Barge Date:  09-04-2019

Is this barge the best barge in the land?

We are back on board Lionel...d'Antan.  Uneventful travels from home to Brussels first for a visit

with the family. We are always hosted as royalty by the family.  Marianne was able to visit her favorite book store in town, buying for herself and our first grandchild due later this year.

Then on to Strasbourg.  Used a taxi to get to the boat as a wheel is off my suitcase. Of course this is where you open the boat after it has been closed up for months.  Did I do a good job closing last year? How much water is there in the boat?  Has the work been done by the crew here at the harbor and does it look top drawer?

Right from the beginning, I began to worry.  The harbor workers had been on the boat, and I was told by email just before departure that the 12-24 volt electric was not working. The 220 volt was fine. This has to be classified as a grey area because some of the wiring may be 50 years old.

OK.  First, get some heat on the boat.  The go-to for this is the diesel stove. It had a flame for several minutes, but then out. Tried all kind of voodoo to get it to fire, but no luck.  We would sleep in the cold (actually quite nice under the covers). We walked to the local market store - closed. This is starting to add up.  More work on the stove the next day - cleaned and changed the filters for the diesel stove.  No luck.

Trip to an oral surgeon to remove stitches from a very recent tooth extraction.

OK.  I will just start the central heat. I have not had this on for more than a year but had my written instructions handy. Would not start. Could this be because the 12-24 volt system is down? Wrong wiring from last year's solar install? Spent the morning on the floor of the wheelhouse looking at an old fuse box. I  had tested the engine batteries the day before, and I thought it was nil.  I ran power from shore, and the generator immediately starts up. Then I realize my multi-meter mistake and took a second reading - above 12 volts. Verified by starting the engine. So how could I have 220 volt house power, have engine batteries start the engine, but not have low voltage power?

I can see Marianne thinking that perhaps an early arrival for her is a mistake.

I am thinking about  opening a below water tap and sending her down when the man that had done the work on the boat, Vincent, walks up and says "I know what the problem is".

There is a box with the solar/electric set-up that is a battery protector. If it senses something amiss it breaks the connection.  It can be tested by jumping the 2 heavy poles on it. Plus, and I should have known this, there are lights that must be on. Warranty item for me; hope to have part by end of the week (but I have little faith).  Now everything is working. But for the battery protector, it did not stop

the house or engine batteries from doing normal work.  Just shut down the 12-24 volt. This does not make complete sense. Does it shut down these lower voltages because something might fly them but can handle the higher voltages?

And Vincent also showed me a trick with the stove, and we had fuel flowing immediately.

This is still the best barge in the land.