Cruising World - February 2016

UNDERWAY

FEBRUARY

2016

cruisingworld.com

14

Shock Hazard

Decreased

Ground-fault circuit

interrupter (GFCI)

receptacles, the power

outlets found on many

boats (and in shore-

side homes), have an

extremely high failure

rate in marine envi-

ronments, according

to systems expert and

ABYC educator Ed

Sherman. Specifi cally,

when users don’t ad-

here to the suggested

monthly testing,

the built-in circuit

breaker in a GFCI re-

ceptacle may not off er

protection from faulty

appliances, tools or

defective portable

cords. Hubbell Marine

Electrical Products

has just announced

a new receptacle

that will monitor for

unsafe conditions

every three hours. If

a shock hazard exists,

the new unit will cut

the power supply and

give an audible alarm.

Read more at Ed’s

Boat Tips blog.

cruisingworld.

com/1602shock

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S

omething special unites the

three boats gathered in our

gorgeous anchorage off New

Zealand’s Great Mercury Island.

All three are small and modest but

sturdy vessels; our 1981 Dufour 35,

Namani, is the newest of the three.

It also has the biggest cockpit — a

rare thing in today’s cruising soci-

ety, where popular misconception

seems to hold that anything under

40 feet isn’t suitable for leaving

the coast. Yet two of those three

boats have sailed halfway around

the world from Europe (with chil-

dren aboard, no less), while the

third is crewed by two brothers

from North America.

It isn’t just the size and age

of our vessels that brings us

together in an unoffi cial club of

sorts. None of us have a work-

ing anchor windlass either (not

to mention refrigerators or func-

tioning shower heads). Namani’s

windlass gave up the ghost back

in Tahiti, Saltbreaker’s sputtered

for the last time at around longi-

tude 160, and Sea Bright — well,

her crew can’t recall the last time

they weighed anchor with any-

thing but man (or woman) power.

It’s not that our crews don’t

have capable, self-taught me-

chanics on board. We’ve all tried,

tried and tried again to fi x our

stubborn windlasses, along with

other gear. But persistent quirks,

a lack of accessible parts, or lim-

ited cruising kitties prevent us

from checking that one item off

the to-do list. A key characteristic

of our special fraternity, however,

is that we don’t allow hiccups to

stop us from achieving our cruis-

ing dreams.

Twenty thousand miles of

cruising away from our starting

point, we realize that we’ve de-

veloped a new outlook when it

comes to equipment on board.

If something breaks — no, when

something breaks (gear failure

being one of the few certainties

of the sea) — we might get angry

and frustrated, but not disheart-

ened. At least, not for very long.

We quickly move on to a more

constructive stage in the emo-

tional process and try to fi x it.

But if the device in question still

defi es our best eff orts, we fi nd

creative solutions. And some-

times, the best solution is to just

live without.

In other words: If it’s broke,

don’t fi x it.

Yes, I mean it. In fact, I’ll go so

far as to say that the only thing as

satisfying as a job well done is a

job not done at all. It works even

if it doesn’t work, so to speak.

Happily, we’ve claimed victory in

enough repair battles to counter-

balance the few defeats. Certainly,

there are things we’d never leave

port without. However, there are

plenty of things we can — and

happily do — go without, and nev-

er feel as if we’re roughing it.

The moral of the story is not

that you shouldn’t try to fi x any-

thing that breaks; it’s just that

you don’t necessarily have to fi x

everything that breaks. The key is

knowing when to give in and get

on with your cruise.

On a recent night, all three

crews gathered in our snug cock-

pit to sip a fi ne New Zealand wine

and dine on scallops harvested

from the bay. We watched the sun

set behind a promising new hori-

zon, bringing a close to another

unrushed, satisfying day. We didn’t

bemoan what we lacked, but

toasted what we did have: good

company, sturdy vessels and twin-

kling stars to steer th em by.

And that’s the point, of course.

Isn’t it? — Nadine Slavinski

IF IT’S BROKE

Sometimes it’s best to admit

DIY defeat and carry on with

the fi ner points of cruising,

such as enjoying beach walks

and dinner in the cockpit with

good friends.

NADINE SLAVINSKI