High winds ripped mounting bolts out of the solar panel frame
During the same rough passage, the solar panel mount failed under the force of high winds. The front of the panel lifted up and fortunately came straight back down rather than flying off entirely, but the bolts in the rear attachment point ripped clean out of the frame. Lauren notes this was a job she simply hadn't gotten around to, and she didn't have the right parts on board to properly secure the front mount beforehand. The panel itself survived undamaged, which she counted as good news, but the mount needs proper reinforcement before the next passage.
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Sometimes replacing the whole toilet assembly is faster than chasing seal failures
Lauren's aft head had seals replaced a couple of times and still was not working properly. Rather than continuing to chase individual seal failures, she decided to replace the entire assembly. The result: two out of three heads on the boat
Heavy calcium buildup in hoses can defeat even a new toilet pump
On the master head, Lauren replaced the pump assembly but the toilet still was not working correctly. Her suspicion is that the hose itself has too much calcium buildup inside it, meaning the new pump is fighting against a restricted line.
A gushing impeller makes it risky to work on a ball valve underway
Lauren tried to operate a sea cock ball valve, and while the handle itself moved fine, water kept gushing out of the impeller opening at a rate that made continuing unsafe. Rather than risk more water flooding into the boat, she made the ca