The Inverter Monster

Last year and the year before, I wrote about how I hate the spacing of certain bridges in North Carolina and how it forces us to move either much more slowly than we otherwise would, or much, much faster than we would prefer. I have gone so far as to suggest that someone with more mathematical acumen than I should create an optimization routine for the bridges. Since I have beaten that particular horse a number of times, I am going to write, instead, about the various inlets in North Carolina. For a boater, there are probably three inlets that are the most problematic: Brown’s Inlet, Lockwood’s Folly and Shalotte Inlet.

The problem with these inlets is that when the ocean sweeps in at high tide, it picks up and moves tons of sand and mud, dropping it elsewhere in the inlet. Then, when the tide changes, the same process takes place in reverse. The challenge to a boater moving from north to south past the inlet is that he can never be quite sure where the tidal shifts left the sand from the day before. Now, add a hurricane or two into the mix and you can begin to see how and why cruisers are so concerned about some of these inlets.

The picture below is a graphical representation of the Corps of Engineers survey of one inlet shortly after Hurricane Matthew. The blue is the deep water and the red is the shallowest water. Imagine a boat coming from your right. Our imaginary boater will keep red marker 44 on his right and move up to and beyond 46. He then enters water that is Color-coded green – and is a little shallower.

Corps of Engineer Survey of Lockwood's Folly post-Matthew

If he continues in a straight line, he will run into yellow, then red – and that can be a very bad thing. Instead, the coast guard-emplaced markers try to nudge him to the right a little, keeping 46A on his right then 47 and 47A on his left. I am not going to go through the whole thing, but I think it is clear that moving from marker 44 on the right through 48 on the left without going aground can be a little tricky even for the best boat captain, especially since the water itself is not color-coded like this chart!!!

The easy way to get through these inlets is to go through when the tide is rising and nearly at high tide. Then, you carefully follow the coast guard day marks through the inlet.  Nature, however, isn’t kind enough to space the inlets so that you can conveniently pass through them all in one day on a rising ride. In our case, we were able to cruise through Brown’s Inlet near high tide and had no problems whatsoever getting through. We then spent two days at Carolina Beach and faced the next two trouble spots nearer low tide. We made it through all of them, but it was a bit of a white-knuckler as we went through. Just to make it especially interesting, at Lockwood’s Folly there was a boat aground, in the process of being pulled off the sand by TowBoat US. Whew! There, but for the Grace of God …

Anyhow, our initial plan was to leave Beaufort, then go see a friend of ours from days long past. Jim Treadwell was my executive officer while I was a company commander in the 82d Airborne Division. He was also a member of Company H3, the same USMA company  of which I was a member – though he was three years behind me. The cold I caught, however, and the remnants of Hurricane Matthew slowed us down and Jim had to get back home. We have agreed to try to meet in Florida in December, or if not, then in NC next spring.

Our first stop after Beaufort – and just beyond Brown’s Inlet – was Mile Hammock Bay, a neat little anchorage located on the Marine Corps Base at Camp Lejeune. Although they do not allow shore access, the Marines do permit the general public to use Mile Hammock as an anchorage. Thanks, Marine Corps.

Two or three miles down the ICW from Mile Hammock, is a small marina called “New River Marina.” It is easy to get into and out of, but unless you know it is there you might very well miss it. Why is all this important? Because it has what appears to be the lowest price for diesel on the ICW. Are you ready for this? $1.89 per gallon. I know that some of you think I am making too much of the costs of fuel, but when you take on 300 – 400 gallons or more, there is no such thing as “making too much of it.”

One of the very long piers at Carolina Beach

Carolina Beach was next on the itinerary and, rather than going to a marina or to an anchorage, we took a mooring ball for two days.  Our primary purpose was to see of our dinghy was still in good condition and if we would be able to use it in the upcoming season. I wish I could say it started right up – but it did not. However, after some swearing, some cajoling and pulling that damn cord more times than I can count, we got it going. We used it to go ashore, walk down the rather extensive beach and gather sea shells for the first time in a year or more. Then we hopped in the dink, landed at Gibby’s Dock and Dine and had a great club sandwich. We putted around some more, declared victory over the dinghy and put her back up.

 From Carolina Beach we went to Coquina Yacht Club at Myrtle Beach. We had hoped to stay at the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club itself, but alas, there was no room at the inn (actually, the marina; I was just trying to be a bit literary). We had also decided that we needed to hit the grocery store, liquor store, hardware store, West Marina and a few other shopping locations. Because of all we had to do we stayed at Coquina for four days and rented a car for two of them. It seemed like we needed a car to get anywhere. Now we may have it all wrong, but from what we could see Myrtle Beach is spread out over several square miles (most of it along Highway 17) and without a car, we would have not had much to do.

It was also at Coquina that we had an epiphany. Ann had noticed that the gap in the seal around the freezer was becoming wider and wider. This wasn’t the first time we had problems with that damn seal. A few years ago a repairman offered to replace the seal for a mere $350. Since we could buy an entire fridge for $1000 (okay, maybe a little bit more), we didn’t think it worth the price and we just lived with the inefficiencies. Now, however, we had developed a serious gap. All I could think of was boat units flitting out the window (in addition to the cost of the fridge, of course, we would have paid someone to help put it in. It wouldn’t fit through a door, so we would probably have to have a window taken out … and put back in. You can see how the costs add up). Hmmm, what to do, what to do. Between Ann and me, we came up with the simple, elegant solution of buying a strip of butyl rubber and filling in the gaps with the stripping. I know, I know, it is hardly Einstein-like. But hey, it was simple, cheap, and most importantly, doable on a boat in the middle of the ICW. It worked like a charm. We have reduced our energy usage by about 30% to 40% with our brilliant invention. When and if you ever need to use our repair technique, we ask only that you label it “The Mike and Ann Brilliant Gap Solution.”

After four days at Coquina, we headed south again. Our stop the first night was in what we call the Waccamaw River Anchorage. It is a nice little anchorage that could easily hold ten boats. Though we were the first there, later that afternoon four more boats joined us. The evening started out kind of average with nothing untoward happening. We were all in the process of enjoying the moon, the stars and the gentle slapping of the water against our hulls. Then, IT happened.

I had just put down my book and was preparing to go to sleep. Ann wanted to read a little, so she turned on her light. Then <flicker> <flicker> nothing. The light would not turn back on. We tried it again and again and again. Nothing. OMG we had been attacked. Somewhere in that deep, dark night we had been attacked, by the huge, ugly, vicious, Inverter-eater.

This is the anchorage where it happened. Can you find
 the Inverter-Eater?

For those of you who may have forgotten, an inverter is an electrical device that converts the DC voltage from batteries, into the AC voltage required by most household appliances – like table lights and refrigerators. In our case, the inverter functions almost unseen. When you turn on an AC device, the inverter draws DC from the batteries and converts it into AC. It is as simple as apple pie. Unless, of course, it doesn’t work.

The inability to use our batteries to keep our food cold would certainly have been a challenge. However, there was one thing that made the situation even worse. All of our power – whether DC from the batteries, AC from the generator or from the marina power outlet – goes through the inverter.  The more electrically-inclined of you are beginning to see the dimensions of the problem. If our only difficulty would have been the inability of the inverter to convert DC into AC, we could have run the generator occasionally to use the AC power to keep the fridge running. But since we couldn’t get any power to the refrigerator, we had a problem.

We had planned on heading to the marina at Georgetown and had already made reservations. When we arrived, we immediately asked if there was a good marine electrician available. The dockmaster told us the guy we wanted was Bubba (ok, that is not his real name, but since I have forgotten it and frankly don’t like this guy, I am using artistic license to call him Bubba). I called Bubba (twice), Ann called Bubba (once) and the dockmaster called him at least once. Bubba, being a real SOB did not answer or return any of the calls.

What to do, what to do. A few years ago we had some electrical problems in Charleston (about 60 miles to the south). Back then, we called the Charleston Boatyard, who in turn had called Sea-Tec Marine, who eventually did the work. They were good, they were fast and, importantly, they were owned and staffed completely by veterans. We didn’t have anything to lose, so I called Sarkis (yes, that’s his name; see what happens, Bubba, then you return people’s calls they use your real name!) Sarkis immediately understood the problem and told me what I needed to do to get the AC system running. It was terribly simple. I had to find the set of three input wires, one each red, green and black, find the set of three output wires of the same color and connect them to each other. Now, I admit to having played (sometimes successfully) with DC circuits in my life, but 110 volt AC circuits can kill you a lot faster, so I have generally hired someone to deal with them. Here, however, it seemed as if I didn’t have a choice. So, with my trusty tool kit and my trusty wife (to call 911, just in case) at my side, I delved into the deep, dark corners of the generator room.  I won’t go into any more details, but suffice to say, I succeeded.

The problem, of course, wasn’t yet solved – just the food emergency. I got Sarkis back on the phone and asked him what kind of inverter he thought I needed to get. (When I first got the inverter 5 years ago, I did a great deal of research on the size and the brand I wanted. To this day, I think I got the right system.) Five years later, however, we found that my previous inverter is no longer made. Moreover, the company that used to make the inverters was sold and has been broken up. Now, don’t get me wrong. I knew a little about the current generation of inverters, just not as much as I would have liked. Well, Sarkis’ suggestion was unequivocal, I needed a Magnum MS2812. When he said that, I remember a conversation I had with some folks a couple of years ago, wherein they all recommended a Magnum. So, that’s what we decided to do.

I know, I know, many of you would have bought the inverter, wired it into the electrical system and been off. Well, I am not that good with 110 volt electrical systems (see above) and determined that I needed Sarkis to install the inverter. He, however, wasn’t available for another 12 days. That meant we had to hang around South Carolina until we could link up with him. At the end of the day, we decided that we would all meet in Beaufort, SC on 14 November. 

One of the many beautiful, old homes in Georgetown.

Since, however, we were in Georgetown, SC, we figured we would look around a bit and see what was going on. We have been here before, but I think the last time was two years ago. Georgetown is really a beautiful small southern town. It has enough shops to keep Ann happy (ask her about her favorite kitchen store), enough waterfront bars and grills to keep me happy and enough history for both of us.  Georgetown is the third oldest city in South Carolina and  occupies a unique place in American history. Some historians believe that American history began here in 1526 with the earliest settlement in North America by Europeans with African slaves. The theory goes that Spaniard, Lucas Vazquez de Ayllon  founded a colony on Waccamaw Neck called San Miguel de Gualdape. The colony failed for multiple reasons, including a fever epidemic and a revolt of the African slaves, who fled to join the Indians in the area. Having failed as farmers, the surviving Spanish built a ship and left the area. A century and-a-half later the English settled Charles Town (Charleston) and established trade in the surrounding area.

Georgetown has a number of museums, including the Rice Museum (you would be surprised at what you can learn from a museum dedicated to rice!). We had already visited the Rice Museum, the South Carolina Maritime Museum and the Georgetown City Museum. Next time we will try to see the Gullah Museum and the Kaminski House Museum. This time we limited ourselves to a tour of the city by a man driving an old time jeep and pulling an open-air trailer.  

The 1000 year old Oak in McClellanville, SC. This tree was
 nearly 500 years old when Columbus discovered America and
over 200 years old hen the Magna Carta was written.

After Georgetown we spent a fairly short day cruising to McClellanville, SC. Now McClellanvlle ain’t much – in fact it is probably less than you think it is. However, it has three things that brought us back: (1) it was a convenient stop between Georgetown and Beaufort. (We had to go to a marina, of course, because we had lost our inverter.) (2) It has a very good restaurant that serves down home, low country food. (3) It has a tree that has been certified by the state as being over 1000 years old – and I am a nut for old trees.

After McClellanville it was on to Beaufort. So, that is where we are now, in beautiful Beaufort, SC, waiting for Sarkis so we can get going on our trip south. Will he be here on the 14^th? I think so, hope so and am willing to track him down and kill him if he is not. But, just as I have to wait until the 14^th to find out for sure, so do you J.

ANN’S Notes: I really do not have very much to add to this blog … Michael pretty much gave you the highlights. I will say that it is nice to be under way again. I have made the adjustment of cooking in my much smaller galley/ kitchen … I do love that kitchen in the condo.

Spot really likes the cruising lifestyle, she has free roaming privileges on board. So much to see and do, bird watching from the helm window  where she has a huge pillow to lay on. I take her out on the bow to roam around and play when we are at anchor.

Once we get the inverter in and working we will be on our way…

ok...post script...Michael added a few more activities to the blog so I will follow suit.

When we took a tour of Georgetown, it was a local man with a Jeep pulling and open air trolley. We have been to many museums in these parts were rice was the main cash crop along with cotton and indigo. I had been told many times that the white plantation owners would leave their plantations with their families and stay in their summer homes along the ocean front ... away from the fields and swamps that had the deadly malaria mosquitos. I wondered why the slaves did not suffer and die like the white owners. I found out why during our tour.  The slaves that came from the coast of Africa had a natural defense against malaria ... it was because they had sickle cell shapes in their blood. Evolution protecting them against the mosquitoes and deadly malaria. Look it up on Google, it really is fascinating. Of course in this day and age the African-American does not need that protection and the sickle cell has caused other health issue for them.

I do enjoy learning new things while exploring new places and experiencing them.

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