Joys and Chores

Valcour Island
44 37,12 N 07325.32 W

We got lucky.  One of the most beautiful and popular anchorages is at the south end of Smugglers Cove on Valcour Island.  It is occupied almost all the time, but on Wednesday we found it vacant.  Bingo.   We absolutely love Valcour.

You would laugh if you could see my picture right now.  We get no phone signal, no Internet at the anchorage.  To get online I must walk 1.5 miles across the island to the New York side.   Right now it is raining, and I am sitting under a tree in the forest on the NY side with the computer in my lap and with an umbrella over my head to write this blog.

But chores and projects abound.  Our sink drain plumbing sprung a leak.  I had to rework it 100% and the new one leaks a little also.  Sigh.

Our anchor rigging includes a PVC pipeway that leads chain from the deck pipe, down and about 3 feet aft to the chain locker.  We started having trouble with the chain getting stuck.  Inspection showed that the whole PVC pathway was worn away by friction from the chain.  Insead of an O cross section it is a C with a groove worn through.   That needs work.

Worst of all, one of our house batteries failed.  I think it has a cracked lead plate.  Starting the engine in the morning to recharge is marginal.  I'm going away this weekend on family business, leaving Libby behind to stay with Jen.  I don't want to leave her with a crippled battery system, so I need to figure out how to get a new battery on Friday in Burlington.  Without a car that presents a problem.  Get a ride from Jen?  Rent a car?  Convince a battery seller to deliver it to the waterfront?

Boy oh boy, the maintenance chores really piled on this year.  Lest anyone forget -- owning and using a cruising boat, especially and old one, requires constant maintenance and repairs.  If you can't handle that, it is not the right thing for you.