This one takes the prize for weirdness.  Our project manager texts me:

Him:  Can You Talk?

Me:  Sure. Thinking “How much will this cost us?”

Him:  Your bilge is full of water-like almost to the sole boards (floor).

Me:  The boat has been on dry land for 6 months.  How is that possible?

Him:  It looks like your freshwater tank failed and drained into the bilge.

Me:  Umm, we emptied that tank before we hauled her out.

Him:  Huh.  That’s weird.

Me:  Ya think?

Let’s back up.  Meraviglia has 5 tanks.  Two diesel tanks, two freshwater tanks, and a holding tank for waste.  The main diesel tank was replaced in 2020 after the near-sinking (I mean “water intrusion event”.  Sorry.).  The holding tank was empty.  The second diesel tank was empty and not used by the previous owner.  The second water tank was, per the previous owner, empty and disconnected from the deck fill. “Don’t use the second water tank.  It’s not connected and if you try to fill it the water goes into the bilge-ask me how I know.”  Okay.  We ignored the second water tank.

On our delivery trip, we just used the freshwater tank in the saloon.  When we prepped to haul her out in Georgia, we emptied this tank because we didn’t want water sitting there.  So where did the water come from?  It’s a mystery.

Let’s empty that bilge, shall we?
She’s dead, Jim.

Our project manager decided to pump the bilge dry-good idea.  Unfortunately, our bilge pumps were all dead.  Why?  Because our batteries were all dead.  Now these were 2-year-old AGM batteries, lightly used, that had worked fine during the survey and delivery and were fully charged at haul-out.  Granted, they were not charged while on the hard, but 3 totally dead batteries after 6 months?  Seemed suspicious.  We can’t be sure, but we suspect that the bilge pumps kicked on as water was coming into the bilge.  As the water continued to come in, the pumps ran and ran and ran until the batteries died.  Which means that the water in the bilge, which was almost up to the sole boards, was what was left AFTER the pumps removed gallons and gallons until the batteries died.

Supposedly empty water tank… Oooooohhhh, Yummy!

But where did the water come from?  Not from the freshwater tanks.  The tank in the saloon was emptied by us.  The forward water tank, upon inspection, was COMPLETELY FULL OF DISGUSTING CONTAMINATED WATER!  Lesson learned:  trust no one.  But clearly that tank was not the source.  What about rain water from outside?  We knew that the portlights leaked, but we had covered the boat at haul-out and it’s difficult to believe that, even uncovered, enough rainwater came in that way to fill the bilge a few times over without ruining the interior, which still looked clean.  We still don’t have an answer.  Our leading theory is that there is enough water coming in through the chainplates, toe rails, and stanchion fittings to account for all that water.  It runs down into the bilge along the inside of the hull, so we never see it.  Maybe.  Who knows?  Add it to the To Do List. And while we’re at it, let’s add “New Tanks” too. Sigh…

Old tank. Anyone else think perhaps the surveyor needs new eyeglasses?