A Greek philosopher by the name of
Epictetus was said to have stated something along these lines: It is
difficulties that show what men are. Such a statement perhaps ought
to be hanging up in every cruiser's boat. I found the quote in a book
I was reading as we returned to Vero Beach after an absence of only
two days. It reminded me of one of my own thoughts. I determined
that unforeseen difficulties might motivate real discouragement and
frustration. However, we should rather look at such as opportunities
to demonstrate our highest and best self. I have found that in most
cases these difficulties are not unsolvable. It's just that they are
inconvenient. Overcoming such obstacles can bring an added sense of
satisfaction...especially if we don't loose our sense of balance when
it first shows up.
You may ask why I'm writing about
difficulties and obstacles at this point. Well, it seems that the
fresh water pump installed last year under warranty - a pump that is
supposed to outlive the engine – had an unusually short life. This
time I get it replaced not under warranty. I became aware of this
difficulty the day we left Vero Beach. We debated for a bit whether
we should move along and find some other place to get it replaced –
perhaps even going to Marathon before the repair. But I was
concerned that the leak might get bad enough to prevent further
travel in some place where there is no source for the repair.
Additionally, our exhaust fan was
sounding like it was on its last legs and the engine was not running
as smoothly as it should. It appeared that perhaps the primary fuel
filter needed replacement. After replacing it, however, I found that
the problem was something other than a fuel filter. We were already
heading back to Vero Beach when I also noticed that the alternator
was charging the batteries at close to 16 volts. For those who are
unfamiliar with boats' 12 volt systems, many devices run the risk of
getting cooked at that high a voltage. It seemed that our problems
were just continuing to add up much too quickly.
I soon found a place for us to drop the
anchor for the night so I could shut the engine off, called tech
support for Balmar (our regulator was of this brand) and got some
great help in short order. The answer to the high voltage turned out
to be a loose battery cable to one of the batteries. I made a
temporary repair, so we could continue our travel the next day.
(Those who are interested in the details can email me for them. I
won't bother other blog readers.) I learned the next day upon
undertaking the rest of the travel back to Vero that the fan and the
engine speed issues were both related to this one cable. When I got
back to Vero Beach, I'd buy a new cable and solve all three issues.
Now you may be thinking that the
troubles are all behind us now that I am working on each and finding
solutions. But no, that's not quite the end. Once we were back, the
outboard motor's kill switch fell apart. For those unfamiliar with
modern outboards, the kill switch is supposedly a safety device that
shuts off the engine. Once it fell apart, the engine wouldn't start.
After going through a bit of frustration that mounted even more when
I learned that the replacement was way over priced and would have to
be ordered, perhaps causing us to remain in Vero Beach even longer
than the time needed to replace the water pump.
I was determined to see all this as a
challenge to be met and overcome, so I did my best to remain calm and
think through the solution. In the end I found a relatively
inexpensive solution that was locally available. The outboard is
working fine now. The only thing we continue to wait for is the
water pump. At least this time it appears that the parts didn't have
to come from Japan as they did a year ago.
So how did I keep my cool (for the most
part, that is) you may ask? I sat down and thought about the above
quote and then realized that none of these problems put us in any
danger. The delay would not greatly impact our ability to get to
Marathon prior to most others headed that way this fall. We would
not be prevented from visiting friends or stopping at places we
wanted to see along the way. It's not like we had a two week
vacation that was now messed up. We would be delayed about 10 – 12
days, the cost of the repair was unplanned, but we could accommodate
the cost and the delay. It's likely that the daily temperatures in
Marathon will have cooled a bit, making our life down there all the
more comfortable when we do arrive. Life was still good to us. And
with these thoughts in mind, I was able to focus on what will
hopefully be the best, most efficient approach to getting our boat
back traveling once again.
By the way, we have managed to get some
projects out of the way while we await the parts. Sandra has also
finished another basket and completing a painting. (See end of this
blog entry.) I managed to complete several small maintenance tasks
and also get out for an afternoon's sail in our dinghy. We went
swimming at the beach, enjoying the 81 degree water temperature.
So while this return to Vero was
unplanned, it has been a reasonable stop. And aside from our
eagerness to be moving south again, we continue to enjoy life.
Carpe Diem
Captain Bob
This painting of flamingos from the Butterfly Conservatory in Key West.
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| Sandra's latest basket |
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