3-12-09 It's good to be king....

What a painful exercise this has been. We're charging OK, and the Xantrex Link 2000R seems to be acting as it should. To summarize, this is what we've changed out: 4 fuses (3 were 2A, 1 was 10A) and holders; 3 alternators repaired (we're now running on the Balmar 70A again); 1 50MV 500A alternator shunt; a bunch of wire terminal ends; and 2 battery switches. All wire terminals to switches, fuse holders, terminal boards and grounds have been cleaned, a good idea in any case. I think most of this is directly attibutable to our exhaust leak of November, which sprayed salt water over the back of the switches and fuses, etc. It's also taken two trips to Panama City for alternator repairs and an unknown amount of patience and aggravation. We're now on much more intimate terms with our alternator and charging system, another good idea. So, it's been quite the learning experience. A few tips from fellow cruisers, and a lot of deductive reasoning and thought involved. There were moments of panic, depression and a feeling of helplessness (conflicting test results when following the algorithms found in various texts for alternator/regulator faults) when nothing seemed to be helping or working correctly, but perseverance (some might call it stubbornness) won the day. As Tom Petty sang, "It's good to be king....," even, or especially, if it's only of your engine room. We also made another trip to Panama yesterday to pick up our Acer laptop, which had its motherboard replaced under warranty repair. Only 8 months old and needing a new motherboard...hmmm. And it still won't turn on without it being plugged in. But we're not willing to bring it back to repair shop at this time.... At this point, we're back to waiting for a weather window to head to the San Blas. Winds and seas have been high for several weeks, and it seems the only boats which have left have gone to transit the canal. The rest of us have waited here in Shelter Bay Marina for better conditions.