(Credit: Erinn J Hale Photography)
In a single conversation:
“Hey where’s X?”
“I don’t know, didn’t YOU pack it?”
“I thought you did.”
“I swear it was in here when the boat left the States.”
“Well it’s not on the inventory and I can’t find it.”
“Hhhhhmmmm.”
…Muttering to convince each other it wasn’t important in the first place…
“Well now we have room for THIS!”
“Do we NEED that?”
“We have space for it.”
“Great, then we need it.”
High Five!
Disclaimer: This was performed by trained professionals. Do not attempt before your trans-Atlantic journey.
After sitting in limbo for quite awhile, one would expect excitement to be boiling over in the final few days of prep before a long awaited trip. Add some heart racing shenanigans at an African port to the mix (don’t know if you heard about those, it was kind of a big deal), and you’re working on overdrive. But with all the major prep work put in before even shipping the boat, most hard decisions that arose were over minor issues – As in, the 5 minute discussion on bringing an extra toothbrush.
(Credit: Canadian Wildlife Federation / Erinn J Hale Photography)
But don’t be fooled there were some important hurdles to overcome.
- The boat still floats, sweet!
- Power — After sitting wrapped in a box for 70+ days our batteries weren’t so happy. A blast of African sun was good, but maybe a bit overwhelming after all that darkness. A panicked, but well thought out email to Dan Heyl at Emerald Harbor Marine and we’re feeling OK. A consult with our local friend and surf camp owner (www.gosurf.dk a sweet place), who runs his hotel on solar and wind alone, and we’re feeling better. His buddy the electrical engineer happens to be visiting as well. Boom! We’re feeling dang good with 3 tools at our disposal. Let’s wait and see.
- Water Maker — The pump switches on but no water is coming out the brine discharge. Hhhhmmm. Everything is tight and right. Still, no pressure to pull water through the pump. OK, we do have the power to rebuild it! Yep, even in Africa. Wait, open the relief valve up a bit more. <gurgling noises> Bingo! Air bubbles caught in the pump are freed, pressure is restored, and we’re making water, baby!
- Science!
(Credit: Erinn J Hale Photography)
A conversation with our chief Scientist, Dr. Fritz Stahr:
Fritz: “You know that thing we never wanted to use? Well it’s time to use it. Now, what do you know about basic DOS commands?”
Pat: “Nada, but I follow directions as well as a trained monkey!”
Fritz: “Great! Detailed instructions it is!”
…Time passes…Instructions are followed, mostly…
…Wires are connected to the Black Box Science Brain…
…The final switch is flipped and…
IT’S ALIVE!Fritz: “Great, now just cram that in the corner of the boat and don’t touch it.”
Now, back to that toothbrush.