Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Water, water everywhere, not a drop to drink


Aluminum Corrosion under inspection port
3rd day in and things have been more than stressful.  Let's see, we have no water or refrigeration yet.  We finally have a working stove, because Frank fixed the propane leak that was in the locker.  We spent all day yesterday draining out our water tanks so that we can shock the system.  Just as we were about to refill it, we discover a second tank that no one (including the surveyor) knew about.  Not only did we not know about it, but we don't know where it leads to or what's inside (since it doesn't have an inspection port).  So, no water till we figure this tank business out.   

Vacuuming out the debris
You don't wanna drink this...


Meanwhile, Frank is mapping out where all the hoses go, from the water tanks, to the holding tanks, to the water maker, and so on, so that we don't end up doing double work in terms of shocking the system.  As he was doing this, and testing out where the waste from the head goes to, our dc electrical panel blew a fuse.  This was caused by the flushing of our electric head (who needs a damn electric flusher?  We are replacing this unit as soon as we can afford it).  The flushing of the toilet proved to be too much load for our dc system and tripped it up.  We, of course, went into a panic.  After about an hour of crying (from me, of course) and rueing the day we decided to do this, Frank figured it out (with a lot of guesswork).  We are still not even close to halfway unpacked, and the immaculate boat we stepped aboard is long gone.  The whole thing seemed to have flipped upside down, and every inch of space is covered with our stuff, some of the previous owner's stuff, and a sprinkling of garbage.   There's always something to do.  I feel so grateful for Frank's mechanical know-how.  This whole thing has put us in a situation where we're forced to work as a team.  This has all been challenging, as Frank and I are complete opposites in every way, including how we approach things and how we see the world.  I once read somewhere that "successful crews consist of an optimist and a pessimist: without the optimist, the crew would never leave the dock,; without the pessimist, they would lose the boat..."   With that being said,  I believe that if we get through this, we can conquer anything.  Whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, right?  Multi-tasking on a vessel is extremely difficult and I'm already learning that it takes a lot of patience and self reflection to do this. I admit, I'm yearning for the days of complacence, wondering when that will be again.

Our beautiful mess

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