Promptly Pursued Projects and Purchases
06 April 2020 | Crown Bay Marina, St. Thomas
Monday 6 April 2020
Popped over to marina early, easy peasy. All interaction with office is through dock guys. Cost of dockage is beyond outrageous, but no choice as shore power is required until installation of lithium battery. No rate break for monthly. No idea how most afford it, but perhaps why a vacancy for us.
Today bocce court painting, but after that we slam boatwork to depart dock ASAP. Battery arrives Saturday, but can't pick up until at least Monday because of excise and customs paperwork even though no tax or duty required. Having done business all around the world where things are typically easier, forgot how much bureaucracy there is in US and Caribbean.
One break is that current dry season will allow deck sealing with little chance of soaking interior. After new Victron charger/inverter installation, which includes mounting and wiring remote control and rewiring charging system to isolate start battery system from lithium house bank, which requires very specialized handling, ripping up interior to get at toe rail nuts can proceed apace. Chaos will reign until all completed. Interior wood damage, including destruction needed for access, will wait for another day (or as currently pondered, another lifetime) as will deck and hull paint. Unlikely to happen before next year if lockdowns remain into May.
Voice actuated, bluetooth headsets, used for communication from cockpit to bow (anchoring), to masthead (cheating death and dismemberment while hanging by a rope at 63 feet) and from above deck to below (all to avoid unintelligible screaming), have become unreliable after several years so new ones on order. From Cruising Solutions, they're expensive, but the best. Now waiting for newly purchased watermaker membrane (old one was excellent for six years) and trying to order new anchor chain wheel (gypsy) from Defender Marine as current worn one jams incessantly. Also recently bought best Bose noise cancelling, bluetooth headset. With little else to do have decided prodigal outlay of money on toys is a wonderful diversion. Although gratified to live current lifestyle due previous frugality, savings and investment (notwithstanding that normal people would rather be flogged with a cat-o'-nine-tails), have now decided that pissing it all away is substantially more fun.
Jack & Jan