Published Articles:
So, You Think That Was Stupid???
Published in Latitudes & Attitudes
July/August, 2000After taking our guests ashore so they could catch a flight back to the States, we got back to the boat wishing for a quiet day. However, before that happened, the boat had to be cleaned up and the captain had to unplug the head they managed to plug up just before leaving.
After about 3 hours of grunts, groans and colorful language, rushing through the cabin with hoses to be banged against the hull to knock crusted crud loose, everything was back in place, hooked up and working again.
We spent the rest of the day recovering from company and the trauma of a plugged head and then set sail for the next port. Every time we turn the engine on, the watermaker goes on, since it’s such a power hog. After a couple hours of motoring, into the wind as usual, I decided I needed to visit the head. The first thing I see when I open the door is the sink overflowing onto the cabin sole, sloshing with every wave. I went up to inform the captain that we have yet another problem in the head and he gets an “oh, shit” look on his face. Seems that when he was working on the plugged head, the valve handle for the sink drain got in his way and he closed it, not thinking to reopen it after he was done. On our boat, our watermaker brine line has been hooked into the head sink drain. When the watermaker is on, the excess seawater is routed back to the ocean by this line. As the watermaker was making fresh water, it was also pumping seawater into the sink drain, backing up into the sink and then all over the head.
Last updated by darrensmith@hotmail.com
