While researching the Bermudian water laws, Al learned that it is required that all visiting boats must have a working sewerage treatment system aboard. Though we do have a system on Ryen's Quest we weren't quite sure that it worked. Yesterday, while I left for land to do a few domestic chores like laundry, Al went head first under the back cabin berth. Armed with his new tools and pretty white new hose, clamps, and y-valves the old hardware was removed and replaced with the new. It wasn't quite as easy as that. I heard a lot of partial words, some beginning with "fah", "kah", "jee". (Phonetics are wonderful to play with.) Dragging himself out of the hole after 11 miserable hours, Allan, wiped his brow and with a half smile determined it was time to turn the system on. I stood back with lots of trepidation (and paper towel), as Mack pumped water and Allan turned the knob....the machine groaned, then sort of whistled, green lights started to dance on the switch board. Yippee! No hoses broke loose, no leaks so far; but we had to do a series of "flushes" before the first flush gets macerated properly to meet the Bermudian standard for going out the through hull. Understand, that we aren't practicing with the real thing, we improvised with harbour water which is much the same only different. Al had gotten the system working and Bermuda was that much closer.
After a long hot shower, and before falling to sleep in freshly laundered sheets, Al confessed to me that he was glad he hadn't chosen plumbing as a career. I smiled in the darkness and kissed him good night. He was a plumber. Today he had been a magnificent plumber and did exactly what needed doing to keep our journey going. One job at a time, one day at a time.
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