Were were almost on our way yesterday morning: dock lines untied, engines running, when Dave noticed that the inverter/charger was not charging the batteries. We had no power. We tied up again and he tried some quick troubleshooting. Was it just a fuse that had blown? We couldn't find anything like that. When we couldn't get it to work, we realized we had to come up with a plan. I'll spare you all the stress of coming up with the plan, but here it is:
1) We extended our stay at the Marina (ouch - talk about bleeding money, but we needed access to land, and anchoring off and dinghying in was not really an option)
2) We identified an authorized Xantrex dealer and repair company in Ft. Lauderdale, about 3 and half hours from here by car.
3) We also searched for, found and purchased a new inverter/charger through West Marine, and they are overnighting it to their store here in Key West so we will have it today...in case the old one cannot be repaired.
4) We rented a car so Dave could drive to Ft. Lauderdale today to see if the inverter can be fixed, or if he needs the new one to install. (Luckily West Marine knows that if we don't need it, we will "return" it, so we'll only be out the shipping costs).
Dave left at 4:30am this morning, so he could be in Ft. Lauderdale when the dealer opens, and also miss the morning traffic around Miami/Ft. Lauderdale. I am waiting anxiously to hear the outcome.
On the plus side, staying in the Marina allows us access to their pool, which the kids have been dying to go to, but have not really been able to enjoy because Mom & Dad have always been "too busy" to take them! So, since it's Monday morning, we'll knock out some school and then enjoy some time at the pool and explore Key West a little more on foot!
I do believe that everything happens for a reason, (the reason for this one, still to be determined!) and that part of this journey was about overcoming obstacles and becoming stronger because of them.
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| Cool Runnings waiting patiently in Key West |
I'm getting check list stickers made for the helm station: 1. Remove covers from sail-drives before starting engines 2. Disconnect from shore-power before leaving the marina 3. Make sure both kids are on the boat before leaving an anchorage or the marina 4. Make sure Garrick is back from his night on the town before leaving the marina 5. Ask for help when deciding to weigh anchor for an early-morning get-away (you can skip point 2 in this event) 5. Make sure Fransie gets permission before plugging any electrical device into one of the thousands of socket outlets 6. Hand Garrick a flask of coffee so that he doesn't spend the first hr of his watch in the galley keeping us all awake 7. Put Puff away before it becomes gale-force!
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