Anyone who has owned a boat will know what I mean by BPM; whenever you start a project you end up finding at least 1 more thing that needs to be done. So far my BPM is 2. For example:
- 2 days ago the main propane tank ran dry [ yup, in the middle of cooking dinner]. I switched to the backup tank and noticed that the removable bracket that is used to attach the lid to the propane locker was swollen with rust. So job 1: remove rust, neutralize surface then paint with Tremclad, 3 coats. Also, job 2: marina doesn’t sell propane anymore so that means another expedition to get the main tank filled.
- For some reason the ship’s FM/AM radio is wired into the instrument circuit; this means that to have the radio on I have to power the instruments including the AIS which doesn’t have an on/off switch. To reduce power consumption when not at the dock, I decided to rewire the radio to a different circuit. Opened the electrical panel and found a disconnected red wire; tracing that wire led me through the bilge which had more water in it than I expected. The float switch was not working. So had to remove old switch, get new switch [ $78!], install and clean out the bilge. I started this in the morning and finally got to the original rewiring job at about 4pm which took about 15 minutes to do. I’ve left the mystery red wire for another day.
I had a nice visit with Gerry and Jenny, the couple that bought Tatoosh, on board Caesura yesterday. It was great to catch up with them and see what they have done to the boat; it is obviously in good hands. Being on board brought back a lot of good memories [ and some envy re extra space!]. They were just back from doing a short offshore jaunt. Unfortunately they got caught out in 40+ winds [ not forecasted] and had to deal with a broken furling line. They did well and Caesura [ ex Tatoosh] performed well and they felt safe.
I’m so glad that Tatoosh has gone to such nice people.
An Old Man and the Sea 