The Handyman

1200 position 41N 162W, 790 miles south of Kodiak, Alaska

I think Starr would be more accurately characterized as a small ship rather than a big yacht. She has most of the systems of a ship and is nearly as complex. Let's consider her hydraulic systems. Starr's main hydraulic system is powered by the main engine. It provides power to the bow and stern thrusters and the anchor windlass. There is a separate main engine powered hydraulic system for the stabilizers. There are two stand alone electrically powered hydraulic systems for the steering and boat davit, and another generator powered system for the get-home drive. I'm sure I've missed a few as I'm still trying to figure it all out.

The point is, there are a lot of things that can break aboard Starr, and when they do somebody has to fix them. A boat Starr's size that is used this much often has some full time crew aboard, or at least a professional Captain who can keep things running properly. The Stabberts choose to run their ship themselves though. Spend a few days aboard and you can see why. Sharry takes care of provisioning and logistics with confidence. Don handles Starr as competently as any professional could, and he knows her systems inside and out. It is clear he loves fixing stuff, and if he can't figure it out he has a cadre of support just a phone call away.

Yesterday the galley sink faucet started to run slowly so Don changed the partially clogged water filter that was causing the problem. While he was under the counter he touched the sink drain p-trap and the twenty year old corroded metal fitting disintegrated. No problem, head to Home Depot for a.... whoops, no Home Depot out here 800 miles from land.

I expected that Don would keep spares for critical systems aboard Starr, but I didn't think he'd have spare sink drain plumbing fittings. I'll be darned if he didn't head down into the bowels of the vessel and come back out two minutes later with spare drain fittings that allowed him to repair the drain in a few minutes. Nope, Don doesn't need any help running Starr.

It is getting colder and the barometric pressure is dropping as we leave the Pacific high behind us. The air temperature is down to 53 degrees and the water temp is below 60. This morning fog filled in around us and the visibility got down to about half a mile. It is great sleeping weather.