15, 16 & 17 April 2026 - Bari

Fixing the wiring for the cables that come down the mast wasn’t entirely straightforward. After several hours on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, we finally had all systems working. This included the various lights, wind instruments, AIS and VHF.

Amongst all this, it came to light that our backup, emergency battery charging system had been switched on, without anyone being aware, and resulting, the theory went, in too much charge going into our brand new batteries, causing them to overheat, and potentially damage them. At the same time, the air conditioning system, which we use in reverse to give us heating, stopped working. Was this coincidence, or had a discharge from the batteries caused damage to circuit board in the AC control unit? After many hours of investigation, including calling in aircon experts, no solution was found and a message sent to the manufacturers to see if parts can be sourced. However, two days later, on switching all power to the boat off, suddenly the AC is working again. It’s the old one about switching it off and then on again!

Tricia has tied beautiful "Turks Head" knots on our newly recovered wheels

So it’s been a frustrating few days. By Friday afternoon, though, it would appear all the boat prep is done. There is a weather window Sunday / Monday, so we can relax, feeling that stocking up with some of the wonderful food to be had here, is all that remains. I feel a celebratory Aperol Spritz coming on this evening.

Tricia (and Steve)

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