A PROBLEM IS NOT ALWAYS A PROBLEM

Things always seem to be breaking on a boat except when they are not really broken. Let me explain.  I often fall into the trap of expecting the worse when it turns out there was never really a problem at all. One must resist the urge to tear apart a system until one has sat back and thought about why something that was working yesterday is not working today. It is useful to ask what may have changed before you pull out the tools. Even though I know this I still get caught at least once or twice a year thinking some device has failed when it actually was not the case. Here is an example from last fall:



Even as I commence spring outfitting this year I was mistaken I had another pump failure. I filled one of BIANKA's water tanks so I would have some water to use for cleaning up the boat. I then turned on the water pump switch heard it come on then stop. But, when I went to the faucet there was no water pressure. Another pump failure I thought. I pulled out my volt meter and went to check the voltages at the water pump connections. No voltage. Aha must be a bad switch at the electric panel. It took me a few minutes to realize I was not turning on the water pump breaker but, was actually hitting the washdown pump switch instead!

"To see what is in front of one's nose requires a constant struggle." -- George Orwell

ANOTHER "AHA" MOMENT ON BOARD: STORAGE

"To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle." 

-George Orwell

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The other day I was hunkered down below in the cabin as the wind and a cold rain hit the deck. While nursing a cup of tea I had an "AHA!" moment as I thought about storage in the cabin, BIANKA has three storage lockers in the main cabin behind louvered doors like this one:

One is located amidships just aft of the galley area and is very accessible. It contains several items associated with the cooking and food serving and has done so since I purchased the boat fourteen years ago.  Items in the locker include a steamer (which I never used), paper plates, plastic utensils for guests (seldom on board) and spare storage containers:

The truth is I maybe open this locker once or twice a season. Meanwhile across the cabin and located in the aft end of the cabin behind the table is a locker I access weekly if not more. This locker contains my wiring and electrical tools as well as my ditty box for sail repair items :

Because it sits in the aft corner behind the table access is a bit of a pain. My "aha" moment came when I realized I should swap the contents of the two lockers. Once done I would have much easier access to the electrical and sail repair items I use weekly if not more often. It only took me fourteen years to come up with this plan. George Orwell was right!
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