing solution into the hose using a funnel. I made a heck of a mess trying to pour the pickling solution into the RO membrane because the funnel leaked. That solution is highly corrosive so I had to clean that up immediately. That was so unsuccessful that I decided to simply put old, spare valves back into the pump and reattach the hose, then start the engine and let the pump suck the fluid into the system. I hadn't wanted to do that because I was afraid there might be some other loose parts in the pump, however, there is a time constraint. If the membrane sits more than throe days without the picketing fluid in it, it can be ruined.

Sunday, 28 July - I've never pickled the system myself before, so I studied the drawings and instructions almost all day, but couldn't get the process straight in my head. I hated to keep calling Jay for assistance, but finally gave in and he gladly came over and helped me with it. Jay headed back to his boat and I put tools away. Just as I finished putting the tools away Jay called and we went for dinner at the Hurricane along with some good blues music.

Monday, 29 July - For the last two nights, I've turned everything electrical on the boat off except the refrigerator to conserve battery power. I cleaned the terminals and recharged the batteries, then had to repair my load tester after having loaned it out. The people that borrowed it apparently let it get too hot and it melted the insulation on two of the wires. I tested the batteries and came up with the following readings on the four batteries: 11.29V, 12.86V, 11.4V, 12.74V. Two bad batteries. Since Jay has lithium-ion batteries installed on his beat, I called him for info on lithium replacement batteries. He suggested removing 2 bad batteries and reconfiguring the remainder, then recharging again. That worked better than having to turn off all the electricity at night. He also messaged me quite a bit of information on the batteries.

Tuesday 30 July - Since two of the batteries are shot and the other two also tested poor with the load tester, it's time to decide whether I want to replace them with more Absorbed Glass Mat batteries for about $1300 or with Lithium-Ion batteries for about $5000. They both have their advantages and disadvantages, and the biggest factor is, obviously, price. Lithiums are about half the weight and produce considerably more energy than the AGMs.
                  I spent a couple of hours this morning ordering four items on Amazon and most of the rest of the day researching Lithium-Ion batteries and about an hour still trying to identify the maker of the high pressure pump for the water maker. I had been told that General Pump made the pump, but that company denies it and Echo Tec won't respond to my emails or the phone. Frustrating.

Wednesday, 31 July - Jay and Tammy came over this morning and picked up a couple of items I needed some sewing done on, the water catchment pockets that collect water off the roof of the bimini top and send it on its way to the water tank and the mast base boot that still didn't quite fit properly. After that, I spent much of the time researching batteries and trying to figure out who made the water maker pump. Around 3 o'clock I headed to the marina to fix the flat tire on my bike. I removed the tube, but could find no leaks in the tire, so I put it all back together and aired it up again, then stuffed bags for the new arrivals in the harbor at the marina office. Next, it was a trip to the library to watch a movie, then, since I hadn't eaten lunch or dinner, I went to the Hurricane to eat and enjoy their "open mic night" music. Tammy and Jay were there, so I joined them. They left about 10 o'clock and, as it so happened, John Bartus, the mayor of Marathon and one heck of a good guitar picker and entertainer, joined Adrienne Z on the stage. They are both good, and together they were great. The band at Hurricane usually quits at 11 o'clock on weeknights, but the crowd was really enjoying the entertainment so they played till almost midnight.

Thursday, 1 August - Jay had dropped off the two items that Tammy had sewn up for me before they went to the Hurricane yesterday and some sewing materials showed up at the marina this morning, so I took the rear cockpit cover that attaches to the bimini top over to their boat this morning so she could sew it up before the predicted rains this afternoon. She did a great job with all the pieces, even adding a pull tab to the mast base boot and extra strengthening fabric to the cover. Jay suggested that I should try "equalizing" the batteries by over charging the two that are bad so I switched the batteries out, but then read in the manual for the battery charger/inverter that since the batteries are sealed AGMs, that is highly discouraged. Actually, it said DO NOT EQUALIZE sealed batteries; I guess because there is nowhere for the off gasses to escape. I'd certainly hate to have them explode, sending acid all throughout the lazerette and cockpit. I switched the batteries back again. With only the two batteries hooked up, I'm really having to conserve energy usage onboard.
                  Even after more research, I still haven't decided which batteries to get, although I have definitely decided against lead acid batteries. That leaves AGMs and Lithium-ion. The pickings of those are slim around here, too. That's the way it is on an island. I'll probably have to order some shipped in.

Friday, 2 August - I've totally decided against buying flooded lead acid batteries, but spent the day again studying and reviewing a couple of types of AGM (Absorbed Glass Matte) batteries and Lithium-ion batteries and trying to figure out which is not only the best to choose, but available, too. At $1250 each, I think I'll pass on the Lithium-ion batteries this time. Perhaps the price on those will come down as more lithium mines come online. That leaves me with the AGMs, and the varieties and brands of those seem almost limitless. Finding the "best" price along with the compromises is the hard part. I thought I had decided on the NorthStar brand that West Marine carries for $409 each, but discovered that the local store doesn't carry them. I'll have to get them from Key Large, but that store can't tell when they can ship them to me until Monday.
                  After I thought I had finalized that decision, I discovered that there is a motorcycle shop here in Marathon that has a Deka battery dealership, but whet I discovered it, at 6 o'clock, the were closed.

Saturday, 3 August - I contacted the cycle shop this morning, but he needs to talk to his supplier to determine the exact price, and they are closed until Monday. Even if the price is right, they won't deliver them until two Mondays from now. It's very warm here and the two good batteries that I still have aren't enough. During the daytime I'm okay because the solar will more than keep up. I've only been running the refrigerator, one small LED light and a fan that only draws 1/3 of an Amp, and here at 10 o'clock at night, the battery alarm is already flashing "Low Battery". The wind has been calm, but I'll turn on the wind generator just in case the breeze picks up over night. I may have to go with the batteries that can be delivered the quickest, regardless of price; $288 each or $409 each. I need four.
                  I've been so busy with other things lately that I've almost run out of food onboard Island Time. I hate going to the grocery store, but today, I finally gave in and headed over and stocked up.

Sunday, 4 August - I'm now merely playing a waiting game for batteries and parts to arrive so I really didn't accomplish much today. I did flush out the water maker's prefilter, which I had forgotten to do the day we flushed and pickled the rest of the system. Perhaps it's time to send this post on its way to you.