One of Those Days

Today was one of those days when you realize that life at sea isn’t all sunsets and turquoise water. The only goal for the day was fixing the electrical issue that has prevented us from using most of the systems on the boat, including the stove, water maker, and electronics, for the past two days. It had appeared while doing the engine mount replacement, and our only clue as to what was happening is that the bilge pump light lit up regardless of what system you switched on. We didn't have the faintest idea what was causing it.

During the previous days, we hadn’t eaten much. Certainly nothing hot. To fill the hole in our stomachs, we went grocery shopping in the morning before getting back to work on the boat. Breakfast was crêpes and fresh fruit, a small comfort before diving back into the engine room. We’re slowly getting to know our boat better, but not yet well enough to trace every wire or understand exactly how everything is connected. So we figured: if the boat says “bilge pump,” that’s where we’ll start.

We have two bilge pumps, a small one and a larger one, so we split up. Alex started testing the pumps, replacing corroded connections, while I began following the cables. A true detective job, since many disappear into the walls or run in thick bundles through narrow conduits.

Alongside the pumps, there are two water sensors: a float switch that rises with the water and triggers the pump, and another electronic sensor at the top of the bilge that sets off a piercing alarm when it gets wet. Alex carefully checked those too, swapping out old connectors and cables, while I tried to make sense of the wiring maze. Eventually, we realized there were two separate circuits related to the bilge system, and that the alarm sensor with the loud beep was completely independent. The small pump shared a circuit with the float switch. The large pump ran through a fuse box, then the main breaker panel, and finally to the glowing bilge light, but visually, everything looked fine.

We wondered if there might be some kind of logic board that “thinks” there’s water in the bilge and shuts everything else down. But no such thing revealed itself. Then Alex noticed that the current through the bilge light was flowing the wrong way, a sign of a possible grounding issue? Only… where do you even start looking for that?

We also traced the cable leading to the gas valve, again, nothing obvious. By the end of the day, we’d spent hours in the engine room, surrounded by tools and wires, without solving the mystery. At least we understood our boat a little better. But the fault? Still hiding. And still no hot meal. The only good news: the fridge was working, the last functioning system on board.

As the sun set, Alex wanted to jump in for a quick swim. I wasn’t in the mood. I sat quietly in the cockpit, watching the fading light and following my train of thoughts. A few minutes later, Alex came back up, holding an insect in his hand. “Niccy, what is this?” he asked, his voice uneasy.
I looked closer. “An ant… or maybe… a termite?” It definitely looked more like the latter.

I was too tired to be shocked, but a quick online search confirmed it... termites. Not just one, but hundreds. They’d landed on our boat. That’s why people say you should never have a wooden boat in the Pacific. It had rained lightly earlier, and the humidity must have brought out a swarm. Once they find a boat, they shed their wings and start chewing into the wood.

Alex immediately began closing all the windows, while I grabbed a flashlight and started sweeping the deck, killing the termites one by one. It took us over an hour before the last of them was gone. Finally, we sat down in the cockpit, completely exhausted. Alex cut some bread and salami, and we ate in silence.

Frustrated, tired, but strangely calm, we finally fell into bed. Days like this exist even in paradise. Days where all you can do is push through. No one’s coming to fix it for you, you’re on your own. But that’s part of the beauty of it, too. You just can’t let it break you.

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