A Week Aboard S/V Sabado: 1/29/2023 – 2/5/2023

Hello and Happy Sunday!!

Last Sunday, we did some chores: we put away our laundry, reorganized some of our storage spaces, cleaned and treated the helm seat, etc. once we decided we’d done enough for the day, we opened a special bottle of wine, made some homemade guacamole, and enjoyed the rest of the day!

That night I woke up to footsteps above me. Ray had gone outside to pee but was walking around more than usual. I saw him turn on the outside lights, so I got up to make sure everything was okay. We had left the dinghy in the water overnight, and one of the painters was stuck on what we assumed to be Sabado’s propeller. We got the boat hook out and tried to free it, with no luck. If something were to happen and we needed to use our engines, we’d be in trouble. So, I reluctantly changed out of my pajamas, put on a swimsuit, and grabbed my snorkel gear. I jumped in to take a look. The prop was clear. The painter was stuck between our rudder and the hull. Our underwater lights weren’t illuminating the area well enough, so I had Ray bring me our dive light. Just my luck: the battery was dead. I blindly tugged on the painter, but I wasn’t willing to force anything when I couldn’t see clearly. Ray moved the rudder hard to port, allowing the underwater light to reach the outer hull. I could see! I dove down once more and freed the painter. Ray pulled the dinghy up while I rinsed off and put my pajamas back on. I will now charge our dive light every week, just in case.

The next day the marine electrician we’d been working with for our lithium install let us know that our new batteries were ready to be picked up. We met him on shore, and he drove us to the pickup location, then to a warehouse to open, examine, and store the batteries until we were ready for the installation. 

We did a lot of research before choosing KiloVault LiFePO4 batteries. In this week’s YouTube video, we discuss our decision-making process in depth if you’re curious! KiloVault invited us to be partners and has given us these batteries for free in exchange for documenting our experience. The best way to support us during this project is to thumbs up and comment on our video!❤️ 

That night we checked out a Mexican restaurant in the area and had a few margaritas to celebrate! YouTube is just a hobby for us. We started making videos to share some of the blue water and sunshine with our friends and family during COVID, and it’s been fun to see strangers tuning in! We’ve met some incredible people because of YouTube who have given us a place to stay, let us use their washer/dryer, their car; one couple even drove us an hour and a half away, over state lines, so that we could go to Costco! It’s been such a cool way to connect with people, but we never thought we’d get to partner with a company to upgrade our power system… Woohoo!!

We spent the next few days catching up on cleaning and spending time with friends.

Thursday morning, we moved Sabado over to Christmas Cove, about an hour away from our anchorage. We had gotten an SOS text from our friends who had paying guests aboard… their generator had died, meaning they didn’t have AC (a necessity for vacationers who aren’t used to the Caribbean heat). We hopped onto a mooring ball and dinghied over to their boat with our tool kit in hand. The guests went snorkeling, so we boarded and got to work! Ray got their generator started back up, and they invited us to stay for a concert they were hosting that afternoon. Sure enough, the band and all their gear showed up in a dinghy shortly after. They set up in the cockpit, and a crowd quickly gathered in the water to listen to the performance.

How many people can say they attended a concert in the ocean?! This lifestyle never ceases to amaze me.

That night while we were cleaning up after dinner, we got another text: the generator had died again. Ray did a bit of brainstorming while I finished tidying up, then we headed back over. In between serving their guests, they were troubleshooting with Ray. 

Together, they got the generator up and running, and it ran through the night just fine. We left Christmas Cove the following day and anchored in Brewers Bay. We finished filming and editing our YouTube video and relaxed in the calm anchorage. Our friends dropped their guests off at the airport Saturday morning, and we all got together for lunch, which turned into drinks, which turned into a party… 

Safe to say, we’re moving a little slow this morning.

I hope you had a great week! ❤️

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