Challenges for the day

I know there is an overall plan or scheme of things when we decide to stop somewhere for a couple of days and rent a car to re-provision and do some sight seeing.  The agenda for this stop in Pensacola includes a visit to the Naval Air Station to see the Museum which includes much about the Blue Angels stationed here.  This is a Navy town to be sure but it has an extensive history dating back to the sixteenth century.  We have chosen a marina based to the guide books which indicated that it would be a good stop.  Little did we know that it is a quaint marina and shipyard.  Pictures later.  The price of a slip is $1.00 per foot unless you are a member of Boat US which we are.  That makes it $0.75 per foot.  Tell you something?  The others in this area are $2.00 or more per foot.  Pictures at eleven.

Back to the agenda; so much for the museum, at least for today.  I decided to replace the house battery bank since we have a car and they are over five years old.  I might mention that they are not the largest batteries available but they are still heavy.  I am guessing they weigh at least 90 pounds each.  Take them off the boat an she heels to starboard due the the generator on that side.  Ok, so I hired a bit of help to remove them and replace them.  Then I connected the new charger we added just before leaving Port A.  It won't work due to an electrical  fault at the marina.  I then decide to start the generator to put some "clean" power to the charger.  No water from it's exhaust means I get to change the pump impeller in the genset.   I then go to plan "C" which is to kick on the solar panels and work on solutions to plans "A" and "B".  Thank goodness they are cooking for now.  Then just when I am ready to start drinking heavily, the charger comes on.  Now, plans "A" and "C" are somewhat working and I get to work on plan "B".  Simple, huh?  Did I mention my volt meter is about to jump ship?  The saving grace to all this is that we are in a slip, a cheap slip, we have a car and West Marine is only three blocks away.  More later.