Saturday & Sunday 21-22 Dec, West Palm FL days 6 & 7: Two more wet damp windy days aboard anchored in Lake Worth. Pottering during the day and abusing our free WiFi in the evening.
On Saturday I go into the bilge under the saloon settee where the watermaker elements are situated, with the intention to store the new spare pair of membranes which we just bought. First of all, we check the sealed bags they are in are still indeed sealed. These elements are very delicate and need to remain stored in the preservative fluid they come with. One of the bags had a small hole in it, but it’s still damp inside so we reseal it.
What starts as being a simple job to store the membranes turns into a major storage exercise. Because once in there we realize this empty bilge space should be big enough to stow the spare outboard engine (6HP Suzuki). So the settee seats are unscrewed for easier access and the outboard is hailed from its current resting place in the bottom of the aft deck locker. Due to its weigh and tricky access to the bilge here, it’s not easy to get it in. But in it goes and… it’s too big 🙁
With some determination, after removing the thick padding we had put around it and removing the gear lever and fuel tank cap (which both stick out) it ends up fitting perfectly – totally jammed in there, yet not quite touching any of the delicate parts of the watermaker. To ensure it doesn’t move I screw on a D-bolt and lash the engine in place.
And there is still space to fill. So in goes one of our two spare outboard fuel tanks, the spare spinnaker halyard and the old mainsheet. Now it’s full! And much better to have the weight here, midships and low down. Plus the aft deck locker is now amazingly clear, even with the new Hookha dive compressor in there. Brilliant. Job well done. And probably the last (known) empty and accessible bilge space filled!
On the Sunday the job of the day is to complete the internal wiring for the new solar panels, which will be mounted on the bimini. Last part is to install MC4 solar wire connectors on the wire ends in the cockpit locker. A relatively quick job. In fact the biggest time was emptying the locker so I could get in there!
The two evenings we entertain ourselves with a new series on Amazon Prime: Sneaky Pete. And as usually we binge watch 5 episodes per night to complete series 1. Very nice entertainment. And got to do it while we have WiFi … from a generous nearby venue that has left their WiFi “open”. Who does that these days? Thank you, whoever you are!