Chores

This morning we started working on our list of chores. The first item on the list was replacing the backup battery in the bilge alarm. As George was cooking breakfast this morning an ear-piercing alarm sounded throughout the boat. I was frantically looking around trying to figure out what it was. Fortunately, George knew it was our bilge alarm. The bilge was dry so we turned off the alarm and ate our breakfast. The alarm is hard-wired into our 12 volt system but, like household smoke alarms, it has a backup battery. Apparently the alarm will blare off the battery needs replacing. George replaced the battery and added that to the list of things to do before we head out in the Fall.

The next chore was to replace a snap on the aft starboard enclosure panel. We lean against that panel when we are sitting at the helm and the added pressure caused one of the snaps to rip out. I patched the panel then added a snap attached to elastic for some added give. I decided to do the sewing in the cockpit so we wouldn’t have to take the panel down. Also, it is difficult to maneuver the large panel in the cabin. It was still a challenging job since I had to sit beside the machine instead of in front of it. I got it done, though, and we are happy with the results.

The next job was to check the aft bilge for a fuel leak. That required George to partially empty the “garage” (our storage compartment), crawl into it and peer into the bilge at the back of the boat. I am happy to say there was no evidence of a leak. The possibility of a leak had crossed our minds when our mileage seemed so off early in the trip. Our latest mileage calculations seem fine but we still thought it would be a good idea to check for a leak.

This afternoon we treated ourselves to an early dinner at Moonraker’s. The food was delicious and the view over Beaufort Harbor was beautiful.