The Work Season: Making Money and Boat Work

Three months at the dock of all work and no play is finally coming to an end!  We had a multitude of boat work repair jobs since arriving in December that have kept us busy on our days off. 

Replenishing the Cruising Kitty

Since we have yet to figure out how to become independently wealthy, this stop was a must for both of us to work again and make some money.  Nick took a travel contract at the local hospital, working 3-4 shifts a week in the emergency department.  I continued to teach trauma and pediatric courses online over Zoom which has kept me busy over the winter.  Now we are celebrating the completion of Nick’s contract so we can get underway again.  I will continue to teach online as we travel, but decreasing to just a couple of days a week so we have time to catch the good weather windows.

Boat Work Projects

Our first priority was getting our engine fixed when we arrived.  When we pulled anchor to come into the marina, I noticed oil coming out the exhaust.  ALL BAD!  There was a breach in the oil cooler that was allowing the sea water into the oil. 

We hired a mechanic (this project was way beyond our skills and abilities) who pulled most of our engine apart and sent out pieces for rebuilding and repair.  It is finally back together again and we think we have all the water out of the oil system.  We also had the turbo charger rebuilt and a lot of maintenance done on the engine while it was apart.

Next we needed to replace our two small refrigerators.  One decided to quit working while we were in the Chesapeake last summer.  The second went on the fritz after we arrived here.  The challenge was finding replacements that would fit in the cupboard.  We got pretty close, but Nick had to make the holes slightly bigger to accommodate the quarter inch taller new models.  We still have to get the trim applied around them but at least we have functioning refrigeration again!

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Our wind vane started acting up on the trip south, quit working completely, then decided to spin like a top.  We contacted a local Raymarine dealer to get it replaced as it was under warranty.  There was a crack in the housing that seemed to be letting water into the electrical system.  We now have a brand-new wind vane that is working again…a huge benefit when sailing at night because I can’t see the top of the mast in the dark.

Other small projects kept us busy on our days off.  We fixed a water leak at a connection in a hose, repaired a leaking toilet (gross job!), fixed the solenoid valve for the millionth time (why don’t those things work??) and fixed a leak in the dingy thanks to a sharp-finned fish.  We also replaced our bow roller after another sailboat decided to crash into us trying to leave the marina. Thankfully, that was the only damage we sustained from the crash.

I’ve scrubbed and cleaned out cupboards and storage in preparation for provisioning, which is our project for the next few days.  Hopefully we will be ready to sail at the end of the week if the weather gods cooperate!