Shore Power n Grohe

We have been working on a few systems over the past couple of days. Primarily the shore power cords and inlet plugs. We have concluded that the dock power is not working properly here as all our own connections are clean and check out with continuity thru the plug and thru the breakers. So, there is no need to work any more on our ship’s 110v systems. We think it is all related to the dock power feed. But then again, the boat next to us has been running air conditioning 24/7 off the same power pole, so who knows. Either way, we have been here 4 days, docked for power to run AC and we have no power. We have spent $235 USD on plug ends and ship power deck connections, etc. No 110v power into the boat, so we gave up.

We finally gave up, and we said who needs shore power, we do not. We usually are never plugged into a dock and we usually never run the AC, so after 3 days of trying and many hours and hundreds of dollars spent. Forget it. We put the power cords away.

On to Leaking Water system

They say, no good deed goes unpunished.  Well that is true here. Last year, an IP owner was asking how the water faucets come apart and how do you stop a leak. So, while we were sailing south, I decided to take apart our own water system to make a photo essay to help this IP owner. In doing so, I broke our own shower system and we lost water pressure. OH MY GOSH!!!!! So, it took me two days of working on a fix at Rodney Bay, St. Lucia with hardware store parts and I made a fix. Not pretty but we could at least turn back on our water.

So, this year we arrived with parts to fix this problem properly. These Grohe cartridges are odd and very unique. I have never seen them in a home plumbing system. They are the system that seals off the water and or allows it to flow. They are behind the handle and they are thread into the plumbing in the wall or countertop. We carried 6 of these in for all the faucets on Island Spirit. Here are some photos of the process.

Prepare the “car” the dinghy

We next had to set the dinghy up with her sunshade chaps which protect the fabric from the intense UV. We also needed to add the 15 hp outboard and test the motor as we ran out all the engine fogging oil. We needed to connect the security cable and dinghy seat bag. We are happy to say, the Yamaha started up on one pull. What a great engine, The best of the best. Here is the dinghy hanging in the davits ready to run.

With all fixed, it was POOL time

Here at this Port Louis Marina, they have a great pool, so after a day of working on setting up the boat, we hit the pool for a few laps. Radeen loves to swim, so this is becoming a daily event. Now the question is ….”Why Leave hear?”

Duty fee Shops? WOW

Our friends Dean and Kim heard about a duty free shop in the cruise ship mall where we could get a deal on some liquor. So we rode the local bus for $2.50 ECD each one way. It took a bit of searching to find the store, but it turned out it was in the same shops that we shopped last year when we rode the dinghy over to here. Take a look at this price for Crown Royal, $20 USD! WOW

Living our Dream

It was 1996 when Radeen and I wrote done this sailing dream to retire in 2011 and to set sail. Now, this is year #9 of retirement and we are still sailing and stretching  our areas and expanding our goals. We will say, that his has been the most challenging year of boat prep and launch. We think it is all due to the heat and humidity and storage of the yacht for 6 months that has taken a toll on the boat. We usually do not have so many issues to resolve when we launch, yet here we had a few that seemed bad. Now with most all fixed, we are into provisioning and loading up to take off.  For now, we will enjoy Grenada, take in the sunsets and enjoy our friends here at the docks with us. This is the sunset as seen from the roof deck of good friends, Fran and Butch owners of Motor Yacht SMARTINI. 

SMARTINI, the big Girl