With the wind howling all afternoon Tuesday, Full Moon opted not to race in the Ducks Night Duck Dodge. You might think sailors would love a lot of wind but it can be dangerous on Lake Union with a lot of boats, not all of which have skilled crews. Live to race another day!
On Sunday, foredeck crew Daniel and skipper John went to the boat for a nice afternoon sail and to beat the heat. Minutes after climbing on board (well before casting off), truly nasty smoke began swirling in the cabin coming from the stern area. With no visible fire, there was nothing to point an extinguisher at. And with truly toxic smoke pushing us out of the cabin, there was nothing to do other than make sure the shower power was disconnected (it already was). The breakers are always turned off unless in active use.
After a bit, the smoke dissipated enough for skipper John to carefully disconnect the battery. It turned out the wires from the outboard's alternator to the battery had developed a short, probably where the wires went through the transom. Unlike the shore power charger, there was no fuse or switch for these wires, something that will be rectified in the repairs!
It was incredibly lucky that we happened to arrive at the boat when we did. The wires melted enough on their own to eventually break the short but it would not have taken much for something else to catch fire.
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| The offending wires, or what is left of them! |
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