Oops...thought I had published this months ago...so this is a bit behind...
Well, this last trip back to the boat can best be described as shaken. My intention was to take at least a shakedown cruise, but other things also shook things up a bit.
One shakeup was that my friend TJ from the Retirement Project had what was described as a "cardiac event". In hindsight it was a good thing that it took longer to get their outboard fixed and they were still in Oriental when this occurred as he was able to get the medical attention he needed quickly. After a short time in the hospital in New Bern, I'm happy to report he is doing better now. Unfortunately it has altered their plans for the Great Loop, but ever changing plans seems to be the norm for cruising. I was glad to be able to provide some help and support for such a lovely couple and am glad TJ is getting back to being himself. Stay well my friends and let us know if we can do anything for you....either here or when we are back at the boat.
A variety of things were fixed or worked on while at the boat. The house battery bank was replaced. The old chartplotter seems to have developed a screen issue and, instead of replacing the screen or the unit, I've decided to try building my own chartplotter using Openplotter. If successful, this system will have a 15 inch touchscreen display at the helm, provide AIS receive functionality so I can identify nearby boats, and finally integrate all the systems so the Garmin radar and sonar and Raymarine winds and depth instruments can all talk to one another and the autopilot. All at a fraction of the cost of an existing commercial unit. I'll (hopefully) write more on this later.
We did get a chance to take a shakedown cruise. It was a relatively short trip from New Bern to the Cape Lookout bight. We anchored there for several days, enjoying the area and testing systems.
Of course, as a shakedown cruise, we tested several systems. Unfortunately, while trying to make some ice for drinks one evening, the inverter suddenly died. The inverter isn't a critical piece of equipment, but it is nice to be able to run standard AC electrical items, particularly if you want some ice for your evening adult beverage. So this is another item that will need some attention. Since it is an older inverter, it might be time for a replacement, we will see.
So, we managed a shakedown run, we shook things, and something broke. But that is about par for the course on a boat. Guess I have a bit more work to do before the Bahamas trip in the fall.
