$$$$ later, we have a Spectra Watermaker and Skipper makes plans to install it early in May before we cast off for our first cruise. So lets get to Anacortes soon! Hence the long days when we drive as long as it is safe and we are not tired.
On Friday, May 1, we leave Cap Sante RV parking and drive Sweet Caroline to the City's Necessary Area to refresh her. It is a tight squeeze, but she is carefully maneuvered into the slot.
Then we drive to the storage lot 20 blocks away to park beside Willie's Tug.
OK, now it is time to rest! We are here, so let's kick back and rest this weekend.
On Sunday we walk from 34th to 21st Street to Anacortes Lutheran Church, and as we approach, we begin to smile at the sight of several pink flamingos on the lawn. The church has been 'Flocked.' During the announcements part of the service, a teen explains that the Youth Gathering Team moves the flamingos to different yards to help raise funds for their Summer Mission trip.
On Monday, it is back to reality. Knowing he has an intricate task ahead, Herb begins the installation of the watermaker. It takes a few trips to Sebo's Hardware store and West Marine for parts and fittings. Sometimes he walks the 23 blocks there and back, but in the interest of time he sometimes drives the Jeep.
Later in the week Steve of Steve's Yacht Repair in Anacortes comes to drill a hole in the hull of the boat -- yes, below the water line -- for water intake into the watermaker.
Herb invites me to take a look at where the equipment will go and shows me the hole in the engine compartment on the starboard side. The photo shows the fiberglass sawdust around the hole. Oh, a hole? We can't turn back now!
Note the white circle the camera sees when looking straight down into the bilge. The second photo zooms in closer.
After brushing some sawdust away, I walk around the side for a look from a different angle, and see daylight and the ground. Yep, it's a hole!
With the hole now complete, Herb balances across the threshold between the cabin and cockpit to peer through the freshly drilled hole and watch for Steve to insert the outside fitting.
Steve now puts the fitting in place and prepares to seal the area. I like that thought.
It scares me to think about it, and after Steve finishes the project, and with tongue in cheek, I ask if he plugged it up really good. He assures me he did. Suzy, his faithful canine companion, gets to go to work with him every day and rests in front of the van.
With the work mostly complete, Herb shows me the installation. He points to where the water will come out of the watermaker and I ask what that small black wire is. "Not a wire, Willie; that hose is the outlet from the watermaker." "Really? That small?" He explains that the water is made slowly, and over about three hours of cruising, it will make between 18 and 20 gallons of usable water.
Some assembly required....
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| Control Panel |
Nice job! It has taken a few days -- oh, we are not through yet?
Herb tells me he is installing another hose, which will take water from the watermaker and divert to fill another container. He shows me the diverter valve.
I think we are about ready for the cruising season!
and of Walldog, Willie and Jake
Thursday, May 7, 2015
That will really expand your time between marina stops - very job!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to use it.
ReplyDelete