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Black Magic, a Bristol 40, on her new mooring at Keyport Yacht Club in Keyport, NJ, following a coastal cruise along the NJ shoreline from her previous home.

1st Night Aboard

I showed up to the boat Friday evening following work to ready the boat for her trip north up the coast.  Upon entering the boat, I immediately smelled sulfuric acid.  Knowing well the origin of the aroma, I opened the lazarette with the batteries, and was almost knocked out by the acid fumes.  Apparently two of the batteries which were bad, were boiling over to the point that they were shooting sulfuric acid fumes like a teapot shooting steam.  I needed to let the locker vent, however, there was an impending storm which was to be severe, which began almost as quickly as I closed the locker, which is just as well as there was a 50/50 chance the batteries were gong to explode.  I quickly turned off the battery charger to remove any further charge from the batteries, hoping they would cool down by morning to remove them.  By the time I went below it started pouring rain.  It was then that I was to learn that the port lights, alleged to have been rebed recently, leaked like cheesecloth.  I set up large cups under leaks which were dripping water at a rate sufficient to make me feel as tough I were in an underwater cave. After the storm, one of the cups actually had 14 oz of water in it.   I knew this meant only one thing.  Inviting my friends to a rebedding party, only I knew no one would come no matter how sweet the deal. I placed small pieces of tape over each leak so I knew what needed to be rebed.

The next morning the batteries had cooled down to being merely very hot, sufficient to remove them safely.  I had carried out three group 24 batteries the night before and they were ready to install.  However, upon taking the first battery out of the battery case, I learned that they were group 27 batteries, not 24's, something I recall adamantly questioning with my surveyor, who insisted they were 24's.  So, I had to carry back the three 24's for return, the three bad 27's, and, purchase and carryout three new 27's.  It was no longer an issue that I would be missing my workout this morning.  Upon completion of the battery installation, I couldn't help but notice that the battery acid which leaked from the bad batteries had rubbed against my garments, essentially rendering them to useless dust fragments. Fortuitously I had an alternate change of clothes.

By the time I provisioned the boat and purchased diesel fuel, it was 13:00.  We had hoped to be under way by 09:00.   Better late then never I suppose.