Boat stuff and maintenance

My Favorite part of winter is watching how cold it is back in New York from our boat in the Bahamas,....

All buttoned up and weathering out the cool days here.

It was cold enough here so we closed all the hatches, fired up the oven to cook dinner, and did some boat stuff. I moved some beer from the front locker to the my beer cooler,....Arline was catching up on fellow cruisers to see where they are and what they were doing.


She was reading a friends note to us that just had a chain plate break on his IP while moving outside along Florida's coast. He had to turn around and head back in, then being distracted and frustrated he grounded on a sand bar, but got off with the tide, after he was calming himself down with a beer,....I grabbed a beer right then and there for myself, and sent spiritual thoughts to help him along. Anything for a fellow cruiser that has helped us.

Our friends shakedown chain-plate problem,...Ouch!

While Arline is also reading about other cruisers and their mishaps I thought it would be a good idea to start and run the iron sail, it'd been a while plus the added mass of heat would stay with Kasidah a through the day. About 30 seconds later I announce the engine wouldn't start. I could tell the Glow Plug electric circuit had not engaged and this design diesel needs the glow plugs unless it's already at operating temperature. Now I know this engine very well and, remember, I'm an electrician, I know how to read prints and have a LOT of tools and meters on the boat. I knew it was no big deal but the look on Arline's face was AGHHH,...Opening the engine cover and the rear access panel was quick but again Arline's growing worried look told me this better go quick.

Electrical print, see what I mean, it could only be one thing,...

A quick check of the engine electrical print confirmed it could only be the one thing I was thinking. I headed down into it with the confidence and wisdom from years of experience in electrical troubleshooting, years of experience in diesel engines and knowing what will last and what will go first, years of experience as an outboard mechanic, years of experience in total boat systems, knowing Kasidah inside and out, down to knowledge of every wire in her, and the experience of living on her over the past several winters in the harshest conditions that the Bahamas could give you. So with all of this I find the electrical engine harness plug/connector, wiggle it a little and start the engine like I knew it would,...;-D. Of course I didn't leave it like that, I checked a few other things add a corrosive protector to the harness.  Arline was happy, so I grabbed a brew and sent spiritual help to all our family and friends weathering the cold, I hope it helped.

The said connector is black and what the sharpie is pointed at

Anybody have a guess as to what the thing is, in the above photo, with the bright white wires, yellow connectors, sliver flange mounted on red, above the 2 hose clamps, and what it really does... free coozie to the 1st...never mind,..you'll just get a HUGE pat on the back from me, and full acknowledgement of my confidence in you on my next blog posting.

This weeks selection of calming spiritual brews

Also polishing fuel to keep on top of keeping it clean. There was just a big boat here that had to pay lots of money and lost 150 gallons of fuel and 2 weeks time because the fuel and had water in it with no way for them to cycle it through their filters.  It's always fuel,....unless it's the little electrical connector at the rear of the engine.

So we hope all our friends and family are staying warm,...well,....hope you all are dealing with it and doing well..

Thanks for watching.