Everything on the critical list is fixed! More details below, but first a quick update on travel to Mexico.

The trip

I think this was safer than walking the dog in the park. Everyone was wearing a mask, almost the whole trip. Nobody sat next to me. In fact, on the return, noody was even in the next row. On arrival, Alvaro picked me up, wearing a mask.

When I got to the actual marina, it was pretty empty. Enough restaurants were open for me to eat breakfast and dinner for take out. That saved a lot of time.

I went in for a coronavirus test yesterday. Results take a few days.

The Done List

  • Gas stove hooked up. Wow it’s got a flame! This should make cooking more interesting at least. Sorry for being so repetitive in this video!
  • Induction stove hooked up. This thing heats water like a champ.
  • New inverter installed. It’s smaller, lighter, and fits under the cockpit nav desk. I might choose to mount it slight different long term. There is a remote on/off switch on the panel too!
  • Battery watering system installed. Since the new charging system is so much better (240A instead of something like 100A, and no three-stage regulator) we’ll be baking those batteries. Without this watering system, they are sure to be dead by the time we get back.
  • Nav station organized. All the things never used tossed and seldom used relocated.
  • New engine panel cover. No silicone seal yet so it still has tape. There is still some wiring work to do, so I might want to detach it.
  • Garage organized and ready for crew member #4. It’s been a while since the sink was ready for use, but it is now. I tossed probably 200 pounds of stuff from the old inverter to a damaged radome.

Crew

Speaking of the fourth crew member, Edward has said he won’t be able to go since he is going to be doing some research at UCSF. Gerry said he might be interested, but no commitment yet, so I’m looking still for crew!

Undone

What didn’t get done is important but not super critical -- they can be tested and fixed later.

  • I had the props repitched and didn’t take her out to test
  • I had the dinghy outboard fixed but was not able to test
  • The victron energy monitor hasn’t been replaced.
  • The batteries in the new location aren’t hooked up.
  • The ventilation system for the engine rooms was hooked up wrong on the starboard side, and not wired port.

Hypothesis Paralysis

I am guessing that the reason the starboard engine doesn’t perform as well as the port engine is that the lift muffler was not replaced. Should I run to Alameda and get another one? I doubt we will have time to replace it before we leave.