A Week Aboard S/V Sabado: 9/11/2023 – 9/24/2023

Good morning! Here is our latest video!

Last week was pretty uneventful. We kicked things off with a few days in bed after coming down with a summer cold. Once we felt better, we got to work on some projects we’d been procrastinating… Ray installed a few new fans in our battery compartment to help combat the Caribbean heat. To do it, he carved out a rectangular hole in the cabinet. I protested in the name of cosmetics at first, but the final product looks quite nice and, more importantly, serves its purpose.

When our chargers get above 40°C, they produce less charge. So, on a bright sunny day, we wouldn’t get as much power as we should because of the temperature. Now, we don’t have that problem!

I got to work on polishing the stainless, a chore that is constantly on my to-do list. While in the cockpit, I noticed some corrosion on our solar arch. The arch itself is stainless, but we have two aluminum rods supporting the panels. A quick chemistry refresher: when aluminum and stainless steel come into contact and are exposed to a liquid, there is a risk of galvanic corrosion because electricity is conducted between the stainless steel cathode and the aluminum anode, weakening both metals. Salt increases the electrical conductivity and, therefore, the corrosion rate. So, aluminum + stainless steel in an environment frequently exposed to salt water is a big “no-no.” When the panels were installed, the aluminum did not touch the stainless, so we thought we were in the clear. However, over time, the aluminum must have shifted because there were several points of contact that were now sealed together by a white crust. Luckily, we caught it early enough to avoid damaging the structure’s integrity. We were able to scrape through the corrosion and use duct tape and strips of thin white plastic to put a barrier between the two to prevent future corrosion.

Regularly polishing our stainless has alerted us to multiple issues in their early stages that we’ve been able to address before irreparable damage was done. So, as much of a chore as it is, it’s worth it!

We spent the latter half of the week on our friend’s boat. Ray is helping manage some generator and air conditioner repairs while they’re out of town. Technicians came and went, and Ray made sure the issues that needed attention were getting addressed. While he handled that, I dealt with some household tasks: I defrosted and scrubbed their refrigerator and freezer and cleaned a compartment where a juice can had exploded… Boat sitting is a labor of love! ❤️

We’ve also spent a significant amount of time this week on our computers, tinkering around with our navigation/ monitoring software and ordering supplies for our haul out in December. As the end of hurricane season approaches, we’re getting more and more excited for our Pacific crossing… We sold our electric scooters to make more room for spare parts and picked up our newly serviced life raft from the service center.

In general, we are just enjoying the passage of time! Our insurance allows us to move on November 1, so we only have another month in Grenada. We’ve grown very fond of this place, so we are soaking up every last second!

I hope you had a great week. ❤️