As we sit in George Town awaiting yet another squall I thought it might be a good time to write a follow-up on the engine battery switch and the awnings that I made.
Engine Battery Switch
It is working like a charm. We have used the microwave a few times since George installed the switch. We have remembered to disconnect the engine battery before using the microwave and reconnect it immediately each time. Incidentally, we have not had any trouble starting the engine in several weeks.
Rain Awnings
The awnings are still a work in progress. The awning over the v-berth hatch stayed secure even during the 50 knot winds we had the other night. That is the good news. The bad news is the stainless steel rings on the corners of the awning were banging on the deck during the worst of the wind. They were banging so hard I was afraid they were damaging the deck. We have found that the awning needs to be close to the deck to keep water from entering the hatch due to rain splashing on the deck. However, when it is attached close to the deck and starts flapping in the strong wind, the rings bang on the deck. We are thinking of removing the rings and either sewing dyneema (a very strong type of line) rings in or just attaching the bungees directly to the webbing loops that held the rings. Also, the awning is too small. I wish I had not followed the recommendation to cut down the size to allow for stretching. I plan to make a larger awning once we return home.
The two awnings used to cover the salon hatch and which were attached to the main sail cover ended up being a total bust. The Velcro that attached the awnings to the main sail cover came undone in just a moderate amount of wind. I am redesigning the awnings to make one larger awning that will be attached under the boom. I suspect that when I finally get this done we will not have another rain storm for the rest of our time here.
Yesterday we had a long enough break in the rain to dinghy into town to visit Exuma Market and Top to Bottom hardware store. After we dropped the fresh vegetables off at the boat we dinghied over to Lumina Point for lunch. What a treat to be off of the boat for a few hours! The skies looked threatening by the time we finished lunch and passed by Chat n’ Chill so we opted not to stop and socialize with other cruisers on the beach. There didn’t appear to be many other people there, anyway.
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