Merry Christmas!

May the peace and quiet joy of Christmas be with you and your loved ones. Merry Christmas from the crew of Eolian!

Inventiveness

Boats have a lot of systems - way more than your average suburban house. For example, Eolian has four electrical systems...

• 110V shore power
• 110V inverter power
• 110V generator power
• 12V power

But this isn't a post about electrical systems... well not exactly.  Where I was going is that living on a boat has a higher-than-average need for inventiveness, for MacGyver-ing if you will.  Because of all those systems.  And because of the cost of marine mechanics, electricians, etc.

As a consequence, MacGyver-ing is a highly appreciated skill in the marine world, whether or not it is recognized aloud.  The ability to fix something in impromptu fashion using the materials at hand is a trait that has saved many mariners.

With that in mind, let me introduce you to my 5 year old granddaughter, Eliza.

Eliza noticed that one of the Christmas decorations in her home, an electric candle, was "broken".  So, she studied on it, and picking it up discovered that when held in her hand, the light came on!  (It turns out there is a photocell concealed in the body of the candle that turns it off in daylight.)

So, she fixed it, in a way that is imminently logical, using materials at hand... a toilet paper tube:

Broken...                            And Fixed

Tho you can't see it in the picture, she even decorated the toilet paper tube in keeping with the season.  She drew no attention to her feat, which was discovered by her mother later.  She was just doing her part to keep the household running.

This girl clearly has a boat of her own in her future!

Storm Window Redux

Open? This time of year??

Does it seem strange that I would have the ports open when it is 40° outside?

Well, they're not really open.  The storm windows are installed, and so with the ports open, the storm windows still provide a seal against the cold outside.

And why do I have them open?  Well, because it was raining when I installed them (Huh.  Imagine that.), and despite my carefully wiping off the outside surfaces of the port lenses, some moisture remained trapped between the port lenses and the storm windows (you might just be able to see it in the picture).  With the dehumidifier running (it's always running this time of year...) and the ports open, I am giving that moisture a chance to evaporate.

I should have made these years ago.