Having completed our battery/solar upgrade, the project that brought us to Boot Key Harbor in early January, it was time to talk about what’s next. Last week brought some (finally) more favorable weather for those who have been waiting for a window to cross to the Bahamas. Quite a few boats from the harbor here, as well as elsewhere on the east coast of Florida and the Keys, took advantage of the first good solid (safe) window that has presented itself in a while and made the jump. Astute readers will catch that I’m referring to being here, in Boot Key Harbor, and conclude that Cheshire and her crew in fact did not take advantage of that window. For a number of reasons, we’ve once again opted to change our plans (surprise!) and will pass on the Bahamas this season.
Reason #1, it’s getting late in the season. That’s not to say that it’s too late to go to the Bahamas. In fact last year we crossed during the last few days of February and had a delightful three months in the Islands, returning just under the wire for the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season. This year though, instead of summering in north Florida, we’re wanting to go north again, through the Chesapeake Bay and hopefully spend at least part of the summer exploring Long Island Sound. To do that, realistically, we need to be moving north earlier than June 1st, particularly given our tendency to pause along the way. If we were to jump to the Bahamas now, we’d likely not make it up north.
Reason #2, within days of completing our battery/solar project, another problem presented itself. Our original-to-the boat primary refrigerator is now acting up. Actually it’s very likely in the early stages of the dying process. It’s an RV fridge, a Dometic that runs on AC power at the dock and propane otherwise. It’s developed the most annoying habit of shutting itself off about once a day, usually over night. Mike has a theory about what the problem might be, but we’ve decided not to chase the problem by replacing one bit at a time on a fridge that’s on its last legs. It won’t be a small expense to replace it, but it would be way more expensive if we had to do the replacement in the Bahamas.
So, we’ll be replacing the fridge, somewhere stateside. Unlike a refrigerator in a dirt dwelling though, it’s not a matter of heading down to Lowe’s and picking up a new one. There’s no such thing as a standard boat refrigerator. Some research would be required. Mike spent some time sorting out the options based on size… what would fit in the current footprint without it turning into a major cabinetry project. We also spent the better part of a week testing our solar/wind generator output, and our recovery time, determining whether we might be able to replace the propane with an electric option. The good news is we’re thinking it will work. More research, debating the options that met the “footprint” requirements and our preference for electric. After copious research, we settled on a Vitrifrigo model that gives us essentially the same volume of fridge/freezer space, but electric instead of propane and way more efficient, and preserves our option to use the secondary Engel in either fridge or freezer mode. Decision made.
OK, that was the easy part. More research found a company in Washington state that distributes them… the manufacturer is actually an Italian company. A few e-mails were exchanged to confirm the particulars and a phone call made to sort out the details. Except that there are none currently in stock, and we’re not willing to wait indefinitely in the Keys for one to become available. So, long story short, we’ve committed to the fridge but are awaiting word of its availability. In the meantime, we’ll hang out here for another couple of weeks or so, finishing up some smaller projects, then start working our way north, fingers crossed that the Dometic doesn’t take its final gasping breath in the meantime. Once we’re notified of the new fridge being ready to ship, we’ll see where we are and what the options are for a (hopefully) brief marina stay to do the replacement. It’s another lesson from the Universe in flexibility. It’s all good.
There is a saying amongst cruisers that the definition of cruising is working on your boat in exotic places, and that despite what many friends and family believe, it’s not all sunsets and rum drinks. That said, we’ve certainly had our share of sunsets and rum drinks over the last couple of months… I offer the following photos as documentation.
Gorgeous pictures. Hope to see you this summer. We are leaving Bahamas by first of May and heading to Maine.
Making cold from heat just goes against all laws of physics anyway as I see it.
The good part is that you appear to have been in a pretty nice place to affect all your repairs. The fridge could go out during a minus 20 degree howling wind blizzard in Cbus. We’re currently in Ft Meyers birding, hiking, and paddling. Pics to follow in our blog as WIFI has been tough to come by. Beautiful sunset pic. PS: the phone has been working great!
Sounds like a smart plan. Long Island Sound is pretty- very much what you would expect of upper east coast. Watch out for submarines going to the base in Groton, CT when you get up that way. A different type of cruiser…
Thanks, Rob. We’re looking forward to exploring some new-to-us territory. We actually saw some submarine activity out of Kings Bay during one of our trips through Georgia. Pretty impressive.
Hi Lori and Mike, Morgan freeman said ” sailing was hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror!” He’s a great sailing fan! Thanks for the blog update. EV and George
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The pics you posted in “What’s Next” are stunning. I love the Chesapeake Bay area, Cape Cod, etc. Enjoy and be safe if you journey north, as it sounds like you are going to do.
Thanks!