Chapter 38: MOVING WEEK! (metaphorically , of course)-Part I

It’s been a grind lately. I’ve felt like a hamster on a wheel-running fast and going nowhere. Last weekend was particularly bad, especially since I authored some setbacks on my own. Note to self: when cutting into the ceiling, be careful not to cut a wiring conduit. That’s why there was no post from us last weekend. We didn’t feel like authoring another tale of woe.

But, THIS WEEK! This week now! We’re rocking it!

First, thanks to our project manager, I managed to fix my severing of the wiring conduit. There was swearing involved (mine), but that’s pretty normal for my boat work. We got our chartplotter configured so we know where we are and where we are going. Not that we are going anywhere just yet, but at least we can LOOK at places to go. We got our new refrigeration system up and running. We discovered the limits of the ancient insulation of our freezer compartment, but at least the system compressor isn’t running 24/7. I replaced the rest of the cabin lights with LEDs and also managed to install three new fans to replace the 1980s vintage fans we had. We got our life raft installed (hopefully never to be used, but…). We also got a good way to installing our watermaker.

A watermaker is an important piece of kit for us. Because of modifications made to Meraviglia over the years, her water tank capacity has dropped by about half. We probably carry only about 100 gallons of fresh water. That’s not a lot when one wants to cross an ocean. The watermaker lets us turn sea water into fresh water so we have limitless range (as long as we have electricity, of course). It’s a pretty cool piece of kit. It runs on DC power, so off of our batteries. The general concept is pretty simple. The watermaker uses a series of pumps to push seawater at extremely high pressure (800-1000 psi) through a membrane with REALLY tiny holes. The holes are so small that only water molecules can pass through. And out the other side: drinkable water! It’s like magic! (Really expensive magic, but still…)

We also got a big rainstorm one evening. Normally, that’s not such a big deal, but for us it was a good test. When we arrived on Meraviglia in late June, she leaked. She leaked from portlights. From hatches. From just about everywhere. We have spent a LOT of time finding and plugging leaks. Because trying to sleep while getting dripped on just isn’t that much fun. I can proudly report that we are now down to two leaks! TWO! Considering we have removed and reinstalled 7 portlights, a portlight lens, 2 hatch lenses, and 4 hatches, that’s pretty darn good. Of the two remaining, one is an easy fix. The other I can’t quite figure out. But hey, it builds character.

And, we got sails on Meraviglia! Well, one sail anyway. We hauled the mainsail out of the storage unit and got it on the mast. Not because we are going sailing. That would be silly (still missing some chainplates). But we need to know how the boom sits over the bimini so we can make sure the solar panel mount fits. It took 2 1/2 hours, but Kim and I managed to get that thing on and stowed!

So, overall, things have really started to move. And it’s only halfway through the week! Now, we aren’t exactly moving yet. We think we probably won’t be leaving here for good until November, though we should soon be able to start making some day trips. We are still waiting for our last three chainplates and we have no windlass for anchoring yet, so that takes extended cruising off the table, but we should soon be able to go motor around, anchor, take a swim, and maybe even overnight somewhere. Exciting!!

Stay tuned…