Preparing to go cruising.

Planning to go cruising is one thing, getting ready to go is another. The electrical system in this old ship of mine is now 47 years old and pretty near everything in her is electric. The original wiring is domestic rather than tinned marine grade, and over the past 12 months or so I've been gradually losing one function after another. Very annoying, but the public swimming pools down the road have showers for two bucks, and sponge baths are ok for a day or two. I've not been out in her much so the nav lights not working werent an issue, but when the heads pump stopped working that was just too much. So Steff from North Shore Auto Electrical was called in, and spent much of the day here to day. I'd put new house batteries in last Friday, the old ones were very dead and only useful for holding bits of wood together until the glue set (26 kg each, thats 57 anna bit pounds) so out they came. Carrying one of those in each hand flattens the arches of the feet a little, but the two new ones ( flattened the wallet a bit too) went in so they're good for half a decade or so. Glad to have that done.

I replaced two of the three water pumps, got the LPG water heater running again, fixed the blocked drain from the heads handbasin, and cleared the water intake for the head. But electrics are not really in my skill base, and the system in this old ship looks like a real rats nest.

So Steff was here for most of the afternoon, replaced quite a few bits of wiring, put fuses in where none had been before, re routed some circuits and changes some of the switches around. It all works now, he even installed the new engine temperature gauge and sensor, so now I can tell when old Henry the Ford diesel is getting too hot. Wonderful.

So all thats done. Just got to haul her out and do the antifouling, replace the anodes and clean the prop off and we're away. If I say that all quickly it doesn't sound like much, but there is over a grands worth of paint to prep for and apply.

I'm going to need that cruise to recover.