To see as much of the world as we can,
Using the smallest carbon footprint we can,
Spending the least amount of money we can,
Making as many friends we can.

Team Red Cruising

Rainy Weekend

May as well clean.

Wilcox-Critteden Head
Trying to get the head to flush properly

And fix things.

This thing is the pump assembly on our Marine Sanitation Device (MSD). You might know it as a toilet.

CA's picking the paint out of the inlet valve packing nut.

The forward cylinder (with the greenish top) is raw water used for flushing. The rearward cylinder (with the lever) is the waste pump.

The water wasn't going in to the MSD to flush. The packing nut was spinning when the foot pedal was operated.

What's supposed to happen is a cam rod going through the packing nut turns to open and close the water valve. But it wasn't. The whole packing nut was turning. And slowly unscrewing itself. So water wasn't going in.

Forward Head
CA cleaned and reassmbled the pump housing

Which lead to a volcano of shit ("shitcano").

Now. Fixed.

"Eeew," you say. "The water's brown."

"Correct," we respond. "The creek is very turbid. The MSD flushes with raw water, and it's brown when there's been a lot of rain."

Next job?

Pump some of the fluid out of the center tank to confirm it really is full to the top with diesel.

And it is. Each time it sloshes around, some diesel comes out. I guess I'll pump a few gallons out each time we're on the boat until it stops coming up diesel.

Then?

Hurricane prep. Florence is coming and — if it's going to hit the upper bay — the headsails need to come down and the mail needs some extra lashing. We'll relocate the fuel jerry jugs to the cockpit to reduce windage. And maybe lash down scout with some extra line to make sure it stays on deck.