Monday, October 19, 2009

Day Two - Tuesday 13th October

Today the work starts. Didn't sleep too well - but I am not that tired. Quite excited really. Met the boatyard owner (eventually) today. Organised power and water so that I can keep my laptop and phone charged, charge the batteries, and start wetting the hull. Most of the work today will be sorting through the junk that has been left on board, throwing out the rubbinsh, lifting the floors, charging the batteries.


Challenge 1 - I have been lent a 50m extension cable by the boat yard to get power to the boat. I plugged it in and it went bang. The other boat owners on the same circuit are not happy. I pulled apart the socket and this is what I found.

 


The live and the earth are shorted - and have melted the sleeve back beyond the retaining clamp.


I haven't even been here 24hrs and they are already trying to kill me. This has taken too long already - can't be arsed to go and find Gregory then wait another few hours for another cable. I have a spare (wall mount) socket in my toolbox - I will put that on instead.


Challenge 2 - This has to be the only boatyard in the world that does not have a battery charger. The one from the boat has been whipped - along with the inverter for the solar panels. Into town I go. €120 secures me a new one. OUCH!

Battery number 1 is now on charge - 3 more to go. I have removed battery 4 from the engine compartment (under where the beavers have made their home - see photo). As was likely - no water. Add to shopping list, distilled water for the batteries and remember to check the other 3.




See the sawdust (bottom right) - Chipmunks or Beavers?  I like Beavers.


I poked my camera into the hole (see next note) - the damage was not that bad.

I am too big to get fully into the engine compartment.  What I need is an eight year old boy (I won't make any Michael Jackson jokes. That's bad.  Oops - I said I wasn't going to do that!)


Have traced the main cabling through the main power switches. Turning them on gives nothing - not a dickey on the ammeters (which seem to be installed all over the tub!) or even the faintest glow in a bulb. This is somewhat concerning - but maybe I will have more luck when all the batteries are fully charged. 


The back of the main power switches - all to be replaced (evantually)

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