A Dinghy
Gudrun V
Axel Busch
Tue 1 Mar 2011 03:19
First thing this morning I took the toilet apart to see what's wrong and what parts I need. But once I had unmounted the bowl and could inspect it I didn't had to look much further. The electrical pump was completely corroded. That confirmed my decision to go for a toilet with a manual pump. Simple and reliable (and they don't flood the boat even if the seacock is broken/open and the boat is heeled over). Because after three weeks without a toilet I know one thing ... having a quiet place to "do your business" is one of the more important parts of a comfortable and sociable lifestyle.
With a shopping list in my pocket I had a little time to kill before Scott would come to pick me up in his dinghy, and I used that time to review the pictures. From the 1200 pictures taken on the trip there are about 100 good ones, of which 30 are special. Well, to me at least ;-). I hope that I can upload them to the blog tomorrow. But it's a little awkward without fast internet on bord, only the 0.002 MBit(!) Iridium connection. I went to Burger King today because they seem to have the most reliable wifi around (and nice toilets), but there were so many emails to answer that I didn't get to upload the pictures to the blog.
Fortunately I am now the proud owner of a Dinghy and independently mobile! The experiences with the Dinghies that came with Vespina and Gudrun had been very depressing - both lasted only 2 days then spontaneously self-deflated. Not wanting to see such a sorry sight again I was adamant to invest in the best - a Caribe 9X RIB. Surprisingly it took the whole day to get everything sorted out and rigged up and I have yet to install the Hydrofoils. Therefor I didn't get to do much else. But now I can go places, and fast too. I love it :-)
For example I can go shopping! The first thing I bought was the new toilet. The second and third were anchors, a Delta and a Fortress. I only had one anchor (CQR) so far, which is absolutely adequate ... if you don't anchor and only stay in the marina. But with three strong anchors (and chain) I should be fine. And with a little luck I will finish installing the new toilet tomorrow. Then I'm set up and can relax and take it more slowly with the rest of the repairs. As Gerd pointed out already I'm in the Caribbean now! Beer, Rum & Cocktails, right? ;-)
Incidentally, from March 3rd to 6th the 31st Heineken Regatta is happening here, and the motto is "Serious Fun" ...